As we near the end of October and wrap up all things Halloween, it’s time to start thinking about the holidays and the Walt Disney World Resort has some holiday magic planned for guests.
Disney foodies have until November 11 to visit the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. The line up for the Eat to the Beat concerts through the end of the festival include the Spin Doctors on November 1, Christopher Cross on November 2 and 3, Hanson on November 4-5, Dennis DeYoung on November 6-8, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy wraps things up on November 9-11.
The last weekend of the Food and Wine Festival is also Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend. The events include the Wine and Dine Half Marathon on November 9, Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K, and the first Disney Wine and Dine Pre-Race Taste on November 8 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
At the Magic Kingdom, the Halloween decorations will be coming down and the park will be transformed for Christmas just in time for the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on November 8.
This hard ticket event takes place on certain dates in November and December and guests get a chance to enjoy a lively stage show with Disney characters in their holiday best, a holiday parade, and even snow flurries on Main Street U.S.A. The ‘Celebrate the Magic’ projection show and Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season add to the magic of the event.
The dates for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are: November 8, 11, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, and December 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20.
The new Glow with the Show Ear hats are going to add some holiday magic of their own beginning in November with the start of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Holiday Wishes at the Magic Kingdom. The ear hats will illuminate and change colors with the dancing lights and musical notes in both shows.
Each park at the Walt Disney World Resort will be celebrating the holidays in their own magical way. At the Magic Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle will be aglow with 200,000 shimmering white lights, and guests can also take a cruise on the Jingle Cruise as the Jungle Cruise gets a holiday makeover.
In Epcot, guests can celebrate Holidays Around the World throughout World Showcase and even have a chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is celebrating with The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights from November 8 through January 5. And Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be celebrating with Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade.
The Candlelight Processional takes place at Epcot on select nights beginning November 29. The show features celebrity narrators reading The Christmas Story, accompanied by a 50-piece live orchestra and a mass choir.
The celebrity narrators for 2013 are:
- November 29 – Dec. 1 – Gary Sinise
- December 2-3 – Neil Patrick Harris
- December 4-5 – Ashley Judd
- December 6-7 – Whoopi Goldberg
- December 8-10 – Sigourney Weaver
- December 11-13 – Dennis Haysbert
- December 14-16 – James Denton
- December 17-19 – Edward James Olmos
- December 20-22 – Trace Adkins
- December 23-25 – TBA
- December 26-28 – Blair Underwood
- December 29-30 – Amy Grant
Performances of the Candlelight Processional take place at 5, 6:45, and 8:15 p.m. at the America Gardens Theater. Guests can also purchase a Candlelight Dining Package that combines lunch or dinner at select Epcot restaurants with guaranteed seating for the Candlelight Processional.
