Jenna SaxtonThe EPCOT Festival of the Holidays is officially BACK in Walt Disney World for 2024! From returning to favorites to a lot of food and drink, plus all-new offerings, there’s a lot to keep you celebrating this year.
And, the food isn’t the only highlight of this annual festival – it’s how EPCOT celebrates the holiday season! So, get ready to deck the halls and start planning your Christmas vacation with our complete guide to everything you can see, do, and EAT this year at the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays!
What is the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays?
The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays is one of four seasonal festivals held in EPCOT every November and December at Disney World. Each festival has its own unique focus, and this one is all about celebrating the holidays! During the two months that the festival is available in the park, you can explore themed food booths around World Showcase featuring traditional holiday dishes and drinks from multiple countries around the world.
While the food is certainly a highlight of the festival, one of the most popular Festival of the Holidays offerings is the Candlelight Processional. This nighttime show features a celebrity narrator retelling the story of Christmas backed by an orchestra and choir – it’s quite the production! And, of course, there are plenty of other activities to explore including a scavenger hunt, cookie stroll, exclusive merchandise, and more.
When Is The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays?
The 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays takes place from November 29th to December 30th, 2024 giving you a month to enjoy all the eats, drinks, and entertainment.
What’s New at the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays?
Disney has revealed that there will be 7 ALL NEW experiences at the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. Inside the new CommuniCore Hall, you can find an 8-foot-tall gingerbread display of Spaceship Earth, plus an all-new Glittering Grove experience that features twinkling trees that will make you feel like you’ve entered a twinkling forest. CommuniCore Hall will also be home to festival merchandise shopping and TWO new holiday food booths including Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow and Favorites of Festivals Past. And, don’t forget to look for new menu items at 14 (!!) different Holiday Kitchens around World Showcase!
Just outside at CommuniCore Plaza, kids can decorate snowflakes while watching performances from JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season in their brand-new location.
And, lastly, a brand new snow globe garden will glow (and SMELL!) like Christmas along the walkway between Imagination! Pavilion and World Showcase. This is all in addition to any new eats and drinks featured at the Holiday Kitchens.
EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2024 Map
The 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays map has yet to be released. Stay tuned to Eat Sleep Disney for more details soon!
2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Holiday Kitchens
EPCOT festivals are known for the wide variety of eats and drinks that are available at the food booths throughout World Showcase and the Festival of the Holidays is no different! Each Holiday Kitchen features a unique menu of food and drinks that showcases traditional holiday recipes from around the globe.
In 2024, there will be a total of 16 Holiday Kitchens PLUS 11 other locations offering special menu items for the festival.
Here’s the full list of Holiday Kitchens you can try this year:
- Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow (CommuniCore Hall, World Celebration)
- Favorites of Festivals Past (CommuniCore Plaza, World Celebration)
- Holiday Hearth Desserts (The Odyssey)
- Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen (Mexico Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Shanghai Holiday Kitchen (China Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Bavaria Holiday Kitchen (Germany Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Tuscany Holiday Kitchen (Italy Pavilion, World Showcase)
- American Holiday Table (The American Adventure Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen (Japan Pavilion, World Showcase)
- L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen (Between Morocco and France Pavilions, World Showcase)
- Le Marché de Noël Holiday Kitchen (France Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Yukon Holiday Kitchen (Canada Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Holiday Sweets & Treats (Near Port of Entry)
- Mele Kalikimaka Holiday Kitchen (Between World Showcase and the Imagination! Pavilion)
- Nochebuena Cocina (Between World Showcase and the Imagination! Pavilion)
- Chestnuts & Good Cheer Holiday Kitchen (Between World Showcase and the Imagination! Pavilion)
Plus, look for special festival menu items at:
- Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company (Throughout the park, various locations)
- Sunshine Seasons (The Land, World Nature)
- Connections Café (World Discovery)
- Connections Eatery (World Discovery)
- Refreshment Outpost (Between China and Germany Pavilions, World Showcase)
- Refreshment Post (Near Canada Pavilion)
- Funnel Cake (The American Adventure Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina (Morocco Pavilion, World Showcase)
- UK Beer Cart (United Kingdom Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Canada Popcorn Cart (Canada Pavilion, World Showcase)
- Swirled Showcase (Near Port of Entry)
EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2024 Menus
Wondering what to eat at the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays? Well, there’s an easy way to plan ahead! Each year, Disney releases the Holiday Kitchen menus in advance so you can get an idea of what eats and drinks you can enjoy. You can see all of the menus for the 2024 Festival of the Holidays here!
What To Do at The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays
Eating and drinking your way around World Showcase isn’t the only thing you can do at the Festival of the Holidays! The festival also features a wide variety of activities that are sure to keep you busy from park opening to close!
Here is the full list of all the limited-time activities that are available during the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays:
- Holiday Cookie Stroll
- Candlelight Processional
- Holiday Storytellers
- Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt
- Holiday Attraction Overlays
- Meet Santa Claus
- Gingerbread Displays
- Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses
Holiday Cookie Stroll
The popular cookie stroll is back again for the Festival of the Holidays! Disney has confirmed that the Holiday Cookie Stroll returns for the 2024 festival which includes purchasing five cookies from pre-selected Holiday Kitchens located around the park to receive an extra (FREE!) treat at the end.
To complete the Holiday Cookie Stroll, you’ll need to pick up a Festival Passport (which can be found at the front of the park, at merchandise locations, and at any of the Holiday Kitchens) and purchase five of the listed cookies. With each purchase, a Cast Member will stamp your Festival Passport as proof of your purchase. Once you’ve received at least five stamps, you can redeem your Festival Passport at the Holiday Sweets & Treats food booth to receive a free treat.
While there are multiple pre-selected cookies that qualify for the cookie stroll, you don’t have to purchase each one to complete the challenge. If some of the cookies don’t appeal to you, you can opt to purchase multiple of the same cookie and earn a stamp for each purchase. In fact, you could even buy five of the same cookies and still get the free treat at the end!
It’s also important to note that you do not have to collect all your stamps on the same day – you can choose to come back to the festival multiple times to complete the cookie stroll. Just be sure that you bring the same festival Festival Passport back with you each time to keep track of all your stamps
Candlelight Processional
The Candlelight Processional has become one of the most popular aspects of the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. The 40-minute show features a celebrity narrator retelling the story of Christmas accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and choir performing traditional holiday songs. Performances take place nightly between November 29th to December 30th, 2024 at 5PM, 6:45PM, and 8:15PM at the America Gardens Theatre in the American Adventure pavilion and features a full line-up of celebrity guests.
The Candlelight Processional is very popular, so you may need to get in line early to ensure that you get a seat. However, you can guarantee yourself a seat close to the stage by purchasing one of the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages. For a separate per-person cost, you can eat at one of the pre-selected restaurants in EPCOT and then get guaranteed seating at the show that same day. 2024 dining packages will be offered at:
- Biergarten Restaurant
- Chefs de France
- Coral Reef Restaurant
- Garden Grill Restaurant
- La Creperie de Paris
- La Hacienda de San Angel
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
- Nine Dragons Restaurant
- Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (reservations not available, limited availability of same-day dining packages only)
- Rose & Crown Dining Room
- Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya
- Spice Road Table
- Teppan Edo
- Tutto Italia Ristorante
- Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Note that dining reservations are required for the dining package at any table service restaurant. You can book your reservation 60 days prior to your visit on Disney’s website.
2024 Celebrity Narrators
And, who exactly will be narrating the Candlelight Processional? Here’s the FULL SCHEDULE of celebrity narrators coming to the EPCOT in 2024:
- 11/29 – 11/30 Josh Gad
- 12/1 – 12/2 Nico Santos (NEW)
- 12/3-12/5 Chrissy Metz
- 12/6 – 12/7 Whoopi Goldberg
- 12/8 – 12/10 Tituss Burgess (NEW)
- 12/11 – 12/12 Brendan Fraser
- 12/13 – 12/14 Ralph Macchio (NEW)
- 12/15 – 12/16 Gary Sinise
- 12/17 – 12/18 Neil Patrick Harris
- 12/19 – 12/21 Pat Sajak
- 12/22 – 12/23 Gloria Estefan
- 12/24 – 12/26 Edward James Olmos
- 12/27 – 12/28 Sterling K Brown
- 12/29 – 12/30 Jodi Benson
Holiday Storytellers
Learn how the holidays are celebrated in countries around the globe from Holiday Storytellers! Storytellers share the holiday traditions of their respective countries throughout the World Showcase pavilions.
Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt
Known as Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition, this Frozen-themed scavenger hunt is a fun family-friendly activity that you can do as part of the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. The popular game sends you around World Showcase to spot Olaf on his quest to find holiday traditions.
To participate in the scavenger hunt, you can purchase the game map from participating locations (including Creations Shop and World Traveler) in EPCOT for $9.99. Then, when you find Olaf in each pavilion, add the correct sticker that corresponds to the holiday tradition and return to Disney Traders, Creations Shop, or World Traveler to receive a prize.
Holiday Attraction Overlays
The Living with the Land attraction gets an upgrade for the holiday season and turns into: Living with the Land — Glimmering Greenhouses! As you cruise along through the greenhouses, you’ll notice some extra holiday touches. We recommend riding once the sun has set so that you can see the Christmas lights!
You can also find some special holiday additions to Figment on Journey Into Imagination with Figment. And, Spaceship Earth lights up every night with a limited-time holiday lights show each night.
Meet Santa Claus
Meet the big man himself and get your wish list finalized! You can find Santa Claus greeting guests daily at the Odyssey Pavilion.
Gingerbread Displays
The 2024 festival will feature TWO iconic gingerbread displays including the traditional Gingerbread Capital City in the American Adventure Pavilion and a brand new gingerbread Spaceship Earth in CommuniCore Hall. The Gingerbread Capital City includes a gingerbread recreation of Washington D.C. landmarks like the Whitehouse, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.
Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses
NEW for the 2024 festival a holiday-themed behind-the-scenes tour – Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses. This walking tour is available from November 29th to December 30th and takes you behind the scenes of the attraction to learn more about the “crops that bring festive flavors to many of our holiday traditions” and enjoy the light display after dark. It costs $45 per person and lasts one hour from 6-7PM daily.
Space is limited, so book a reservation in the My Disney Experience app in advance.
EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Merchandise
Whether you’re shopping at the boutiques and markets throughout World Showcase or stopping by Creations Shop on your way into or out of the park, there’s a whole bunch of specialty merchandise coming to EPCOT for the 2024 Festival of the Holidays!
Can’t make it to the festival but still want to do some shopping? Disney has confirmed that select Festival of the Holidays merchandise will be coming to the Disney Store online around the time that the festival begins!
Is The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Worth It?
So, should you visit the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays in 2024? Probably! EPCOT festivals have become fan-favorite events, with crowds flocking to the parks to try out all the eats and drinks and festival offerings. And, the Festival of the Holidays is no different!
Plus, the great thing about the Festival of the Holidays is that it’s a free addition to your park day in EPCOT. So, you get to enjoy all the rides, World Showcase pavilions, and shows, PLUS all the festival offerings without having to pay extra (though you do have to pay to try any of the food or drink at the Holiday Kitchens). All in all, if you’re visiting Disney World for the holidays and have EPCOT on your to-do list, there’s really no reason not to take advantage of all the special offerings – it’s really the only (and best!) way to celebrate Christmas at the park!
Comments
Have you ever been to the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays? What is your favorite food booth or activity? Leave us a comment with your best tips and tricks for tackling this popular EPCOT festival!
