Crowd Level
peak
Avg High
73°F
Avg Low
54°F
Rain Days
5 days
Pros
Reasons to visit in December
- ✓The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays fills World Showcase with pavilion-specific traditions like Mexico's Las Posadas and Norway's Mischievous Magical Barn Santa.
- ✓Candlelight Processional brings a celebrity narrator and live orchestra to tell the Christmas story, with a dining package that guarantees a same-day seat.
- ✓Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind anchors World Discovery and is worth building a whole morning strategy around.
- ✓Luminous The Symphony of Us gives World Showcase Lagoon a nightly holiday-season capstone that draws crowds well before showtime.
- ✓Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After let you dip into France and Norway's holiday decor while you wait out standby lines.
Cons
Things to watch out for
- ✕Crowds run at peak all month, so Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Frozen Ever After post long standby waits from open to close.
- ✕World Showcase promenade gets genuinely congested during Festival of the Holidays, especially near Candlelight Processional showtimes.
- ✕Popular Candlelight Processional dining packages and showtimes sell out fast, leaving walk-up guests stuck watching from the back of a packed viewing area.
- ✕World Discovery and World Nature offer little shade, so exposed midday waits at Test Track or Soarin' Around the World feel long even in cool weather.
- ✕Luminous and holiday fireworks draw dense crowds to the lagoon walkways well before showtime, making a quick exit or pavilion-hop difficult.
Pro tip
Arrive before rope drop and head straight to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind first thing, since it's the headliner that peak December crowds chase hardest. Ride it before 9am if you can, then pivot to Test Track and Frozen Ever After before 11am while the rest of the park is still filling in. Save World Showcase for the afternoon, but plan to be near your chosen pavilion by 6pm if you want a decent Candlelight Processional viewing spot, since walkways clog fast once the holiday storytellers and tree lighting crowds arrive.
SPECIAL EVENTS
EPCOT in December
Resort-wide dates
Must-Do Rides
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Rides at EPCOT
AttractionsWith EPCOT running at peak crowd levels all December, knowing which rides to prioritize matters more than usual. Here's the full lineup, from World Discovery's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind to World Showcase's pavilion attractions.
World Discovery
World Nature
World Discovery
World Celebration
Norway
World Celebration
World Nature
World Discovery
World Discovery
France
World Celebration
World Nature
World Nature
World Discovery
The American Adventure
World Nature
France
Japan
World Nature
World Showcase
World Celebration
Canada Pavilion
Morocco
Mexico
China
World Celebration
France
World Nature
The American Adventure
Mexico Pavilion
World Showcase
World Showcase Plaza
World Celebration
Mexico Pavilion
Imagination Pavilion
China Pavilion
EPCOT Main Entrance
France Pavilion
Mexico
France
World Celebration
China
United Kingdom Pavilion
World Nature
Norway
The American Adventure
The American Adventure
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