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- On July 7, Japanese people around the world celebrate the annual Tanabata festival. Guests can visit the Japan Pavilion at Epcot to participate in activities to learn more about Japan and Japanese culture. Guests will have the opportunity to write wishes on slips of colorful paper and place them on a bamboo tree in the Katsura garden deck.
- Guests can now book dining packages to enjoy guaranteed seating for the holiday’s Candlelight Processional, which will be offered at America Gardens Theatre from November 27-December 30. This dramatic re-telling of the Christmas story features a celebrity narrator and a massed choir singing traditional and contemporary Christmas songs accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra. This year’s current list of celebrity narrators includes:
- 11/25-27 – Steven Curtis Chapman
- 11/28-12/1 – Neil Patrick Harris
- 12/2-12/3 – Whoopi Goldberg
- 12/4-12/12 – TBA
- 12/13-12/15 – Meredith Vieira
- 12/16-12/18 – TBA
- 12/19-12/21 – Joe Morton
- 12/22-12/27 – TBA
- 12/28-12/30 – Cal Ripken, Jr. – NEW!
For more information about the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages, make sure to check out the Candlelight Processional page.
- Taste Track near Test Track has a brand new menu. Taste Track now serves sweet treats, soft drinks and hard sodas and is open daily from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Items include:
- Hot Fudge Sundae – Choice of vanilla, chocolate or swirl ice cream with hot fudge and choice of toppings rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, or waffle cone pieces
- Caramel sundae – Choice of vanilla, chocolate or swirl ice cream with caramel and choice of toppings rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, or waffle cone pieces
- Ice cream cookie sandwich – Choice of vanilla chocolate or swirl ice cream
- Soft serve ice cream – Choice of vanilla, chocolate or swirl ice cream served in a waffle cone
- Ice Cream Float – Barq’s Root Beer, Coke, or Diet coke with choice of ice cream
- Not Your Father’s Hard Root Beer Float – Not your Father’s Hard Root Beer with choice of ice cream
- Henry’s Hard Orange Soda Float – Henry’s Hard Orange Soda with choice of ice cream
- Guests at the Magic Kingdom will be able to enjoy The Diamond Horseshoe as a table-service option for lunch and dinner daily through September 10. The all-you-care-to-eat meal includes salad, a platter of either barbecue pulled pork, sliced turkey, country smoked sausage or braised beef with all the fixin’s and for dessert, a chocolate brownie topped with a toasted marshmallow. The meal costs $33 plus tax for adults or $19 plus tax for children ages 3-9 years.
- Frontera Cocina, a new contemporary Mexican dining experience developed by renowned chef Rick Bayless, is now open in Town Center at Disney Springs. The table-service restaurant offers menu items such as Oaxacan Red Chile Chicken, Salsa Verde Shrimp Enchiladas Suizas, and freshly made salsas and guacamole. Frontera Cocina also includes a quick-service window outside the restaurant, offering on-the-go Guests tacos, chips and guacamole, and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
- Coca-Cola Store Orlando is now open in Town Center at Disney Springs, featuring a wide variety of Coca-Cola merchandise and a rooftop beverage bar. Guests can choose from several Coca-Cola brands from around the world, frozen beverages and over 100 drink choices via Coca-Cola Freestyle. A selection of specialty adult beverages will be available in the evenings beginning July 8.
- The Levi’s Store will be opening in Town Center this summer and will offer the very best in denim for the whole family. The new store will also feature a Tailor Shop, allowing Guests to have their favorite shorts, tees, truckers and accessories personalized and tailored by a team of specialized craftsmen.
- The following locations are now open in Town Center:
- Sugarboo & Co. is a dealer in whimsy and fine fanciful goods, from uplifting art prints to charming home goods and whimsical paper products.
- Columbia Sportswear offers innovative apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment for outdoor and fishing enthusiasts.
- Shore is a fashionable American lifestyle brand featuring swimwear, fitness wear and everyday comfort clothing, with a selection of exclusive apparel only available at Disney Springs.
- Superdry features clothing with designs that fuse vintage Americana and Japanese-inspired graphics with a British style, offering products from outerwear and knitwear to leather goods and leisurewear.
- Disney Springs is celebrating its official grand opening all summer long. Guests will find live entertainment, unique décor, special offers at many retail locations, and fun, new ways to keep cool during the summer weather.
- Entertainment: Free, live entertainment throughout Disney Springs with something for everyone including pop, country, jazz and more.
- Beat the Heat DJ Party: Every afternoon, the Marketplace Fountain will be flowing, giving Guests the chance to splash the day away. A variety of ice-cold, frosty beverages (with options for adults and kids) will also be sold nearby.
- FuelRod kiosks with portable charging batteries will be introduced and available to Guests for purchase at select Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Springs and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex locations. Each battery comes with a set of USB cables able to charge a Guest’s mobile phone, tablet or other device. Guests may charge depleted batteries with the accompanying USB cables able to charge a Guest’s mobile phone, tablet or other device.
- Guests wanting to celebrate New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World can party with Disney Countdown to Midnight – A New Year’s Eve Celebration at Disney’s Contemporary Resort which begins at 8 p.m. at the resort hotel’s Convention Center. The event will include a variety of entertainment offerings, kicking off with dance music spanning from the ‘60s to today. Other musical acts include Alter Ego, as well as a unique musical act that will put a retro twist on songs of today. Guests will be able to also enjoy the best-of-the-best bites and wine pairings from California Grill, Flying Fish, Cítricos and Narcoossee’s, as well as view Magic Kingdom’s New Year’s Eve “Fantasy in the Sky” Fireworks Spectacular. Tickets will be $225 (including tax and gratuity).