Epcot is a special theme park with so much to do, see and eat. There’s even more to enjoy when the food booths are open for different festivals! Epcot is home to a different themed festival each season. Throughout the year, the offerings and decor at the park change to match each festival’s theme. Every Epcot festival follows a similar formula with special food and drink items available in World Showcase and beyond, added shows and entertainment, related merchandise and more. What are the Epcot Festivals? What’s the best time of year to visit Epcot? How much are Epcot festivals? Let’s explore all of the different Epcot festivals along with what you can expect from each.
Here is everything you need to know to plan an amazing visit to enjoy one of Epcot’s festivals at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
What are the Epcot Festivals? Epcot Festivals 2024
There are now four different festivals at Epcot throughout the year:
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Every Epcot festival usually has the following:
- themed food booths around World Showcase and usually elsewhere throughout the park
- special entertainment, demonstrations, seminars and more based on the theme
- annual merchandise with Disney characters
- some kind of scavenger hunt or challenge around World Showcase
- a Spaceship Earth light show that compliments the festival or related time of year
Epcot Festivals Calendar
| EPCOT International Festival of the Arts | January 12 through February 19, 2024 |
| EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival | February 28 through May 27, 2024 |
| EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival | August 29th through November 23rd |
| EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays | 2024 dates not yet announced, November 24 through December 30 in 2023 |
How much is it to go to Epcot festivals? How much are Epcot Food and Wine Festival tickets?
The Epcot festivals are all included with regular park admission. This means you can buy a park ticket to Epcot, or a park hopper, for any day of the festival and that alone gets you in. There is no additional cost to experience almost all festival offerings. Occasionally there are seminars and such for an additional fee but they are optional.
What festivals does Epcot have: Photos, Foods & Entertainment Fun
The festivals at Epcot usually take place around the same time every year. For dates that haven’t been announced yet, we share when the event traditionally takes place. You can find our individual festival guides packed with information linked below.
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
Festival of the Arts is the newest Epcot festival. It debuted in 2017 and was only on the weekends. This event has expanded into a fuller experience over the years. Guests are able to see performances from Disney Broadway Stars in the America Gardens Theatre and participate in the creation of a paint by numbers mural art installation.
At this festival the food booths are called Food Studios. Menu items at festival of the arts are made to represent art, like an artist’s palette cookie, or are art themselves through methods like the deconstruction of beloved regular dishes.
The demonstrations at festival of the arts include fun for everyone like Disney drawing classes. There are also live character painting demonstrations.
Our Epcot Festival of the Arts Guide has more in depth information on this vibrant event.
When is the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts?
This year, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is from January 12 through February 19, 2024. The Epcot arts festival starts the year off with color, projects and fun around the park.
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
Each spring, Epcot is filled with colorful flowers, character topiaries and fresh seasonal fare. The Epcot tea tour is a popular offering in the U.K. Pavilion. Many countries have a little something special for flower and garden like the orchid display in Mexico and the Shakespeare garden also in the U.K.
At this festival the food booths are called Outdoor Kitchens. The food focus at flower and garden festival is fresh and light with an emphasis on in season ingredients. This is the best Epcot festival for vegetarians and vegans when it comes to food.
When is the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival? What Epcot Festival is in May?
The 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival dates are February 28 through May 27. See beautiful landscaping all throughout the park in this impressive display of plants, flowers, topiaries and more. Visuals for this event start to appear before the official opening date and some may be left behind after as the park transforms back to default mode.
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
The Epcot food and wine festival is a big draw for many visitors and probably the most detailed of all of these events. Food and drinks are the focus and Disney delivers plenty of options to indulge around the park.
At this festival, the food booths are called Global Marketplaces. Epcot’s food and wine festival food is focused on rich, savory foods like meats and cheeses but also has an impressive selection of decadent sweets.
How does Epcot food and wine work?
You may want to have a peek at the food both menus online beforehand but small, complimentary paper, festival guide booklets are provided in the park. This is a fairly straight forward process. You don’t need to have a detailed plan or strategy to enjoy the food and wine booths. It’s a relaxed, walk up setting though the lines can be long during the first weekend especially, on the weekends, in the evenings and during other peak times.
Going around when the food booths first open at 11:00 a.m. provides the best experience.
Restaurant reservations are often recommended for Walt Disney World visits but that changes at food and wine. You’ll want to save plenty of room for roaming and grazing at the festival’s Global Marketplaces.
On food and wine booth menus you may see the DDP purple and white icon next to certain items. This means you can use Disney Dining Plan snack credits for these. The dining plan is purchased in advance and is part of Disney vacation packages.
There are also Disney gift cards on wrist bands available, providing an easy way for you to make the rounds without having to get your wallet out over and over again.
When is the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival?
Every fall, World Showcase and the rest of Epcot fill up with flavors from around the world. While 2024 dates are not out yet, the festival ran July 27 through November 18 in 2023.
Based on the schedule of past years, we can probably expect to find out more information about the 2024 Epcot Food and Wine Festival in mid April.
Will Epcot food and wine festival events return in 2024? Is Party for the Senses back?
Disney reopened its parks in 2020 with far less to offer than previous years. Much has returned to the parks but a lot hasn’t. Epcot International Food and Wine Festivals used to have a lot more special event offerings. Party for the Senses is an example of this. This is in event within the festival that happened on the weekends and required the purchase of an extra ticket.
Sadly, we haven’t seen Party for the Senses or some other special extras like this return. Will there be a Party for the Senses 2024? We’ll be paying attention. Information for fall Disney World events like food and wine is typically available in the spring.
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Entertainment is a big part of the holiday festival at Epcot. Most of the countries have an intimate, one or two person, outdoor show that tells the story of Santa, Christmas or a holiday celebrated in their culture. There’s also the JOYFUL! gospel group that sings high energy, uplifting music and the Epcot Candlelight Processional with a choir, orchestra and celebrity narrator who tells the story of Christmas.
At this festival, the food booths are Holiday Kitchens. You can expect to find favorite, homestyle dishes and treats like cookies, turkey dinners and potato latkes.
Our Epcot Festival of the Holidays Guide has lots of photos, food and show information.
When is the Epcot holiday festival?
We don’t have dates for 2024 yet but the festival ran November 24 through December 30 in 2023. The Epcot holiday festival typically starts shortly after Thanksgiving.
On New Year’s Eve, Epcot has a wild party in World Showcase with different celebrations as midnight hits in the different time zones of the countries.
New Epcot Festival Center Opening Summer 2024
Epcot has been under construction for years and it’s all about to be open this summer. On June 10th, 2024, the final area of the park behind construction walls will open. Included in this area is CommuniCore Hall which is the new home to the Epcot festivals.
We have seen different buildings be the festival center over the years. Most recently The Odyssey building has transformed into a special festival themed space each season. CommuniCore Hall seems to be the new home of these kinds of food offering, merchandise, indoor gathering spaces moving forward.
Is an Encanto festival coming to Epcot?
When the new Epcot festival center debuts, there won’t actually be one of the big Epcot festivals going on. However, a new Encanto show will be on the CommuniCore Plaza stage in this area in the park when it opens. The Disney Parks Blog also talks about additional food and entertainment coming when this area opens. CommuniCore Hall will be home to the Epcot festivals but also “celebrations.” We’ll have to see if this is all related to Encanto or something else. This would add to the growing list of places you can find Encanto at Disney World.
Based on what we know now, the first Epcot festival in the new CommuniCore Hall space will be the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival this fall.
Epcot Festival Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best time of year to visit Epcot?
This park can be very different depending on what time of year you go. With different festivals throughout the year, the food offerings, decorations and overall feel of the park change nearly seasonally. Epcot transforms through these popular Disney World events and wows guests with art, flowers, culinary expertise and holiday cheer each season. Considering the festival that’s going on at the time can help you plan a visit that’s just right for you.
How much are Epcot festivals?
You do not have to buy a special ticket to attend an Epcot festival. A regular day ticket to Epcot includes access to the festival which takes place all around the park. Prices vary for tickets to Epcot based on the time of year and day of the week you visit.
Tickets for Epcot start at $109 in 2024 but go up to $179 or more depending on the date of the visit and add ons.
With a multi-day ticket or special, tickets to Epcot could be as low as $73 per day for Florida residents or $89 for everyone else.
What is drink around the world at Disney?
Drinking around the world at Disney refers to sampling beverages from the different countries in World Showcase at Epcot. Epcot was the second park at Walt Disney World Resort. It opened in 1982 and is very different than the Magic Kingdom park. About half of Epcot is one land, or area, called World Showcase. This section of the theme park has eleven pavilions themed after different countries like Mexico and China.
Each country has food and beverage offerings, whether they are sit down restaurants or walk-up kiosks where you can get a margarita and chips and guacamole.
You can drink around the world at Disney any time of year but there are more options when an Epcot festival is going on.
For the festivals, each country has an outdoor food booth with additional small plates and sips. For the food and wine festival, additional countries are present with tastes from that region.
What time do Epcot festival booths open?
The food booths at Epcot festivals usually open at 11:00 a.m. This is when World Showcase officially opens each day. You can walk around most of this area of the park before then but not everything is open at this point. Some things are open before 11:00 a.m. like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall which is the princess breakfast in Norway.
What time do Epcot festival booths close?
Epcot festival booths close when the park closes. This park often closes 9:00 p.m. but times vary depending on the season or if there is the occasional special event.
Does Epcot always have food booths?
Epcot almost always has food booths. Because there is almost always a festival happening at Epcot, you can usually expect to see food booths open on your visit.
Times when you won’t see food booths in Epcot include dates that are between festivals like the first week of January. These dates change a little bit every year so it’s hard to tell far in advance when you won’t see a festival at Epcot.
How many festivals does Epcot have?
Epcot now has four annual festivals. While they all have different themes, all of the Epcot festivals follow a similar formula with food, entertainment and unique opportunities you can participate in.
What do different Epcot festivals look like?
The park can really transform depending on each festival’s theme. For example, Epcot’s enormous Christmas tree lights the entrance to World Showcase for the holiday festival. In the spring, the park’s entrance has a scene of character topiaries that welcome guests into the park. For food and wine, a special scavenger hunt brings a hidden Remy to find in each country. Banners and decor around Epcot change to bring a little something extra to each event.
Do Epcot festivals have fireworks?
The Epcot festivals do not have special firework shows but do show the regular nightly fireworks. Right now, that’s Luminous The Symphony of Us. Your day ticket to Epcot includes all festivals. The Epcot fireworks usually happen at 9:00 p.m. but check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit. We also have great recommendations for where to watch Epcot fireworks.
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