2023 Candlelight Processional at EPCOT: Dates, Info & Tips
Candlelight Processional at EPCOT will occur November 24 to December 30, 2023 at Walt Disney World. This covers the normal narrator lineup, celebrity appearance dates, whether the dining package is worth the money, and our review of this Christmas-time show. (Updated September 24, 2023.)
For those unfamiliar with it, Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World is the telling of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator with music sung by a mass choir and performed by a 50-piece live orchestra. It’s one component of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, which also includes the World Showcase Storytellers and Holiday Kitchen food booths.
Please note that Walt Disney World has not yet officially announced 2023 Candlelight Processional dates, narrators or dining package details. However, it follows a familiar pattern every normal year–making it easy to predict with a high degree of certainty that Candlelight Processional will return November 24, 2023 through December 30, 2023 as part of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. That’s not the only thing it’s possible to predict about this year’s event, either!
September 24, 2023 Update:Â We’ve started to receive a lot of questions about Candlelight Processional, and with the Advance Dining Reservation window right around the corner, we figured we’d pop-in with a quick update. First of all, contrary to some concerns–everything is okay. Walt Disney World has already confirmed that Candlelight Processional is returning for 2023.
Last year, the preliminary Candlelight Processional narrator lineup was released on Sept. 26, with a couple of schedule changes announced 2 days later. Some years, the final and full schedule doesn’t come out until October. Even then, there are times when last minute schedule changes have happened. So it would seem like things are right on schedule, right?
Wrong. For one thing, in previous years, the Candlelight Processional narrator lineup was released in part as early as July. It’s just been delayed the last couple of years as Walt Disney World has been trying to restore a sense of normalcy, resulting in pretty much everything being delayed. But that’s probably not what’s happening here.
Instead, it’s highly likely that the 2023 Candlelight Processional will be delayed for one simple reason: the actors’ strike. There’s currently an ongoing labor dispute between the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that started this summer.
Most past and potential Candlelight Processional narrators are members of the former, and Disney is a member of the latter. In fact, CEO Bob Iger has been one of the key figures at the negotiating table of the strikes. Many SAG-AFTRA members might opt against participating in Candlelight Processional as a matter of principle/solidarity even if it were granted an exception or deemed not to be “struck work.” (This is likely why the Bacon Brothers pulled out of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series–because Kevin Bacon is an actor and SAG-AFTRA member, not just a musician.)
The actors’ strike hasn’t been the only one happening over the last several months. There was also the writers’ strike, but the WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining talks on several consecutive days over the weekend and finally came to a tentative agreement after 146 days. Once that’s finalized, it’s expected that the SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP dispute will be resolved fairly quickly by comparison with similar contract updates.
It’s possible that Walt Disney World is waiting for this to happen, and will move quickly on securing celebrity narrators as soon as it does. Alternatively, if these talks break down and a deal falls apart, Walt Disney World will almost certainly pivot and seek alternative narrators that are not part of SAG-AFTRA. There are plenty of famous people capable of narration who aren’t actors!
One way or another, Candlelight Processional will happen. The actors’ strike only impacts the potential pool of celebrity narrators–not any of the other performers in Candlelight Processional. The show will go on, regardless. Either it’ll occur with celebrity actor narrators and a schedule coming out later than normal, or it’ll happen without celebrity actor narrators…and probably still a slightly later-than-normal schedule. It’s possible that Candlelight Processional Dining Packages will still be released in early October 2023, but we could see Disney waiting on that. Those will sell out regardless, so there’s really no huge rush.
With that update explaining why there’s no substantive update out of the way, here’s what we know about the 2023 Candlelight Processional at EPCOT…
Candlelight Processional performances are held in the America Gardens Theatre across from the American Adventure in World Showcase. There’s a reason one of the most popular events of the Christmas season at Walt Disney World is the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT: it’s a beautiful show that many guests find to be a moving and spiritual experience.
Calling Candlelight Processional one of the most popular events is no exaggeration–long lines plus expensive dinner packages have sort of contributed to us being “over” Candlelight Processional. We have really enjoyed it in the past, but it’s something that is a huge hassle if you don’t have a dining package or don’t mind watching from outside the theater.
Candlelight Processional Celebrity Narrator Schedule
The 2023 Candlelight Processional narrator schedule has not been released yet. This is the one thing that is not possible to predict, as the lineup changes each year in ways big and small. However, most of the same celebrities narrate each year (about 80% return) and many do so around the same dates (plus or minus a few days) each year.
You can thus look at the below schedule from last year and get a fairly good idea of the general timeframes that most narrators will appear at the 2023 Candlelight Processional. Just don’t go making any firm plans with this info. If you’re dead-set on seeing Neil Patrick Harris, for instance, it’s likely he’ll narrate in early to mid-December 2023, but not necessarily the dates below.
With that said, here’s the full Candlelight Processional at EPCOT narrator schedule from last year:
- Simu Liu – November 25 and 26
- Chita Rivera – November 27 through 29
- Raul Esparza – November 30 and December 1
- Whoopi Goldberg – December 2 and December 3
- Isabella Rossellini – December 4 through December 6
- Daymond John – December 7 and December 9
- Josh Gad – December 10 through December 12
- Gloria Estefan – December 13 and December 14
- Neil Patrick Harris – December 15 through December 18
- Mariska Hargitay – December 19 and December 20
- Cal Ripken Jr. – December 21 through December 23
- Marie Osmond – December 24 through December 26
- Courtney Vance – December 27 and December 28
- Angela Bassett – December 29 and December 30
Candlelight Processional Dining Packages
Another thing that can be predicted with a high degree of certainty is that Candlelight Processional Dining Packages are also returning, and will do so with slight price increases (typically +8% annually). As always, they’ll be difficult to book, as demand far exceeds capacity. On the plus side, this leaves much more seating for standby!
Dining packages sell out within minutes of being released, but more availability is usually released or otherwise open up. Between staffing improvements and cancellations (which occur regularly as people release extra reservations or change their plans), we’d recommend regularly refreshing the Candlelight Processional Dining Package page for availability.
Last year, you could choose from several table service restaurants in EPCOT offering Candlelight Processional Dining Packages at lunch and dinner. Each package includes:
- An appetizer, entrée and dessert or one (1) full buffet (where applicable), along with a non-alcoholic beverage
- One (1) guaranteed seat per person to the Candlelight Processional held on the same day
Explore participating restaurants and dining package prices, which exclude tax and gratuity:
| Adult (ages 10 and up) |
Child (ages 3 to 9) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Norway Pavilion |
$79.00 | $51.00 |
| Biergarten Restaurant Germany Pavilion |
$65.00 | $37.00 |
| Coral Reef Restaurant The Living Seas |
$74.00 | $30.00 |
| Garden Grill Restaurant The Land Pavilion |
$71.00 | $46.00 |
| Le Cellier Steakhouse Canada Pavilion |
$100.00 | $39.00 |
| Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (same-day dining packages only) American Adventure Pavilion |
$40.00 | |
| Rose & Crown Dining Room United Kingdom Pavilion |
$64.00 | $28.00 |
| Spice Road Table (same-day dining packages only) Morocco Pavilion |
$52.00 |
For the 2023 Candlelight Processional, it’s highly likely that Akershus Royal Banquet Hall will join the list. It’s participating in the Eat to the Beat Concert Series, which is a good predictor for Candlelight Processional.
If you’re not able to score elusive ADRs for Candlelight Processional sit-down dining packages, fear not. You may be able to purchase a same-day dining package, which allows you to:
- Dine without reservations at Spice Road Table or Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue that day
- Enjoy guaranteed seats to a Candlelight Processional performance later that day
To check availability for same-day dining packages, visit Spice Road Table or Regal Eagle’s Distinctly Patriotic Smokehouse: A Salute to All Foods, But Mostly Barbecued Meats ~ A Sam Eagle Craft Drafts & BBQ Joint. Same-day Candlelight Processional Dining Packages are subject to availability and may not be available on peak dates.
Last year, both of these restaurants had a ton of same-day availability. It was downright easy to score Candlelight Processional viewing via these walk-up restaurants than by booking Advance Dining Reservations at the eligible table service restaurants.
The difference is that there were only 4 table service restaurants last year, and this year there are 5. That’s still far fewer than 2019 or prior years, when there were 16 (!!!) participating table service restaurants in EPCOT and the Crescent Lake Resorts. Not only that, but 3 of those 16 restaurants offered breakfast dining packages in addition to lunch and dinner.
Don’t stress out if you’re shut out of ADRs and are “forced” to do the same-day Candlelight Processional dining packages. While the uncertainty might be unpleasant, the options are good. We are fans of Regal Eagle, but it’s not our ideal way to eat around World Showcase during the holidays.
Spice Road Table is without a doubt the way to go if you’re to do a same-day Candlelight Processional Dining Package. Yes, it’s $12 more expensive, but it offers at least that much more bang-for-buck, with a menu that’s more approachable than you might think.
We recently did lunch at Spice Road Table and had a fantastic meal–I guess I better get to writing that review!
On the table service front, we highly recommend Biergarten Restaurant. This is always our top pick thanks to its jovial Christmas atmosphere, music, and value for money. Read Our Christmas Feast at Biergarten Restaurant for what the holiday time experience is like there.
If you’re wondering whether it might be worth doing plus some ideas for making the most of the Candlelight Processional Experience, we have some tips & tricks and a review in this post…
Tips
While the America Gardens Theater where Candlelight Processional is held can seat over 1,000 guests per performance, between 50% and 75% of these seats are reserved for guests who purchase dinner packages. All of these dinner package guests are guaranteed seats in one of the three nightly Candlelight Processional performances.
(Note: the percentage reserved for dining packages was far lower last year due to far fewer participating restaurants. Our guess is that the same will NOT be true for the 2023 Candlelight Processional. Staffing shortages are no longer as much of an issue, and more restaurants are likely to be added to the lineup.)
The higher the percentage allocated to dining packages, the more “competitive” the standby line for Candlelight Processional performances. Ridiculously long.
So long that if you’re a tourist or visiting on vacation, you should get a lunch or dinner package for the Candlelight Processional, especially when a popular narrator is presenting. When Neil Patrick Harris last presented, we saw people lining up for the 5 p.m. performance of Candlelight Processional around noon!
The dinner packages include a meal consisting of an appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage (or full buffet “experience,” where applicable) and reserved seating at one performance of Candlelight Processional. For what you get, the dining package is not that expensive (or at least the cost is not badly inflated).
Your time on vacation is definitely worth the price. I know the three hours or so of waiting in line that we’ve saved by purchasing the dining package has been well worth it–to us at least!
If you elect not to do the dinner package and don’t want to wait hours in line, you have a couple of options. First, show up to the standby line ~15 minutes before the last show of the night starts. Depending upon the popularity of the narrator and how busy EPCOT is that evening, sometimes this last showing will still have seating. If not, at least you didn’t waste a ton of time standing in line.
In many scenarios, that strategy will work just fine. You may not have the best seats, but you’ll still be able to see the show and have a seat. If the theatre is already full, we recommend trying to watch from the walkway behind the America Gardens Theatre.
Cast Members will manage crowd flow back here in the walkway, but you can simply stand behind the theater (not in the walkway) and watch the show. This is actually a really good view for Candlelight Processional. Think of it as sitting (well, standing) in the balcony of the America Garden Theatre.
While we strongly recommend the dining package for those wanting good, guaranteed seats, if you’re on a tight budget or Candlelight Processional is not as much of a “must-do,” we think those strategies are good alternatives to save a bit of money, which can be spent on other holiday entertainment at Walt Disney World.
Review
A lot of people absolutely love the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World. We like it quite a bit, but we aren’t absolutely gung-ho, call Disney Dining the very first day the packages go on sale, crazy about it like some people. It’s very beautiful, but definitely not the highlight of our trip.
Our favorite narrator for Candlelight Processional is Neil Patrick Harris. We’ve seen him a couple of times, and as NPH fans, we enjoyed this. I cannot say he really invigorated the show–it’s pretty solemn irrespective of host–but it was cool to see him.
A few years ago, we booked the package, but it was mostly to see John O’Hurley, or J. Petermann, as fellow Seinfeld fans may know him. More recently, we went to see Whoopi Goldberg, because seating was included with our D23 Magic & Merriment event package. Whoopi Goldberg was okay, but on the “cool scale” she just doesn’t stack up to NPH or J. Petermann for us.
Overall, Candlelight Processional, at the bare minimum, has “do it at least once” status. Some people love it to the point that it’s their favorite Christmas offering at Walt Disney World. Others find it too dry and slow, and are not moved by the story. I don’t think it’s quite fair to compare Candlelight Processional to a Christmas Eve church service, and I think there’s a good chance that even those who are not religious will enjoy it.
You really don’t know until you try it–and in order to try it, you really should book one of the dinner packages. With that said, if your budget doesn’t allow for both Candlelight Processional and the Christmas Party, I’d recommend the latter over the Candlelight Processional Dinner Packages without hesitation.
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. Additionally, you can download our free eBook, Vacation Kingdom at Christmas, which offers tips for visiting Walt Disney World during the holiday season. This eBook is 75+ pages, with 100+ photos, and tons of great recommendations & information! For more details on how to get this totally-free ebook, click here.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Are you a fan of Candlelight Processional? Which narrator have you seen for Candlelight Processional? Do you usually book the dining package or wait in line? Do you have any strategy for seeing Candlelight Processional without waiting in line? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Question: if you book a dining package for the Candlelight Processional, how do you know which show you will be able to see that night?
When I made the reservation there was no option to pick the show time.
i got min at 2:40 this am. Nothing available at Garden Grill but did get one date for Le Cellier and one for Rose and Crown. We did Germany last year. Was glad to get something different. Just checked again and nothing available for the entire time we are there … except one date for Coral Reef. Glad I was awake this AM.
I went through the Candlelight Processional Dining Reservations site, chose Biergarten, and was able to make a reservation – BUT nowhere does the reservation indicate that it provides for seating at the Processional. And my confirmation email does not indicate anything with the Processional either. Was this a glitch? Did I get Processional seating or not? I tried calling Disney…
Mine definitely says Candlelight …. on my reservation.
Rose & Crown Dining Room Candlelight Dinner (8:30PM Show)
3:55 PM – Dinner
Mike here: I used the wrong link. Instead of “Check Availability “ at the top, I clicked on the restaurant link in the price chart. Foolish mistake – and poor web page design.
Hi there
This may be a weird question, but perhaps someone knows the answer. If I make a dining/seating reservation for 3 people, but only 2 of us show up, will the two of us be seated and receive the processional seats anyway?
My mom and I really want to do Biergarten. Unfortunately, there are no reservation times available for a party of 2 when we’ll be there, but at least a dozen for a party of 3 (both with and without seating packages). I know it’s a rude/entitled thing to do (reserving for a party of 3 knowing there are only 2 of us), and I normally wouldn’t, but we’ve never seen the processional, my mom is 70 with arthritis, and we kind of need seats.
Thanks for any advice,
Annette
(in my defense, i’ve been checking since the 60-day mark and will continue to check for cancellation/availabilities)
They just released today. You can chat or call and tell them only 2 on the ressie now. They will change it.
Tom, looks like Disney made Candlelight Processional Dining Packages available before 6 AM ET. I’m not sure how early, but I saw them at 5:45 AM ET. They may have been posted at Midnight for all I know. But I’m happy as it looks like they released most if not all of their available packages today. Much better situation this year than last year imo…
Now if I can only figure out when they actually post these things next year…
Tried to make ADR this morning at 6:20AM for 12/5. Everything sold out except for Le Cellier, which is the most expensive.
It was like that on the app for me but when I went to the website and searched by Candlelight Processional there were a lot more options. They definitely weren’t in sync with the options.
I tried before 6:00 and it wasn’t available. At 6:05 I was able to reserve seats for my family.
Clarifying, please, when reserving a processional dinner package, will I be looking for a separate listing in the reservation system that actually identifies that package, or choosing the regular restaurant listing and then choosing a lunch or dinner time? Am I understanding correctly that offerings will still be offered on a rolling 60 days or will dates be offered on 10/6? Thanks!
Book them using: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/epcot/candlelight-dinner-packages
You want to use the Candlelight Dining Package availability calendar, which is separate.
Not looking forward to being up at 3am to try to get our packages. Sure wish that Disney would consider East Coast vs West Coast times and give those of us on the West Coast a break. But, it is what it is ….
That’s for real. But I do appreciate the other direction. Booking ADRs for Disneyland at 8 am CT is so much nicer than 5 am CT for Disney World.
We have been to Disney over 30 times since 94. Gone are the days that allowed us to make all of our ADR’s when we got ion our room. The Candlelight is the highlight and must do of our Christmas trip. Our best narrator was Robert Ulrich (RIP), Harris is also good. Last year we had Ms. Ling she was good until she had to make a political statement at the end. The narrator has to have some level of Christian creditability for us that eliminates Whoops!. Last year we were forced to eat at the Coral Reef, service was good, but the food was terrible!
I hope that we can get Rose and Crown if not then Le Cellier. I will not sit by my computer and hope more capacity is released. Disney needs a better system if you don’t have enough capacity then ILL it.
My time is just as valuable as Bob Paychecks!
Any word on when or if the regular dining packages are returning to Disneyworld??? I’m really missing them. Thanks
Does anyone know how the food selection works at Spice Road Table for the Processional dining package, since all of the food is labeled as small plates, rather than appetizers, entrees, etc.?
Curious if you know what time the reservation system will open on the 6th.
Last year it opened at 6 am ET. But they only posted a few reservations at that time, and then a couple days later they started dropping more reservations as super random times. Hopefully this year isn’t as awful.
Hi!
I have a question – I am a bit confused. Do all the dining packages open up on October 6th for the entirely of the Candlelight Processional Nov-Dec regardless of the 60 day mark? Just want to make sure I am reading this correctly.
They will open up for the normal 60 days + 10 days period like any other dining reservations. So if the Processional date is later, as in more than 60 days past October 6, then it will open on whichever day would be 60 days before.
Hi Tom – Any update on when you think the packages will be released? I keep searching for info and can’t find anything for this year posted yet. We are a little more than a month out from our booking window and fingers crossed it will be before then.
October 6 at 6 am!
I was looking to make restaurant reservations this December in Epcot. I see the candlelight lunch or dinners are at most of the restaurants. Do they accept other reservation other than for the candlelight meals?
Robert, they will post reservations that are not associated with a Candlelight Processional showing. When you make a reservation you will see normal reservations as you would any other time. If you click on a reservation and then see a time in parentheses, like (6:15 PM), that reservation is a Candlelight Processional Dining Package.
I have only experienced the Candlelight Processional once, and it was purely by chance. In Dec 1996, a friend and I were in Orlando for a conference. We skipped one day and went to the Magic Kingdom. When they closed, we headed to Epcot to see how much of the world we could see in 3 hours. By the time we got to the American Pavilion, this show was about to start, and they were filling the back rows. We got in, just in time to see Louis Gossett Jr. read, and the spectacular choir perform. I held up my camcorder the entire time and love watching that video at Christmastime each year. My husband and I are going to WDW the first week of Dec and I plan to get a dining package to guarantee a seat. Since I haven’t seen this in 26 years, and my husband never has… it will be worth the money!
The link for purchasing the dinner package is not working.
The link problem is on the WDW website side — links within the official WDW site to Candlelight packages also all lead to “stitch”
I got a dining package last year for December 7, 2022. I think our showing was the 2nd one of the evening. I’m a little bummed I got the package because the theater only filled up about 40%. They had tons of really, really good seats still available up close. I know it could be a bit of a risk to not get a package but I would suggest if you’re going early in December to skip the package and go see if they have spots available about 15 minutes before performance time. I think you’ll be surprised at what’s available.
Of course they could be packed again this year and I could be making a huge mistake not getting a Dining Package. Who knows?
It’s important to remember that for the past two years, Disney has not been inviting outside high school choruses to perform at their Candlelight services due to Covid. This has likely affected the audience and those that would otherwise purchase these exclusive packages. No work yet on whether they will be inviting high schools to return for 2022. We should be hearing very soon if they will be reconstituting this practice. (My gut says they found another way to make money and will not. Hubby’s choirs have been entertaining there annually for well over twenty-five years now and we are very sad about this. )
It’s important to remember that for the past two years, Disney has not been inviting outside high school choruses to perform at their Candlelight services due to Covid. This has likely affected the audience and those that would otherwise purchase these exclusive packages. No word yet on whether they will be inviting high schools to return for 2022. We should be hearing very soon if they will be reconstituting this practice. (My gut says they found another way to make money and will not. Hubby’s choirs have been entertaining there annually for well over twenty-five years now and we are very sad about this. )