2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays Guide

Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays is held every holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. It’s one of four festivals hosted throughout the year at Epcot, each having a unique theme. This festival celebrates holiday traditions worldwide through global cuisines, seasonal entertainment, festive decor, and more.

If you’re visiting during this festival, you’ll want to consider how you want to tour the park. For example, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime or an exceptionally rare visit, you might ignore the festival and focus on regular attractions and entertainment. You could also plan to combine some festival activities with regular touring. Lastly, if you’re a regular (or really into the holidays), you might forgo a regular touring plan and primarily focus on the activities offered at the Festival of the Holidays.

The choice is yours. However, you’ll need to know what’s available, whether you combine a few things into your touring plan or go all in. That’s where we can help! Below is our entire coverage of the Epcot Festival of the Holidays.

2026 Dates: November 27th through December 30th

Holiday Storytellers

Many countries in the World Showcase offer a holiday storyteller at select times throughout the day. The times for each performance are listed in the entertainment section of the My Disney Experience app. We’ve listed each storyteller below:

• Mexico Pavilion: Las Posadas Celebration (Dancers, Piñatas, and the music of Mariachi Cobre)

• Norway Pavilion: A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa (Celebrate the season with laughter as a mischievous Barn Santa visits Sigrid, an unsuspecting Christmas storyteller.)

• China Pavilion: Chinese Lion Dancer (Catch a glimpse of a colorful performance that brings good fortune and happiness in the Lunar New Year.)

• China Pavilion: Si-Zhu Trio (Celebrate the Lunar New Year with traditional Chinese folk music played by renowned musicians.)

• Germany Pavilion: Adventskalender (Explore German holiday traditions brought to life at Micha’s Adventskalender Puppetry—a magical puppet theater show for the whole family!)

• Italy Pavilion: La Befana (Hear the tale of La Befana, the kind-hearted witch who visits sleeping young children on the Eve of the Epiphany.)

• Japan Pavilion: Daruma Storyteller (Hear the fascinating story of the Daruma doll and the Japanese customs of the New Year!)

• Between the Morocco and France Pavilions: Hanukkah Storyteller (Witness a storyteller recount traveling abroad to explore Hanukkah’s diverse music and traditions worldwide.)

• France Pavilion: Père Noël (Visit with Père Noël and rediscover the magic of Christmas through the letter of a delightful child.)

• United Kingdom Pavilion: Father Christmas (Join Father Christmas as he rings in the season, sharing the traditions of the United Kingdom with good cheer.)

• Canada Pavilion: Canadian Holiday Voyageurs (Explore holiday customs from the various regions of Canada on a musical tour of the Great White North with the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs.)

Meet Santa Claus and Santa Goofy

Both Santa Claus and Santa Goofy have meet-and-greets during the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. Both options offer an excellent opportunity to take a holiday photo with your loved ones.

Meet Santa Claus at CommuniCore Hall

Visit with jolly old St. Nick and get a heartwarming holiday photo.

Important Information

• Location: CommuniCore Hall
• Days: Daily through December 24, 2026

Check the My Disney Experience app for performance times.

Santa Goofy at the Odyssey

Celebrate the season with a merry photo featuring Goofy dressed as Santa. He’s decked out in his festive red suit and ready to spread holiday cheer. Capture a playful memory that’s as magical as the holidays at EPCOT.

Important Information

• Location: The Odyssey
• Days: Daily November 27 through December 30, 2026

Check the My Disney Experience app for performance times.

Glimmering Greenhouses

Living with the Land hosts an incredible holiday overlay during the Festival called Glimmering Greenhouses. The greenhouse portion of the attraction is covered in holiday lighting and seasonal decor. The attraction will remain open until the park closes so guests can enjoy it after dark. A special (extra-cost) Behind the Seeds Tour is offered during the holiday season. If you would like to know more about how to make reservations for the tour, see: 2026 Details for the Behind the Seeds Tour of Glimmering Greenhouses

Olaf’s Scavenger Hunt

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition offers a unique way to explore Epcot’s World Showcase. You can purchase a scavenger hunt map at World Traveler, Creations Gift Shop, and select other locations throughout the park. This activity is usually reasonably priced and comes with a prize.

Festival Merchandise

Unique merchandise is created yearly to celebrate the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. Items can be found at select locations throughout the park.

Other

While we’ve covered most of what to expect during the Festival of the Holidays, we felt it necessary to mention a few other things.

See Figment in His Holiday Sweater: Make sure to take a spin on Journey Into Imagination with Figment during the holiday season. Figment usually wears a holiday sweater!

Memory Maker at the Festival: Guests who purchase the Memory Maker entitlement can take advantage of special holiday-inspired Magic Shots during the Festival. A PhotoPass photographer can tell you what options are available.

Future Festival Dates

Disney announces each year’s festival dates a couple of months in advance. To provide some guidance for our readers, we keep a running list of when dates were announced for previous Epcot festivals.

All Epcot Festival of the Holidays Coverage