News: Disneyland Is Canceling Its 2020 Candlelight Processional

Halloween isn’t even here yet, but we’re already getting all kinds of Christmas news.

Candlelight Processional ©Disney

Just this week, we shared with you that Disney has canceled the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom. Now, we’ve got news about the cancellation of a Christmas event over in Disneyland.

According to the Orange County Register, Disneyland is canceling its Candlelight Processional.

This event is similar to EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional, but is unique in its own way. In Disneyland’s version of this event, hundreds of members of the local community, as well as the Disneyland Cast Member Choir, the Disneyland Orchestra, and more celebrate Christmas in a grand display.

Neil Patrick Harris at The Candlelight Processional in Disney World ©Disney

The event takes place in front of the Disneyland Main Street Train Station and typically features an A-list celebrity narrator. It is also offered on a much more limited basis than the version in EPCOT — last year it only took place on two nights.

Candlelight Processional at EPCOT

The OCR notes that Disneyland officials stated Disneyland was simply “unable to commit to the monthslong planning process for the Candlelight Processional without a clear understanding of when theme parks can reopen from the State of California.”

Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle

According to the OCR, the special event is usually crowded and tends to jam foot traffic near the park’s entrance. Typically backstage passageways are opened during this time to ease congestion. The OCR notes that “Holding a private event in the middle of a theme park during operating hours presents a number of challenges for Disneyland — from attraction operations to show scheduling to crowd management.”

Disneyland Train Station

When Disney canceled EPCOT’s 2020 Candlelight Processional, it noted that certain “holiday experiences that draw big crowds” like EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party would be on hiatus this year. So, it makes sense that this experience at Disneyland would be canceled due to the potential crowd levels it could draw, as well as the fact that an opening date for Disneyland has yet to be firmly established. We’ll keep an eye out for more Disneyland news and let you know what we find!

Click here to read about the return of indoor dining to certain Downtown Disney restaurants at Disneyland Resort.

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