2026 Candlelight Processional Josh Groban and Benjamin Bratt In, Cravalho Out

Disney has updated the 2026 Candlelight Processional narrator schedule, and the news cuts both ways: two gaps got filled, and opening weekend lost its narrator.

Benjamin Bratt takes December 2-3 and Josh Groban takes December 13-14, both slots previously listed as To Be Announced. Auli’i Cravalho, who was scheduled to open the run on November 27-28, has been removed. Those dates are now To Be Announced — and they are the only unconfirmed dates left.

Quick Summary

• Benjamin Bratt added: December 2-3
• Josh Groban added: December 13-14
• Auli’i Cravalho removed from November 27-28 — now To Be Announced
• Opening weekend is the only remaining unconfirmed slot
• Performances run nightly at 4:45 pm, 6:30 pm, and 8:00 pm at the America Gardens Theatre
• The Candlelight Processional runs November 27 through December 30, 2026
• It is part of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth

The Full Updated 2026 Schedule

Performances are nightly at 4:45 pm, 6:30 pm, and 8:00 pm at the America Gardens Theatre.

• Nov. 27 & 28 — To Be Announced
• Nov. 29 – Dec. 1 — Gary Sinise
• Dec. 2 & 3 — Benjamin Bratt
• Dec. 4 & 5 — Whoopi Goldberg
• Dec. 6 & 7 — Robin Roberts
• Dec. 8 & 9 — Jason Kelce
• Dec. 10 – 12 — Neil Patrick Harris
• Dec. 13 & 14 — Josh Groban
• Dec. 15 & 16 — Lauren Daigle
• Dec. 17 – 19 — Ralph Macchio
• Dec. 20 & 21 — Henry Winkler
• Dec. 22 & 23 — Lacey Chabert
• Dec. 24 & 25 — Jodi Benson
• Dec. 26 & 27 — Simu Liu
• Dec. 28 – 30 — Eva Longoria

Print that one out. Narrator-driven planning is the whole game with Candlelight, and the schedule has now changed at least once.

The Groban Booking Is the Interesting One

Josh Groban on December 13-14 is the headline, and it raises an obvious question.

The Candlelight Processional narrator role is a speaking part. The narrator reads the Christmas story; the choir and orchestra handle the music. Booking one of the most recognizable voices in popular music for a role where he does not sing is either a deliberate choice or a setup for something.

Lauren Daigle on December 15-16 is in the same category — another vocalist in a speaking role, two nights later. Two singers back to back is a pattern rather than a coincidence.

Disney has not said whether either narration includes any singing. Historically the format has been strict about it, so do not go expecting a concert. But December 13-16 is now the single most musically loaded stretch of the run, and if Disney ever bends the format, that is where it would happen.

Losing Cravalho From Opening Weekend Is a Real Problem

Auli’i Cravalho was the opening weekend narrator. She is out, and Disney has not named a replacement.

This matters more than a mid-run swap would. Opening weekend of the Festival of the Holidays draws a specific crowd — people who book early, travel for the first weekend, and often pick their dates around the narrator. Those guests now have reservations locked in for a show with an unnamed narrator.

Disney will almost certainly fill it. The run starts November 27, which leaves roughly seven weeks. But if you booked November 27-28 specifically for Cravalho, your plans changed today and nobody is going to email you about it.

Who Else Is Worth Planning Around

A few observations on the lineup as a whole:

Neil Patrick Harris (Dec. 10-12) and Ralph Macchio (Dec. 17-19) get three nights each, as does Gary Sinise (Nov. 29 – Dec. 1) and Eva Longoria (Dec. 28-30). Everyone else gets two. Three-night slots give you more flexibility if your dates are tight.

Jodi Benson has Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As the voice of Ariel, she is the most “Disney” booking on the list, and Disney put her on the two biggest nights of the year. That is not accidental.

Jason Kelce (Dec. 8-9) is the booking most likely to surprise people, and the most likely to sell out the 4:45 pm show to families who had no other reason to be at America Gardens Theatre that night.

Whoopi Goldberg (Dec. 4-5) and Henry Winkler (Dec. 20-21) are the veteran-narrator picks — both have the delivery the show is actually built for.

Practical Notes

• The show is included with EPCOT admission — no separate ticket required
• Dining packages are available and remain the most reliable way to get guaranteed seating; they sell out for the popular narrators
• The 4:45 pm show is consistently the easiest to get into on standby; the 6:30 pm is the hardest
• Standby lines for marquee narrators form well over an hour out
• The Candlelight Processional runs alongside <a href=”https://dismornings.com/?p=22987″>the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays</a>, which covers the same November 27 – December 30 window
• America Gardens Theatre is outdoor seating — December evenings in Orlando can get genuinely cold after dark

What to Watch For

The only thing left to confirm is November 27-28. Expect Disney to announce a replacement in the next few weeks.

Also worth watching: whether any other dates move. Cravalho’s removal is a reminder that this schedule is not locked, and celebrity bookings fall through. If you are planning a trip around a specific narrator, check the schedule again closer to your dates rather than trusting the version you saw in October.

Elsewhere in the 2026 holiday lineup, <a href=”https://dismornings.com/?p=23001″>Santa’s Holiday Grove is new at Animal Kingdom</a> this year.

The Bottom Line

Benjamin Bratt in on December 2-3, Josh Groban in on December 13-14, Auli’i Cravalho out of opening weekend with no replacement named.

Fourteen of sixteen slots are confirmed. If you booked November 27-28 for Cravalho, that is the one to keep an eye on.

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