Walt Disney World has launched an inventory of seven new issues to do on the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays, the fan-favorite Christmas-time particular occasion! This submit shares a full rundown of the free actions, decorations and shows, merchandise, and extra.
In contrast to the remainder of the Christmas season at Walt Disney World, the EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays begins on November 29. The vacation festivities at EPCOT all the time start on Black Friday and finish the day earlier than New 12 months’s Eve to clear area for these festivities. With Thanksgiving falling later this 12 months, which means the pageant is sort of per week shorter than regular.
In essence, Pageant of the Holidays is a continuation of EPCOT’s Meals & Wine Pageant (which runs later), proper right down to repurposing among the meals cubicles from that occasion (which ends shortly earlier than Pageant of the Holidays begins). In contrast to that, the 2024 EPCOT Pageant of the Holidays is not primarily in regards to the delicacies–this isn’t merely the Christmastime Foodie Fest!
The actual focus of EPCOT’s Pageant of the Holidays is decorations, dwell music, leisure, family-friendly actions, international Santa Clauses (and different storytellers), and extra. You’ll be able to learn in regards to the slate in our full Information to the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays.
The spotlight of the vacations at EPCOT is Candlelight Processional. This 12 months has the most effective narrator lineups in years. There’s one thing for everybody right here, from longtime fan-favorites to new-comers and extra interesting to the tastes of youthful visitors. For the whole lot you could know Candlelight Processional–together with the complete lineup of narrators and learn how to rating eating packages (even when no ADR availability is displaying up on-line)–see our Information to 2024 Candlelight Processional at EPCOT.
Suffice to say, you can spend a whole day in Epcot simply having fun with the vacation leisure with out ever buying a snack (and we are going to do precisely that later within the season…effectively, possibly only one Xmas Log). Along with all the World Showcase choices, there’s the can’t miss Christmas journey overlay within the entrance of the park: Residing with the Land – Merry & Vibrant Nights.
Anyway, right here’s what’s new for the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays…
A Grand & Miraculous Gingerbread Show
The artistic minds of the EPCOT Pageant Staff and Walt Disney Imagineering paired up with the scrumptious expertise of the EPCOT Pastry staff to create one thing really grand and miraculous – an 8-foot-tall gingerbread show impressed by Spaceship Earth. The geodesic sphere made up of lots of of handcrafted gingerbread triangles will probably be on show inside CommuniCore Corridor for all visitors to see and revel in all through the pageant.
Identical to its park icon counterpart, the gingerbread model will additionally gentle up and dance to music periodically all through the day. You’ll be able to uncover the following dancing lights efficiency of this tasty creation with a countdown, courtesy of the Celebration Countdown.
Gingerbread Spaceship Earth was first revealed in Gingerbread Homes for Christmas 2024 at Walt Disney World, however this gives a few new particulars. Particularly, that it’ll have a type of the Beacons of Magic and that there will probably be a countdown. As earlier than, I’m actually wanting ahead to this. For one factor, I really like Spaceship Earth. For an additional, it’s good to see CommuniCore Corridor truly being put to good use.
Deck the (CommuniCore) Corridor
When you’ve completed marveling on the gingerbread Spaceship Earth, stroll round CommuniCore Corridor to absorb lovely, seasonal décor impressed by the distinctive design of EPCOT. Take pleasure in a fascinating forest with the Glittering Grove offered by Balsam Hill, the place twinkling bushes carry festive aptitude.
I’m selecting to be cautiously optimistic in regards to the seasonal decorations for the 2024 EPCOT Pageant of the Holidays, and actually hope Walt Disney World discovered from their mistake of an underwhelming and recycled decor package deal from Meals & Wine. Traditionally, EPCOT has had way more bold Christmas decorations than every other season, save for maybe Pageant of the Arts. I hope that pattern continues, and what was showcased within the unique idea artwork for CommuniCore Corridor and Plaza (pictured above) truly involves fruition.
I’m flat-out excited for Glittering Grove–no ‘warning’ about it. As a daily client of Hallmark Channel vacation content material, I’ve grow to be fairly acquainted with Balsam Hill. I’ve even been virtually influenced to buy one in every of their bushes because of aggressive product placement…till I noticed the costs. Yowzers!
In any case, the one factor I’ve discovered from watching Hallmark Channel means an excessive amount of this time of 12 months is that Balsam Hill has an extremely wholesome advertising and marketing funds. They may be single-handedly funding all these movies, for all I do know. Provided that, I’d anticipate to see the sponsorship produce a really enchanting forest of Christmas bushes. It is smart, too. Balsam Hill is clearly promoting an aspirational product (to the extent that Christmas decorations will be described as such), and Walt Disney World gives the proper visitor demographics for that.
Right here’s hoping my enthusiasm finally ends up being correct, as World Celebration may actually use a shot within the arm. It’d be good if it didn’t seem like any ole workplace park for a pair months of the 12 months!
New Vacation Kitchens
This 12 months, there are two new Vacation Kitchens at CommuniCore Corridor. The primary (and this may be my favourite identify of any pageant meals and beverage location of all time) is Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow they usually’ll be serving – you guessed it – cookies. Bear in mind the gingerbread triangles that make up the Spaceship Earth show? You should purchase gingerbread triangles of your personal at this Vacation Kitchen in a adorning equipment, which is an ideal exercise for little ones to get pleasure from.
Subsequent, indulge within the best-loved dishes from earlier years with Favorites of Festivals Previous, situated proper outdoors CommuniCore Corridor. After you get pleasure from these cookies and delicacies, you’ll additionally have the ability to discover an assortment of pageant merchandise inside CommuniCore Corridor. Ugh.
Two steps ahead, one leap backwards. I had hoped that Walt Disney World and EPCOT management had discovered from the error of Meals & Wine Pageant. For that occasion, Disney “remodeled” CommuniCore Corridor right into a glorified meals sales space, seating space, and makeshift merchandise kiosk. Nothing was purpose-built for the placement–it appeared identical to the setup for one-weekend runDisney occasions.
By itself, it was a nasty look. It’s downright pathetic as in comparison with idea artwork displaying installations and displays for festivals. What provides insult to damage is the abject greed in pondering there was enough area on this somewhat small corridor for (one more!) merchandise spot.
CommuniCore Corridor is objectively worse than any pageant area used at EPCOT within the final decade. That’s proper, the brand new purpose-built pageant venue that took 5 years and untold lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} to carry to life, is inferior to previous momentary venues even from a pageant perspective.
The entire issues CommuniCore promised have been squandered. There’s the “state-of-the-art present kitchen” that Disney teased “could even appeal to just a few particular culinary visitors.” It’ll be used this Christmas to serve cookies. There’s the “dynamic area to anchor” EPCOT Festivals and occasion area “restricted solely by the boundaries of creativeness.”
Irrespective of the way you slice it, CommuniCore Corridor is underwhelming and uninspired. Nevertheless it nonetheless is a flex area, and could possibly be put to bold use with extra artwork, interactive experiences, one thing–something–to go alongside the Gingerbread Spaceship Earth, which truly does sound superior.
Gingerbread Spaceship Earth may have been the tentpole of a enjoyable and festive area for the 2024 EPCOT Pageant of the Holidays, with the area lastly dwelling as much as a sliver of its potential. As a substitute, it’ll be largely extra of the identical. Right here’s hoping Disney will get the memo in time for the 2025 EPCOT Pageant of the Arts.
Free Snowflake Adorning
Stepping outdoors of CommuniCore Corridor and into CommuniCore Plaza, you’ll discover a new, complimentary exercise that’s excellent for youths of all ages – snowflake adorning! Add this to your checklist of pageant enjoyable to do with the household, together with catching performances of Vacation Storytellers round World Showcase and having fun with the lights at Residing with the Land with the Glimmering Greenhouses overlay – all vacation actions which can be additionally included with the value of your ticket to the park.
When you’re having fun with making a snowflake or two, you’ll be able to hearken to the spirited performances of JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season as they carry out of their all-new location at CommuniCore Plaza. Try My Disney Expertise for showtimes.
Seasonal Scents
Alongside the walkway between the Creativeness! pavilion and World Showcase, cease by to see an all-new seasonal show, open to all visitors all through the pageant. Festive Fragrances is a present for the senses – you’ll be able to stroll via a snow globe backyard, that includes seasonal aromas.
For complete suggestions for planning your Christmas-time journey to Walt Disney World, take a look at our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World journey planning suggestions and complete recommendation, ensure to learn our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information and associated articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you wanting ahead to any of the brand new issues to do on the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays? Do you usually give attention to meals, leisure, decorations, or a mix of the above on the Christmas-time EPCOT occasion? What are you wanting ahead to making an attempt on the Vacation Kitchen meals cubicles throughout the 2024 Pageant of the Holidays? Any questions? Listening to from you is half the enjoyable, so please share your ideas within the feedback!
