Among a sea of late summer and early fall Disney traditions is a fan-favorite festival that’s all about the food. Since 1996, Disney World guests have made the annual pilgrimage to EPCOT in search of exciting and unique flavors. With just over a month left for this year’s Flower & Garden Festival, the time has come to set our sights upon what comes next.
Disney just announced the dates for one of the most highly anticipated EPCOT festivals of the year. Are you ready to sample a variety of delicious foods and beverages as part of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? If so, mark your calendar and start planning a visit between August 27th – November 21st. That gives you just a little less than 90 days to experience everything.
Along with a reveal of the 2026 dates, we also received a sneak peek at some of the offerings that will be returning for this year’s festival. Want to know what you can look forward to this fall? Keep on reading for details!
Global Marketplaces
The highlight of this festival is, perhaps, the Global Marketplaces. After all, “food” is literally in the name of the Food & Wine festival. Final menus and the official list of Global Marketplaces has not yet been revealed. However, Disney teased a few returning favorites including:
- Grilled Bushberry-Spiced Shrimp Skewer with Sweet-and-Sour Vegetables and Coconut-Chile Sauce will be returning to the Australia booth
- Kirschwasser Torte with Cherry-Brandy Buttercream, Fondant, Sugared Almonds, and Cherry Compote will be returning to the Alps booth
- Street Corn-style Dumplings composed of Chicken Dumplings with Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Street Corn Salad, Cotija, Lime Crema, and Cilantro will be back at the Gyozas of the Galaxy booth
In confirming those three menu items, they also gave us three of the returning booths! As you may remember, Gyozas of the Galaxy was new last year. We can’t wait for the full list to come out, so we can start planning what to eat! Personally, I’ve got my fingers crossed for the return of the Hawaiian Rice Bowl from the Hawaii booth and the Tropical Mimosa from Shimmering Sips.
Disney also shared that there will be a phased opening for some of the Global Marketplaces in 2026. We saw this happen last year when booths like Coastal Eats and Gyozas of the Galaxy didn’t open at the beginning of the festival. In fact, they weren’t available until late September. Which booths are open (and when) can certainly impact your decision about the best dates to visit the festival. MouseHouseNews.net will keep you posted on the impacted booths and their specific opening dates once we have more information. Stay tuned!
Emile’s Fromage Montage
It wouldn’t be an EPCOT festival without a food crawl activity! If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s very simple. Purchase specific food items during the festival, collect a stamp in your festival passport booklet for each purchase, and earn a prize once you’ve collected the required number of stamps. As the name implies, the food crawl during Food & Wine is all about cheesy goodness. In the past, participating items have included both sweet and savory options. It’s a tasty way to try a variety of festival items and get rewarded for your efforts!
Eat to the Beat Concert Series
Food & Wine may be primarily about food, but that’s not all you’ll be able to enjoy during the festival. Each EPCOT festival also features live entertainment. You can enjoy nightly concerts in the America Gardens Theater in the American Adventure Pavilion as part of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. These concerts are included with the price of your EPCOT admission.
Keep in mind that seating for concerts is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to guarantee a seat for a given performance during your visit, keep an eye out for information about Eat to the Beat Concert Series Dining Packages. These dining packages allow you to enjoy a delicious meal from a participating EPCOT restaurant plus a guaranteed seat for an Eat to the Beat concert on the same day. Disney has confirmed these dining packages will once again be available to book for 2026. MouseHouseNews.net will bring you the concert lineup as well as information and pricing for dining packages as soon as it is revealed.
Remy’s Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt
Another mainstay of EPCOT festivals are the optional scavenger hunts. To play along, you can purchase a scavenger hunt map and stickers at a participating merchandise location during the festival. Then, keep an eye out for our friend, Remy, as he hides around World Showcase. Whenever you spot him, place the corresponding sticker on your map. Once you have found all of his hiding places, return to Creations Shop, Disney Traders, World Traveler, or participating Festival Marketplace to redeem for a prize!
Other Fall Fun At Walt Disney World
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival isn’t the only event you can look forward to in Disney World this fall. We’ve already started receiving details about the return of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party too. Can you believe we’re halfway to Halloween?
If you’re ready to start planning your trip to visit the EPCOT Food & Wine festival, click the button below to request a free Disney vacation quote from MouseHouseNews.net’s Marcus. He’s a travel specialist with the expertise to help you plan that perfect magical getaway!
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The season is extra magical (as everything is) with a visit to Walt Disney World. I can’t wait to eat plenty of fromage (cheese) and other delectable goodies as I make my way around EPCOT. I hope you’ll join me for the journey! Stay tuned to MouseHouseNews.net for continuing coverage on the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival and much more. For fun videos from Walt Disney World, subscribe to the MouseHouseNewsNet YouTube channel as well. We’ll see you real soon!
