Guide to EPCOT Food and Wine Festival 2026
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival 2026: Complete Guide
The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival begins August 27 and runs through November 21, 2026. The festival is included with regular EPCOT admission, although park reservations may be required depending on your ticket type.
🌎 What Is Food & Wine Festival?
The festival transforms EPCOT into a massive culinary tour featuring Global Marketplaces throughout the park. Disney describes the 2026 festival as a culinary adventure spanning six continents, with festival-exclusive food and beverages.
The biggest attractions are:
- 🍴 Global Marketplaces
- 🧀 Emile’s Fromage Montage
- 🐭 Remy’s Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt
- 🎶 Eat to the Beat Concert Series
- 🍷 Specialty drinks and festival-exclusive beverages
- 🛍️ Limited-edition Food & Wine merchandise
- 📸 Festival PhotoPass opportunities
Disney has also released the official 2026 Foodie Guide with the complete menus.
🍽️ Global Marketplaces
The food booths are the heart of Food & Wine Festival. Rather than sitting down for a traditional meal, you can walk around World Showcase and sample small portions from different countries and regions.
Some of the 2026 highlights include:
🇦🇺 Australia
Returning favorite:
- Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer
🌳 Forest & Field
Returning favorite:
- Pumpkin-Mascarpone Ravioli
🥟 Gyozas of the Galaxy
New for 2026:
- Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings
🇺🇸 Hops & Barley
New for 2026:
- Smoked Brisket and Cheddar Melt
These are just a few of the new and returning dishes in this year’s festival.
Pro tip: Don’t try to eat everything in one visit. Pick several dishes you’re most interested in, then return another day for the ones you missed.
🧀 Emile’s Fromage Montage
One of the most popular Food & Wine Festival activities is Emile’s Fromage Montage.
You purchase selected cheese-focused dishes at participating Global Marketplaces and collect stamps in your festival passport. Once you’ve completed the required challenge, you can redeem your passport for a special completion treat.
It’s essentially a food scavenger hunt for cheese lovers and is one of the best ways to make your way around the festival.
🐭 Remy’s Hide & Squeak
Families and Disney fans can also take part in Remy’s Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt.
Look around EPCOT for hidden Remy figures and record your discoveries on the scavenger-hunt map.
It’s a fun activity if you’re traveling with kids—and also gives adults another reason to explore areas of EPCOT they might otherwise walk past.
🎶 Eat to the Beat Concert Series
Food isn’t the only attraction.
The Eat to the Beat Concert Series, presented by Enterprise, brings live music to the America Gardens Theatre throughout the festival. Disney says the lineup includes renowned performers as well as fresh local talent.
If there’s a particular concert you really want to see, consider a Concert Series Dining Package.
The package combines a meal at a participating EPCOT restaurant with a guaranteed seat for an Eat to the Beat performance that same day.
Without a dining package, concert seating is first-come, first-served and subject to availability.
💰 How Much Money Should You Budget?
Food & Wine can get expensive surprisingly quickly because the portions are designed for sampling.
A good strategy is to establish a food budget before entering EPCOT.
For example:
Light tasting: $30–$50 per person
Moderate tasting: $50–$80 per person
Foodie day: $80+ per person
Prices vary by marketplace and item, so check the individual menus before deciding how much you want to spend.
Best strategy: Share dishes. Two or three people can often split several festival items and try considerably more food for the same budget.
⏰ Best Time to Visit
Weekdays
Generally your best bet for a more relaxed experience.
Opening weekend
Great atmosphere, but expect significant crowds and lines because everyone wants to try the new dishes.
September
A particularly good time to experience the festival if you want the full fall atmosphere without waiting until the busiest holiday-season period.
October
Expect larger crowds around weekends, especially as Halloween events and fall travel increase.
November
The final weeks are a great opportunity to experience Food & Wine while also enjoying EPCOT’s transition toward the holiday season.
The festival ends November 21, just before the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays begins November 27.
🗺️ Best Way to Tour the Festival
I’d recommend not starting at the World Showcase entrance and immediately buying food at every booth.
Instead:
1. Get your Festival Passport
Use it to mark the foods you want to try.
2. Review the menus first
Disney’s official 2026 Foodie Guide is the best place to see the complete offerings.
3. Pick 8–12 must-try items
Don’t attempt to sample everything.
4. Start early
Crowds generally increase as the afternoon progresses.
5. Take a break
Enjoy attractions such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Spaceship Earth between food stops.
6. Return after dark
EPCOT’s World Showcase takes on a completely different atmosphere at night, making an evening Food & Wine stroll one of the highlights of the festival.
⭐ My Top Tips for 2026
Bring a water bottle. You’re going to be eating and walking a lot.
Share dishes. This is probably the single best way to maximize the number of foods you can try.
Don’t overlook desserts. Some of the best festival items aren’t savory.
Check the entertainment schedule. You can build your food route around an Eat to the Beat performance.
Consider a dining package if seeing a particular concert is important to you.
Visit twice if possible. One day is enough for highlights, but two visits make it much easier to explore the festival without rushing.
Go after 5 p.m. for atmosphere. The combination of Global Marketplaces, World Showcase lighting, live entertainment and nighttime EPCOT is hard to beat.
