Walt Disney World has shared an update on the fan-favorite 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, quietly confirming the return of something we anxiously await all year long: Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater. And this holiday season, there’s going to be an entire merchandise collection dedicated to the design! Here’s a first look, along with other quick updates on the event.
Although the other parks are already starting to get decked out for Christmas and preparing to start celebrating this weekend and next week, the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays starts on November 28, 2025. The holiday festivities at EPCOT always begin on Black Friday and end the day before New Year’s Eve to clear space for those festivities.
This is due to EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival, which runs now through November 22, 2025. Hard to believe that’s still happening–opening weekend and Destination D23 seems like a lifetime ago. In any case, the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays will repurpose some of the food booths from that event and start less than one week later.
As we always warn, the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays is not primarily about the food booths. It’s all about the decor, live music, entertainment, family-friendly activities, global Santa Clauses (and other storytellers), and ride overlays.
Well, more like ride overlay, singular: Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses. It’s probably not fair to say that adding a few Figments in Ugly Christmas Sweaters materially changes Journey into Imagination. (At this point, they might as well give a JII holiday overlay there a shot–why not?!)
Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses has really blossomed over the years, starting as the smaller-scale Merry & Bright display and turning into a fully-fledged ride overlay. It’s one of our favorite things of the entire holiday season at Walt Disney World.
I could go on and on about this, gushing about the calming atmosphere, thoroughness, and understated simplicity of it all. Suffice to say, do not miss Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses! It’s the best holiday ride overlay at Walt Disney World, which isn’t really saying much as the Florida parks don’t really do seasonal overlays, but it’s still fantastic.
We further sang its praises in Why Disney World is Wrong About Holiday Ride Overlays. That uses Glimmering Greenhouses as a ‘case study’ to advocate for more holiday overlays at WDW, such as Haunted Mansion Holiday at Magic Kingdom. And, I suppose, a fully-fledged holiday ride overlay to Journey into Imagination. What’s the worst that could happen at this point?!
To recap for the non-Figment fans out there, everyone’s favorite purple dragon started sporting an ugly awesome Christmas sweater back in mid-November 2020. This was an instant smash hit with EPCOT enthusiasts, and added some unexpected joy to the holiday season during the early days of the phased reopening.
Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater has returned every year since during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. I can’t confirm with certainty, but I believe the sweater no longer appears early–expect to see it starting November 28, 2025–not within the next week or two.
You can find Ugly Christmas Sweater Figment in the Sound Lab, and just before you enter Figment’s House closer to the end of the ride. There are no other material changes to Journey into Imagination at Christmas-time. Hence this not being an actual holiday ride overlay. Yet?
Within days–maybe even hours?!–of Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater appearing on Figment in Journey into Imagination, it was all over Etsy. Seriously, there had to have been dozens of different options.
Small shops move much faster than Walt Disney World, so fast-forward 5 years later, and Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater was finally available to purchase last year during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. Despite a high price tag, it flew off shelves. It was repeatedly restocked after selling out, only to be sold out again. Last time we had someone check, it was almost entirely gone closer to Christmas.
When we were at Walt Disney World during our favorite week of the year, by far the most popular shirt we saw on guests was Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater that Figment wears in Journey into Imagination. It was insanely popular with locals and diehard fans. At one point, about one-third of guests in the DVC Imagination lounge were sporting one! It was kind of amusing that so many people who live in Florida were dropping 75 bucks on a sweater.
(Not sure how the only photo of me wearing it at the park is a terrible selfie in front of the comically-bad Walmart Christmas tree display in CommuniCore Hall, but there’s a look at the actual sweater from last year.)
Frankly, I can’t recall a piece of merchandise that has been this popular and widespread since the last year of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Not only was Disney’s Hollywood Studios insanely busy that Christmas with guests saying their goodbyes, but about one-quarter of guests (not even an exaggeration) were sporting red “That’s A Wrap!” AP-exclusive shirts. For the next few Christmases, this shirt and the green general public version continued to be the most common shirts we’d see during the holiday season.
All of this is to say that’s no surprise whatsoever that Walt Disney World is introducing a full collection of Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater merchandise for the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. The more reasonable reaction is: what took so long?!
Anyway, here’s a first look at some of the items:
Watch for this collection coming to Creations Shop, World Traveler and the festival kiosks.
At this point, Walt Disney World has only released a sneak peek at the collection of merchandise featuring Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater. (Although honestly, the design looks more like an Ugly Hanukkah Sweater to me given the colors. Did new Figment lore drop?!)
It’s probably safe to assume that, at minimum, the actual sweater (more like a sweatshirt) from last year will return given how well it sold. I’d also expect to see a similar t-shirt (given that it’s Florida!), as well. My personal wishlist contains the following:
- Coffee Mug (dishwasher safe only!)
- Dad Hat of the Ugly Christmas Sweater (hideous-looking, perfect for the parks)
- Dad Hat with Figment Wearing Ugly Christmas Sweater (tasteful, perfect for Trader Joe’s at home)
- Ugly Christmas Sweater (actual sweater, not sweatshirt)
- Reusable Shopping Bag (also perfect for Trader Joe’s at home)
- The Land Ornament from Glistening Greenhouses (not Figment related, but since we’re dreaming…)
I am open to purchasing other items from this merchandise line; this is not an exhaustive list. Although we don’t normally cover Walt Disney World merchandise, we will keep you updated with regular and urgent updates about Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater merchandise.
While we’re on the topic of the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, here are a few other quick-hit updates…
Candlelight Processional Dining Packages have been released, and like always, they filled up fast.
In each of the last few years, just about every single date sold out the day that Candlelight Processional Dining Packages were released. The vast majority of ADRs were gone on day one. It’s very important to book ASAP when reservations go live, which is something to keep in mind if you’re already thinking about the 2026 Candlelight Processional.
In the here and now, one thing we should note is that Walt Disney World plays “games” with Candlelight Processional Dining Package ADR availability. Suffice to say, it still might be possible to score reservations. See Secret for Scoring Sold Out Candlelight Processional Dining Packages for tips on finding availability, even at the last minute.
Walt Disney World has also released showtimes for the Holiday Storytellers and other atmospheric entertainment acts during the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.
In so doing, they also confirmed that all of the Holiday Storytellers are returning. My worry each year for about the last decade has been that this will be the year that they’ll be cut and never return. Thankfully, that fear is once again unfounded for 2025.
Not really any major changes to the schedule that are notable, but it’s nice to have the schedule published so far in advance. I’m hopeful that more awareness about showtimes facilitates more guests planning around the Holiday Storytellers.
I do wish more Holiday Storytellers had schedules like the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs, with fewer earlier showtimes and more late ones. Even in November and December, the midday sun can be brutal. Having more of these acts perform in the 6 pm and 7 pm hours would be fantastic. World Showcase is also busier then!
A much more consequential change is Santa Claus moving from the Odyssey Pavilion to CommuniCore Hall (November 28 through December 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM).
Last year, CommuniCore Hall was the center for the EPCOT Festival of Holidays for the first year ever. Imagineering and the EPCOT Pastry teamed up to create something truly grand and miraculous – an 8-foot-tall gingerbread display inspired by Spaceship Earth. The geodesic sphere made up of hundreds of handcrafted gingerbread triangles was on display inside CommuniCore Hall for all guests to see and enjoy throughout the festival.
This was a lot of fun and drew big crowds, especially in the evening, thanks to its light display and Celebration Countdown. We had fully expected gingerbread Spaceship Earth to return for Christmas 2025, but now we’re not quite so sure.
There were also two Holiday Kitchens at CommuniCore Hall. The first was Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow, which was located at the window inside. The other was Favorites of Festivals Past, located right outside CommuniCore Hall.
It’s theoretically possible that all of this will return to CommuniCore Hall for Christmas 2025. I’m skeptical.
One thing that’s gone under-reported is that there’s no festival “center” for the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. We covered this in our Review: EPCOT’s Flagship Foodie Festival is Disney World’s Weakest Annual Event. GoofyCore Hall took over the space and turned it into a play area for Cool Kid Summer, which overlapped the start of the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, but has since ended.
There’s nothing currently in CommuniCore Hall. It’s just seating. Unless something changes for Festival of the Holidays, the space didn’t even make it one full year as a festival center. What a missed opportunity.
Regardless of CommuniCore Hall’s future (or lack thereof), we’re really excited for the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. A potential takeover of Figment and his Ugly Christmas/Hanukkah Sweater is one reason why. Everyone’s favorite little purple dragon already has a huge presence at Festival of the Arts and has been a huge hit there, so why not?! Figment merchandise flying off the shelves might be that one little spark that Disney executives need to greenlight the long overdue ride reimagining of Journey into Imagination!
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Figment’s Ugly Christmas Sweater merchandise collection? Any specific pieces of merchandise in this style that would be on your wishlist? Are you looking forward to anything at the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays? Do you typically focus on foods, entertainment, decorations, or a mixture of the above at the Christmas-time EPCOT event? What are you looking forward to watching Holiday Storytellers or Candlelight Processional, or taste-testing the Holiday Kitchen food booths? Any questions? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts in the comments!