Festival Dates and 30th Anniversary Focus

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival returns for its 30th edition from August 27 to November 21, 2026. To commemorate this milestone, Disney has curated 30 items that either returned from previous festivals or were reimagined from earlier years. These anniversary selections are indicated with a special 30th-anniversary icon in the official Foodie Guide, helping guests identify dishes with historical significance to the festival.

Returning items span decades of festival history. The Potato Pierogi, featuring kielbasa, caramelized onions, and sour cream, traces back to 1996 at the Poland marketplace. The Rodizio-style Grilled Beef Skewer with marble potatoes, charred shallots, roasted baby peppers, and chimichurri was introduced in 2009 at Argentina. The Bo Ssam Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps with bo ssam pork belly, kimchi slaw, and spicy aïoli originated in 2010 at the South Korea marketplace. The Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Trifle featuring PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese with citrus sauce and spice cake topped with cranberry streusel dates to 2011 at Hops & Barley.

Emile’s Fromage Montage and Cheese Programming

The festival reintroduces Emile’s Fromage Montage, a dedicated cheese food stroll featuring items from Global Marketplaces. Participating items are marked with a cheese emoji in official materials. Guests who purchase five of these designated cheese items can collect stamps in a Festival Passport and redeem their completed passport for a festival treat at Shimmering Sips.

A temporary interactive exhibit called “Cheers to Cheese!” operates in CommuniCore Hall from September 18 through November 8, 2026, hosted by Dairy Does More. This exhibit celebrates cheese through educational content and interactive displays. The Wedge marketplace, also in CommuniCore Hall, serves multiple cheese-focused offerings including selections of cheeses with accompaniments featuring Proudly Wisconsin Cheese, three variations of macaroni and cheese (Crab and Corn, Three-Cheese, and Cheesesteak), a Cannoli Milk Shake topped with chocolate shavings, cannoli shell, and a maraschino cherry, and wine and cheese pairings.

The Crab and Corn Macaroni and Cheese at The Wedge was originally introduced in 2015 at Farm Fresh, indicating it has been relocated or reimagined for this year’s festival.

Staggered Marketplace Openings

Several marketplaces operate on delayed schedules rather than running the full festival duration. The Wedge in CommuniCore Hall opens September 18, missing the festival’s first three weeks and final two weeks. Festival Favorites, also in CommuniCore Hall, begins September 9, approximately two weeks after the festival opens. Coastal Eats near Creations Shop does not start until October 2, operating for a condensed window of the 12-week festival.

This staggered timing creates significant planning implications. Guests visiting in late August will find fewer marketplace options than those attending in October or November. The official source material does not provide explanations for these delayed openings or confirm operating windows for other locations such as Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey, Gyozas of the Galaxy, Flavors from Fire, Earth Eats, or The Fry Basket.

New Items and Reimagined Offerings

The 2026 festival introduces numerous new items alongside the 30th-anniversary selections. At The Wedge, new offerings include wine and cheese pairings and multiple cheese selections. The Cannoli Milk Shake and the entire Wine and Cheese Pairing experience are marked as new to this location.

Brewery and beverage selections feature multiple new offerings. Civil Society Brewing’s Everyday I’m Waffle’n IPA, 3 Daughters Brewing’s Peanut Butter Blondie Blonde Ale, and Ciderboys’ Cherry Jubilee Hard Cider debut this year at Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey. The Fry Basket introduces Barrel of Monks’ Blood Orange Bliss Sour Ale. Flavors from Fire adds 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel-Aged Zinfandel.

Food innovations include the Buffalo-Dill Pickle Wing Experiments with house-made pickle ranch at Brew-Wing Lab, the Sweet Chile-Lime Plant-based Chicken Strips at the same location, the Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings at Gyozas of the Galaxy, the Smoked Chocolate Bread Pudding at Flavors from Fire, the Caramel-Apple Cheesecake Baumkuchen at Connections Eatery, the Pistachio-Chocolate Mochi Doughnut at Connections Café, and the Lemon-Almond-Olive Oil Cake at World Nature Earth Eats.

Payment and Accessibility Features

Disney offers festival-exclusive gift card wristlets featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck designs. These wearable payment devices require a minimum $15 activation fee and are available for purchase at merchandise locations throughout EPCOT during the festival. The wristlets function as Disney Gift Cards and can be used at Global Marketplaces and anywhere Disney Gift Card is accepted.

Plant-based options appear throughout the festival. Edamame Dumplings with butternut squash purée, caramelized onions, sage, and walnut-toasted garlic aillade are available at Gyozas of the Galaxy. Sweet Chile-Lime Plant-based Chicken Strips with plant-based cilantro crema and spicy peppers are offered at Brew-Wing Lab. Adobo Yuca Fries with plant-based garlic-cilantro aïoli and Sweet Potato Casserole Fries appear at The Fry Basket. Multiple items are specifically designated as plant-based in the official materials.

Beverage Flight Options

Multiple marketplaces offer curated beverage flights. Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey provides a beer flight and a separate hard cider flight, allowing guests to sample multiple styles in one offering. Festival Favorites offers a beer flight. The Wedge includes a wine flight featuring Bodegas Avancia Old Vines Godello, Las Jaras Superbloom Rosé, and Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. The source material does not specify serving sizes or total volume for individual flight components.

Regional breweries feature prominently in the lineup. 3 Daughters Brewing, Civil Society Brewing, Playalinda Brewing Co., Parish Brewing Co., Bold Rock, Barrel of Monks, and Left Hand Brewing Co. all appear in the beverage selections.

Planning Considerations

Guests planning their festival visits should verify specific details before arrival:

  • Confirmed opening dates and hours for all marketplaces, particularly The Wedge, Festival Favorites, Coastal Eats, and Earth Eats
  • Pricing for individual food items, beverage flights, and gift card wristlets
  • Exact marketplace locations for items not explicitly positioned in the source material
  • Redemption procedures and reward specifics for the Emile’s Fromage Montage stamp collection
  • Detailed allergen and ingredient information beyond the plant-based designations shown
  • Whether standard payment methods function at all marketplace locations

The staggered marketplace openings mean that visit timing significantly affects which offerings are available. Early-festival visitors in late August will encounter a different selection than those attending in October. Advance consultation with official Disney sources remains essential for anyone planning around specific items or experiences.