MickeyBlog is LIVE From the 2023 Festival of the Holidays

The holidays are in full swing in Disney World — and now the Festival of the Holidays has officially kicked off in EPCOT!

The Festival of the Holidays celebrates all things Christmas and holiday-related in EPCOT, with over 15 Holiday Kitchens (aka booths), plenty of Christmas cookies, and lots of festive entertainment — including Santa, of course. Even if you can’t make it to EPCOT, we’re here to take you with us LIVE on the first day of the festival!

This post will be updated throughout the day, so make sure you keep checking back with MickeyBlog for more details. Let’s jump right in!

Festival Dates

The 2023 Festival of the Holidays lasts from November 24 to December 30, 2023, which means it has a shorter duration than other EPCOT festivals, but it is no less beloved.

There are many new and returning dishes, so we’re excited to find some old — and new — favorites!

EPCOT Hours

On November 24th, EPCOT opens at 9AM, but guests staying in Disney World hotels can take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry to step inside EPCOT as early as 8:30AM.

You don’t need a separate ticket to attend the Festival of the Holidays, but you do need a park reservation to get into EPCOT for the day. If you have a different park reserved as well as a Park Hopper ticket or Annual Pass, you can get inside EPCOT beginning at 2PM.

If you do get inside EPCOT bright and early, note that the World Showcase and the booths typically open around 11AM, so you will have some time to check out the new merchandise at Creations Shop — or step into Connections Cafe for some Starbucks! 

Crowds

As with most festival kickoff days, crowds are typically high. Today was no exception! 

Because booths aren’t opening for a little while, let’s stop inside Creations Shop to check out the new merchandise — and get a look at the 2023 Festival Passport!

Festival Passport

One of our favorite parts of any EPCOT festival is the Festival Passport, a free guide to everything happening during the festival — including all the food, entertainment, and more.

The Festival Passport is typically available at various kiosks around EPCOT, including food booths.

Ready for a fun filled cookie day at #festivaloftheholidays 🌟🕯️ pic.twitter.com/JF716sysuY

— MickeyBlog.com (@MickeyBlog_) November 24, 2023

Considering it’s free, it’s a great souvenir item — and inside, it includes info about all the Holiday Kitchens/booths, the Candlelight Processional, festival merchandise, and the Holiday Cookie Stroll.

Now who’s ready to go shopping?

Merchandise

Creations Shop was full of guests checking out all the new festival merchandise, which includes a Spirit Jersey…

…a Cookie Stroll Cookie Jar…

…a Festival of the Holidays Mug…

…and a Corkcicle Tumbler.

Click here to see ALL the new festival merchandise!

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition is a scavenger hunt returning to the Festival of the Holidays! Basically, Olaf is hidden around the World Showcase in 13 different places, and you can participate by purchasing a game board or by doing the hunt all on your own!

A game board comes with a map and stickers, and you simply place the appropriate sticker on its applicable location. It costs $PRICE, and if you purchase a board you also get a prize whether you successfully complete the hunt or not!

We purchased our board at Creations Shop, but they’re also available at Disney Traders or World Traveler. You can revisit these spots to redeem your prize too.

If you’ve seen Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, this scavenger hunt may be somewhat familiar. Basically, Olaf statues can be found throughout EPCOT, reflecting each pavilion’s special holiday traditions. Like here’s Olaf hanging out in a sled in the United Kingdom with Christmas Crackers…

This year, here are the prizes! There are four cookie cutters you can choose from, including Olaf and Sven…

…and Anna and Elsa.

Now it’s time for the reason for the season — the food of course!

Food & Drinks

Now it’s time to dig in! We’ve been making our way around the World Showcase to try new and returning dishes, like the Turkey Poutine from Refreshment Port…

…lots of sweets from Holiday Hearth Desserts…

…and a really tasty drink from Nochebuena Cocina.

Stay tuned for more food reviews!

Holiday Cookie Stroll

The Holiday Cookie Stroll designates a selection of eligible cookies from different booths — and if you get five of them, you can get a prize! You can see the list in your Festival Passport, and you must get a stamp for each cookie you order.

Choose five out of eight possible cookie options to qualify for the prize — but you can get the same cookie more than once too! Here’s the full list of eligible cookies:

• Linzer Cookie — Bavaria Holiday Kitchen
• Gingerbread Cookie — American Holiday Table
• Black and White Cookie (Plant-based) — L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen
• Snickerdoodle Cookie made with SNICKERS bar pieces — Yukon Holiday Kitchen
• Spiced Chocolate Cookie — Nochebuena Cocina
• Peppermint Pinwheel Cookie — Holiday Hearth Desserts
• Holiday Sugar Cookie — Connections Café
• Jingle Sugar Cookie made with M&M’S chocolate candies — Sunshine Seasons

When you collect all 5 stamps, stop by Holiday Sweets & Treats to get a FREE cookie! (Yes, another cookie) plus chocolate soft-serve!

Click here to read more about the Cookie Stroll!

Entertainment

Holiday Storytellers

In terms of festival entertainment, one of the most popular features is the Holiday Storytellers, who are located around the World Showcase pavilions, telling stories about their holiday traditions and cultures. Note that weather can impact their appearances, so your mileage may vary!

The Los Posadas Celebration can be found in Mexico on Sundays through Thursdays, featuring dancers, piñatas, and the music of Mariachi Cobre. On this day they moved inside the Mexico pavilion due to weather.

In Norway, A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa can be found sharing his story daily. 

In China, you can watch a Chinese Lion Dancer ring in the Lunar New Year.

La Befana, a kindhearted witch who visits children on the Eve of Epiphany, will be telling stories daily in Italy.

The Daruma Storyteller talks about the Daruma doll and Japanese New Year customs in Japan.

Morocco’s storyteller shares how “Celebrations are the Spice of Life.”

France is home to Père Noël, with whom guests can learn more about Christmas daily through a child’s letter.

Hear from Father Christmas every day in the United Kingdom pavilion!

And over in Canada, find the Canada Holiday Voyageurs on stage daily.

JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season

JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season can be found during select showtimes in the World Showcase Plaza. 

Joyful! A celebration of the season 🌟❄️🎄 pic.twitter.com/rHuOC9trTD

— MickeyTravels, LLC (@MickeyTravels) November 24, 2023

These performances feature gospel, R&B, and celebrations of Christmas and Kwanzaa at 1:15PM, 2:20PM, 3:25PM, and 4:30PM, although note that several performances were canceled due to the weather.

Characters

First, we have to start with the star of the Festival of Holidays — Santa Claus himself!

Santa’s meet-and-greet times were listed on a sign, and you can also check for meet times in the My Disney Experience app.

And here’s the man himself! Ho ho ho!

Next up, we have Winnie the Pooh, whose room received a holiday makeover.

Jasmine wore a special flower in her hair.

Stay tuned for more characters!

Living with the Land — Glimmering Greenhouses

During the Festival of the Holidays, Living with the Land has received more updates in addition to its traditional holiday overlay!

This update includes new mentions of Glimmering Greenhouses, like this large green ornament.

Lots of fun props were added! We can’t wait to see it at night.

Candlelight Processional

EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional is back this year! On select evenings in November and December, this show features a 50-piece orchestra, herald trumpets, the Voices of Liberty, and a celebrity narrator retelling the story of Christmas. 

On scheduled evenings, the show will be performed at 5:15PM, 7PM, and 8:30PM. Tonight’s celebrity narrator is Chrissy Metz!

We aren’t going to watch the show in full tonight but we WILL be back — so stay tuned for full coverage.

EPCOT Beacon of Magic

And finally, after dark, Spaceship Earth lit up with a special returning holiday sequence for the festival, featuring Frozen!

This sequence is in addition to the new Wish lights that debuted on November 23rd.

We’ll be updating this post throughout the day, so keep following MickeyBlog for more Disney World news!

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