Walt Disney World Resort has rolled out a fix for a problem it created, offering theme park guests a new place to rest their festival snacks after phasing out a fan-favorite workaround. The change arrives just ahead of the 30th annual EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, which opens August 27, 2026.
The Swap That Started It All
Over recent months, Walt Disney World Resort has been steadily swapping out its old flat-top trash and recycling bins for a newer design across its theme parks. The updated bins open with a foot pedal instead of a push-top lid and include internal compactors, reducing how often custodial staff needs to empty them. Outdoor versions also feature rounded solar panels built into the top.
On paper, the redesign — created by Walt Disney Imagineers and themed to match its surroundings — looked like a low-key infrastructure upgrade. But once the new bins began appearing around the EPCOT World Showcase, longtime Disney Park guests noticed a problem.
During packed annual events like the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, guests have long relied on the flat surfaces of the old trash cans as makeshift tables while grabbing small bites from the Global Marketplaces. The new rounded tops don’t offer the same flat surface, making it much harder to set down a food tray or a drink.
Temporary Counters Appear in Germany World Showcase Pavilion
With the festival just a week away, Walt Disney World Resort has begun installing temporary wooden counters along railings throughout the EPCOT World Showcase. WDW News Today posted a photo on Facebook on August 20 showing the first of these counters set up in the Germany World Showcase Pavilion.
Each counter includes a raised back lip, seemingly meant to stop food or trash from spilling into nearby flowerbeds, along with a posted “no seating” sign — though it’s an open question whether Disney Park guests will actually respect it.
Menu for the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
This year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival runs August 27 through November 21. Walt Disney World Resort has already released the complete list of Global Marketplaces, though menu offerings could still shift before opening day. Marking the festival’s 30th year, the Central Florida vacation destination plans to bring back or rework 30 fan-favorite dishes from festivals past.
What do you think about these new railing counters for the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!
