by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
October 6, 2023
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays at Walt Disney World is getting closer, and Disney has announced which celebrity narrators will be helping the massed choir bring the Christmas story to life for 2023.
This year’s Festival of the Holidays kicks off from November 24 to December 30, 2023, with lots of music, storytellers sharing traditions from around the globe in the World Showcase, more than 15 yummy Holiday Kitchens (food booths), and the always-popular cookie stroll!
The EPCOT Candlelight Processional is the centerpiece of the festival, with a celebrity narrator sharing the Christmas story alongside a massed choir, 50-piece orchestra, and the Voices of Liberty leading the music. This year, nine new narrators, including Brendan Fraser, Jordan Fisher, and Eva Longoria, will be coming to Florida, joining many of guests’ returning favorite stars.
The 2023 celebrity narrators include:
• Chrissy Metz: Nov. 24-25 (NEW)
• Luis Fonsi: Nov. 26-27 (NEW)
• Ann-Margret: Nov. 28-29 (NEW)
• Simu Liu: Nov. 30-Dec. 2
• John Stamos: Dec. 3-5
• Neil Patrick Harris: Dec. 6-8
• Marlee Matlin: Dec. 9-11
• Brendan Fraser: Dec. 12-14 (NEW)
• Eva Longoria: Dec. 15-16 (NEW)
• Joey McIntyre: Dec. 17-18 (NEW)
• Sterling K. Brown: Dec. 19-20 (NEW)
• Jordan Fisher: Dec. 21-23 (NEW)
• Steven Curtis Chapman: Dec. 24-26
• Audra McDonald: Dec. 27-28 (NEW)
• Lisa Ling: Dec. 29-30
The concerts are free to EPCOT guests, and traditionally held at 5:15 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the America Gardens Theatre. Limited seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, but guests can assure themselves of a seat (an important point for certain especially popular narrators) by reserving dining packages at select EPCOT restaurants, which also include a pass for a reserved seat at the Processional.
Dining packages go on sale October 17, and will include:
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion
($71.00-$83.00 adults; $45.00-$53.00 children)
• Biergarten Restaurant in the Germany Pavilion
($65.00 adults; $37.00 children)
• Coral Reef Restaurant at The Living Seas
($78.00 adults; $32.00 children)
• Garden Grill Restaurant in The Land Pavilion
($63.00-$78.00 adults; $40.00-$50.00 children)
• Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada Pavilion
($104.00 adults; $42.00 children)
• Rose & Crown Dining Room in the United Kingdom Pavilion
($66.00 adults; $29.00 children)
• Spice Road Table in the Morocco Pavilion
($55.00 adults; $24.00 children)
In addition, some same day dining packages will be available without advance reservations at Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue in the American Adventure Pavilion for $41.00. At Spice Road Table, diners will receive two small plates and one nonalcoholic beverage per person, plus a tagine and dessert platter for your party to share. At the other restaurants, the dining package will include an appetizer, entrée and dessert, or one full buffet/family-style meal, as well as a nonalcoholic beverage. Each package comes with one guaranteed Candlelight Processional seat (on the same day) per diner.
Reservations and additional information on Dining Packages will be available at DisneyWorld.com. Don’t forget, you will need separate admission to EPCOT for the day of the show; your dining package does not include theme park admission.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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