Actor Warwick Davis in 2017 If you’re planning on visiting Walt Disney World during the Christmas season you are in for a treat. No one decorates or celebrates like Disney! The holidays start early in Central Florida, November 8 will be the first date for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. That is not the only place to celebrate.
Information has just been released about the dates for the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. It will begin on November 18 and run through December 30. The Candlelight Processional will start on Thanksgiving (November 22) and be held three times each evening until December 30. This is a change, the popular show has always started the day after Thanksgiving in the past.
Formerly known as Holidays Around the World, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays features storytellers in each World Showcase country, who tell seasonal tales from their homelands. There are holiday themed outdoor kitchens, and special merchandise. A gospel choir sings Christmas songs on the stage in front of The Fountain of Nations, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is given a holiday twist, and there are other extras as well.
The highlight of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays is the Candlelight Processional. A live orchestra and a mass choir perform as a celebrity narrator tells the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus. It’s a powerful experience. After narrating the Candlelight Processional in 2017 actor Warwick Davis stated that it was one of the best things that he’s ever done in his career.
The list of celebrity narrators for 2018 has not yet been announced, I’ll fill you in when there is more information.