My family and I visited Disney World over the Holidays in December. We ended up booking a dining package at the Garden Grill for the Candlelight Processional showing around 6:45 P.M in Epcot. The Candlelight Processional is hosted in the American Gardens Theater in the World Showcase at Epcot. Since we had a dining package reservation, when we showed up for the processional around 6:30, there was seating reserved in the middle area! We had a amazing view even though it was a little further back! This year, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays was presented by AdventHealth. Gloria Estefan was our speaker and she was phenomenal! She was singing along with the choir too and dancing! It was such an awesome experience! The time went by so fast! The Candlelight processional was a retelling of the Christmas story, with a 50-Piece orchestra and a choir! This was one of the best experiences I've had at Disney World and I am so glad my family had booked the dining package for the Candlelight Processional. There was a standby line for the Candlelight Processional, but it was long! There are three shows each evening though when the Candlelight Processional is showing over the holidays. You'll want to check online to see who the speaker is for each evening! There are so many different celebrities that come and narrator the Candlelight Processional! This is a must go see if you're visiting Epcot over the Holidays. read more

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Beautiful. Stunning. An absolutely "must-do" if you're at Disney during the holidays. I'm a local and annual passholder. Hubby and I see this every year. We've been married 20 years. This should definitely sell you on seeing it: I am a pagan and look forward to it every year. Granted, I see it as fiction, but the choir - Oh my! The choir will send shivers up your spine! So, if you are like me and do not have a Christian bone in your body, I'm telling you, this is still totally worth your time (just try not to giggle at the narration). Ahhhh... almost forgot. Speaking of the narration, we have seen some of the most amazing narrators over the years. So many famous people! Neil Patrick Harris is always my favourite! Tip: Check the schedule each year for a list of narrators and the specific dates. read more

Candlelight Processional is located at EPCOT, you need a park ticket to see the show, but you do not need a ticket for the actual show. It is only offered during the holidays, at the same time when EPCOT has the Festival of the Holidays event. The actual show is takes place in the Americans Garden Theatre at the American pavilion. They have 3 shows a night, a celebrity guest narrator, a huge choir featuring the Voices of Liberty and a live person band. The Voices of Liberty are really popular and take up the center of the stage. On some nights, the rest of the choir is cast members and some nights different choirs from local high schools. There are two ways to see this show. The first is to wait in line and get one of the open seats, and the other is to purchase a dining package which guarantees you a seat and a price fix meal at specific EPCOT restaurants. If the celebrity narrator is popular, and you really want to see the show, I would recommend the dining package. You chose either lunch or dinner which is based on the show time. This year we were able to see the show twice, with our favorite being, Brendan Frasier. We did the dining package because we did not want to risk not getting a seat. He was absolutely amazing, and it was so neat to see him. He actually was teary eyed. This is one of our favorite holiday shows. The celebrity narrator reads the Christmas Story and in between the choir sings. We also were supposed to see Simu Liu but unfortunately, he was injured and unable to make it. They had to substitute him at the last minute with the lead singer from Mercy Me. Even though we did not know him, he was still a great show and he was a great narrator. This is the only disadvantage as we also had a dining package for him, and we didn't get to see who we wanted. But all in all, I would highly recommend this show. It just puts you in the spirit of Christmas, you can sign along as loud as you want, the choir is amazing, the band is fantastic, and the narrators are always good! Definitely check it out! Aces! read more

Candlelight Processional - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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Candlelight Processional is located at EPCOT, you need a park ticket to see the show, but you do not need a ticket for the actual show. It is only during the holidays, when EPCOT has the Festival of the Holidays event. It is also at the Americans Garden Theatre in the American pavilion. They have 3 shows a night, a celebrity guest narrator, a huge choir featuring the Voices of Liberty and a live person band. The Voices of Liberty are really popular and take up the center of the stage with the Christmas tree. On some nights, the additional choir is made up of cast members and some nights it is different choirs from local high schools. It is one of our favorite holiday shows. The celebrity narrator reads the Christmas Story and in between the choir sings. Each year there are different celebrity narrators. There are two ways to see this show. The first is to wait in line to try and get one of the open seatings and the other is to purchase a dining package which guarantees you a seat and a price fix meal at certain EPCOT restaurants. If the celebrity narrator is a really big actor, and you really want to see the show, I would recommend the dining package. You can get a lunch or dinner and a seat. This year we were able to see the show twice. The best was getting to see Brendan Frasier. We did the dining package because we did not want to risk not getting a seat. He was absolutely amazing, and it was so neat to see him. He actually was teary eyed. We also were supposed to see Simu Liu but unfortunately, he was injured and unable to make it. They had to substitute him at the last minute with the lead singer from Mercy Me. Even though we did not know him, he was still a great show and he was a great narrator. This is the only disadvantage as we also had a dining package for him, and we didn't get to see who we wanted. But all in all, I would highly recommend this show. It just puts you in the spirit of Christmas, you can sign along as loud as you want, the choir is amazing, the band is fantastic, and the narrators are always good! Definitely check it out! read more

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I haven't been to the Candlelight Processional in years. Let me tell you, it was beautiful as ever! It is based on the story of Jesus' birth, however I am not super religious and I love it solely because of the music aspect. NPH narrated which is always a plus. The chorus and the Voices of Liberty gave me chills when hitting the high notes and singing in harmony. Fair warning: We sat in line for about an hour, which is pretty normal for these concerts. You don't have to wait, you can stand in the back behind the ropes if you don't mind standing for the 45 min show. However, you can also purchase the dining package which includes a seat to the show! The only complaint I have, is the woman who seated us was not very friendly. This is not a normal occurrence I tend to find at Disney so maybe she was having a bad day. But, she did upset about 20+ people in our row. Other than that, I highly recommend going to see one of the showings if you're able to. read more

Candlelight Processional - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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The Candlelight Processional had its origins in Disneyland. When they brought it to Disney World it debuted in the Magic Kingdom and later transferred to the American Gardens theater in Epcot which is its current home. My husband and I had purchased a dining package at Akershus in Norway-reviewed separately. We had received two stickers to wear as proof of our package so that we were able to enter the package line. Although the line seemed long we started moving within about 20 minutes and were practically the first ones to enter the theater. The general public was seated after us. As a rule of thumb allow at least 90 minutes in line to insure getting in there. Those without reservations I would encourage to wait longer. The program started on time with an overture and the voices of Liberty providing the choir for the center tree. Other choir members dressed in yellow came in and filled the sides. Trumpets blared the start of the show and played throughout. Our celebrity narrator was Marlee MatLin who spoke through an interpreter. She told bits of the Christmas story while the music that followed blended in with what was just read. Must of the music would be carols you are familiar with but I truly was blown away by the song-"Rejoice with exceeding great joy." The program for the processional is in the festival of the holidays guidebook. The show lasted about 50 minutes and as we were leaving I already saw people lined up for the next show. The Candlelight processional is presented 3 times daily during the holiday season. Celebrity narrators are called in and take turns with their presentation. The main focus is on the music. They have a full orchestra but not so loud as to drown out the voices This was truly an outstanding presentation and made my visit to EPCOT's festival of the holidays so worthwhile. I would highly recommend it to anyone coming for the holidays and though it costs more money, a dining package will cut down on your wait time and assure you a seat in the show. It was truly a memorable experience! read more

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The lines are insanely long! For a show that has been at Epcot for this long it is amazing that the ushers are unable to fill in the seats properly. It really is amature work. It was my first time and after reading reviews I had high hopes. But some of the music arrangements was just bad. Ralph Macchio did a fine job as did the interpreter. It really isn't much different than you would get in a church to be honest. Expect in church people won't shout and scream, thank God for that. read more

First time for this event. We decided to go with the dinner package to ensure we had a spot (highly recommend doing so) For the dining package you can choose from several restaurant options. We chose the Coral Reef as we had never dined there before and it had been recommended by a friend. I recommend it as well. (You can check out more details in my review on that business) This was my favorite part of the holiday trip. I am sure that all of the guest narrators are good but I really enjoyed Gary Sinese (a personal favorite). Overall an incredible presentation that I definitely recommend doing at least once. Only negative to the whole experience was the line to wait in for the dining package. We got there more than an hour early and still line was already at the Japan pavilion. Maybe do like a lot of theaters do now any let you choose your seats at time of booking or in advance. At the very least allow you to choose seats at time of check-in prior to the show. Guests standing in line aren't spending money in shops, on food or souvenirs. read more

Candlelight Processional - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I hadn't ever experienced the Candlelight Processional during the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays before this last trip to Disney. I'm so glad I finally did give this show a go! We did the dinner package coupled with the Biergarten buffet so the meal was at a bit of a premium price (aka more than it usually costs) but you are then guaranteed seating at the show. Some people wait hours to get into without a dinner package so it's totally worth it in my mind. The Candlelight Processional is the telling of the Christmas story with celebrity narrators (it changes every few days), an incredible orchestra and an even more incredible choir. You may have heard the Christmas story before, but you've never seen or heard it like this. I'm not a religious person so was a bit hesitant on going to this as I didn't want to be blasted with bible. It wasn't too much for me at all and from the pure story standpoint, was just fantastic. Absolutely loved this show, Whoopi Goldberg was an amazing narrator and the entire production was top notch. Keep in mind, this isn't stand up or a comedy special from whichever celebrity you see narrate. They are telling a pretty serious story so don't expect to see them in full personality and showmanship. I really loved the show and I know for some, it's the best thing they do on their trip. It's definitely top ten of things I've done at Disney but if probably rounds out the list and isn't at the top. I'd definitely go again but feel I can wait a couple of years before experiencing it again. read more

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This is my most absolute favorite thing to see when I'm on vacation with my family at EPCOT. Picture this scene: EPCOT is gearing up for the Christmas holiday. There are Christmas trees, carolers singing and every country has their version of Santa. Italy has La Befana and there are various Santas that look very cool. Germany has a great Santa, France has an amazing looking Santa and Canada, OMG! They have a lumberjack Santa! When its all said and done, now its time for the actual meaning of Christmas. Disney calls it a "Candlelight Processional", its about the Christmas nativity story. Over the years I have seen some amazing speakers with a choir behind them, the best was Jim Caviezel, right after The Passion of The Christ was out in the movies. James Avery, (RIP) was another great presenter. Another great presenter who seems to be doing this performance annually is Neil Patrick Harris. The Candlelight Processional is a passion play, they speak of how Joesph & Mary were visited by angels up until Mary birthed Jesus. Its a very very moving and uplifting performance and the best part? It comes with your EPCOT admission. Highly recommended read more

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The Candlelight Processional is without a doubt an event you can't miss when you are at Disney during the holidays. Each year they have a list of celebrities who will host the event at the America Pavilion, which goes on for a couple weeks I think, where they will sing Christmas songs and it is just beautiful. Even better, every year they always have Neil Patrick Harris!! Depending on who the host is for each night can depend on how busy it gets, so if you are coming on the night of a big name, I'd arrive at least an hour early to get a seat! It is not a big seating area so it fills up very quick. Even if you have to stand around, it's still worth it! read more

The Candelight Processional is my favorite holiday tradition. My parents moved to Orlando in 1999 and I have gone at least once a year ever since. One year it was Dec 30 and I nearly had a meltdown cause I hadn't been so my mom went with me to last show on the last day. The Candlelight Processional is held from the end of November until the end of December every year. A celebrity narrator reads the Christmas story accompanied by an orchestra, the Voices of Liberty, a cast member choir, and groups of other choirs from around Florida and other parts of the country. The high schools near my house often perform one night during the run, but not always as I hear it can be pretty competitive to be a chosen choir. My favorite narrators over the years are definitely Neil Patrick Harris and Gary Sinise. These two always do a stellar job, and I've seen them both more than once. In recent years I've made an effort to see new people or people I haven't seen before. This year we saw John Stamos and Joey Fatone. Last year we saw Kurt Russell. All of them did an excellent job. The only person I ever saw who did a "bad" job was Ashley Judd. I saw her first show on her first night and she flubbed the lines multiple times. She even had to start over once. Candlelight Processional has 3 shows per night. The first one is at 5pm, then 6:45 and 8:15. I almost always go to the 5pm show. I used to go to the 5pm show because I thought it was the least crowded. I'm not sure that it is true anymore. I also like the 5pm show because if you are going to the later show and you are standing in the standby line you can hear the whole show while waiting so that's not fun. Finally, I now have a baby who goes to bed early so 5pm show is the only one that works with his bedtime. The downside to the 5pm show is that it isn't dark when the show starts so you don't get the full experience when the choir enters with the candles. So one of the reasons I don't think the 5pm is necessarily the least crowded anymore is because of dining packages. If you do a breakfast package you are going to the 5pm show. If you do a lunch package, you are most likely going to the 5pm show though you could go to the later one depending on the time of your reservation. If you buy a candelight dining package you are guaranteed a seat in the America Gardens theater to watch the show. This is a big deal as it is very popular and pretty much every show on every day will fill to capacity and some of the standby people will be turned away. The problem is the candlelight dining packages are pretty pricey. Way back when they started doing dining packages you could get one for only a few dollars more than the cost of the meal, but now you are paying a pretty significant amount to reserve your spot. E.g. We ate at Akershus the other day and the candlelight package was about $15 more than the normal prix fixe menu. If you are going to do a dining package the Biergarten is one of the best bangs for your buck as it doesn't cost that much more than just eating at the Biergarten. I rarely do the dining package because I live here and have all the discounts (DVC, Tables in Wonderland, Passholder, etc) and you can't use any of those with a a dining package so then it becomes even pricier. So I wait it out and in recent years that requires being there pretty darn early. I have gotten in line at 4pm and gotten into the 5pm show, but that was early in the season (Nov) and was last year. This year we got in line for John Stamos at 2:30 and there were maybe 40 people who got in behind us though I can tell you dining packages were sold out that night. I actually tried to get one because I was worried about waiting so long with the baby, but he was a trooper. We got in line for Joey Fatone at 3:15 and lots of additional people got in. One time I waited 2 hours for Gary Sinise and did not get it, so I would say if you are going to wait it out be in line before 3. Also, people like NPH are really popular so definitely be in line early for them. Obviously though I think the price of the dining package is worth it or the 2 hour wait is worth because I keep doing it. Like I said, it is my favorite holiday tradition and I hope it is something I will get to share with my son for many years to come. read more

Living in the Orlando area, Disney's candlelight processional has become a family tradition. The candlelight processional is the telling of the Christmas story with celebrity narrators. There is also an incredible orchestra with an amazing choir. The conductors tie all this together beautifully. Strongly suggest to make this part of your family's tradition also! read more

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The last time I saw the CANDLELIGHT PROCESSIONAL, I was performing in it. This is well over a decade... Or maybe just a decade ago. The tree was higher then, and me, being as tall as I am, got to be the 2nd branch from the star. But I digress. I didn't even know that CP was still going on this week, so I was happily surprised when the familiar strains of Handel's hallelujah began to play and I started to sing i turn. Old habits die hard. Ms. Amy Grant was tonights storyteller and her voice rang out strong as she told the story of the Virgin birth and how we might all be saved. read more

Candlelight Processional - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I had not expected while at Epcot to be able to listen to the Christmas story being read from the bible by a random celebrity (the Desperate Housewives plumber- which was a bit odd), while listening to beautiful carols being sung by a large choir, serenaded by a full Orchestra, for no extra charge! Amazing!! I guess you can avoid waiting in line by paying extra to get a special package which includes dinner for one of the 3 set times the performance is done each day during the Christmas season. We just went to the early showing 30 minutes in advance, waited in a standby line, and got a seat without any problems. I guess it is a tradition that was started by Walt Disney himself to put this on, and it is something they have been doing ever since. Very cool. read more

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WARNING, I am a bit biased about this show since my daughter particpates. Having said that, I feel this is one of the greatest shows on Disney property. The best part about this show is it blends Disney talent, with stars and mixes in some local flavor with high school choruses. The show is phenomenal and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is at EPCOT during the Christmas season. The place gets PACKED once school gets out and the tourists start to flock down to Orlando. So, get in line EARLY if you want to see the show. There are typically three shows per evening. If you want to get close to the singers, get the Candlelight Dinner package that includes seating in the front rows for the show. And the food is great. read more

Candlelight Processional - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I'm a huge Candlelight Processional fan. I find Candlelight to be different than most of the other holiday offerings at our local theme parks. It simply relies on a beautiful setting, fabulous music and the telling of the Christmas story. Essentially, the Candlelight Processional is the telling of the Christmas story, narrated by a celebrity narrator. The story is supported by a beautiful choir, typically comprised of members of a Cast choir (who fill the Christmas tree shaped risers) as well as visiting high school, college and church choirs and a full orchestra. As the narrator reads the story, there are pauses to the story with beautiful Christmas music featuring the choir and orchestra. The Voice of Liberty, a very popular year-round musical act at Epcot, lead the choir and they are fantastic. There are typically three shows a night at 5PM, 6:45PM and 8:15PM. All shows tend to draw a crowd. There is an option of booking a Candlelight Processional dining package, which guarantees you seating for a particular show if you dine at certain Epcot restaurants. Many people utilize this package, so those with guaranteed seating do end up taking up a lot of the theater. If you choose to use the standby line, which I do as the dining package can be a bit pricey, make sure to get in line early! My friend and I usually get dinner from a quick service spot and bring our food in line while we wait. This year, I saw Neil Patrick Harris and Joe Morton (Papa Pope from Scandal!) as celebrity narrators. It's neat to see the different styles of the narrators as well as see celebrities take part in something relatively intimate for a theme park setting. Such a beautiful annual event! read more

The hype around the Epcot Candlelight Processional is epic. I read online that people had purchased their meal packages for this event beginning in July. Seriously? Here's the scoop for those of you who have no idea why. What: the Candlelight Processional is a musical performance consisting of choral singers (sometimes from local high schools, but also professionals), professional musicians and a narrator (changes every few days but is usually a celebrity actor or performer) who sing and narrate the story of Jesus's birth. Where: It takes place on a stage in front of the America pavilion in the world showcase of Epcot. When: Three times every evening starting Black Friday through Christmas. First show is before the sun sets. The shows after the sun sets are far more spectacular. Why the hype: The musicians are phenomenal and there's something very inspiring and spiritual - regardless of religious preferences - about all the instruments and voices coming together for a massive live audience under twinkling lights. The brass section and their proclamatory notes are crisp and majestic. The whole experience is a family crowd-pleaser. How to see it: There are basically three ways. It's free for all park ticket holders, but the seating is limited. The first is to purchase a meal package that will allow you VIP seating at the stage. These packages are for any of the Epcot restaurants and range in price from $25-$85 pp depending on the place. Nope, it ain't cheap. But if you gotta eat anyways, may as well get seating for free. The second way to see it is to line up in the first-come, first-serve seating line that starts up to an hour before the performance. I hate lines. The third way to see it is simply to stand behind the rope, preferably near an aisle so you have an unobstructed view. We did the latter and it was fine. We didnt mind standing, so obviously this isn't for everyone. We staked out our spot about 20 min prior to the performance. In all, this is a performance not to be missed if you're visiting Epcot around Christmas. It reminds you of what Christmas is really about - a celebration of the birth of Jesus and a time for appreciating family. These two facts are all too frequently forgotten in the holiday haze. read more

Candlelight Processional - choir lining up with candles - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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If you're looking for an awe inspiring family music show at Christmastime, and at the heart of Happiest Place on Earth? This is your show! Right at the American Pavilion stage in the middle of the World Showcase at EPCOT, the Florida Orchestra and choir provided an amazing sound for all our favorite holiday tunes. It was an enjoyable 30-40 minute show with a heartfelt narration from two-time Tony Award winning actress Chita Rivera! Awesome show to enjoy with a glass of wine or hot cocoa before the fireworks! read more

Candlelight Processional - The conductor really getting into it! - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

My office decided to go to EPCOT for a work outing. We found out about the Candlelight Processional dinner package and let me tell you, this is definitely the way to go. With the dinner package, you have guaranteed seating to see the processional in the theatre. The line for those who purchased the dinner package was really, really long. I think that it stretched to Morocco. There is a line that you can stand in if you didn't purchase the dinner package, however it is not guaranteed and that line was really long, too. We made a reservation ahead of time at Biergarten and when we paid, the restaurant gave us our tickets to the show. We decided on going to this only about 2 weeks in advance and most of the restaurants were already booked. I would recommend planning and making your reservation much more in advance. We got in line and it moved pretty quickly. The theatre is composed of a series of really long benches, rather than individual seating. The selection closest to the stage is all reserved seating, and despite the long line, we still found seating in the 2nd row of the second section. I think that no matter where you sit in the theatre you will still have a good view. The concert itself was interesting. There is a celebrity of some sort reading a line or two of the Christmas story and then the chorus and orchestra perform a song. They go back and forth until the Christmas story is completed. This was a nice performance but I don't think that I would necessarily go out of the way to see this again because it's not really my type of show. read more

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This was my first year attending the Candlelight Processional and I absolutely loved it even though I was stuck in the rain! I booked the dinner package that goes along with one of the three show times and I'm really glad I did! The dinner package guarantees you a seat in the theater which is necessary because of how popular this show is. I got to the theater 30 minutes prior to it starting and found it already packed. The rows under the stage overhang are reserved for another type of group so the guaranteed seats for the dinner package is every other row but those under the overhang and the last four or five rows. Those last rows are all that's open for general admission so good luck. The show is made up of a small orchestra, a choir, the Voices of Liberty (the vocal members from the pre-show in the American Adventure), and a celebrity narrator. The narrator tells the nativity story and in between sections of the story the choir and orchestra perform hymns that accompany the story. It was so beautiful and very moving! It was an absolute delight hearing hymns that are not often performed or heard anymore during the Christmas season. I loved that everyone in the theater stood for the last song 'Hallelujah". The show runs for a total of 45 minutes. Our narrator was Neil Patrick Harris and he was phenomenal!!! He said it was his 8th year narrating the show and it had become a Christmas tradition for his family. He bopped along with the music and sang a number of songs with the choir. He enunciated and put special emphasis where it was needed. I'm so glad this was my first show and I will definitely do this again next year. read more

Candlelight Processional - Narrator Neil Patrick Harris along with the choir, orchestra and Voices of Liberty. - Performing Arts Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Soo amazing!! It's so beautiful. I suggest you get there hours and hours early. They run out of room fast. They read the actual Bible and it's so surprising but nice for the Christmas holiday. The music is very touching and very specific to the Christian celebration of Christmas. I've enjoyed it every year! It's become a tradition for our fam and a number of our friends. They have various choirs come in and give choir members free tickets. Just note if you're going to plan to watch this, you'll need tickets to get inside the park. read more

This was my third time attending the candlelight processional. The orchestra, conductor, choir were wonderful. Whoopi Goldberg was narrator and I was so upset as she went off script at the end and got political as she told people to not be political and wish happy Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, "or whatever you celebrate". The warm fuzzy feeling became opinionated-Hollywood. Then she told the crowd that the high school choir students were our kids and they're off their phones. I wished she'd just ended in silence and let the Christmas story speak for itself. I've heard other narrators and they're wonderful as is the dinner package. read more

Yes, a definite must-see if you happen to be at the Disney World theme parks. The show is roughly an hour long and they have 3 shows a day usually (5, 6:45, 8:15). They have celebrities that range from classic Broadway stars, to TV stars, to country singers, that narrate the story of the birth (and life) of Jesus. The "tree" is made up of Disney cast members, and they are flanked on both sides by local church or school choirs. It's really quite the spectacle. Get there early as the place fills up rather quickly. A good estimate would be 1 1/2 hours ahead of the showtime. More if it's a very popular celebrity. For reference, when we got there at 6:45 for the 8:15 with Neil Patrick Harris narrating, we barely made it in. You can also do the dinner-and-show package. It's a set price and available at several (if not all) of the sit-down restaurants in EPCOT. Make sure you reserve your seats in advance. If you decide to do this package, you will definitely get a seat at the show that you made the reservations for. You still need to wait in a line (albeit separate from the others), though, so don't get there right at showtime expecting prime seats. As an added bonus, you also get a special viewing area for IllumiNations, EPCOT's amazing fireworks show. read more

The music and performances are beautiful, but the handling of seating for this event is horrific. It is next to impossible to get seats for this event unless you purchase a dinner package. For Standby seating, you can get in line two hours in advance of the show and still not get a seat. Who wants to dedicate two hours of their time at Epcot for nothing? At least if you wait for two hours to get on a ride, you know you'll eventually be able to board the ride. Epcot needs to come up with some kind of reservation system for non-dinner package seats (maybe using FastPass?) so visitors would know in advance if they had a seat at the event without having to wait in line for two hours. read more

Im amazed that Disney allows Christ's birth to be a part of their Christmas celebration! God has been removed from so many aspects of our lives and to know he still exists at the most magical and happiest place on earth is amazing! He is after all the reason for the season. The choir was amazing and the orchestra was just as amazing. If you want to ensure that you can experience this wonderful show make sure you make dining reservations months in advance otherwise you'll be waiting in line for up to 4 hours before the show starts and you still might not get a seat! And don't forget the special celebrity narrator..Big plus! read more

it was an ok event. disneyland does a better spectacular event bcause the procession walks down mainstreet to town square to form a human xmas tree. epcot could do better by have half of the procession walk through half of the world showcase, ending up at the american pavilion. the event would draw a bigger audience, just my 2 cents in addition to the $90 admission fee read more

We purchased the dinner package for this show to guarantee our seats. It was well worth the money as we wanted to eat dinner anyway. We ate the the Germany Biergarten restaurant. Our narrator for the evening was Chandra Wilson (Dr. Bailey from Grey's Anatomy). She was extremely entertaining. The choirs were fantastic and the live orchestra was phenomenal. We were able to sit in the front row and just sat back and took it all in. What a great way to get ready for the Christmas season. read more

What a fantastic Christmas time experience! For those that don't know, the Candlelight Processional is a concert and reading of the Christmas Story. There is a huge choir, somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-300 people, and an orchestra. When I was there Neil Patrick Harris was the narrator. It was such a great experience. The music was beautiful and bookended by a great day at Epcot and the Illuminations show, this was such a magical day. The performance is free, but if you want a decent seat you either need to wait in line for over an hour or get a preferred ticket as part of a dinner promotion at certain restaurants. Mind you the meal promotion is pricey, we went to Tapan Edo in Japan and it was around $80/person. For a one time thing, it's worth it, just to not have to wait in line. BTW, if you have the special promotional ticket, don't bother waiting in the ticket line, just wait for everyone in the ticket line to go in the then enter, you'll still get a good seat. Not front row, but unless you're a huge fan of the celebrity host you shouldn't notice much difference in your experience. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! read more

My husband and i have gone the past two holiday seasons to watch this show because the first time we went it was just amazing. I love the fact that this experience is available, and the first year we did the dining experience with it so we could get advanced seating which i recommend for the second time we didn't do the dining experience and just went at the last minute and we ended up sitting with a tree in the middle of our view and it was not as awesome as the first. The first time we went though was December 2012 and my husband surprised me for our 6 mo wedding anniversary with this because Jodi Benson was the guest narrator and she is my favorite, I am a big little mermaid fan to where it was the theme of our wedding and as soon as he heard she was coming he knew that this would be a great present! Needless to say the dinner was great, but seeing Jodi Benson sing and do the story of Christmas with a choir was by far the best experience for me plus her closing the night with a little mermaid reference was the best! The second time we went was December 2013 and I was sad that last season Jodi was not a guest narrator so we went at the last minute to see Sigourney Weaver, and the show was great as well, but I loved the Jodi Benson one better out of pure bias though =). If you are around Disney during the holidays i recommend catching this show because the choir is amazing whether it be the cast choir that is performing that evening or they also have visiting high school choirs, it is great and there is always a long list of celebrity narrators and from what I hear all of them are amazing so just pick who you want if you have the choice! read more

Well this was a huge letdown. I expected to have a great dinner, show, and seats for the fireworks. The meal was horrible at La Hacienda, the show that we paid seats for horribly boring and then we find out right before the show started that they let people in for the seats that did not fill by the paying patrons and it was an open theater so we could have stood in the back and seen and heard the show just fine instead of sitting next to some sweaty other guests with a days worth of body odor. Finally, the "priority" seating for the fireworks was a crock. It was a roped of area no bigger than an infield and there was no seating. Every one started sitting on the ground and when the show started everyone stood up so we had to stand up. We actually left five minutes in and started walking out and we had a much better view back at the water fountain than by the lake. Huge, Huge, HUGE waist of money! read more