UPDATE 11/12/12: The Candlelight Ceremony and Processional sweepstakes is open for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders now until November 18. Click here to enter.
UPDATE 11/5/12: Details on viewing opportunities for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders to be announced November 12. Dining packages will not be offered this year. Click here for more information.
UPDATE 10/26/12: Click here for a listing of scheduled narrators for the 2012 Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony.
UPDATE 8/21/12: There will be no cost for registered Annual Passholders to attend the Candlelight Ceremony and Processional. Registration details will be available soon.
A limited number of dining packages will also be available and will include reserved seating for selected performances – details and costs for these packages will be announced at a later date.
The Candlelight Ceremony and Processional has been a Disneyland Resort tradition since 1958, bringing holiday magic to Main Street, U.S.A., with the help of celebrities like Cary Grant, John Wayne, Dick Van Dyke and, in 2011, Gary Sinise.
This holiday season – for the first time in its history – the Candlelight Ceremony and Processional is being extended to a total of 20 nights at Disneyland park, with two performances each night. The first two nights, December 1-2, will be invitation-only events; however, performances from December 3-20 will be open to Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders and guests booking special, to-be-announced dining packages for the 2012 holiday season.
The Candlelight Ceremony and Processional is a beautiful evening performance of beloved holiday music and the telling of the first Christmas Story in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A. The first performance was in 1958 and has continued every year since. These classic performances touched off another tradition at the Walt Disney World Resort – the popular Candlelight Processional at Epcot.
These are all the details we have at this time, but stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more information on registration for Annual Passholders and booking for the new dining packages. We’ll share more details on the 2012 Candlelight Ceremony and Processional at Disneyland park as they become available.
Check out how we’re preparing for the holidays at Disney Parks in the posts below:
Comments
I am so jazzed! My B-Day is Dec.8,and we’ll be there! Saw Gary Sinise last year,and the night was magical!
This is all very interesting & exciting news! I’ve had the honor of singing in the choir for Candlelight the past five years in a row…in fact, we begin rehearsals for this year’s audition this week! Is there any word on any changes in the audition/selection process for the choirs that will participate with all of the additional nights of performances?
Erin – when do you anticipate having a Narrator list. Will you be releasing information as contracts are signed like in Walt Disney World or once every night is finalized?
this looks amazing! i can’t wait to register. thank you for eliminating the cost for annual passholders – it’s just another one of the perks we appreciate getting 🙂
When you register will the dining package be offered at that time?
As an AP holder, will I be able to bring non-AP holder guests? Can they come in with me without having to purchase the dining package? I understand that they will have to have a ticket to gain admission to Disneyland to begin with.
#26 – 5:48 pm PST – We think this is the best thing Disneyland has to offer for Christmas! It has become a family tradition, whenever we’ve been able to get tickets! Please post info on the dinner packages as soon as possible, so we can get seats to see the show!
Any idea when that might be, Erin?
As soon as that information is available, we’ll post it here on the Disney Parks Blog.
This is so amazing! Thank you for the opportunity! We are looking forward to seeing this amazing event for the first time. One quick question, will Annual Passholders only be allowed to register for one night only?
No – AP registration will be available for each performance from December 3-20.
I’ve been lucky enough to see it 4 times in Disneyland. In the past, the park is open the entire time. People are routed around the outside of the event but there are places you may stand to watch. They fill up first thing in the morning so be prepared for a long wait. Dining packages are a little pricey but very nice: have a great meal & they will have a seat for you when you arrive. First come, first served but all the seats have a clear view. If you don’t have tickets to the concert, the rest of the park is open to enjoy. One thing to be aware of if you’ve never been to the park this time of year is it’s beautiful but VERY, VERY crowded.
Can I buy the ears before we come? We are not there until Dec??? I would hate to miss out
My family and I are going the 2nd week of November but unfortunately will will miss it. Does anyone know when they start decorating for Christmas?
Melinda – We have not yet announced the dates for Holidays at the Disneyland Resort, but keep checking back. We’ll post them as soon as we have them.
I’m very excited about this. For annual pass holders if we bring gues do they also have to be pass holders?
Eva – I don’t know the answer to that yet, but we’ll post details on AP registration as soon as we have them.
Question and concern,
Will there be extended park hours during December? If not will regular guests still have access to the rest of the park while this event goes on nightly?
This is fantastic! I have been trying to get dozens of my friends to see this every year, but it always conflicts with so many holiday events from school and work. Now, everyone gets a chance to enjoy the beauty of this wonderful show. WDW has always had so many performances for people to enjoy, finally we can spread the cheer too.
“Oh, bother,” said Pooh. I was so excited to read about this! Now, I see that there is no information available yet on how an Annual Passholder can reserve a spot. Up until now, the Candlelight Processional has been only a few nights, over one weekend in December, and each of those performances had only VIP seating, and standing-room only for vast overflow crowds. Such a shame for people like me who have lower back issues that make it hard to even stand through both fireworks and Fantasmic on a given visit. But, I LOVE this event! It is the only non-secular Christmas celebration that Disneyland offers, with age-old traditional carols and readings beautifully delivered by local children’s and professional choirs, celebrity narrators, and full orchestra! Lovely. But, I do so need to sit this year. Really, really hoping some of the VIP seats will be available to Annual Passholders for reservation or rent, since they have 20 nights now to deliver us true Christmas mixed with Disney magic.
Great news! I love holiday time at Disneyland and I’ve always wanted to experience the Candlelight Processional. Thanks for making the announcement early. I’m going to start planning a December trip right now!
How do you get invited for the invitation only events. I never seem to get invited, and when I enter to get into events early, I never get chosen. With the prices of the passports, I would hope I would get lucky and get picked for something!!
This is so EXCITING!!!!!!!! We were actually be there during that time. I hope we can book it!
Wow!! This is amazing news. We were able to experience the holidays at Disney World for the first time last year, including the Candlelight Processional. I would absolutely LOVE to see it at DL as well… alas we will be at DL over Thanksgiving this year so we will miss it by a couple weeks. We can only hope this experiment will see great success so we can all have a chance to enjoy this in years to come. Way to go Disneyland!
With Candlelight showing so many nights, will Candlelight be moved from Main Street back to the Fantasyland Theater? Or is there another location planned? Also is this now a paid event? So if you don’t buy one of the dinner packages, will you still have a chance to view it or will it be just for paying guests?
Also when will the list of celebrities will be listed for which night? So we can make the choice on which date to see it with a person we would want to see more than others.
Margo – Unfortunately I don’t have the answers to all your questions right now, but I can confirm that all performances will take place in Town Square.
This is great news! Candlelight is such a special tradition at Disneyland. The one at Epcot is great, but Disneyland’s version takes the cake. I’ll definitely be seeing this more than once.
What r the dates for disney CA candle light performances??
From December 3-20, Candlelight performances will be open to Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders and guests booking special, to-be-announced dining packages.
I wonder if they will be moving it off of Main Street and into Fantasyland like they did years ago so that’s why it’s limited for who can attend. It’s not the same if it’s not on Main Street. I love the idea of having more days to see it though!
Don’t worry, Theresa – all performances will take place in Town Square.
Great!!! This is our first trip to Disneyland at Christmas time…have seen this at Epcot several times and hoped we’d planned our vacation to catch the Candlelight Processional…We’ll be there 3-6 December.
Perfect timing! Check back for information on special Candlelight dining packages – we’ll post the details as soon as they are available.
I certainly hope the park will not close early on those first two nights. We just booked airfare and hotel for Nov. 28th thru Dec 2nd. We chose that weekend, as it has been traditionally the weekend that the candlelight ceremony is held. So sad to know that as annual passholders, we will not even be offered an opportunity to see it.
We were at the park visiting last year during one of the processionals, so unless something changes, the park should still be open.
This is simply fantastic, fantastic news! I can’t tell you A) How much I have love the processional the couple of times that I have seen it and B) How much of a deterrent sitting on a blanket for 7 hours to secure a viewing spot is. I will be first in line to buy a great xmas-time dinner as soon as the packages are announced
Interesting- so, will the APs be able to get in for free or will they have to pay an additional fee? Will the APs just be able to show up or do they need to reserve a night in advance? And will the Park be closing early on these nights the way it does for Grad Night?
All good questions, Margaret. I’m sorry that I don’t have the answers just yet, but we’ll keep you updated as details are available.
Margaret – We have an update: there will be no cost for registered APs to attend the event. Check back for registration details.
That’s wonderful news! I love the one at Epcot, but never get to see the one at Disneyland.
Great news! We attend Candlelight Processional every year. It is a holiday tradition for us and a highlight of the season. As passholders, we’re really excited about this news!
are the going to synchronize the glow with the show ears to this? J/K LOL great news!
This is exciting news!!
This is great news! I’ve never made it to Disneyland’s Candlelight Processional, so my wife and I decided we would make it a top priority for this year. That just got a lot easier! justgothappier
Wow! I’ve always wanted to see this. We will be there Dec 2-8. Wondering how this will affect the crowds at Disneyland at night. Interesting!
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