Walt Disney World has announced most of the narrators of the 2022 edition of Candlelight Processional, the long-running Epcot holiday event, and confirmed that guest choirs will again be included in the concerts. New celebrity readers in the lineup include Josh Gad (”Frozen”), Mariska Hargitay (”Law & Order: SVU”) Raul Esparza (also of “SVU” fame) and singer Gloria Estefan, who already had an Epcot debut this year with her “Conga” song being incorporated into the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster.
Among the returning narrators are Neil Patrick Harris and Whoopi Goldberg. There are five dates that do not have announced narrators yet.
Guest choirs from Florida will be part of Candlelight, according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. As a pandemic precaution, the event was not held in 2020 and only Disney employees were singers in the 2021 edition.
The announced narrator lineup thus far includes:
- Nov. 25-26: To be announced
- Nov. 27-29: Edward James Olmos
- Nov. 30-Dec. 1: Raul Esparza
- Dec. 2-3: Whoopi Goldberg
- Dec. 4-6: Isabella Rossellini
- Dec. 7-9: TBA
- Dec. 10-12: Josh Gad
- Dec. 13-14: Gloria Estefan
- Dec. 15-18: Neil Patrick Harris
- Dec. 19-20: Mariska Hargitay
- Dec. 21-23: Cal Ripken Jr.
- Dec. 24-26: Marie Osmond
- Dec. 27-28: Courtney Vance
- Dec. 29-30: Angela Bassett
Candlelight Processional features the narrators telling the Christmas story, backed by the massed choirs, the Voice of Liberty a cappella group and a live orchestra at Epcot’s America Gardens Theater. It is part of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.
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The performances are included with regular Epcot admission, although a date-specific, park-specific reservation is required. Candlelight Processional Dining Packages, which include guaranteed seating, go on sale Sept. 29, Disney says.
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