Candlelight Processional showing on 20 nights this Holiday Season (Merged)

[dougeebear]

Oh dear.
Twenty nights of absolute mayhem congestion on Main Street.
Twenty nights of religious proselytizing.
Twenty nights of being reminded that I'm not part of the group, since I don't follow that religion.

I made it a point to avoid the resort on Candlelight nights, and begrudgingly accepted their right to promote a particular religious point of view since they are a private corporate entity. But TWENTY nights? I thought two was pushing it.

[StrikeYerColors]

My first impression? Main Street in December is going to be even more of a nightmare to get through than it already was. Ugh. Between 2 parades, Fireworks, 3 snow shows, Flag Retreat, Tree lighting... plus the F! crowd trying to squeeze in during that and find a spot where there is none... to add 2 processionals and monopolize all of the space in Town Square, shut down the trains, etc, just seems like insanity.

Interesting. I was just thinking about this last night. I'm wondering if they are going to move this back to the Fantasyland Theater. I don't see how they are going to keep the equipment up for 20 nights on Main Street.

My guess is the first two nights will be on Main Street and the invitees will only be in the seated area while public will be standing. Then it will move back to the theater.

I didn't even think of this. But they'd be crazy not to do it this way. The processional could go from the gate by plaza inn, up the parade route all the way to small world and easily turn left into the theatre without affecting the traffic on Main Street by constricting the tiny sidewalks. You are a genius.

I just saw a tweet about this a few minutes ago, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm a huge fan of Candlelight having both sung in performances as well had my choral ensemble perform in it several times over the year. While I am VERY pleased that Disneyland is not only continuing this tradition but expanding it, I'm curious as to how this will work out logistically in terms of the singers and the orchestra. Many of those instrumentalists are union folks from the LA Phil and so forth, and I wonder if THEY will be able to schedule 20 performances apart from what they might already be committed to for the holiday season. I'm also wondering about the local schools and churches that typically make up the choir, not to mention the employee choir in the "tree" in the center. 20 performances is certainly ambitious, and I guess they will be using WDW as a model. But unless I'm mistaken, WDW advertises months in advance for choral groups to come in from across the country while Disneyland has typically drawn from area ensembles. I doubt high school directors will be able to get their students down there on weeknights and will have to stretch to get them there more than one weekend. The only payment these choir member have received in the past is two complimentary parkhoppers. Will they just give more passes to the choir members, or will they consider actually hiring the choir members for multiple performances if not enough quality singers are available? It is a HUGE commitment for these choral ensembles as you are looking at about 10 pieces that have to be memorized, and not all of that music, or ANY, might work in a holiday performance at that particular school.

I really don't know what their plans are to work around the issues you brought up, but they are huge. No one will be able to commit to 20 nights of volunteer performances, especially not CMs. From what I heard, they had enough trouble getting the nights off for just the one weekend. When I read the blog entry, my first thought was that they are going to have to audition and hire and paid choir and musicians for this kind of commitment. And are they going to get 20 celebrity readers? Doubt it. The famous faces will be just for the VIPs first weekend, I'd bet.

Oh dear.
Twenty nights of absolute mayhem congestion on Main Street.
Twenty nights of religious proselytizing.
Twenty nights of being reminded that I'm not part of the group, since I don't follow that religion.

I made it a point to avoid the resort on Candlelight nights, and begrudgingly accepted their right to promote a particular religious point of view since they are a private corporate entity. But TWENTY nights? I thought two was pushing it.

While I have always wanted to see Candelight, and as a Christian I do celebrate Christmas from a religious perspective personally, I completely see this point and generally agree with it. It seemed okay for one weekend, especially since it was a pretty exclusive event for invitees (OC big wigs), but as a public event running all month as part of the overall holiday season in Disneyland, it seems really exclusionary towards a lot of the guests who are going to be there. I hate to think of people feeling alienated in the parks.

[disneychrista]

Could it be possible that they will hold it "after hours" kinda like the Halloween Party? I know there has been talk for a couple years that they might offer a Christmas Party. Maybe this is it. Park Closes at 8pm, with a show at 9:30 or 10?

[swampymarsh]

Anyone know how this will effect ACF? ACF does not run at night during Candlelight. I've seen vids of ACF not running in town square during Candlelight. It just goes out the gate and right onto Main Street.

Anyone know if ACF is even coming back this year?


How fast can DL get the Fantasyland Theatre back together?

A Chirstmas Fantasy Parade is stil mentioned on the www.disneyland.com I imagine it will just run once in the late afternoon on these days.

The Fantasyland theater has closed to reopen next Summer I doubt it will be used for anything in between. Though in the future selling seats like WDW it could be an option. It would be too bad since being on Main Street is something that sets DL's version apart.

I don't worry about the crowds, it's just like entering the park during a parade the rest of the year. If you aren't on Main Street you wouldn't know it's happening. Though if you save the Disneyland Railroad until night, you might figure out what's happening when it's closed.

While dates can chang this will effect the CM parties. Will they move to DCA or happen in November?

[Capt Hook]

I don't like this idea. I can go with 2 night of it but not 20. Usely when the Candlelight goes on there is no parade so I can't see Disney no having there Christmas Parade for 20 days it will not work out that good.

[bayouguy]

This seems more of a money making scheme. The Candlelight Procession is an event, in my opinion. Now it seems more like a cash bash, clogging up the Main Street area. This is not a good idea.

[bayouguy]

I feel it cheapens the Procession. It ought to be treated as a special event.

[JneratorX]

Interesting. I was just thinking about this last night. I'm wondering if they are going to move this back to the Fantasyland Theater. I don't see how they are going to keep the equipment up for 20 nights on Main Street.

My guess is the first two nights will be on Main Street and the invitees will only be in the seated area while public will be standing. Then it will move back to the theater.

how about the Jamboree area? for some reason i feel this fitting more there thematically than in Fantasyland... its still American... just American Southwest, instead of the East/Middle America with Main Street.

[WDI33]

What makes Candlelight so Special is the setting in Town Square. It lost its grandure when it temporariily moved to the Fantasyland Theater. The first time the Trumpeters pop up on the roof of the Train Station is an amazing moment! I am sure they will figure out the logisitics!

[Malina]

I feel it cheapens the Procession. It ought to be treated as a special event.

ITA. When it's every night, or 20 nights out of the month (which is more or less every night) it stops being a special event...and for a lot of visitors, the annoyances of having Main St. snarled up every night will override everything else.

[Malina]

Oh dear.
Twenty nights of absolute mayhem congestion on Main Street.
Twenty nights of religious proselytizing.
Twenty nights of being reminded that I'm not part of the group, since I don't follow that religion.

I made it a point to avoid the resort on Candlelight nights, and begrudgingly accepted their right to promote a particular religious point of view since they are a private corporate entity. But TWENTY nights? I thought two was pushing it.

ITA. All respect to them to do what they want on private property, but apart from the above angle...it's too much for 20 nights. It stops being a special event, and the area just isn't made for it. It's putting World of Color sized audiences into a teacup, not once, but EVERY NIGHT.

[DARTH MAUL]

I HATE this event...I don't understand why they do it, or the appeal to audiences. It just cramps up the whole place and has nothing to do with Disney. It looks pretty, I guess, but man is it ever boring to watch. I'm all for moving it to the Fantasyland Theatre or the Hyperion, or not doing it at all. Just it get out of the way.

[ghosty4]

I'm kind of nervous to see how fast twenty dates sell out, when the two days sold out almost immediately.

[DisneyIPresume]

I HATE this event...I don't understand why they do it, or the appeal to audiences. It just cramps up the whole place and has nothing to do with Disney. It looks pretty, I guess, but man is it ever boring to watch. I'm all for moving it to the Fantasyland Theatre or the Hyperion, or not doing it at all. Just it get out of the way.

It was started by Walt Disney himself so I don't know how un-Disney that could be. And to be honest with you imo it is quite refreshing to see a show that is void of any type of Disney/Pixar references.

Replace your post with Fantasmic! and you would be spot on.

[Mr Wiggins]

I feel it cheapens the Procession. It ought to be treated as a special event.

Exactly. It's so typical of today's Disney Corp. to take a classic special event and clone it, clone it and clone it until it's no longer special. Got a hit weekly TV show? Make it five days a week. Got a popular cartoon character? Stuff it in every store, jam it in every corner of every Park and shove it in every customer's face until it's as common as corn flakes and just as generic.

For Disney Corp, there's no such thing as Enough.