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Candlelight Processional at Epcot
If you in Orlando anytime from late November to the end of December, and are planning to visit Epcot, make sure that you get to see the Candlelight Processional.
Held in the American Gardens Theatre, there are 3 performances per day (5:00, 6:45 and 8:15pm) this is a must see event.
We attended the 5:30 performance, and as the light was going, a procession of choirs, all holding candles entered the theatre from the rear. Singing as they walked, all robed in red, green or gold satin gowns, they looked and sounded spectacular.
The choirs assembled on the stage, a small choir of professional singers (in red) start the proceedings. An adult choir (in green) form behind them on staging in the shape of a Christmas tree. Hundreds of teenagers (in gold) from dozens of High School choirs assemble around them.
The performance outlines the story of the Birth of Christ, with passages from the Bible, narrated by a famous guest celebrity. Ours was Warwick Davis, who was excellent. Other narrators included Whoopi Goldburg, Kurt Russell, Trace Adkins and CCH Pounder.
Between passages, the choir perform a mixture of Christmas Carols and popular Christmas songs, sometimes the whole song, sometimes in medley form.
Dining Packages are available for these performances on select nights. They can be for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. They include the meal and guaranteed priority seating at one of that days performances. Last year, the Breakfast package started at $35 plus tax per adult, and $21 plus tax per child. The Lunch or Dinner packages started from $44 plus tax per adult and $15. 50 plus tax per child. Availability is limited, so book early.
The whole performance was a joy, a Christmas treat, and definitely got you into the Christmas spirit. I found it very moving and would buy a ticket for Epcot purely for this event!
However, be aware that these performances are extremely popular. We queued for an hour and a half and only just got in. People behind us were turned away, and if you left the theatre, you had to have a password to get back in. Having said that, the theatre is an open air one and you could still hear if you were around the edges, if you could not see. But it is well worth while to make the effort to get there early and enjoy the performance to the full.
This is one of those events that I cannot praise highly enough! It is a “not to be missed” event if you are in Orlando during the Christmas Period!
Author: Stephen and Wendy Downs
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