All photos courtesy Disney Parks BlogThanksgiving is late this year, November 28. That means that we’ll have a short Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. It will run from November 29 through December 30. Just because it’s short does not mean that it won’t be packed full of holiday cheer! Here are the latest details from Mallory Heinz Ledet and Disney Parks Blog.
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You may already have some traditions when it comes to the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth – like completing the Cookie Stroll every year, doing your holiday shopping around World Showcase, or taking the family to sing along with the Candlelight Processional. Today, I’d like to introduce you to seven new experiences at the festival that will put a little more holly-jolly in your seasonal visits to EPCOT from November 29 through December 30.
A Grand and Miraculous Gingerbread Display
The creative minds of the EPCOT Festival Team and Walt Disney Imagineering paired up with the delicious skills of the EPCOT Pastry team 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 will be on display inside CommuniCore Hall for all guests to see and enjoy throughout the festival. And, just like its park icon counterpart, the gingerbread version will also light up and dance to music periodically throughout the day. You can discover the next dancing lights performance of this tasty creation with a countdown, courtesy of the Celebration Countdown presented by CITIZEN!
Find more details about festive gingerbread fun across Walt Disney World Resort with the Gingerbread Display Foodie Guide.
Deck the CommuniCore Hall
Once you’ve finished marveling at the gingerbread Spaceship Earth, stroll around CommuniCore Hall to take in beautiful, seasonal décor inspired by the unique design of EPCOT. Enjoy an enchanting forest with the Glittering Grove presented by Balsam Hill, where twinkling trees bring festive flair.
Speaking of trees – if you need to find some presents to put under a tree of your own, you’ll also find an assortment of festival merchandise inside CommuniCore Hall.
Many Merry Menus
This year, there are two new Holiday Kitchens at CommuniCore Hall!
The first (and this might be my favorite name of any festival food and beverage location of all time) is Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow and they’ll be serving – you guessed it – cookies! Remember the gingerbread triangles that make up the Spaceship Earth display? You can purchase gingerbread triangles of your own at this Holiday Kitchen in a decorating kit, which is a perfect activity for little ones to enjoy.
Next, indulge in the best-loved dishes from previous years with Favorites of Festivals Past, located right outside CommuniCore Hall. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for the Festival of the Holidays Foodie Guide, which will have the menus for all the festival’s Holiday Kitchens.
Do You Wanna Build a Snowflake?
Stepping outside of CommuniCore Hall and into CommuniCore Plaza, you’ll find a new, complimentary activity that is perfect for kids of all ages – snowflake decorating! Add this to your list of festival fun to do with the family, along with catching performances of Holiday Storytellers around World Showcase and enjoying the lights at Living with the Land with the Glimmering Greenhouses overlay – all holiday activities that are also included with the price of your ticket to the park.
While you’re enjoying creating a snowflake or two, you can listen to the spirited performances of JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season as they perform in their all-new location at CommuniCore Plaza. Check out My Disney Experience for showtimes.
Seasonal Scents
Along the walkway between the Imagination! pavilion and World Showcase, stop by to see an all-new seasonal display, open to all guests throughout the festival. Festive Fragrances presented by Scentsy is a gift for the senses – you can stroll through a snow globe garden, inspired by Scentsy’s seasonal aromas! Guests who visit CommuniCore Hall can purchase some of their favorite holiday fragrances, reliving the festival experience long after their vacation.
And there you have it – seven new experiences to look forward to during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, November 29-December 30!