It’s time to celebrate the holidays in EPCOT!!

Today is the first day of the 2022 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, where we can once again check out all the food at the Holiday Kitchens and eat our way through the Cookie Stroll. If you can’t make it to EPCOT right now, don’t worry! You can come along with us as we report LIVE from the festival! Just make sure you keep checking back ALL day as we will be updating this post with every festival detail.

Festival Dates

The 2022 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays will last from November 25th through December 30th, 2022, which means we get a little more than a month to explore all the holiday menu items.

Now let’s make our way into EPCOT!

Getting Started and the Festival Passport

We got to EPCOT bright and early at opening time, which was 9AM (the park will close at 9:30PM). Guests staying in Disney World hotels were able to enter as early as 8:30AM with Early Theme Park Entry.

The first thing we did was grab a FREE Festival Passport, which holds all the info you need to navigate the festival successfully!

Inside, you’ll find descriptions of each booth, including full menus and a few pictures.

There’s also some information about the merchandise available at this year’s festival.

There are also details about the entertainment available at the festival…

…and the Candlelight Processional.

You can’t forget about the Cookie Stroll, too!

To participate in the Cookie Stroll, you’ll purchase 5 cookies from festival marketplaces around EPCOT (there’s a list of several different cookies you can choose from in the passport, along with where you’ll find them) and get your passport stamped at each booth when you buy a cookie.

Once you have 5 stamps, you can show your passport at Holiday Sweets and Treats for a free treat!

Click here to learn more about the Festival Passport.

Crowds

Although most Holiday Kitchens do not officially open until around 11AM, crowds were pretty big outside EPCOT at 8AM.

It is the day after Thanksgiving, after all, which is a typically busy day in Disney World, and we saw long lines at the entrance of the park.

If you’re visiting for this festival, you’ll want to be at the park well before opening time to get ahead of the crowds.

EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays 🎄✨ Here we gooooo! pic.twitter.com/cZW42a4JMv

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

Don’t forget that people staying at Disney World hotels can enter the park 30 minutes early every day! Once the food booths opened, we started to see pretty long lines at each booth…

…and World Showcase was pretty packed as well!

The first day of a festival is usually one of the busiest, especially since this one opened on a Friday. You may see smaller crowds if you visit later on and choose a weekday instead.

See more pictures of the crowds at the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays here.

Signs and Decor

You can find signs and decorations for the Festival of the Holidays around EPCOT starting right at the entrance of the park.

There are boxes of gifts…

…banners…

…and garlands.

Check out the banners at the entrance of World Showcase, which have holiday greetings from around the world.

Don’t forget to check out all the decorations during your visit!

Food and Drink

Chestnuts & Good Cheer was back this year with Cinnamon-glazed Almonds, Cinnamon-glazed Pecans, Cinnamon-glazed Cashews, Fire-roasted Chestnuts, hot cocoa, and eggnog.

First treat of the day ‼️ Hot Cocoa with Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 🥃 topped with whipped cream and candied nuts from Chestnuts and Good Cheer. pic.twitter.com/Wc6nst8NE1

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

 

The nuts are fairly standard candied nuts, but they’re fun holiday treats and great for snacking on while you walk around the park. That eggnog is tasty, and we think the Hot Cocoa with Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey is a GREAT option forth 21+ crowd.

Click here for our review of Chestnuts & Good Cheer.

This year, The Donut Box has two NEW donuts and two returning donuts, along with some returning drinks. 

It’s donut time! 🍩 We headed over to the Donut Box to get a…DONUT BOX! It’s a box of 4 donuts for $18. Check out the thread to see what we got ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EZRMI8ENfI

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

One of our FAVORITE things at this booth was the Croissant Donut — definitely don’t miss this treat if you’re a donut fan! (The Chocolate Peppermint Donut and Eggnog Donut were also wins in our book.)

Click here for our review of the Donut Box.

Visit Refreshment Outpost for a hearty and delicious (and plant-based!) Peanut Stew. This spot also has a few alcoholic drinks, a raspberry-flavored Dole Whip, and an Annual Passholder-exclusive frozen Coca-Cola drink.

Next stop: Refreshment Outpost for the Peanut Stew 🥜

It’s got sweet potatoes, mustard greens, and roasted peanuts — and it’s plant-based 🌱 pic.twitter.com/5ipWanZNie

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

We’ll definitely be back for more of that stew — it reminded us of the peanut butter rice at Boma!

Click here for our review of Refreshment Outpost.

We also stopped by Refreshment Port, which has a Coquito Soft-serve Waffle Cone (with the option to add Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum) and Turkey Poutine.

This is basically a holiday dinner in poutine form 🍽️ It’s the Turkey Poutine from Refreshment Port: French Fries with turkey gravy, cranberry relish, and crispy onions 🦃 pic.twitter.com/D3N3WBypNl

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

The Turkey Poutine is a tasty and shareable savory snack, and that coquito soft-serve is creamy and delicious. If you get the soft-serve with the rum, don’t forget to mix it together before you eat it!

Click here to see our review of Refreshment Port.

Connections Café and Eatery has some festival eats as well. You can get the Holiday Sugar Cookie (which is part of the Cookie Stroll) at Connections Café.

Onto Connections Eatery and starting with the Holiday Sangria! 🍹

Indaba Chenin Blanc, Laird’s Applejack Brandy, White Cranberry Juice, and Boba Pearls for $13. pic.twitter.com/C6Khgq2Fy1

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

Over at the Eatery, you’ll find the Coquito Milkshake (with or without Bacardi Superior Rum) and the Holiday Sangria, which is made with boba pearls.

Click here to see our review of the festival eats at Connections Café and Eatery.

Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen (with eats inspired by Mexican cuisine) is usually a popular booth at Festival of the Holidays, and this year was no different. There were a couple of new items on the menu, including the Giant Tostada de Barbacoa and the Cochinita Pibil Tamal.

We also tried the Dulce de Leche Churros, the new Pomegranate Margarita, the Horchata Margarita, and the Holiday Cerveza.

Click here to see our review of Las Posadas.

At the France pavilion, we stopped by Le Marche de Noel to try some new and returning items, including the Napoleon de Saumon Fumé en Brioche, the Rôti de Jambon Sauce Moutarde à l’ancienne, the Pommes Dauphine, the Ganache à la Menthe Poivrée et aux Chocolats Valrhona, and the Macaron en Sucette.

Annnnd for a sweet treat in France we’re trying the Macaron en Sucette, Ganache à la Menthe Poivrée at aux Chocolats Valrhona 😋 a macaron lollipop with peppermint and chocolate ganache! 🍫 pic.twitter.com/rFH9Eyc3lW

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

For drinks, you can order the returning Cranberry Mimosa and the Frozen Hot Chocolate Martini, or go for the new Côté Mas Syrah-Grenache or the Spiced Pumpkin Punch.

Click here for our review of Le Marche de Noel.

We also visiting Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie for their festival treat: the Macaron Christmas Tree!

This was one of our favorite treats at the festival, and we highly recommend giving it a try if you like holiday flavors and light desserts.

Click here for our full review of the Macaron Christmas Tree.

Bavaria Holiday Kitchen is a popular stop for German-inspired comfort food like Pork Schnitzel, Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl, and a Linzer Cookie.

Another returning star at Bavaria Holiday Kitchen is the Cheese Fondue! Have you had this dish before?? ✨🧀 pic.twitter.com/FPq9H7je0F

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

To drink, you can get house-made hot spiced wine, Tank Brewing Co. Prost Fest Beer, or Ayinger Brewery Celebrator Doppelbock Beer.

Click here for our review of the Bavaria food booth.

The Shanghai Holiday Kitchen is returning this year with NEW items and a whole lot of drinks. You can get a Chicken Skewer, a Beef and Noodle Soup Bowl, and Vegetable Spring Rolls.

For drinks, you can order Panda Bubble Tea, Lucky Foo Pale Ale, Kung Fu Master, Marco Boba, and The Lucky MO, which has updated ingredients this year.

Click here for our full review of the Shanghai holiday kitchen.

Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen has several food items that have changed a LOT since previous years. This year, you can get the Sushi Tree, the New Year Celebration Soba, and a Mochi Cake.

We tried the ALL-NEW sushi tree over at the Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen in the Japan Pavilion! pic.twitter.com/zpuiE1X68E

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

To drink, there’s the Ichigo Milk Boba, the Japanese Christmas Punch, the Brew Hub Strawberry Lager, and the Ozeki Sake Platinum: Junmai Daiginjo. 

Click here for our full review of the Shi Wasu holiday kitchen.

You can also find some festival offerings at various Joffrey’s coffee carts around EPCOT! The Horchata Cold Brew is available at all the Joffrey’s locations.

If you’re a Disney World Annual Passholder, you can also try the Happy Snowman frozen cocktail from Joffrey’s!

Click here for our full review of the Joffrey’s drinks.

At the American Holiday Table, we tried Blackened Catfish, Slow-roasted Turkey, and the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie. If you only get one thing at this EPCOT festival, it has to be that catfish!

Blackened Catfish with Hoppin’ John and comeback sauce – American Holiday Table pic.twitter.com/PA00T52xSE

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

Some of the drinks on the menu include the Gulf Stream Brewing Whiteout Sails Wit Beer, the 3 Daughters Eggnog White Porter, and the Playalinda Brewing Co. Peppermint Chocolate Porter.

Click here to read our full review of the American Holiday Table.

The L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen menu is inspired by “classic deli noshes with a side of New York flair.” You’ll find things like pastrami on rye, a potato latke, and a black-and-white cookie.

Next up from the L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen is the Pastrami on Rye with house-made pickles and deli mustard 🥪 pic.twitter.com/u1prZC9bvp

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

We also tried a new cocktail at this kitchen, which was a Frozen New York Whiskey Sour.

Click here to read our full review of the L’Chaim holiday kitchen.

The Tuscany Holiday Kitchen was a little bit disappointing this year. It had 3 new eats — the Tortellini in Brodo, the Salmone alla Siciliana, and the Panettone. We didn’t love the savory options, but that panettone was delish!

Ciao from the Tuscany Holiday Kitchen! 🇮🇹 This is the Salmone alla Siciliana. pic.twitter.com/sJGHTRtcqJ

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

All of the drinks are returning this year, including the Prosecco, the Moscato, a Banfi Rosa Regale, an Italian Margarita with tequila and limoncello, a Peroni Pilsner, and Italian Sangria Red or White.

Click here to read our full review of the Tuscany holiday kitchen.

Tangierine Cafe: Flavors of the Medina in EPCOT’s Morocco pavilion is being utilized as a festival spot once again this year, and it has its usual menu of Grilled Kebabs (Lamb Kefta and Chermoula Chicken) and the Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with hummus, chermoula, and Zhoug dips.

If you’re looking for a good shareable snack, head to Tangerine Cafe: Flavors of the Medina for the returning stone-baked Moroccan bread with hummus, chermoula, and Zhoug dips 👏 pic.twitter.com/CwmvnhDPjJ

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

To drink, you can get the 3 Daughters Brewing Cranberry Cider, the Woodchuck Winter Chill Hard Cider, the Ciderboys Mad Bark Hard Cider, or the Fig Cocktail.

Click here for our full review of the Tangierine Cafe festival eats.

We stopped by the Yukon Holiday Kitchen at the Canada pavilion to grab some Seared Scallops, Beef Bourguignon, and the SNICKERS-Doodle Cookie.

🚨 SNICKERS CANDY ON A COOKIE: This Snickers-Doodle cookie is available as part of the cookie stroll! – Yukon Holiday Kitchen pic.twitter.com/DLMr3CUydO

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

To drink, there’s Frozen Coffee, Frozen Coffee with Tap 357 Whisky, Regional Icewine, Regional Red Wine, and 3 beers — the 81Bay Brewing Co. Peanut Butter Banana Porter, the Playalinda Brewing Co. Maple Cookie Blonde Ale, and the Collective Arts Coffee Maple Porter

Click here for our full review of the Yukon holiday kitchen.

We visited the Funnel Cake Stand in the American Adventure pavilion to try out the festival funnel cake there.

This year, it’s a Mini Funnel Cake topped with peppermint ice cream, chocolate whipped cream, and crushed peppermint. 

Click here to read our full review of the mini peppermint funnel cake.

The NEW food booth this year is the Nochebuena Cocina Holiday Kitchen, which is located near Port of Entry.

We’re trying everything at this year’s NEWEST festival booth, Nochebuena Cocina! Up first, the IMPOSSIBLE Chorizo Tamale with plant-based cotija cheese and spicy red Chile sauce! pic.twitter.com/jNdplsdt94

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

You can get IMPOSSIBLE Chorizo Tamales, Pernil, and Alfajores to eat, and there’s an 81Bay Brewing Co. Horchata Beer or the Chai Ginger Mule on the beverage menu.

Over at Holiday Sweets & Treats, you’ll be able to get the Cookie Stroll Completor Cookie along with an adventurous beer flight!

What happens when you finish the Cookie Stroll at the Festival of the Holidays? You get the completion cookie! pic.twitter.com/oOrQIpZzoR

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

We really enjoyed this beer flight!

You can read our full review here!

Now, let’s head over to Mele Kalikimaka.

Here, you’ll find Kālua Pork, Lomi Lomi Salmon, and Haupia. We were so excited to see the Haupia return!

Read our full review of this booth here!

Have a bit of a sweet tooth? Then you will want to head to Holiday Hearth.

The salted caramel Spaceship Earth cookie has also returned to Holiday Hearth Desserts! pic.twitter.com/dtdG2W1rW4

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

At this booth you will find cookies and beer galore.

Read our entire Holiday Hearth review here. 

And last but not least, we’re heading to the NEW Nochebuena Cocina booth! We’re excited to report that we were blown away by this new booth.

At this booth, you can get the IMPOSSIBLE Chorizo Tamale, Pernil, Alfajores, 81Bay Brewing Co. Horchata Beer, and the Chai Ginger Mule. 

Read our full review of the new Nochebuena booth here!

Torn on what to get because there are SO many options?! Well, we’re here to help. Each year we create a best of the fest list.

You can read our entire BEST OF THE FEST for the 2022 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays here! 

Merchandise

There’s some exclusive merchandise for this festival, including lots of Frozen items, like this Spirit Jersey…

…an Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Olaf Pin…

Festival merch is here! And some of our favorite Frozen friends are the highlight ❄️ Here’s a look at the limited edition pin ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/a30DnT7HtV

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and a Festival of the Holidays mug.

Festival exclusive mug! ❄️ pic.twitter.com/6IIBRzjwj7

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At some of the festival marketplaces, you can purchase a Chip ‘n’ Dale Festival of the Holidays spork for $2.50.

Calling all Chip ‘n’ Dale fans! Chestnuts and Good Cheer has this new spork available! ✨ pic.twitter.com/Rj977KgmMo

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of items to check out — take a look at our full merchandise round-up to see them all!

See all the Festival of the Holidays merchandise here.

Entertainment

Candlelight Processional

One of the most popular events at the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays is the Candlelight Processional. You can head to the standby line or book a dining package to reserve your spot at the show.

Read more about dining packages by clicking here!

Other Entertainment

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Scavenger Hunt

If you want a fun activity the whole family can enjoy, Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Scavenger Hunt is a super fun way to spot hidden statues of Olaf all over EPCOT. Olaf is hiding with various holiday-themed items around the park, and it’s your job to find him!

You can play the game on your own or purchase a gameboard for $9.99, which includes stickers and clues for all the Olaf locations. If you purchase a gameboard, you can return the completed board for a prize!

Figment’s Holiday Sweater

FINALLY, y’all — Figment is wearing his HOLIDAY SWEATER!

Holiday Figgy is here!!! ✨ pic.twitter.com/ek38CIfj2k

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find Figment looking festive on Journey Into Imagination With Figment.

Living with the Land Holiday Overlay

Living with the Land has some holiday decorations for the occasion, including a reindeer Mickey…

…some holiday-themed displays, and more!

Hop on this ride to check out the festive decorations!

Spaceship Earth also got a holiday upgrade!

Spaceship Earth is premiering an ALL-NEW show for Festival of the Holidays! pic.twitter.com/G9rKademI0

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 25, 2022

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind also added in some holiday fun in terms of music. Get all the details here!

We’ll be updating this post to ALL DAY as we explore the Festival of the Holidays, so keep checking back for more! If you’re interested in more updates, make sure you’re following us on Instagram.

Click here to see ALL of the booth menus for the Festival of the Holidays!

Are you visiting EPCOT soon? Tell us in the comments!