EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival 2026: Dates, First Menu Items, Merchandise and What Returns
The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival runs August 27 to November 21, 2026, an 87-day stretch that carries the park from late summer into Thanksgiving week. Disney has confirmed the first three returning marketplace dishes, the return of Emile's Fromage Montage and Remy's Hide and Squeak, the Eat to the Beat concert series, and a new Cheers to Cheese exhibit opening at CommuniCore Hall on September 18.
The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival runs from August 27 to November 21, 2026, an 87-day stretch that carries the park from the end of summer through Thanksgiving week. Disney has now confirmed the dates along with the first three returning marketplace dishes, the return of both festival scavenger trails, the Eat to the Beat concert series, and a new exhibit at CommuniCore Hall devoted entirely to cheese.
Key Details
- Dates: August 27 to November 21, 2026
- Where: World Showcase, World Celebration and CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT
- Admission: Included with EPCOT theme park admission, with food and drink priced per item
- New this year: A Cheers to Cheese exhibit at CommuniCore Hall from September 18
- Marketplaces: Some open in phases, and the full Foodie Guide with menus is still to come
- Concerts: Eat to the Beat at the America Gardens Theatre, included with admission
Festival dates and how long it runs
The festival has been part of the EPCOT calendar since 1996, and it is still the longest of the park's four annual festivals. The 2026 run of August 27 to November 21 means it opens while Florida is at its hottest and closes the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so a single festival covers three very different versions of the park: late-summer evenings, Halloween season and the first cool weeks of fall.
That length is worth planning around. Marketplaces open in phases rather than all at once, so a late-August visit and a November visit are not the same festival. Disney has confirmed that the full Foodie Guide, with complete menus and per-marketplace opening dates, is still to be published.
The first three marketplace dishes confirmed
Menus are not final, but Disney has named three returning items:
- Street Corn-style Dumplings at Gyozas of the Galaxy: chicken dumplings with tomatillo salsa verde, street corn salad, cotija, lime crema and cilantro.
- Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer at the Australia marketplace, served with sweet-and-sour vegetables and a coconut-chilie sauce.
- Kirschwasser Torte at The Alps: cherry-brandy buttercream, fondant, sugared almonds and cherry compote.
All three are returning rather than new, which tracks with how the festival tends to work. A core of proven dishes anchors the marketplace list and the new items get announced closer to opening day, usually in the Foodie Guide.
Emile's Fromage Montage returns
Emile's Fromage Montage is back for another year. It is a food stroll rather than a booth: guests collect a stamp in a festival passport for each qualifying cheese dish they try at participating Global Marketplaces, and completing the set earns a festival treat. Named for the cheese-loving brother in Ratatouille, it has become the most reliable way to give a festival day a structure beyond wandering.
Both sweet and savory cheese dishes count toward the total, which is the detail most first-timers miss. The dessert options are part of the list, not a distraction from it.
Remy's Hide and Squeak returns to World Showcase
Remy's Ratatouille Hide and Squeak is also confirmed. Guests buy a themed map with stickers, then hunt for small Remy figures tucked around World Showcase along with the ingredients he is collecting. Finding him in every location earns a keepsake.
It is the most family-friendly thing the festival does, and it doubles as a reason to walk into pavilions a family might otherwise skip. For anyone traveling with children who have no interest in a cheese passport, this is the version of the festival that works.
Eat to the Beat at the America Gardens Theatre
The Eat to the Beat Concert Series returns to the America Gardens Theatre at The American Adventure pavilion, with several performances a day through the festival. Concerts are included with EPCOT admission and seating is first come, first served, so the practical cost is time in a queue rather than money.
Festival dining packages went on sale July 16 for guests who would rather not queue. A package pairs a meal at a participating restaurant with a guaranteed seat for a designated show, which is the only way to lock in a seat in advance. The full performer lineup has already been announced separately.
Cheers to Cheese arrives at CommuniCore Hall
CommuniCore Hall has been running GoofyCore through the Cool KIDS' SUMMER programming, and it changes over on September 18 to an interactive exhibit called Cheers to Cheese. Disney describes it as a walk through the history and trivia of cheese, which pairs neatly with the Fromage Montage happening a few hundred feet away in World Showcase.
The September 18 date matters for anyone visiting in the first three weeks of the festival, because it will not be open yet.
The 2026 festival merchandise
This year's collection works in blue, orange, yellow and purple across apparel, accessories and kitchenware. Disney has detailed four pieces so far:
EPCOT International Food and Wine tee
Food and Wine tee, pocket detail
EPCOT International Food and Wine ears
Food and Wine ears, close view
Food and Wine sweatshirt
EPCOT International Food and Wine baseball cap
The tee is white with the festival logo on the front pocket. The ears are the most detailed piece: a tiny chef hat, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in festival colors, and a moveable rolling pin and mini whisk mounted on the ears. The sweatshirt is the practical buy for a November visit, when World Showcase after dark actually gets cold, and the cap covers the August end of the run.
Disney says the rest of the collection includes a churro that unfolds into a tote bag, a wine glass sized to fit the festival tray, and a mug with a pastry lid.
PhotoPass Magic Shots around the park
Disney PhotoPass photographers will have festival photo ops across EPCOT, including one new Magic Shot and four returning ones:
- New: Waiter Mickey Mouse, available throughout World Showcase at the Mexico, China, Italy, Japan and France pavilions.
- Returning: the Giant Empanada.
- Returning: the Leaning Tower of Cheeza, with Max Goof.
- Returning: The Swedish Chef.
- Returning: Chef Figment.
Magic Shots are composited in after the fact, so they only appear on photos taken by a PhotoPass photographer. Downloading them means either buying the individual shots or adding a Memory Maker package to the trip, which is the cheaper route for anyone planning more than a couple of photos.
The rest of EPCOT during the festival
The festival does not replace the park. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, character greetings, and the shops all run as normal, and Celebracion Encanto continues its sing-along run at CommuniCore Plaza. Pairing a marketplace crawl with a couple of attractions is the standard way locals do a festival evening on a single-park day.
What this means for guests
Anyone booking an EPCOT day between late August and Thanksgiving is going to hit this festival whether they planned for it or not, so the dates are the useful part right now. Dining packages are already on sale, and those are the only element with a real deadline attached.
Everything else can wait. Full marketplace menus, prices and phased opening dates land with the Foodie Guide, and a trip planned in early September will look different from one planned for November. Guests booking the front end of the run should also note that Cheers to Cheese does not open until September 18.