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Holidays Around the World at Epcot began on 11/23/2012 and runs through 12/30/2012.   Here is the full entertainment line-up, along with all the times.

Reflections of Earth with Peace on Earth finale 9:30 PM.

Candlelight Processional at the America Gardens Theatre 5:00 PM, 6:45 PM, 8:15 PM

JOYFUL! A Gospel Celebration of the Season featuring D'Vine Voices
Fountain Stage – 11/25/2012 to 12/29/2012. Showtimes are daily at 1:15 PM, 2:15 PM, 3:15 PM and 4:15 PM

Holiday Storytellers
Performances take place daily from 11/23/2012 to 12/30/2012.

Mexico
Celebrate with LosTres Reyes Magos, the Three Kings, as they tell of their journey to the Posada and traditions today.
1:30, 2:15, 3:15, 4:00, 4:45, 5:30, 6:30, 7:15 PM

Norway
Meet the storyteller Sigrid who will tell you of the mischievous Christmas Gnome, Julenissen.
2:45, 3:30, 4:15, 5:15, 6:15, 7:00, 7:45, 8:30 PM

China
Watch the agile Monkey King weave his tall tale with twists and turns celebrating Chinese New Year!
11:45 AM, 12:20, 12:55, 1:30, 2:30, 3:20, 4:20, 5:20 PM

Germany
Listen as Helga tells the story of the first Christmas tree and the tale of her first Nutcracker.
1:15, 2:15, 3:15, 4:05, 5:30, 6:05, 6:40, 7:15 PM

Italy
Visit with Italy’s good Christmas witch, La Befana, as she remembers the Epiphany and her first Christmas 2,000 years ago!
11:55 AM, 12:50, 1:25, 2:00, 2:55, 3:50, 4:45, 6:05 PM.

American Adventure
Christmas: Whisper your Christmas wishes in Santa’s ear. Even Mrs. Claus will be there!
1:30 - 3:00, 3:30 - 5:00, 5:30 - 7:00, 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Kwanzaa: Experience the spirit of Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, creativity and community.
12:15, 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:25, 4:00, 4:45, *6:00 PM (* 11/23/2012 to 12/25/2012 only)

Hanukkah: Discover the connection of today's Hanukkah tradition and the story of the brave Maccabees and the lamp that burned miraculously for eight days
12:00, 12:45, 1:30, 2:15, 2:55, 3:45, 4:30, 5:45 PM

Japan
Hear the fascinating story of the Daruma doll and the Japanese customs of the New Year!
12:45, 1:30, 2:15, 3:30, 4:05, 4:50, 5:35, 6:25 PM

France
Find Père Noël as he shares a letter from a little girl that recreates the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child.
11:25, 12:00, 12:35, 1:15, 2:10, 2:55, 3:35, 4:25 PM

Morocco
Drum with Taarji, as he celebrates the customs of Ramadan and Ashura.
1:30, 2:15, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 6:15, 7:30 PM

United Kingdom
Spend a moment with jolly Father Christmas, as he makes traditions from Christmas past just as fun today!
2:45, 3:20, 4:30, 5:25, 6:05, 6:45, 7:30, 8:30 PM

Canada
See Nowell, a Canadian lumberjack, as he tells of his journey to find Santa at Christmastime.
11:30 AM, 12:05, 12:40, 1:15, 2:10, 3:10, 4:10, 5:15 PM

According to the latest Epcot guide map published for the holiday period, Bistro de Paris will be renamed 'Monsieur Paul' when it reopens in early December.

Starting 11/25/2012, some of the best sellers from the 2012 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival will be available at Downtown Disney. On the menu is the fabulous grilled beef from Argentina, the pork slider from Hawai'i, Florida Local's shrimp ceviche, and everyone’s favorite, the dessert trio.
The kiosks will be located in the courtyard area just outside Fulton’s and Portobello. Two kiosks are available - 'Amuse Bouche' and 'Cheese and Sweets'. Both are open during the evenings through the holiday season. Check out the menus below, along with some photos of the kiosks.

Amuse Bouche Menu
Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree - 5.00
Shrimp Ceviche, Fried Plantains, and Cilantro 4.25
Pork Slider with Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise 3.25
Samuel Adams Seasonal Beers 6.00
Bud Light 5.75
Stella Artois 6.75
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider 6.75
Champagne 7.04
Wines 7.04

Cheese and Sweets Menu
Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread 3.25
Trio of Artisan Cheeses 4.50
Dessert Trio 3.75
Samuel Adams Seasonal Beers 6.00
Bud Light 5.75
Stella Artois 6.75
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider 6.75
Champagne 7.04
Wines 7.04

The grand opening of new Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom is on 12/6/2012, and Disney has unveiled a lineup of commemorative merchandise to be sold on that day.

Three T-Shirts, an ear hat, two deluxe prints, and a selection of iPhone cases will be available both in the park and online at the Disney Parks online store. Check out the photos below for a look.

The following in park stores will have merchandise available:

•Emporium – Main Street, U.S.A. – Will have tees, Cover Your Ears and D-Tech On Demand cases.
•Main Street Cinema – Main Street, U.S.A. – Will have deluxe prints only.
•Big Top Souvenirs – Fantasyland – Will have tees only.
•Mickey’s Star Traders – Tomorrowland – Will have tees only.
•Pirates Bazaar – Adventureland – Will have tees only. 

Photo from Disney Parks Blog
Good news today for fans of Agent P's World Showcase Adventure at Epcot!  News from the official Disney Parks Blog is that new elements have been added to United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan.








Disney has released the line-up for the 2013 Flower Power concert series at Epcot, starting 3/6/2013-3/10/2013 with Micky Dolenz (“I’m a Believer”), and continuing each weekend.

Here is the line-up:
March 15-17: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats

March 22-24: The Guess Who

March 29-31: Nelson

April 5-7: The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie

April 12-14: Paul Revere & the Raiders

April 19-21: The Village People (new!)

April 26-28: The Orchestra, Featuring Former Members of ELO and ELO II

May 3-5: Tommy Roe (new!)

May 10-12: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone

May 17-19: Starship starring Mickey Thomas. 

After a nationwide search in the UK involving over 780 families, the Frith family from Northampton is today unveiled as the world’s first ever Walt Disney World Family.

Alan Carr, Jo Whiley and Doctor Who himself, Matt Smith, all hail from the East Midlands town and now the 10-strong Frith family unit will be added to this illustrious list of Northampton residents, celebrated on the American resort itself, as well as here in the UK.

The never-been-done before search attracted 780 entries from around the country, with celebrity judges searching for a ‘unique’ family that captured what Walt Disney World is all about – namely fun, relaxation, thrills and memories. Much like the Emmy award-winning ‘Modern Family’, this world first family could be made up of a number of different people, including immediate or distant relatives, friends, colleagues or even neighbors.

Jade Frith’s entry beat the four other shortlisted entrants who nominated their families from Rhyl, Stafford, Fife and Buckinghamshire. The shortlist was selected by a panel including Jemma Kidd along with celebrity parenting and family commentator Liz Fraser.

Jade Frith, 25, says: “I couldn’t believe it when I found out we had been crowned the world’s first Walt Disney World Family – it’s what dreams are made of! Our group is made up of two families, who have been the best of friends for over 20 years. We’re not related, but we are as close as any family. We love Walt Disney World and all it stands for and have been trying to find a way to go together as it has something for all of us to do there – now we can and we have a great title to match!”

Comments Jemma: “We had such fun looking through all the amazing creative entries, but the Frith family really stood out as being huge Disney fans with an amazing bond between the group, whose ages range from 6-53 years old – from little kids to big kids. I can’t wait to see their holiday snaps when they come back!”

The hunt, which launched in October, coincided with new research revealing a new wave of ‘togetherness’ amongst British families in 2012. A third of Brits (33%), like the Friths, now holiday with five or more people and with several generations - more than a quarter (27%) of UK family holidays in 2012 consisted of three or more generations of the same family.

Fellow judge and Vice President and Managing Director of Disney Destinations International, Hugh Wood, adds: “This new wave of ‘togetherness’ highlighted by our research findings and our Walt Disney World Family search, shows that now more than ever, people are looking for a holiday to cater for the whole family’s needs. Here at Walt Disney World, we know how important it is for guests to spend quality time together when they come away, which is why we have something for everyone to enjoy – from embarking on wild Africa treks through Disney’s Animal Kingdom and learning to surf at the Typhoon Lagoon to relaxing with a game of golf at one of our five courses or with a luxurious spa treatment at our health clubs”.

Once the news has sunk in for the Friths, they will be swept off to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, for a three week VIP stay, featuring many money-can’t-buy experiences, including seeing their name immortalized on resort for a year and taking a piece of the Disney magic back to their home in Northampton. Once they return, the family will appear in the official Walt Disney World Parks brochure and on the blog, and will become regular contributors to the Walt Disney World Facebook and Twitter pages.

Fitness legend, and creator of P90X, Tony Horton is back at Walt Disney World in April 2013 with a 4 day fitness course, including a stay at Disney's Coronado Springs and events across Walt Disney World. The course is taking place from April 4 to April 7 2013, with a cost of $1750 per guest including accommodations at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. Florida residents who do not need the accommodation also have a price option of $1350. 

Holidays Around the World is now in full swing at Epcot; WDWMagic posted a video of the opening night performance of the special edition holiday fireworks show "IllumiNations Reflections of Earth Peace on Earth". This video is the finale only, which plays immediately after the regular Reflections of Earth show. You can see this special version nightly through to 12/30/2012. 

Video from WDWMagic

Testing for NextGen FASTPASS+ has so far been confined to the Magic Kingdom, but that looks set to change as a trial looks to be coming soon to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Taking place from 12/11/2012 to 12/15/2012 at both the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios, this will be the first time that testing has been at more than one park, and outside of the Magic Kingdom. 

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