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EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival 2026: Dates Locked at Aug 27 to Nov 21, with Bushberry Shrimp, Galactic Dumplings, and a Boozy Cherry Torte on the Debut List
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EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival 2026: Dates Locked at Aug 27 to Nov 21, with Bushberry Shrimp, Galactic Dumplings, and a Boozy Cherry Torte on the Debut List

Michael Travels
·
Published

Top WDW news, Wednesday April 29, 2026. Disney has the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival 2026 dates locked in, with first-look dishes that suggest a strong year for the booth-by-booth eating crawl.

The headlines:

  • Festival dates: August 27 to November 21, 2026. That's 87 days, the standard "second-half-of-the-year" anchor at EPCOT.
  • No separate ticket needed. The festival is included with regular EPCOT admission.
  • Eat to the Beat is back, with concerts at the America Gardens Theatre included with admission. Lineup is forthcoming.
EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival 2026 announcement art with Spaceship Earth and food booth illustrations. The 2026 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival key art. Image: Disney Parks Blog.

The three debut dishes Disney teased

Disney typically holds back the full menu until later in the summer, but the announcement post on the Disney Parks Blog dropped three new bites worth circling on a planner's map.

Street Corn-style Dumplings at Gyozas of the Galaxy. Disney's official copy: "Chicken Dumplings with Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Street Corn Salad, Cotija, Lime Crema, and Cilantro." An elote-meets-dumpling crossover that pulls from the Street Corn flavor profile EPCOT has leaned into for years.

Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer at the Australia booth, "with Sweet-and-Sour Vegetables and Coconut-Chilie Sauce." Bushberry is the Australian native pepperberry (also called Tasmanian pepperberry), bringing a peppery, eucalyptus-tinged heat that builds slowly. Pairs hard with a Coopers if Australia stocks one.

Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer with sweet-and-sour vegetables and coconut-chili sauce on a black plate. Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp at the Australia booth. Image: Disney Parks Blog.

Kirschwasser Torte at The Alps. Disney's description: "Cherry-Brandy Buttercream, Fondant, Sugared Almonds, and Cherry Compote." Kirschwasser is the clear, double-distilled cherry brandy that anchors a real Black Forest cake; Disney pulling The Alps booth back toward a more confidently boozy regional dessert is a small win.

Kirschwasser Torte with cherry-brandy buttercream, fondant, sugared almonds, and cherry compote on a wooden board. Kirschwasser Torte at The Alps. Image: Disney Parks Blog.

What's coming back

  • Emile's Fromage Montage, the cheese-focused booth crawl. Collect a stamp at each eligible cheese dish across select Global Marketplaces and earn a festival treat when you complete the mission.
  • Remy's Hide & Squeak, the Ratatouille-themed scavenger hunt for kids (and adults who refuse to leave World Showcase without their map fully stamped).
  • Eat to the Beat Concert Series at the America Gardens Theatre, included with EPCOT admission, with first-come, first-served seating.

What's on the watch list

The full booth list and complete menu typically land in mid-to-late June, with passholder-preview events the week before opening. Eat to the Beat lineup announcements have historically come in waves through late June and July.

Worth flagging: WDW News Today reported earlier this month that Walt Disney Imagineering filed two permits at EPCOT that they read as Food and Wine 2026 prep. The link to the festival is now official; we'll see whether those permits surface as new festival features when booths start populating.

Quick planner notes

  • Festival kicks off on a Thursday. The first weekend tends to be the year's most crowded booth weekend, especially for marquee debut items. If you can flex into a weekday in early September, the lines thin out fast.
  • The Alps and Australia are both in World Showcase rather than near Future World. The Alps sits next to the Germany pavilion; Australia is on the opposite side of the lagoon near the World Showcase entrance, so the two new dishes bookend a full lap rather than sitting in one cluster.
  • Annual Passholders typically get a dedicated festival preview window ahead of opening weekend. Watch for that announcement when the booth list lands.

Sources

Image credits. All images: Disney Parks Blog.

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