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Welcome to a photo / MPEG archive of the 1999 show - probably the last time it will be held in Disneyland itself. Word has it that it will be moved to the new theater in California Adventure. 

The Candlelight Logo banner that hung over the orchestra before the choir came in

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This sign marked the entryway to the Fantasyland Theater.

For the second year in a row, the Candlelight Procession was held in the Fantasyland Theater. Always a well presented show, this year they made some minor changes that improved it quite a bit. Trumpets were moved on up to the sides of the stage, and the decor was tweaked a bit to make it look a bit less tacky - if not still slightly overdone.

Trumpets were finally moved up high, you can see the entire choir in this shot. The photo above is also available as a free computer desktop photo. Visit the following PAGE to place it on your computer. There is also an MPEG file you can view of the choir singing available by clicking the photo above or this LINK to it.

Although the former Town Square setting has been missed from previous editions, there is no arguing that this new venue is much more comfortable for the audience, not to mention the performers.

Claremont United Church of Christ provided the Hand bell Choir and Carilloneers.

I've always found in the past that this show was the one thing that I could pretty much count on to finally help get me into the Christmas spirit. This year that was heightened by the way I was able to see the show.  

I'd missed being able to get down to the park early to get tickets in advance that morning, and was going to try to see in by lining up in the standby line.

While I was waiting to find how they were going to handle the standby line a charming young lady came up to me, she couldn't have been more than 12 or so, and asked if I was alone. I replied yes, I was, and she proceeded to hand me a ticket since her family had an extra one left over.  

Her kind gesture, and her happy "Merry Christmas" to me as she walked off helped make a special night all that much more wonderful. My special thanks to her and her thoughtfulness, as it helped to provide you with this page about the event.

Conductor Nancy Sulahian leads the choir and Disneyland orchestra.

As always the top notch orchestra, and well chosen repertoire made for a great show, this year running about 45 minutes in length.

Disneyland's Fanfare Trumpets

The trumpets finally made it up to the top sides of the stage, a much better effect since they help represent the angels heard on high.

Vocal soloist Ann Winkowski did a lovely job with her song. There is also a short MPEG file you can view of Ann's singing available by clicking the photo above or this LINK to it.

A very beautiful vocal solo by Ann Winkowski helped carry on the mood - her poise and lovely vocal tone helped give the proceedings the proper mix of reverence and professionalism.

Narrating was Academy Award™-winning actress Olympia Dukakis. There is also an MPEG file you can view of Ms. Dukakis narrating that is available by clicking the photo above or this LINK to it.

Oddly enough Olympia Dukakis had trouble each night with one show, somehow she ended up reading the same page twice each night. She tended to be a bit flat, and then as if to make up for that, towards the end got a bit too dramatic. 

Compared the last two year's narrators, actor Edward James Olmos [who couldn't stop ad-libbing about he felt] and Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart [who was perfect, but had little personality] it was quite an improvement. But let's hope that next year we get someone who could really pull this off well. 

The cover of the program handed out to the audience.

The limited ticket allocation, along with too few performances, always make this a tough event to be able to see. But if you are willing to invest a little time in securing tickets ahead of time, or try out the standby line [which can be quite successful] the reward of finally seeing this show is tremendous. It really will help put you in the proper spirit for this time of year.