Disney World Shares Changes for Christmas 2025 at EPCOT
Walt Disney World has quietly announced several changes for the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, the fan-favorite Christmas season event! Here’s a rundown of details & differences, showtimes for performances, plus our thoughts on the reshuffling of the lineup.
Unlike the rest of the Christmas season at Walt Disney World, the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays starts on November 28, 2025. The holiday festivities at EPCOT always begin on Black Friday and end the day before New Year’s Eve to clear space for those festivities.
In essence, Festival of the Holidays is a continuation of EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival (which runs now through November 22, 2025), right down to repurposing some of the food booths from that event. Unlike that, the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays is not primarily about the cuisine–this is not simply the Christmastime Foodie Fest. It’s all about decorations, live music, entertainment, family-friendly activities, global Santa Clauses (and other storytellers), and more.
Suffice to say, you could spend an entire day in EPCOT just enjoying the holiday entertainment without ever purchasing a snack (and we will do exactly that later in the season…well, maybe just one Yule Log). In addition to all of the World Showcase offerings, there’s the can’t miss Christmas ride overlay in Future World: Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses.
Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses has really blossomed over the years, starting as the smaller-scale Merry & Bright display and turning into a fully-fledged ride overlay. It’s one of our favorite things of the entire holiday season at Walt Disney World.
We aren’t the only ones. Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses had one of the highest average wait times last December, and drew massive lines right up until park closing. I could go on and on about this, gushing about the calming atmosphere, thoroughness, and understated simplicity of it all. Suffice to say, do not miss Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses.
One change that I would like to see is Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses starting earlier in November. There’s no reason this overlay couldn’t quietly start with the rest of Christmas at Walt Disney World (it used to) instead of on November 28, 2025.
That would help with demand and wait times, especially among locals. But in looking at the calendar, it does not appear that’s the plan–unless there’s a soft opening. This feels like somewhat of a missed opportunity, as it’d be a good way to draw guests to the tail end of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival and wouldn’t conflict with that event.
Other than Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses, the highlight of the holidays at EPCOT is Candlelight Processional. Walt Disney World really shook up the narrator lineup this year, with more newcomers than at any previous point since we’ve been attending.
Although there are only a few time-tested veterans returning, there’s still something for everyone here. For everything you need to know Candlelight Processional–including the full lineup of narrators and how to score dining packages (even when no ADR availability is showing up online)–see our Guide to 2025 Candlelight Processional at EPCOT.
Although Candlelight Processional garners the most attention, it’s one of several entertainment offerings during EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays. And in an interesting move that I can’t recall happening in any recent year, Walt Disney World has already released showtimes for the Holiday Storytellers and other atmospheric entertainment acts during the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. Here’s a rundown:
Mexico Pavilion – Las Posadas Celebration
¡Feliz Navidad! Join the fun and pageantry of Las Posadas with dancers, piñatas and the music of Mariachi Cobre.
- Days: Sundays through Thursdays
- Times: 11:05 AM, 11:55 AM, 12:45 PM, 2:35 PM, 3:45 PM and 5:10 PM
Norway Pavilion – A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa
Celebrate the season with laughter as a mischievous Barn Santa visits Sigrid, an unsuspecting Christmas storyteller.
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 11:40 AM, 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:20 PM, 4:10 PM, 4:55 PM, 5:40 PM and 6:25 PM
China Pavilion – Chinese Lion Dancer
Catch a glimpse of this colorful performance that brings good fortune and happiness in the Lunar New Year.
- Days: November 28 through November 30, December 6 and 7, December 13 and 14, and December 19 through December 25, 2025
- Times: Noon, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM
Italy Pavilion – La Befana
Come hear the tale of La Befana, the kindhearted witch who visits sleeping young children on the Eve of the Epiphany.
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 11:15 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:00 PM, 1:55 PM, 3:30 PM, 4:15 PM, 5:00 PM and 5:40 PM
Japan Pavilion – Daruma Storyteller
Hear the fascinating story of the Daruma doll and the Japanese customs of the new year!
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 10:45 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:45 PM, 1:35 PM, 2:35 PM, 4:15 PM, 5:00 PM and 5:45 PM
Between Morocco & France Pavilions – Hanukkah Storyteller
Guests will discover an entertaining celebration of Hanukkah along World Showcase promenade, where a storyteller recounts traveling abroad to explore the diverse music and traditions of Hanukkah around the world.
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: Noon, 1:00 PM, 1:50 PM, 2:50 PM, 3:45 PM, 5:05 PM, 5:50 PM and 6:30 PM
France Pavilion – Pere Noel
Visit with Père Noël and rediscover the magic of Christmas through the letter of a delightful child.
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 10:00 AM, 11:05 AM, 12:10 PM, 12:50 PM, 2:20 PM, 3:25 PM, 4:30 PM and 5:15 PM
United Kingdom Pavilion – Father Christmas
Join Father Christmas as he rings in the season, sharing the traditions of the United Kingdom and good cheer.
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 11:45 AM, 12:30 PM, 1:20 PM, 2:05 PM, 3:50 PM, 4:45 PM, 5:35 PM and 6:30 PM
Canada Pavilion – Canadian Holiday Voyageurs
Explore holiday customs from the various regions of Canada on a musical tour of the Great White North with the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs.
- Days: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 3:25 PM, 4:35 PM, 5:35 PM, 6:40 PM, 7:40 PM and 8:40 PM
Not really any major changes that catch my attention here. It is really nice to have this schedule published so far in advance, though. I’m hopeful that more awareness about showtimes facilitates more guests planning around the Holiday Storytellers. My worry each year for about the last decade has been that this will be the year that they’ll be cut and never return. Thankfully, that fear has been unfounded.
I do wish more Holiday Storytellers had schedules like the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs, with fewer earlier showtimes and more late ones. Even in November and December, the midday sun can be brutal. Having more of these acts perform in the 6 pm and 7 pm hours would be fantastic. World Showcase is also busier then!
Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt
Also in World Showcase, families will find Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt. Discover a world of holiday delights during Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt—available only during EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays—November 28 through December 30, 2025.
Here’s how it works:
- First, purchase your map and stickers for $11.99 plus tax from select merchandise locations, including Creations Shop and Disney Traders.
- Using the stickers on your map, mark the “tradition” that Olaf has found in each Pavilion around World Showcase.
- At the end of your adventure—even if you don’t find all of the holiday traditions—you can bring your map to Disney Traders, Creations Shop, Gateway Gifts or World Traveler and redeem your map for a keepsake worth melting for.
This breaks the $10 barrier for the first time ever, up from $9.99 previously. That’s really the only change to speak of thus far with this, which has otherwise followed the same format for several years.
On to the front of the park and the more consequential changes…
JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season
Witness a joyous tribute to Christmas and Kwanzaa—with gospel, R&B and holiday songs. Holiday hits are performed by Central Florida group D’Vine Voices in an upbeat mix of music styles including gospel, jazz, and R&B.
- Location: CommuniCore Plaza Stage
- Dates: Daily from November 28 to December 30, 2025
- Times: 2:00 PM, 3:05 PM, 4:05 PM and 5:10 PM
Joyful has bounced around over the years, moving from the Fountain of Nations stage to World Showcase plaza to CommuniCore Plaza for the last two years. I don’t recall the showtimes for Joyful last year, but this strikes me as earlier–and makes me wonder what happens to ¡Celebración Encanto! That show was originally slated for a temporary run ending last summer, but has been extended on a couple of occasions since and now has an indefinite run. Popularity of the show is very weather-dependent, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s finally coming to an end.
Meet Santa Claus at CommuniCore Hall
Visit with jolly old St. Nick and get a heartwarming holiday photo.
- Location: CommuniCore Hall
- Days: Daily through December 24, 2025
- Times: 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM
This is the big change. Santa Claus moves from his location in the Odyssey Pavilion to CommuniCore Hall.
Last year, CommuniCore Hall was the center for the EPCOT Festival of Holidays for the first year ever.
To celebrate, Imagineering and the EPCOT Pastry teamed up to create something truly grand and miraculous – an 8-foot-tall gingerbread display inspired by Spaceship Earth. The geodesic sphere made up of hundreds of handcrafted gingerbread triangles was on display inside CommuniCore Hall for all guests to see and enjoy throughout the festival.
This was a lot of fun and drew big crowds, especially in the evening, thanks to its light display and Celebration Countdown. We had fully expected gingerbread Spaceship Earth to return for Christmas 2025, but now we’re not quite so sure.
CommuniCore Hall was also home to an “enchanting forest,” Glittering Grove presented by Balsam Hill, where twinkling trees bring festive flair. This was nothing special–we’ve seen Walmarts with better Christmas tree displays–so hopefully Disney nixes that for the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. Whether they do probably depends on the terms of the sponsorship agreement.
There were also two Holiday Kitchens at CommuniCore Hall. The first was Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow, which was located at the window inside. The other was Favorites of Festivals Past, located right outside CommuniCore Hall.
There was also an assortment of festival merchandise inside CommuniCore Hall, including the fan-favorite Figment holiday sweater. I’d have to imagine that will return for Christmas 2025, because it was frequently sold out last year and probably offers high margins.
It’s theoretically possible that all of this will return to CommuniCore Hall for Christmas 2025. I’m skeptical.
One thing that’s gone under-reported is that there’s no festival “center” for the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. We covered this in our Review: EPCOT’s Flagship Foodie Festival is Disney World’s Weakest Annual Event. GoofyCore Hall took over the space and turned it into a play area for Cool Kid Summer, which overlapped the start of the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, but has since ended.
There’s nothing currently in CommuniCore Hall. Our hope had been that Walt Disney World still has bigger and better unannounced plans for CommuniCore Hall during the second half of the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. But the clock is ticking on that, so it seems unlikely.
Maybe those “bigger and better” plans will be realized during the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. Or perhaps this is what Walt Disney World throwing in the towel on CommuniCore Hall looks like, moving Santa Claus from his perfectly satisfactory space at the Odyssey into CommuniCore Hall, with little (if anything) else planned for the supposed festival center.
In a perfect world, this would mean that the Odyssey is going to be leveraged as a proper festival center or the Wonders Pavilion is returning, but we’re skeptical. Regardless of what happens, here’s hoping the gingerbread Spaceship Earth returns somewhere. That was a highlight of last year’s EPCOT Festival of the Holidays.
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you looking forward to anything at the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays? Do you typically focus on foods, entertainment, decorations, or a mixture of the above at the Christmas-time EPCOT event? What are you looking forward to watching Holiday Storytellers or Candlelight Processional, or taste-testing the Holiday Kitchen food booths? Any questions? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts in the comments!
Will the “regular” performances at World Showcase continue during Christmastime? (like Voices of Liberty, Sergio, Matsuriza, etc). Or will these be replaced with the Storytellers?
As someone who often takes mid day breaks I would love to see later performances. actually I think in an ideal world it would be great if they were overall more staggered. For example, make the Mexico and Norway shows start at 10ish, China and Italy 11ish, etc. this would allow people who more naturally see more performances as they moved around world showcases. It often feels like the shows are almost purposefully scheduled in a way that you just miss the next one if going in a logical order.
Yes, totally agree with all of this. Start earlier, more time between performances, and maybe even coordinate the schedule to allow a logical ‘flow’ through World Showcase.
Tip: You can save yourself some time by asking to redeem the scavenger hunt map at the same time you purchase it. They will stamp it to mark it completed, but the stamp does not interfere with putting the stickers on it. We sometimes wind up completing the hunt shortly after the park technically closes for the day.
On a different note, it is disappointing that Pixie Pass holders have zero opportunities to see the Chinese Lion Dancers.
We just returned from our week long WDW trip that we do about 3-4x year, not including our dozens of day trips in between (locals.) We bought the Pluto pumpkin and Remy games but didn’t get around to playing them with little one, we’ve put it on the back burner. Little one didn’t want to play it because he said he’s already played it many times before. I’m thinking he won’t want to play Olaf either cause he is right, the games are exactly the same every year. There isn’t much imagineering going on there. The parks were empty and we were able to ride multiple rides over and over but Remy was so slowed down to increase wait times that it wasn’t much fun or thrilling. Little one didn’t want to do it a 3rd time cause he said it was broken and not fun. Everything was practically a walk on except the artificially inflated LL rides. When we were at AK the Crush magnet lane was vacant, we went in through the “exit”. The place was empty. We stayed at our DVC Beach Club 2br villa and for the 1st time we actually saw other people in the hotel. I had called previously to add friends to our stay and the rep said they were cracking down on DVC rentals and she was very excited to know I was a real DVC owner and got to stay at Beach Club because the commercial renting companies suck up all the rooms. I wonder if they buy the travel insurance when they book in bulk so they never lose money? I have always wondered why the DVC hotels seemed empty when there but so hard to book. I’m just hoping they step up their game for the upcoming Christmas season and pay 3rd shift to decorate the parks magically overnight rather than taking 3 weeks to do it. We didn’t even go to MK this visit…what is the point, there isn’t anything there. Oh, and Beach Club, do better at choosing your lifeguards…..I don’t want a wannabe theater adult who couldn’t rescue himself let alone the kids belting out me being a queen who needs to put more sunblock on in front of hundreds at a pool. The kids were horrified every time he belted out commands to them. The parents quickly wisked their little ones
Behind the seeds Christmas version.
We were hoping to do that this year. I’m a little concerned it wasn’t announced along with everything else, but the website is still up.
Hey Matt,
Did it last year, hoping to do it again this year. Completely different from the regular BS (Behind the seeds).
You won’t be disappointed. I don’t know how many people are in your party but if if says full for the number you need try a lower number . Take whatever comes up and send them. Good chance that when they see 3 out of 4 are going or the husband is sitting it out for the wife (me last year) they’ll find a way to add one or two more. After all it’s Christmas!!!
And keep reading Tom’s blog because the second after Disney announces it Tom posts it. And trust me, you can’t know soon enough about this activity. It sells out almost as fast as Tom posts.
For reference, it looks like the announcement was made last year on September 24. Booking is subject to the 60+10 rule, so it would make sense to announce sometime next week. Stay tuned!