The first EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival opened Sept. 28, 1996, and lasted 30 days. This year’s 30th-anniversary festival runs 87 days, with more than 30 Global Marketplaces.
Thirty years ago today, EPCOT tried something new to get people through the gates in the fall.
The first EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival opened on Sept. 28, 1996, and ran for 30 days, through Oct. 27, per AllEars. It was a way “to boost park attendance during the slower season, bridging the gap between summertime and the holidays,” AllEars wrote in its history of the event.
It worked. The festival now takes up most of the fall.
When did the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival start?
Sept. 28, 1996. That makes today the 30th anniversary of opening day.
Back then, the festival was a lot smaller. The Disney Food Blog, which has covered it since 2009, calls it a “roughly 30-day event” at the start. By 2009 it had grown to 75 days with more than 25 booths.
One thing that has stuck around is the idea of going beyond World Showcase. Walk around the lagoon today and you’ll find marketplaces for places like Brazil and Greece, which don’t have a permanent pavilion. For a few months a year, the festival fills in the rest of the map.
How long is the 2026 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival?
This year’s festival runs from Aug. 27 to Nov. 21, 2026, per the Disney Parks Blog. That’s 87 days, almost three times as long as the first one.
For the 30th, Disney is bringing back 30 returning or reimagined dishes from the festival’s history, per the Disney Food Blog, along with “more than 30 Global Marketplaces” and “over 100 new menu items.”
What was the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival like in the ‘90s?
More like a food-and-wine class than a snack crawl.
Celebrity chef appearances started in 1997, wine tastings followed in 1998 and educational exhibits came in 1999, per AllEars. For years, the Festival Center hosted cooking demos, beverage seminars and cheese classes.
That building closed in 2019, and the ticketed Party for the Senses was last held that year too, per the Disney Food Blog. The festival today is more casual: grab a small plate, keep walking, repeat.
How much has the Food and Wine Festival changed?
A lot, especially the prices.
In 2009, small plates cost between $2 and $7, per the Disney Food Blog. Today most dishes cost quite a bit more, though you can still find cheaper bites if you hunt.
The festival has also added scavenger hunts, cheese crawls and even Muppet-themed booths in recent years. The format has moved from an education event to something more family-friendly, the Disney Food Blog says.
Is the Eat to the Beat concert series still at Food and Wine?
Yes. The Eat to the Beat Concert Series is back for 2026 at the America Gardens Theatre, with multiple shows most days, per the Disney Parks Blog.
How do you celebrate the 30th anniversary at EPCOT?
Go hungry, wear comfortable shoes and start with the returning dishes. Weekday afternoons are usually calmer than Saturdays. The festival’s Foodie Guide on Disney’s site and in the My Disney Experience app lists every marketplace and menu.
The festival has almost two months left. That’s plenty of time to eat your way around the world, one small plate at a time, the way guests have since 1996.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
AllEars, festival history: first dates, purpose and early additions
Disney Food Blog (Sept. 9, 2026), how the festival has changed and the 30th-anniversary details
Disney Parks Blog (Aug. 5, 2026), 2026 dates and Eat to the Beat
DisTwitr Podcast on X (Sept. 28, 2026), the anniversary reminder
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