The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival runs from August 27 through November 21, 2026. The festival is included with valid EPCOT admission and adds Global Marketplace food booths, drinks, live music, scavenger hunts and other seasonal activities throughout the park.
This year is also the festival’s 30th anniversary, and Disney has brought back or reimagined 30 food and drink items from previous years to mark the occasion.
You do not need a separate Food & Wine Festival ticket. You pay for regular EPCOT admission, then purchase whatever food and drinks you want from the festival marketplaces.
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival 2026 at a glance
| 2026 festival detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 27-November 21, 2026 |
| Location | EPCOT at Walt Disney World |
| Festival admission | Included with valid EPCOT admission |
| Food | Global Marketplaces throughout EPCOT |
| Concerts | Eat to the Beat, August 27-November 16 |
| Concert location | America Gardens Theatre |
| Anniversary | 30th anniversary in 2026 |
Disney can change menus, entertainment and individual festival offerings, so I use the official EPCOT Food & Wine Festival page as the final check before visiting.
Is the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival worth it?
I think EPCOT Food & Wine is worth it if trying food around World Showcase is one of the main reasons you enjoy EPCOT. It is much easier to justify when you want a slower day built around food, drinks, entertainment and a few rides rather than trying to complete every attraction in the park.
The important distinction is that the festival does not cost extra, but participating in it can get expensive. Each booth purchase is separate, so the real decision is whether the extra food and drink spending adds enough to your park day.
I would be especially interested in the festival if:
- You like sharing small plates and trying several different cuisines.
- You enjoy EPCOT World Showcase at a slower pace.
- You want live music mixed into the park day.
- You have already experienced EPCOT’s major rides and don’t need the entire day to revolve around attractions.
I would be less enthusiastic about building a day around Food & Wine if the goal is simply to ride as much as possible, your group strongly dislikes crowds, or most people in the group are picky eaters.
2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival menu
The heart of Food & Wine is the collection of Global Marketplaces spread around EPCOT. These temporary festival kiosks serve small dishes, desserts and beverages inspired by cuisines from around the world.
Disney’s 2026 menu mixes returning festival favorites with new dishes. Examples from this year’s official Foodie Guide include:
- Pumpkin-Mascarpone Ravioli at Forest & Field
- Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer at Australia
- Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings at Gyozas of the Galaxy
- Smoked Brisket and Cheddar Melt at Hops & Barley
Because the menu is large and Disney can phase in certain marketplaces during the festival, I wouldn’t try to memorize every item before going. I would skim the official 2026 Foodie Guide, choose a short list of things that genuinely sound good and leave room for something unexpected.
How much does the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival cost?
There is no separate admission charge for the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. It is included with valid EPCOT admission.
Your additional festival cost comes primarily from whatever food, alcoholic drinks, nonalcoholic drinks or merchandise you decide to buy.
That makes Food & Wine different from a separately ticketed Disney event. You can walk through the festival, browse the marketplaces and watch included entertainment without buying food at every booth.
I would set a food budget before entering World Showcase. Small purchases are easy to underestimate when you’re making them one at a time.
One simple way to stretch the budget is sharing. If two people split several dishes instead of buying duplicates, you can sample more of the festival without getting full as quickly.
Emile’s Fromage Montage
Emile’s Fromage Montage returns in 2026 as the festival’s cheese-focused food stroll.
Participating dishes are marked in the Festival Passport. After purchasing five qualifying items and collecting the required stamps, you can redeem the completed challenge for a festival treat at Shimmering Sips.
I like activities like this because they give the day a loose structure without requiring you to follow a complicated itinerary.
Cheers to Cheese at CommuniCore Hall
For the 30th anniversary, EPCOT also has a cheese-focused interactive exhibit in CommuniCore Hall.
Cheers to Cheese runs through November 8, 2026 and is paired with The Wedge marketplace, which serves cheese-centered dishes and drinks.
If your trip falls late in the festival, note that this experience ends before Food & Wine itself ends on November 21.
Eat to the Beat concerts in 2026
The Eat to the Beat Concert Series is one of the biggest non-food reasons to visit during the festival.
In 2026, concerts run nightly from August 27 through November 16 at America Gardens Theatre.
Disney currently schedules performances at:
- 5:30 PM
- 6:45 PM
- 8:00 PM
The 2026 lineup includes artists such as Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Smash Mouth, The Fray, Boyz II Men, Grace Potter and The Beach Boys, along with other touring and local acts.
Concerts are included with valid EPCOT admission. Disney also sells dining packages that include a meal and guaranteed seating for an Eat to the Beat performance.
I would check Disney’s current Eat to the Beat schedule if a particular performer is important to your trip.
Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak
Food & Wine isn’t only an adult food-and-drink event.
Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak is a scavenger hunt around the festival that has you search for Remy at different locations throughout EPCOT.
This is one of the easiest ways to give kids, or adults who enjoy Disney scavenger hunts, something to do while the rest of the group explores the marketplaces.
Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit
If you’re visiting around Halloween, Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit adds another scavenger hunt to EPCOT.
The 2026 hunt runs through November 2 and involves finding Disney character-inspired pumpkins around the park.
Because it ends several weeks before Food & Wine, I would not assume it will still be available on a late-November festival visit.
Best time of day for EPCOT Food & Wine
If Food & Wine is one of my priorities, I prefer to begin sampling the marketplaces earlier rather than saving everything for the evening.
World Showcase can become noticeably busier later in the day, particularly on popular festival dates. Starting earlier lets me try the food I care about before turning the rest of the evening into a more relaxed experience.
I usually split the park day into two parts:
- Morning: concentrate on major rides while waits are generally more manageable.
- Late morning and afternoon: transition toward marketplaces and World Showcase.
- Evening: choose one or two priorities, such as Eat to the Beat, another round of festival food or nighttime EPCOT.
If the rides are important too, my EPCOT rope drop strategy and EPCOT Lightning Lane strategy can help you get the attraction-heavy part of the day under control before shifting into festival mode.
Can you do the festival and EPCOT rides in one day?
Yes, but I would not try to do every ride and every festival booth.
Food & Wine works best when you leave time to wander. If you’re constantly rushing from one attraction reservation to another, a lot of the festival’s appeal gets lost.
For a first visit, I would pick a few major attractions and a handful of marketplaces rather than trying to complete both EPCOT and Food & Wine like a checklist.
If you’re not sure which attractions deserve the limited ride time, use my best EPCOT rides guide or the complete list of EPCOT rides.
Are weekends worse for EPCOT Food & Wine?
I would expect the atmosphere to vary substantially by date, but I wouldn’t make a universal rule that every weekend will be miserable and every weekday will be quiet.
If I had flexible dates and wanted a more relaxed festival visit, I would compare weekday options first. If I were specifically visiting for an Eat to the Beat performer or another dated activity, I would choose the experience I cared about and plan around the crowds.
The festival runs for nearly three months, so there is no reason to treat every date as if it produces the same park experience.
Is EPCOT Food & Wine good for kids?
It can be, especially if you treat it as an EPCOT day that happens to include a festival rather than making food booths the only activity.
Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak, festival entertainment, character greetings and normal EPCOT attractions give families plenty to do besides eating and drinking.
If you’re planning around younger children, my EPCOT for toddlers guide can help you balance the festival with naps, rides and lower-key activities.
What should you bring?
I don’t carry anything dramatically different just because it’s Food & Wine, but a few basics make the long World Showcase loop easier:
- A refillable water bottle
- Comfortable shoes
- Portable phone charger
- Sun protection
- A realistic food budget
Disney also sells mini festival Disney Gift Cards that can be loaded with money and worn on the wrist, which can be convenient if you want to set aside a specific festival budget.
Food & Wine vs other EPCOT festivals
Food & Wine is the EPCOT festival I would choose if eating around World Showcase and evening entertainment are the main priorities.
If you’re deciding between seasons, the EPCOT festival calendar gives you the broader annual picture.
- Food & Wine: Global Marketplaces, Eat to the Beat and a strong food-focused atmosphere.
- Festival of the Arts: visual art, performing art and festival food.
- Festival of the Holidays: holiday traditions, seasonal storytelling and holiday kitchens.
My 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival verdict
I think the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is worth making part of an EPCOT day, particularly if you enjoy trying several small dishes, exploring World Showcase and mixing food with live entertainment.
I wouldn’t try to “complete” the festival. Pick the marketplaces that sound best, give yourself time between dishes and keep a few normal EPCOT attractions in the plan.
The festival continues through November 21, 2026. For current menus, marketplace availability and entertainment updates, check Disney’s official festival page before your visit.
