Christmas Songs Coming to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for 2026 EPCOT Festival of Holidays

Walt Disney World announced that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is getting Christmas music…again! Here’s everything we know about the seasonal ride overlay during the 2026 EPCOT Festival of Holidays, including the playlist of songs, why we’re optimistic the second try will work out better than the first, what’s unlikely to change, and more.

As basic background, the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix* will play from November 25, 2026 through January 6, 2027. These dates are shorter than Christmas at Walt Disney World, which starts November 14, 2026 and runs through January 6, 2027.

However, the Holiday Remix runs longer than the 2026 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, which starts November 27 and continues through December 30, 2026. This basically gives guests from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving until the lead-up to the 2027 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend to enjoy the Christmas overlay. Well, “enjoy” assuming it’s better than the first Holiday Remix!

*To the best of my knowledge, Walt Disney World is not calling this ride overlay Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix, as that name is not in the press release. However, they did reuse the above concept art from 2022 that includes “Holiday Remix” on it. Perhaps they didn’t see that subtitle?

It strikes me as odd/unlikely that they’d recycle the Holiday Remix subtitle given the baggage attached, but they did via that concept art, so we’ll follow suit until/unless the overlay gets an official name. It really should, and the obvious name is “Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Rewind.” Walt Disney World won’t use that despite all three tracks being explicitly Christmas songs, because it’s the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. That’s kind of silly if you ask me, but Disney did not ask me.

Anyway, here’s the announcement that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix will return to EPCOT from November 25, 2026 through January 6, 2027, albeit as a remix to the remix, with a completely new playlist.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix (2026)

For the 2026 Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix, you’ll have the opportunity to get festive with three different seasonal songs shuffled to create a fresh experience for every ride. Check out the rockin’ holiday tracks you may hear November 25-January 6, 2027, on the attraction:

• “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
• “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses

I love two out of three of these choices. “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and “Christmas Wrapping” are two of my favorite Christmas songs (Sarah hates “Christmas Wrapping,” so I’m betting that one is polarizing), and the tempo of both strikes me as pitch perfect for Cosmic Rewind. I cannot wait to hear these tracks, and foresee myself riding Cosmic Rewind a lot in December.

I also love “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams, I’m just having a tougher time getting a sense for how that’ll fit the flow of Cosmic Rewind. At the absolute minimum, it should be better than the original Holiday Remix!

Original Cosmic Rewind Holiday Remix

As mentioned above, this is not the first time Cosmic Rewind has done a holiday version of the attraction with different music. During the ride’s first Christmas season, there was the Guardians of Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix.

For that seasonal overlay, the Guardians of the Galaxy traded in their classic hits playlist for a mash-up of seasonal jams at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. That Holiday Remix was an all-new, unique mashup song taking a lot of popular Christmas songs we all know and love, and creating a new song with Imagineers creating custom lyrics.

Guests blasted off to the tune of an “awesome” holiday single, bringing joy to Xandar and Terra, too. The overlay was created as part of the original Cosmic Rewind launch, and tied into marketing efforts for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ (something I had forgotten even exists until writing this up).

There was only one little problem with the original Holiday Remix: it was awful. The Holiday Remix was first and last performed in 2022, and did not return for 2023-2025. We strongly suspect that it was a one and done due to guest feedback towards the song being overwhelmingly negative.

To each their own, but we hated the holiday overlay. It was in no way whatsoever integrated into the attraction–the Christmas song just came out of nowhere. Even with that, the ride doesn’t feel the least bit festive because literally nothing else was done to make it a cohesive or comprehensive Christmas overlay.

Worst of all, the song itself was not very good Cosmic Rewind has fantastic flow and fluidity–thanks to the music and the motion, it normally feels like dancing in roller coaster form. That was not the case for Holiday Remix, which underscores just how much song selection matters.

Don’t be disappointed if you missed it, as the original Holiday Remix actually diminished the Cosmic Rewind experience. Some fans may argue otherwise and say they loved it, but the proof is in the pudding. Do you know how rare it is for Walt Disney World to shelve something like that after only one season?! Even Jollywood Nights got a second chance! We’re in World of Color – Villainous territory with the OG Holiday Remix.

What Is Not Changing for Christmas Rewind

If you’re wondering whether this will be a substantive holiday overlay beyond music, the answer is probably not. The original Holiday Remix was just the song, with zero setup. Given the nature of Cosmic Rewind, that approach works. Music in Guardians of the Galaxy is generally diegetic, and central to the film franchise, but usually presented without explanation.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Rewind could do things differently, but we don’t expect colossal changes to the queue or pre-show that interfere with the story of the attraction. Well, perhaps Disney will use this opportunity to set up some highly-themed Festivus poles (made of aluminum) to create switchbacks in the pre-shows. Two birds, one stone!

In all likelihood, the “Holiday Remix” to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT will be substantially the same as the regular ride, save for the Christmas mashup song. Leaving the rest of the attraction experience untouched is probably the preferred approach for the more tourist-centric Florida park.

Cosmic Rewind is viewed as a triumph of Imagineering, and even though the IP lends itself to a certain cheesiness, Disney isn’t going to undermine its blockbuster ride with Christmas decorations that conflict with the story. There’s much more potential for fun and Easter Eggs in Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets: Obligatory Holiday Overlay.

Cosmic Rewind Closing for Refurbishment?

This should also address any concerns about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind closing for refurbishment to “install” the overlay. It absolutely will not.

Walt Disney World’s operational calendar is out through December, and there is zero downtime scheduled for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for the changeover. This necessarily means that are no physical scenes or props to change–the bulk of this overlay can be accomplished with the flip of a switch, so to speak, via a computer. Whatever cannot be done digitally can be changed overnight.

Along similar lines, we do not expect Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Rewind to start early or end late. This isn’t like Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses, an attraction with an overlay that takes time to gradually install and is a ‘supporting player’ attraction.

People plan trips around Cosmic Rewind, and will want to know when they can hear the normal music and the Christmas songs. (It wouldn’t surprise me if there are actually some disappointed reactions to this news, as it’s coming late relative to other Christmas announcements.)

Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Rewind Crowds

We’d recommend strategizing if you plan on doing Christmas Rewind a time or two between November 25, 2026 and January 6, 2027. For one thing, because this is the busiest stretch of the entire year at EPCOT. For another, because the new, multi-track setlist is going to spike demand with locals and fans, and cause them to ride several times to hear all three new tracks.

Since the reimagined Test Track reopened last summer, that thrill ride and Cosmic Rewind have been neck-and-neck for the #1 average wait time at EPCOT. Both now come pretty close to splitting the Early Entry and regular rope drop crowd, but I’d say that’s settled in favor of Cosmic Rewind by a 60/40 split.

We’d expect that to skew further in favor of Cosmic Rewind from Thanksgiving 2026 through the first week of January 2027. As such, prioritizing the ride during Early Entry is a good idea, if you’re eligible.

If Test Track does have significantly lower crowds that morning and you are not at the front of the Early Entry pack, the better play might honestly be starting at Test Track and then trying to beat the rope drop rush to Cosmic Rewind. (This means you need to be done with Test Track in under 30 minutes, which is doable, but not always possible.)

It’s also worth noting that Test Track has a Single Rider line, whereas Cosmic Rewind does not. While that Single Rider line can be busier in the second half of the day, it’s often a complete walk-on in the morning. I looped Test Track a few times during a recent morning with zero wait whatsoever!

If you don’t mind splurging, the easiest option for Cosmic Rewind is buying line-skipping access via the Lightning Lane Single Pass. As of Fall 2026, that costs between $16 and $18 per person most days, depending upon demand and crowd levels. Those posts explain each option, their pros & cons, and everything else you need to know.

Otherwise, see our list of the Best & Worst Times to Ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for comprehensive advice.

Normal Cosmic Rewind Song Selections

Here’s the current, non-Christmas “Awesome Mix” playlist for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, consisting of six songs in their classic versions:

• “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
• “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps
• “Conga” by Gloria Estefan
• “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
• “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls
• “One Way or Another” by Blondie

You won’t know which track you’ll hear each time you ride until you actually blast off with the Guardians on an intergalactic chase through time and space. The same should be true with Christmas Rewind.

In addition to these 6 songs that did make the cut for the roller coaster portion of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, many more “Awesome Mix” tracks are played in the post-show and corridor upon exiting the ride. These also are cycled through at random, the full loop is like an hour long, and you’re only in this area for ~60 seconds, so it’ll take a while to hear them all. Here’s hoping that the Holiday Remix gets its own Christmas loop, but we aren’t holding our breath!

Other Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Overlays

Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Rewind is not the first Marvel attraction to get the holiday treatment. Over at Disney California Adventure, Mission Breakout becomes “Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark” during the Halloween season.

The Disney California Adventure holiday overlay runs simultaneous with Mission Breakout–there’s a switchover that occurs each evening from mid-August through October.

Starting at 5 pm, guests can experience Monsters After Dark, which is a sequel to the daytime version, Mission Breakout. It’s a lot of fun, and gives the tower same-day re-rideability (which it already had thanks to multiple different songs, just like Cosmic Rewind).

Back at Walt Disney World, we do not expect the regular ride to operate alongside “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix.” Instead, it’s likely that the Christmas version will run all-day, replacing the regular Cosmic Rewind during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.

The reason that “Monsters After Dark” only runs in the evening at DCA isn’t so guests can enjoy both in the same day. It’s because the Halloween overlay is too intense for some guests. Disneyland warns of this in the park and via an Is It Too Scary? message on the site: “Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark includes loud sounds in the dark and menacing beasts that may scare some children.”

Walt Disney World has long been averse to ride overlays of popular attractions, which is famously the justification/excuse for Magic Kingdom not transforming Haunted Mansion into the Nightmare Before Christmas inspired overlay, Haunted Mansion Holiday. (The longstanding rumor is that the overlay was even fabricated for Walt Disney World, but shipped off to Tokyo Disneyland because Florida management opted against it.)

Between this and the other attractions getting Christmas music, we really hope they’re dipping their toes in the water to see if that excuse is now misguided and or outdated. We argued a few years ago that it was, and actually had been for a while: Why Walt Disney World is Wrong About Holiday Ride Overlays.

Ultimately, that’s everything we know about what the Christmas 2026 overlay to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will entail. More than anything else, we’re happy to see Walt Disney World embrace overlays to an increasing degree. We’ve long said that WDW’s demo is evolving thanks to more DVC members and a growing Central Florida population, so past excuses to avoid these don’t really hold water anymore.

Even though the first Holiday Remix was a trainwreck, we’re thrilled that Cosmic Rewind getting a Christmas remix…remix. At least two of the three song choices this time sound like they’ll well with the ride profile, and Cosmic Rewind lends itself to swapping out songs, adding to its re-rideability. We’re really looking forward to this!

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Your Thoughts

Are you excited for Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Rewind? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!