Happy December 1st Mouseketeer! If you love the holiday season and the spirit of Christmas you will absolutely want to check out The Candlelight Processional at Disneyland that will be live at the park on December 3rd (Saturday) and December 4th (Sunday)! Now if you do not have a valid park reservation you will not be able to attend, but do not worry because I will be sure to capture it and post it to my social media channels as I will be there that weekend.
This Candlelight Processional is a Disneyland Park tradition that began in 1958 that tells the story of “The First Christmas” which involves a choir, selective readings from the Bible and every year a major celebrity narrator attends! In 2018 the guest narrator was Chris Hemsworth in 2017, Chris Pratt in 2018, Lin Manuel Miranda in 2019 narrator, and Sterling K. Brown in 2021! At this present time Disney has not yet announced who this will be, but I am excited to find out.
This show lasts around 45 minutes or so and seating is only for invited guests. So I would highly recommend that if you are planning to attend live, that you are mindful to get to Town Square early enough to snag a good viewing spot. There are no reservations or dining packages that you can book for this and the show only will occur on the two dates I have listed for this week of December.
Based on the previous patterns of The Candlelight Processional, I would probably say that the times to view this show would remain the same, which would be sometime around 5:20 pm to 5:30 pm for the first viewing. The second viewing time would be around 7:15 pm to 7:35 pm give or take. The location to view this show will be in Town Square.
I would also imagine that due to these performances that the entertainment schedule for other parades/calvades may shift so be sure to check online here at or use the Disneyland app to plan your visit accordingly. It is quite possible that nearby shopping centers and attractions may also close early so Disney can plan a smooth show; again dependent on their location near the event in Town Square.
UPDATE: I saw the Disneyland Candlelight Processional
So the day finally came for me to see Disneyland’s Candlelight Processional live and let me tell you it was so moving! However there were some hiccups and bumps along the way that I want to share with you in case you are able to view it live for next year because I think it’s important information to know BEFORE you go to the park. If you are not interested in these details feel free to skip this section and watch the full video of the Candlelight Processional here:
Now for the rest of you who want all the details here, is what you need to know.
To start off, the seats are reserved for invited guests so just so you are aware you will not be able to get any mid front row seating if you thought of camping out to snag a spot. Second thing to note is that there are benches that you could set your sights on to enjoy this event, but it is very much first come, first serve and if you move from that spot you absolutely will lose it. I was told by a cast member that upon the park opening people, had made a beeline to those benches in a matter of minutes even right after rope drop!
As I mentioned earlier there, are two viewing times for this event and the first started at 5:30 pm; however people were already gathered in the viewing spots by cast members by 3:15 pm and it was FULL! I wasn’t alarmed since I figured I would catch the viewing at 5:15 pm but this is when things got a bit messy.
Many of the cast members I asked were unsure when I asked where exactly the choir would be walking out in the park to start off the event – and I asked AT LEAST 6 cast members, no exaggeration! I kept hearing two answers back and forth that it would not be happening by It’s a Small World as this was “outdated information” and that the best bet was to “stay along the side street” on Main Street USA. Other cast members said they most certainly are starting at It’s a Small World. Either way, I made sure I was on Main Street so I could catch part of the first viewing event to some degree.
What I found interesting was that those guests who opted to sit on the left side (nearest the Jolly Holiday Cafe) were later told that they had to stay standing before the choir passed by. Across the way where I sat (near the little red wagon) we had the option to stay seated and I was not really sure why nor was I told by any cast members.
I stayed in line closest to the Disney Showcase (at around 5:20 pm) to catch a glimpse of the first viewing of the Candlelight processional which was a smart move since it allowed me to watch the second viewing with great view of everyone performing (including guest narrator Viola Davis) as nothing was really blocking my view!
However the journey to get there was tedious as there was a lot of standing and cast members informing guests frequently pending the status of the weather (rain) that this might be canceled and I was worried it might have given that it had lightly rained and would stop and start again!
I am happy that I stuck it out because the event was incredible live, but I was standing for about almost four and a half hours which was quite tiring! So I highly recommend that prior to getting in line for this viewing next year that you use the restroom, grab yourself a water bottle and other snacks because it will be a while!
But if you missed it, no worries Mouseketeer, I made sure to capture it and have posted it on my YouTube channel. Make sure you are subscribed to all my social media channels for the latest Disney Updates. Thanks for being part of my world and remember YOU ARE THE MAGIC!
Thanks for tuning into another Disney update with me Mouseketeer and thank you for letting me be part of your world! If you haven’t yet subscribed and want to keep up to date with the latest information about anything Disney sign up here.
