Disney has updated the celebrity narrator lineup for the 2026 Candlelight Processional at EPCOT, and two big names have joined the schedule. Benjamin Bratt and Josh Groban will both make their Candlelight Processional debuts this holiday season, filling dates that were still listed as “To Be Announced” when Disney initially revealed the lineup in September.
Benjamin Bratt will narrate on December 2 and 3, while Josh Groban takes the stage December 13 and 14. But there’s another change tucked into Disney’s updated schedule. Auli’i Cravalho, who was originally announced for November 27 and 28, is no longer listed. Those opening two nights of the Candlelight Processional have returned to “To Be Announced.”
Bratt and Groban join previously announced newcomers Robin Roberts, Jason Kelce, and Lacey Chabert, along with plenty of returning Candlelight Processional favorites. Gary Sinise, Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Lauren Daigle, Ralph Macchio, Henry Winkler, Jodi Benson, Simu Liu, and Eva Longoria are all scheduled to return in 2026.
The Candlelight Processional celebrates its 55th year at Walt Disney World and 32nd year at EPCOT this holiday season. Each performance features a celebrity narrator retelling the traditional Christmas story accompanied by the Voices of Liberty, a 51-piece orchestra, and a choir of more than 150 Disney cast members and community singers.
Updated 2026 Candlelight Processional Narrator Lineup
- Nov. 27–28 – To Be Announced
- Nov. 29–Dec. 1 – Gary Sinise
- Dec. 2–3 – Benjamin Bratt (NEW)
- Dec. 4–5 – Whoopi Goldberg
- Dec. 6–7 – Robin Roberts (NEW)
- Dec. 8–9 – Jason Kelce (NEW)
- Dec. 10–12 – Neil Patrick Harris
- Dec. 13–14 – Josh Groban (NEW)
- Dec. 15–16 – Lauren Daigle
- Dec. 17–19 – Ralph Macchio
- Dec. 20–21 – Henry Winkler
- Dec. 22–23 – Lacey Chabert (NEW)
- Dec. 24–25 – Jodi Benson
- Dec. 26–27 – Simu Liu
- Dec. 28–30 – Eva Longoria
Performances take place nightly at 4:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. at the America Gardens Theatre during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.
Guests hoping to secure a seat can also book a Candlelight Processional Dining Package. Reservations open October 14 and include a meal at a participating EPCOT restaurant along with reserved seating for one of the day’s performances.
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays runs November 27 through December 30, 2026. That leaves just one piece of this year’s Candlelight Processional puzzle still unresolved: who will now kick off the season on November 27 and 28?
