16 Dates to AVOID the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays in 2025

It’s time to start planning for the holiday season in EPCOT!

The International Festival of the Holidays is returning for 2025, and it’s going to have all our usual favorites — food booths, the stunning Candlelight Processional, and of course, Santa Claus! If you’re planning your visit to this holly jolly festival, we’re here to tell you the dates to avoid.

November 28th

Starting off the list, we’re going to recommend you avoid the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays on November 28th. Why? That’s the day it kicks off for 2025!

Typically, the festival is crowded on the first day for multiple reasons. Firstly, the opening day is scheduled for Black Friday, which means people are in town for their Thanksgiving week trips. On top of that, lots of bloggers and influencers, and Disney fans show up for the first day of the festivals.

November 29th-30th

Along the lines of the first reason, you’ll also want to continue to avoid the festival on November 29th and 30th. This is the opening weekend, and the Disney locals will likely show up to try all the new festival eats.

Also, people will still be in town for the last few days of their Thanksgiving week vacations, meaning these will likely be some of the busiest days throughout the entire season.

December 19th-29th

If you thought Thanksgiving week was busy, just wait until Christmas and New Year’s week! These two weeks are the busiest travel dates of the ENTIRE YEAR in Disney World, and they’re also the most expensive.

So not only will you pay in crowd level by visiting during these dates, but you’ll be paying much higher prices for your hotel and tickets in Disney World. Plus, people love to celebrate the holiday season by going to the holiday festival!

Weekends in General

If you have the option to go to the Festival of the Holidays on a weekday, we’ll encourage you to do that over a weekend almost every time. Weekends are popular days for locals to stop by the festival, which is true for any EPCOT festival, really.

Those who live nearby and have Annual Passes will pop into EPCOT for a quick dinner in the World Showcase, followed by a showing of the iconic Candlelight Processional. You can probably avoid a big percentage of crowds by visiting on a weekday.

December 30th

And last but not least, we’re recommending you stay away on December 30th. That’s the last day of the festival this year, and like the opening day, it can be rather busy.

Add to this the fact that it’s during the busiest travel weeks of the year, and you’ll be battling the masses at EPCOT on December 30th. Just do yourself a favor and go earlier in the season.