Walt Disney World has launched a listing of seven new issues to do on the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays, the fan-favorite Christmas-time particular occasion! This put up shares a full rundown of the free actions, decorations and shows, merchandise, and extra.
Not like 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 house for these festivities. With Thanksgiving falling later this yr, meaning the pageant is nearly per week shorter than regular.
In essence, Pageant of the Holidays is a continuation of EPCOT’s Meals & Wine Pageant (which runs later), proper all the way down to repurposing a number of the meals cubicles from that occasion (which ends shortly earlier than Pageant of the Holidays begins). Not like that, the 2024 EPCOT Pageant of the Holidays is not primarily concerning 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 concerning 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 yr 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 friends. For the whole lot you should know Candlelight Processional–together with the total lineup of narrators and methods 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 possibly can spend a complete 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, perhaps only one Yuletide Log). Along with the entire World Showcase choices, there’s the can’t miss Christmas trip overlay within the entrance of the park: Residing with the Land – Merry & Vivid Nights.
Anyway, right here’s what’s new for the 2024 EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Holidays…
A Grand & Miraculous Gingerbread Show
The inventive minds of the EPCOT Pageant Workforce 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 shall be on show inside CommuniCore Corridor for all friends to see and revel in all through the pageant.
Similar to its park icon counterpart, the gingerbread model will additionally mild up and dance to music periodically all through the day. You’ll be able to uncover the subsequent 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 presents a few new particulars. Particularly, that it’ll have a type of the Beacons of Magic and that there shall be a countdown. As earlier than, I’m actually wanting ahead to this. For one factor, I 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 soak up lovely, seasonal décor impressed by the distinctive design of EPCOT. Get pleasure from a fascinating forest with the Glittering Grove introduced by Balsam Hill, the place twinkling timber convey festive aptitude.
I’m selecting to be cautiously optimistic concerning 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 bundle from Meals & Wine. Traditionally, EPCOT has had rather 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 an everyday shopper of Hallmark Channel vacation content material, I’ve develop into fairly conversant in Balsam Hill. I’ve even been nearly influenced to buy one in every of their timber due to aggressive product placement…till I noticed the costs. Yowzers!
In any case, the one factor I’ve discovered from watching Hallmark Channel approach an excessive amount of this time of yr is that Balsam Hill has an extremely wholesome advertising and marketing finances. They is perhaps single-handedly funding all these movies, for all I do know. Provided that, I might count on to see the sponsorship produce a really enchanting forest of Christmas timber. It is sensible, too. Balsam Hill is clearly promoting an aspirational product (to the extent that Christmas decorations may be described as such), and Walt Disney World presents 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 yr!
New Vacation Kitchens
This yr, there are two new Vacation Kitchens at CommuniCore Corridor. The primary (and this is perhaps my favourite title 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 package, which is an ideal exercise for little ones to take pleasure in.
Subsequent, indulge within the best-loved dishes from earlier years with Favorites of Festivals Previous, positioned proper exterior CommuniCore Corridor. After you take pleasure in these cookies and delicacies, you’ll additionally be capable 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 “reworked” CommuniCore Corridor right into a glorified meals sales space, seating space, and makeshift merchandise kiosk. Nothing was purpose-built for the placement–it seemed 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 reveals for festivals. What provides insult to damage is the abject greed in considering there was ample house on this fairly small corridor for (yet one more!) merchandise spot.
CommuniCore Corridor is objectively worse than any pageant house 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 thousands and thousands of {dollars} to convey to life, is inferior to previous non permanent 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 friends.” It’ll be used this Christmas to serve cookies. There’s the “dynamic house to anchor” EPCOT Festivals and occasion house “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 house, 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 house for the 2024 EPCOT Pageant of the Holidays, with the house lastly dwelling as much as a sliver of its potential. As a substitute, it’ll be principally 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 exterior of CommuniCore Corridor and into CommuniCore Plaza, you’ll discover a new, complimentary exercise that’s excellent for teenagers of all ages – snowflake adorning! Add this to your listing 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 take heed 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 friends all through the pageant. Festive Fragrances is a present for the senses – you’ll be able to stroll by a snow globe backyard, that includes seasonal aromas.
For complete ideas for planning your Christmas-time journey to Walt Disney World, try our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World journey planning ideas and complete recommendation, make sure that 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 sometimes 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 through the 2024 Pageant of the Holidays? Any questions? Listening to from you is half the enjoyable, so please share your ideas within the feedback!
