The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is a global celebration of the Season! The 2025 Festival of the Holidays is now running from November 28th (the day after Thanksgiving) through December 30th, 2025.

During the Festival, guests can enjoy enhanced offerings around EPCOT’S World Showcase (and beyond) and experience holiday traditions from various cultures as expressed through decorations, stories, music, cuisine, and additional special events.

If you’d like to jump to a specific topic on this page, click any of the links below:

• EPCOT Festival of the Holidays — Holiday Kitchen Food Booths
• Navigating the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays
• EPCOT Festival of the Holidays — Holiday Cookie Stroll
• EPCOT Candlelight Processional 
• EPCOT Festival of the Holiday Entertainment
• EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Olaf Scavenger Hunt
• EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Attraction Overlays
• Seeing Santa Claus at EPCOT Festival of the Holidays
• Festival of the Holidays Behind the Seeds Tour: Glimmering Greenhouses
• EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Merchandise

Click HERE to check out the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Menus and Food Photos!

For many years, EPCOT’s celebration of the season was known as Holidays Around the World. It was an annual EPCOT tradition for years, and the offerings were expanded in 2016 with the addition of Holiday Kitchens.

Holiday Kitchens

Holiday celebrations the world over share something in common: a major aspect of the season is FOOD.

The food booths — referred to as Holiday Kitchens for this event — operate much like the Marketplace Booths for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival.

Holiday Kitchens for 2025

American Holiday Table

Bavaria Holiday Kitchen

Chestnuts and Good Cheer

Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow

Favorites of Festivals Past

Holiday Hearth Desserts

Holiday Sweets and Treats

L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen

Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen

Le Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen

Mele Kalikimaka

Nochebuena Cocina

Shanghai Holiday Kitchen

Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen

Swirled Showcase

Tangierine Cafe: Flavors of the Medina

Tuscany Holiday Kitchen

Yukon Holiday Kitchen 

MORE Festival of the Holidays Food Offerings

Navigating the Festival of the Holidays

When you enter the park, be sure to pick up a FREE Festival of the Holidays Passport.

It’s an easy-to-carry pocket guide to access all the Festival Offerings once you’re in EPCOT.

You’ll find them tucked in along with Park Maps at the main EPCOT entrance and at International Gateway (between the France at United Kingdom pavilions).

There is also an interesting feature in the My Disney Experience app, too, that may be helpful to guests with food allergies or intolerances.

There is a QR code in the Festival Passport that takes you to the “Allergy-Friendly Options” in the My Disney Experience app. Here you can find items that are friendly for guests with gluten/wheat, egg, soy, peanut/tree nut, milk, sesame, fish/shellfish and other allergies. (Please be aware that Disney states the following regarding the Global Marketplace Booths: “We use reasonable efforts in our food preparation and handling procedures to avoid the introduction of the most common allergens into your menu choices. While we take steps to prevent cross-contact, we do not have separate allergy-friendly kitchens and are unable to guarantee that a menu item is completely free of allergens.”)

Holiday Cookie Stroll

Cookie fans are gonna love this! The Holiday Cookie Stroll has become a favorite Festival tradition! To complete the cookie stroll, you need to buy 5 total cookies from ANY of the cookie stroll locations featured in the Festival Passport. When you buy a qualifying cookie, make sure to get the matching stamp in your passport to show you’ve made the purchase.

The entire list of options to choose from in 2025 is as follows (And, remember, you only need to choose 5 to earn your prize):

Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow

• Prototype Cookie: Sugar cookie with orange-cranberry icing and dark chocolate
• Ginger-Molasses Cookie with cream cheese icing
• Salted Caramel Spaceship Earth Cookie

Holiday Hearth Desserts

• Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie

Bavaria Holiday Kitchen

• Hazelnut Linzer Cookie with raspberry jam

American Holiday Table

• Chocolate Cookie featuring SNICKERS bar pieces and salted caramel

L’Chaim!

• Mickey-shaped Almond Black and White Cookie
• Rugelach: Pastry with raspberry jam, walnuts, and cinnamon

Mele Kalikimaka

• Coffee-Mocha Cookie

Nochebuena Cocina

•  Cinnamon Spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookie

Yukon Holiday Kitchen

• Maple Leaf Shortbread Cookie with maple buttercream

Sunshine Seasons

• Peanut Butter Cookie

Once you complete the Cookie Stroll, stop by Holiday Sweets and Treats to receive a Specialty Completer Prize when you present your fully stamped Festival Passport!

A Festival of the Holidays Cookie Batter Spatula and M&M minis are this year’s cute completer prize. We love this tasty tradition!

Click HERE to JOIN US on the 2025 Holiday Cookie Stroll!

Candlelight Processional

Walt Disney World’s EPCOT has always been a beloved destination for guests visiting during the Holiday Season. The Candlelight Processional is an endearing, traditional way to celebrate the Christmas Story.

A celebrity narrator shares the Christmas story accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and choir (composed of a Disney Cast Member choir along with an ever-changing group of guest choirs from around the country).

Three performances take place each night at 5PM, 6:45PM, and 8:15PM. 

Candlelight Processional Dining Packages allow guests to pair lunch or dinner at a participating EPCOT Table Service restaurant (or breakfast, as is the case at Garden Grill Restaurant) and enjoy reserved seating for the popular production.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse also offers a same-day Walk-up Candlelight Processional Dining Package. 

Visit our Candlelight Processional Page to see the list of this celebrity narrators along with restaurants and prices for the Dining Packages. You can also find our full review of the Candlelight Processional Dining Package HERE. 

Click HERE to see photos and videos of the Candlelight Processional!

Festival Entertainment

The Festival of the Holidays offers guests a glimpse into how different cultures celebrate the holidays that take place during the Winter months.

Guests are invited to the World Showcase Pavilions to hear Holiday Storytellers share the traditions that are integral parts of the season in the country they represent.

Storytellers can be found in the following pavilions (Performance times are subject to change and can be confirmed each day in the My Disney Experience app): 

• Las Posadas Celebration — Sundays through Thursdays, Mexico pavilion
  • “¡Feliz Navidad! Join the fun and pageantry of Las Posadas with dancers, piñatas, and the music of Mariachi Cobre.”
  • 11:05 AM, 11:55 AM, 12:45 PM, 2:35 PM, 3:45 PM and 5:10 PM
• Canadian Holiday Voyageurs – Daily, Canada pavilion
  • “Explore holiday customs from the various regions of Canada on a musical tour of the Great White North with the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs.” 
  • 3:25 PM, 4:35 PM, 5:35 PM, 6:40 PM, 7:40 PM and 8:40 PM
• Chinese Lion Dance — November 28 through November 30, December 6 and 7, December 13 and 14, and December 19 through December 25, 2025, China pavilion
  • “Catch a glimpse of this colorful performance that brings good fortune and happiness in the Lunar New Year.”
  • 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, 4PM
• Hanukkah Storyteller — Daily, The World Showcase Promenade (between the Morocco and France pavilions)
  • “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.”
  • Noon, 1:00 PM, 1:50 PM, 2:50 PM, 3:45 PM, 5:05 PM, 5:50 PM and 6:30 PM
• Père Noël — Daily, France pavilion
  • “Visit with Père Noël and rediscover the magic of Christmas through the letter of a delightful child.” 
  • 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
• La Befana — Daily, Italy pavilion
  • “Come hear the tale of La Befana, the kindhearted witch who visits sleeping young children on the Eve of the Epiphany.” 
  • 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
• Daruma Storyteller, Daily — Japan pavilion
  • “Hear the fascinating story of the Daruma doll and the Japanese customs of the new year!” 
  • 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
• Sigrid will be visited by A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa — Daily, Norway
  • “Celebrate the season with laughter as a mischievous Barn Santa visits Sigrid, an unsuspecting Christmas storyteller.”
  • 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
• Father Christmas — Daily, United Kingdom pavilion
  • “Join Father Christmas as he rings in the season, sharing the traditions of the United Kingdom and good cheer.” 
  • 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
• Santa Claus — Daily through December 24th, CommuniCore Hall
  • 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM

Performance times are subject to change and can be confirmed each day in the My Disney Experience app.

Take a moment, too, to read about various cultural traditions in the seasonal scrolls artfully presented near each Storyteller’s performance area.

The Storytellers are one of several entertainment offerings throughout the Festival. You can also hear the Voices of Liberty in The American Adventure pavilion.

This acapella choral group dons Dickensian Caroler costumes just for the Festival.

Joyful: A Celebration of the Season

Catch a performance of Joyful: A Celebration of the Season at the CommuniCore Plaza Stage!

This show features gospel mixed with jazz, R&B and more, celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Joyful performs at 2:00 PM, 3:05 PM, 4:05 PM and 5:10 PM, but be sure to check the Information Boards in the park and the My Disney Experience app to confirm times.

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition made its debut in 2020, and has returned each year since. 

Get ready for a festive seasonal Scavenger Hunt! Guests can go on a hunt around World Showcase looking for holiday traditions that Olaf has gathered — and lost — along the way. 

In order to help our pal Olaf out, guests can purchase a Scavenger Hunt map and stickers (the price is $11.99) at locations like Creations Shop, and World Traveler at International Gateway. 

Once you find ALL the Olafs, you can visit Creations Shop or Gateway Gifts in World Celebration, Disney Trader on the World Showcase Promenade, or World Traveler at International Gateway to redeem the map for a special gift!

This year’s prize is the guest’s choice of a Frozen-themed plate featuring Sven and Kristoff, Olaf, or Elsa and Anna.

You can read all about our adventure with Olaf here!

Holiday Attraction Overlays

The classic attraction Living with the Land — located in The Land pavilion in EPCOT’s World Nature — gets dressed up for the season with a lovely light display at night!

It’s Living with the Land — Glimmering Greenhouses!

Special, festive touches enhance the boat cruise throughout the day, as well.

It’s a truly charming and festive display.

Click here for a photo tour of Living With The Land’s holiday decorations!

Don’t forget to pay a visit to Journey Into Imagination with Figment to see the star of the ride (that’s FIGMENT) in his HOLIDAY SWEATER!

And guess what? You can even MEET Figment WEARING HIS CHRISTMAS SWEATER inside ImageWorks in World Celebration this year!

EPCOT’s iconic Spaceship Earth in World Celebration presents a limited-time light show for the Festival! The show begins when it gets dark outside and plays several times each night.

Walt Disney Imagineering created a light display for the Festival of the Holidays inspired by winter, with images such as candles, snowflakes, and northern lights.

Santa Claus Sighting

Get ready to visit Santa Claus! He’s greeting guests and taking photos (and, presumably, hearing Wish Lists!) in a festive space inside CommuniCore Hall.

Jolly Old Saint Nick greets guests daily through December 24th at 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM. (You can confirm greeting times in the My Disney Experience app during your visit.)

And we have a BONUS Santa to welcome this year: You can meet SANTA GOOFY throughout the Festival from a dedicated space inside The Odyssey Pavilion.

Since Santa Goofy won’t technically be making a midnight ride on Christmas Eve (unlike the REAL Santa, whom you can meet inside CommuniCore Hall as mentioned above), you can meet Santa Goofy through December 30th, 2025! He is making appearances for photo opportunities daily from 11:30AM to 3:30PM, then from 4:10PM to 7:10PM.

Gingerbread Spaceship Earth

In 2024, EPCOT debuted a brand-new 8-foot-tall gingerbread creation, and it is back again in 2025! Throughout the Festival, guests can visit CommuniCore Hall to see the Gingerbread Spaceship Earth!

It lights up and “dances” to music every 15 minutes throughout the day and features 11 hidden Mickeys to represent the 11 countries of the World Showcase.

And Festive Fragrances presented by Scentsy allows visitors to “stroll through a snow globe garden, inspired by Scentsy’s seasonal aromas.” 

This display — alongside a festive playground for the kiddos — is located just outside at the CommuniCore Plaza.

More Festival Fun

Glimmering Greenhouses Backstage Tour

A new backstage tour arrived at EPCOT for the 2024 holiday season and it is BACK for 2025! As mentioned above, during the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, the Living with the Land ride is transformed into Glimmering Greenhouses decorated with lights, ribbons, and all sorts of holiday baubles.

Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses is a limited-time walking tour is offered during the festival, and the cost is $59 per person. Each tour lasts one hour and takes place at 6PM, 7PM, and 8PM daily.

During the tour, you’ll be able to learn about “crops that bring festive flavors to many of our holiday traditions,” enjoy those incredible light displays after dark, explore the hydroponic greenhouses, and “discover sustainable growing techniques” that Disney uses to bring these greenhouses to life.

Bookings for the Holiday Edition are now open. To experience this specific tour, book a time slot for 6PM, 7PM, or 8PM from November 28th through December 30th. To book this experience, visit the Disney World website or the My Disney Experience app. Reservations are highly recommended since each tour is limited.

Click HERE to learn about Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses! 

Festival of the Holidays Disney PhotoPass Magic Shots

Disney PhotoPass Photographers can take what might seem like an ordinary shot and make it extraordinary with a touch of magic. You can catch photographers who are just waiting to transform your photos with Magic Shots throughout the Festival of the Holidays!

Festival guests can take advantage of several different photo opportunities — including digitally enhanced Magic Shots — that are unique to the event! Simply ask any Disney PhotoPass photographers at the following locations for the Festival Magic Shots they can take:

• Bean Bunny from The Muppet Christmas Carol — The American Adventure Pavilion
• Figment in Christmas Sweater — Locations around World Celebration
• Yuletide Sven & Olaf — Norway Pavilion
• EPCOT Holiday Tree — Entrance to World Showcase

EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Merchandise

And of course, no Festival is complete without some Festival of the Holidays merchandise!

You’ll want to make your list — and check it twice! — for fun finds including Festival of the Holidays apparel like Spirit Jerseys, housewares, collectible Disney pins, and more.

Check out the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays merchandise HERE!

Keep your eyes peeled for Festival goodies all around the park, including locations like World Celebration’s Creations Shop and specialty Holiday Markets around World Showcase.

More Good-to-Know Festival of the Holidays Info

EPCOT typically closes throughout the year at 9PM. However, throughout the Festival of the Holidays, the park closes at 9:30PM nightly.

We hope you’ll visit this page often for ALL of the information about the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays!