Your Guide to EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
This holiday season, Guests are in for a great time at EPCOT. Here is all the extra fun you can expect to enjoy during your visit to Walt Disney World.
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
EPCOT goes all out for the holidays. There is something special around every corner.
Disney recently set the dates for the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. You can expect to experience the festival in full force from November 27 to December 30, 2026.
Enjoy Storytellers from around the globe, special holiday decor, festival kitchens with exclusive food and beverage offerings, and holiday entertainment. And, don't forget to check out one of Disney's most popular ride overlays.
World Showcase Storytellers
The World Showcase Storytellers bring the magic each year! They share tales and legends passed down for hundreds of years.
Guests can experience the holiday traditions of the countries around World Showcase. Each storyteller will appear multiple times throughout the day so that you can try to hear them all. You could make an entire day of hearing stories if you wished.
Here is where you can find the 10 Storytellers for 2026. Check the app for daily schedules.
- Mexico Pavilion - Las Posadas Celebration
- Norway Pavilion - A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa
- China Pavilion - Chinese Lion Dancer and Si-Zhu Trio
- Germany Pavilion - Adventskalender
- Italy Pavilion - La Befana
- Japan Pavilion - Daruma Storyteller
- Between the Morocco and France Pavilions - Hanukkah Storyteller
- France Pavilion - Père Noël
- United Kingdom Pavilion - Father Christmas
- Canada Pavilion - Canadian Holiday Voyageurs
Santa Sightings Around EPCOT
If you are hoping to spot Santa, you can do that too! Guests can see Père Noël telling the story of Babette and her Christmas letter in the France Pavilion, Barn Santa in the Norway Pavilion. Best of all, in CommuniCore Hall, Santa will be greeting guests!
Santa will meet guests at CommuniCore Hall
And Goofy Santa will also be avaliable! You will find him at The Odyssey.
EPCOT Holiday Decor
Disney holiday decorations just hit different! EPCOT will shine with festive decor, including twinkling lights, garlands, and beautifully decorated trees inspired by global traditions. Each World Showcase pavilion offers its own unique holiday flair!
You're also in for a treat, a gingerbread treat, actually! EPCOT will have its Gingerbread Spaceship Earth Display again this year! If you are missing the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian now that it has been retired (read about that HERE), perhaps the EPCOT ball will be a palatable substitute. It will light up every 15 minutes with a dazzling display.
Festival of the Holidays Shows and Entertainment
The beloved Candlelight Processional will return at America Gardens Theatre this year. The retelling of the Christmas story features celebrity narrators, accompanied by a mass choir and full orchestra! Narrators are still TBA, so keep an eye on the blog for details.
You can also enjoy the Voices of Liberty, dressed as the Dickens Carolers as they fill the air with song. And, check out JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season, celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa with a blend of gospel, jazz, and R&B.
Festival Kitchens: Holiday Food and Beverage
What EPCOT festival would be complete without Festival Kitchens? This year, you can expect the festive food to return.
And, of course, you can delight in the Cookie Stroll. For this activity, simply purchase five qualifying cookies from select Holiday Kitchens and collect corresponding stamps in your Festival Passport. Once you've gathered all five, you can redeem your completed passport for a special treat.
Living with the Land - Glimmering Greenhouses
My (Kate's) personal favorite part of the festival is returning this year too! Living with the Land - Glimmering Greenhouses is an overlay of Living with the Land.
The greenhouses on the ride are aglow with Christmas Lights! It all comes to life around sunset. Expect the wait times to spike. Last year, the wait climbed as high as 2 hours at some points, surpassing even Guardians of the Galaxy!
Spaceship Earth
Not to be outdone, EPCOT's Icon will have a special overlay of its own. As night falls, Spaceship Earth comes to life with dazzling holiday lighting.
You will enjoy quite a show of festive colors and dynamic effects! It will play periodically throughout the night, and you can enjoy it from many vantage points around the park, or even from aboard the Skyliner!
Olaf's Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt
This year, you can also enjoy a fun scavenger hunt around World Showcase. You can purchase a map at select retail locations.
This is a fun way to explore EPCOT. Plus, once you complete your map, you can redeem it for a fun Disney-themed prize!
Are you heading to EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays this year? What are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments. And share the guide with your loved ones so they know everything that is in store for them this holiday season!
