EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2026: Dates, Food, and Entertainment
The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2026 returns November 27 – December 30, 2026, included with regular park admission. The festival fills World Showcase with global holiday traditions, the Candlelight Processional, Holiday Kitchens, and a gingerbread Spaceship Earth. Here is everything Disney has confirmed.
What is the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays?
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth celebrates how cultures around the world mark the season. You get holiday storytellers across World Showcase, seasonal food booths, live entertainment, festive decor, and the Candlelight Processional. The festival comes with regular EPCOT admission, though food and drinks cost extra.
EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2026 dates
The festival runs November 27 – December 30, 2026. It opens the day after Thanksgiving and runs through the heart of the season, giving you just over a month to take it all in.
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
The Candlelight Processional
The Candlelight Processional returns nightly at the America Gardens Theatre. The performance pairs a celebrity narrator with a mass choir and a full orchestra for a retelling of the Christmas story, with multiple showtimes each evening.
Disney has not announced the 2026 celebrity narrators or the Candlelight Processional dining package details yet. Both usually arrive closer to the festival, and we will update this guide when they do.
Holiday Kitchens and food
The Holiday Kitchens return with seasonal bites and drinks from around the world, and each booth carries its own menu tied to holiday traditions. Disney plans to release the full Foodie Guide closer to the festival.
The Holiday Cookie Stroll also returns. Buy five qualifying cookies from participating Holiday Kitchens, collect a stamp for each in your Festival Passport, then redeem the completed stroll for a bonus treat.
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Live entertainment
Beyond the Candlelight Processional, the festival brings back these performances:
- Holiday Storytellers (live tellings of seasonal traditions throughout World Showcase)
- JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season (a gospel, jazz, and R&B show built around Christmas and Kwanzaa)
- Voices of Liberty as the Dickens Carolers (Victorian-era holiday caroling)
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Decor and displays
Every World Showcase pavilion gets its own festive theme. A few highlights stand out:
- Gingerbread Spaceship Earth display (with the Celebration Countdown presented by Citizen lighting the icon after dark)
- Spaceship Earth holiday lighting (a separate nightly lighting treatment on the sphere)
- Glimmering Greenhouses on Living with the Land (the boat ride decked out with lights and seasonal displays)
- Scentsy Festive Fragrances garden
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Family fun and characters
Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition scavenger hunt returns across World Showcase for a small fee. Santa Claus greets guests during the festival, including a location inside CommuniCore Hall, and Goofy appears in his holiday best.
Disney has not yet shared the full Holiday Kitchens menus, the Candlelight narrators, or the complete entertainment schedule. We will update this guide as each lands.
Save on your holiday stay. Disney has holiday room and package discounts for the 2026 season, including a Disney+ Perks package offer and room savings on select dates. See the full list in our 2026 Disney World holidays guide, then call your travel agent to check dates and book your trip.
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
What this means for MouseDining readers
This festival is the most budget-friendly headline event of the season, since it comes with park admission. Build a slow World Showcase evening around the Candlelight Processional, then snack your way through the Holiday Kitchens.
Related holiday guides
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2026
- Disney Jollywood Nights 2026
- 2026 Disney World holidays guide
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Frequently asked questions
What are the 2026 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays dates?
The festival runs November 27 – December 30, 2026.
Is the festival included with park admission?
Yes. The festival comes with regular EPCOT admission. Food and drinks at the Holiday Kitchens cost extra.
Who are the 2026 Candlelight Processional narrators?
Disney has not announced them yet. The narrator lineup and dining package details usually arrive closer to the festival.
What is the Holiday Cookie Stroll?
Buy five qualifying cookies from participating Holiday Kitchens, collect a stamp for each, then redeem the completed stroll for a special treat.