This weekend, the nostalgic Candlelight Ceremony and Processional makes its annual return to the Disneyland Resort! Since 1958, the Candlelight Ceremony has been an incredibly popular Christmas event that features a massive choir, a live orchestra, a celebrity narrator, and hundreds of candles all joined in harmony to help tell the story of Christmas. Disneyland pulls out all the stops for this event and delivers a truly magnificent Christmas spectacle.
And shortly before the first performance of the weekend began, we learned this year’s narrator is Brie Larson!
The Story of Candlelight
When Walt Disney originated the Candlelight Ceremony, he invited the choirs from local schools and organizations to come together and sing holiday songs that would help convey the true meaning of Christmas. The ceremony was originally used as a way to thank the local community and sponsors for their continued support of Disneyland and the Disney company. But the glitzy performance quickly grew into a beloved Disneyland tradition. As the years passed, the event continued to grow into the holiday spectacle that it is today, with a grand stage, elaborate lighting, and hundreds of talented performers.
In a normal year, more than 600 choir members from local schools, clubs, community organizations, and the Disneyland Cast Member Choir sing alongside the Disneyland Orchestra on the steps of the Main Street Train Station. The Candlelight narrator (who is generally kept secret until the first precession) tells the story of the first Christmas a paragraph or two at a time, woven throughout classic Christmas hymns by the choir.
In 2018, Disney introduced “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Chris Pratt, as the narrator of Candlelight. In the past, celebrities such as Chris Hemsworth, Blair Underwood, John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris and Dick Van Dyke have graced the stage to the delight of the crowd packed tightly into Town Square.
In 2019, we saw Lin-Manuel Miranda take the stage for a quick rehearsal before the first show.
In 2021 the surprise was leaked out early that Sterling K. Brown would narrate the Candlelight Processional.
And in 2022, the Candlelight celebrity narrator was Viola Davis!
2023 Candlelight Ceremony
The 2023 Candlelight Ceremony will take place on December 2nd & 3rd, with the park offering two showtimes each night (5:30 PM and 7:45 PM each of the two evenings). The first ceremony on Saturday is always the most popular as everyone wants to be first to find out who the celebrity narrator will be.
And now we know the narrator for the 2023 Disneyland Candlelight Processional is none other than Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson!
The Candlelight Ceremony is a truly heartwarming treasure and we highly encourage anyone who hasn’t experienced it to add it to their list of must-dos! The holiday season is built around community, tradition, and the sharing of the Christmas spirit. This show does a wonderful job at highlighting those values.
Tips and Tricks
If this is your first year attending the Candlelight Ceremony and Processional, let us prepare you for what you are about to encounter. As magical as the event is, it can also be the most crowded you’ll ever see Disneyland’s Town Square area and Main Street. And that means you’ll need a game plan before you even arrive at the park. Here are a few tips that might help you:
- The best seats are all reserved for invited guests and Club 33 members. That means that to see the show you are likely going to need to find a spot on the outskirts of Town Square.
- Plan to arrive at park opening and hold a spot until the show begins. It will be impossible to find a spot when the show starts, so plan where you want to watch the show and make sure someone in your party is at that location at all times.
- Keep an eye on the weather! It could get pretty chilly by the time of the show, so make sure you are prepared to take on the elements.
- The second showing is easier to get into than the first show, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan ahead. While you will have to line up and queue for either showing, the second one tends to be slightly less crowded. As the audience for the first show begins to leave, you can swoop in and snag a spot.
One of our favorite years was when Lin Manuel Miranda was the narrator. But every year is just about the same regardless of the star taking the podium.
Check out our article for more information about the history of the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland and Walt Disney World:
Disney Candlelight Processional 2023 Narrators, Dates, and History!
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Let’s Hear From You
Have you attended Candlelight in the past or plan to this year? Do you have additional tips? Let us know in the comments below!
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