EPCOT has been quiet all summer. That ends in a few hours.
For a few weeks between festivals, the park becomes something it rarely gets to be. Open promenade. Short lines. Pavilions that are pavilions instead of booth backdrops.
Some guests love it. Others call it an empty park with nothing to do.
Does not matter now.
The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival opens tomorrow, August 27, and runs through November 21. Almost three months of Global Marketplaces, concerts, and crowds.
The park will feel entirely different tomorrow morning. One thing to know first.
Six Things Are Not Open Tomorrow
This catches people every year. The festival starts tomorrow. The festival is not complete tomorrow.
Later openings:
- Festival Favorites, September 9
- The Wedge Hosted by Dairy Does More at CommuniCore Hall, September 18 through November 8
- Coastal Eats, October 2
- Earth Eats, October 2
- India, October 2
- The Alps, October 2
Four of those are more than a month out.
Want the Chicken Tikka Masala at India? The Tartiflette at The Alps? The Seafood Pot Pie at Coastal Eats? Not tomorrow.
Thirty Years
This one is a milestone. The 2026 festival marks 30 years of Food & Wine at EPCOT.
Disney put the anniversary in the food, not just the merch. Thirty items across the festival have returned or been reimagined, each flagged with a 30th icon in the Foodie Guide.
Some go way back. The Potato Pierogi at Festival Favorites debuted in 1996. So did the Dumplings Trio at China, the Apple Strudel at Germany, the Spicy Temaki Hand Roll at Japan, and the Trio d’Escargots at France. The Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Bowl at Tangierine Café goes back to 2003.
Good reason to hunt specific items instead of just grazing.
What You Can Get Tomorrow
Plenty.
World Showcase opens with Australia, Mexico, China, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Greece, Belgium, Brazil, France, Canada, and Hawai’i, plus Refreshment Outpost and Tangierine Café.
Around World Celebration and World Nature: Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey, Gyozas of the Galaxy, Flavors from Fire, and The Fry Basket.
The walkway booths are live too. Bramblewood Bites, Milled & Mulled, Forest & Field, Swirled Showcase, and Shimmering Sips.
New items on day one worth targeting:
- Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings at Gyozas of the Galaxy
- Smoked Brisket and Cheddar Melt at Hops & Barley
- Wiener Schnitzel at Germany
- Tostada de Osso Buco at Mexico
- Moqueca de Camarão at Brazil
And the Pumpkin-Mascarpone Ravioli at Forest & Field is open from the start, which matters because people ask about it more than anything else on the menu.
Fromage Montage Returns
Same rules. Buy five qualifying cheese items from participating Global Marketplaces, collect stamps in your Festival Passport, and redeem at Shimmering Sips for a treat.
Planning to finish it early? Heads up. The Wedge carries several qualifying cheese dishes and does not open until September 18. Not impossible in August, but your options shrink.
Everything Else
- Eat to the Beat Concert Series presented by Enterprise, with Concert Series Dining Packages for same-day guaranteed seating
- Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak
- Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, September 25 through November 2
- Cheers to Cheese exhibit at CommuniCore Hall, September 18 through November 8
- Jammin’ Chefs performing throughout
- Festival merchandise and mini festival gift cards parkwide
Included with valid EPCOT admission. A theme park reservation may be required depending on ticket type.
Last Quiet Night
If you liked the calm version of EPCOT, tonight is it.
Tomorrow, the kiosks open, and the park returns to being the busiest food event on the property for three straight months.
I will miss it for about as long as it takes to get my first plate of Pumpkin-Mascarpone Ravioli.
All offerings subject to change and availability.
