Disney Reveals Full Concert Lineup, Band Dates & Dining Packages for 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Walt Disney World has officially announced dates and details for the 2026 Eat to the Beat Concert Series at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. This post covers the lineup of bands and musicians, dining package pricing & participating restaurants, ADR info, and everything else you need to know.

This year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will begin on August 27, 2026 and run through November 21, 2026 for a grand total of 87 days. Everything you need to know about the fall foodie event is covered in our Ultimate Guide to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.

Eat to the Beat performances are held near the American Adventure in World Showcase. The concerts are included with regular EPCOT admission, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis unless you purchase the Eat to the Beat Dining Package.

Hear world-renowned artists and talented local acts at 2026 Eat to the Beat concerts, which take place:

• Dates: Nightly from August 27 to November 16, 2026
• Showtimes: 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM
• Location: America Gardens Theatre at EPCOT

View the full 2026 schedule below. All entertainment and artist appearances are subject to change or cancellation without notice. To that point, there have been minor schedule changes to the Eat to the Beat Concert Series in recent years after the official lineups were released.

The musical menu has something for every musical taste. During these Eat to the Beat concerts, popular bands from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s perform some of their greatest hits for the Food & Wine Festival crowds.

The team at Disney Live Entertainment has cooked up a lineup full of flavor and fun for young kids and music lovers of all ages. Get ready to sip, snack and sing along, because we are bringing the beat back this fall.

Brand-new headliners making their Walt Disney World debut at the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival include Lauren Alaina, Fitz and The Tantrums, and Grace Potter, serving up a taste of everything from country to indie pop and blues.

Disney will also welcome back plenty of returning favorites to the 2026 foodie festival, featuring the songs you know and love from Boyz II Men, Yellowcard, The Beach Boys, and more. Each week, EPCOT will bring internationally recognized artists, house favorites, and hit local talent, delivering genres for every music fan.

Here are dates & details for the 2026 Eat to the Beat Concert Series during the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival:

• August 27, 2026: Evolution: Motown
• August 28-31, 2026: Hanson
• September 1-3, 2026: Evolution: Motown
• September 4-5, 2026: The War and Treaty (NEW)
• September 6-7, 2026: Yellowcard
• September 8-10, 2026: Fly Guys
• September 11-12, 2026: Couch (NEW)
• September 13-14, 2026: Fitz and the Tantrums (NEW)
• September 15-17, 2026: Latin Ambition
• September 18-19, 2026: MercyMe
• September 20-21, 2026: Grupo Manía (NEW)
• September 22-24, 2026: Metro Latino Band
• September 25-27, 2026: Element
• September 28-29, 2026: New Found Glory
• September 30, 2026: Smash Mouth

• October 1, 2026: Smash Mouth
• October 2-4, 2026: Champagne Orchestra
• October 5-6, 2026: Rey Ruiz (NEW)
• October 7-8, 2026: Tiffany
• October 9-11, 2026: Viva Latina
• October 12-13, 2026: The Fray
• October 14-15, 2026: STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
• October 16-18, 2026: Jaclyn Hayden
• October 19-20, 2026: Ben Rector
• October 21-22, 2026: Allen Stone (NEW)
• October 23-25, 2026: SoundUp
• October 26-27, 2026: Lauren Alaina (NEW)
• October 28-29, 2026: Bowling For Soup
• October 30-31, 2026: Southbound
• November 1, 2026: Southbound
• Nov 2-3, 2026: Boyz II Men
• Nov 4-5, 2026: Big Head Todd and The Monsters (NEW)
• Nov 6-8, 2026: M-80’s
• Nov 9-10, 2026: Grace Potter (NEW)
• Nov 11-12, 2026: The Beach Boys
• Nov 13-16, 2026: The Hooligans

While standby seating is available, you can also take advantage of a dining package to secure guaranteed seats…

2026 Eat to the Beat Dining Packages

Guests can secure spots at the show by reserving an Eat to the Beat Dining Package starting July 16, 2026. This should work like other ADRs, with availability on a rolling basis and the 60+10 rule applying.

When you purchase the Festival Concert Series Dining Package, you can enjoy the following choices:

• Choose from breakfast, lunch or dinner (selections will vary depending on the restaurant you choose)
• Entree and Dessert or buffet
• Non-Alcoholic Beverage or an Alcoholic Beverage (for guests ages 21 and older)

Please note that specific offerings may vary by restaurant. For example, at Spice Road Table, the meal includes two small plates, a shared dessert platter and a beverage. Prices for the dining package vary by restaurant and mealtime.

After you’ve devoured your delicious meal, you’ll receive Eat to the Beat concert badges at the restaurant. The badge will specify the date and showtime that’s reserved. Guests with the concert series dining package will enter America Gardens Theatre in a separate queue and will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is guaranteed.

2026 Eat to the Beat Dining Package Pricing

Explore participating restaurants and dining package prices, which exclude tax and gratuity:

Participating Restaurants	Adult (ages 10+)	Child (ages 3 to 9)	Dining Plan
Biergarten Restaurant Germany Pavilion	$66	$35	1 Table-Service Meal
Chefs de France France Pavilion	$85	$35	1 Table-Service Meal
Coral Reef Restaurant The Living Seas	$73	$29	1 Table-Service Meal
Garden Grill Restaurant The Land Pavilion	$66 – Breakfast$79 – Lunch/Dinner	$40 – Breakfast$49 – Lunch/Dinner	1 Table-Service Meal
La Crêperie de Paris France Pavilion	$59	$31	1 Table-Service Meal
La Hacienda de San Angel Mexico Pavilion	$82	$37	1 Table-Service Meal
Le Cellier Steakhouse Canada Pavilion	$99	$39	2 Table-Service Meals
Nine Dragons Restaurant China Pavilion	$62	$25	1 Table-Service Meal
Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (same-day dining packages only) American Adventure Pavilion	$36	$21	Not Eligible
Rose & Crown Dining Room United Kingdom Pavilion	$61	$26	1 Table-Service Meal
Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya Japan Pavilion	$89	$45	1 Table-Service Meal
Spice Road Table Morocco Pavilion	$56	$21	1 Table-Service Meal
Teppan Edo Japan Pavilion	$89	$45	1 Table-Service Meal
Tutto Italia Ristorante Italy Pavilion	$81	$33	1 Table-Service Meal
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria Italy Pavilion	$69	$31	1 Table-Service Meal

The America Gardens Theater where Eat to the Beat Concert Series is held can seat over 1,000 guests per performance, but a large chunk of these seats are set aside for guests who purchase dining packages.

All of these package guests are guaranteed seats in one of the three nightly Eat to the Beat concerts. Guests who have not reserved the concert series dining package will be seated at the Eat to the Beat concert on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is based on availability due to limited capacity.

In addition to this, fans for particular acts often line up hours in advance, and seeing those long lines, regular tourists also queue up. Consequently, it becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy–the standby line for performances can get longer because it’s long.

For the most part, we’ve found it possible to view the Eat to the Beat concerts to fill America Gardens Theater without purchasing the dining package. This is especially true of the earlier performances when the sun is still beating down on the outdoor amphitheater.

We typically do not recommend purchasing the Eat to the Beat Concert Series Dining Package unless you want prime seats, are visiting when crowds are higher or a more popular band is performing. That is, unless you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, in which case the Eat to the Beat Dining Package is a no-brainer since it’s only 1-credit (making it one of the very Best Uses of a Table Service Disney Dining Plan Credit).

Eat to the Beat is not like Candlelight Processional in terms of popularity, save for a handful of the biggest name bands that usually take the stage in October or November.

Crowds simply aren’t as bad at Walt Disney World in August or September, so usually there’s far less demand for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series in those months than there is in October or November. We understand that FOMO is a powerful motivator, but you should be able to enjoy the concert just fine without paying extra for a dining package.

We’ve watched many concerts (or portions of them) in the first couple months of the festival, and have never bought one of these dining packages. We almost always show up a few minutes before the show starts and are easily able to score spots with a good view.

From our perspective, the dining packages are a waste of money. Again, the biggest exception to that is for the more popular performers who appear at Eat to the Beat in late October and early November. And we also should add that we are casuals. 

There has never been a performer who was an absolute must-see for us. We don’t care if we’re seated in the back row because, from our perspective, the concert is just enjoyable live entertainment at EPCOT. The bands are almost interchangeable.

If great seats or seeing the show were a must-do or highlight of our day at EPCOT, we’d absolutely purchase the Eat to the Beat Dining Package as opposed to waiting in line for even 30 minutes. This is because, as always, your vacation time has value. Thirty to 90 minutes spent in the standby line is wasted time, the value of which far exceeds the surcharge of the package.

When it comes to value for money, the dining package is not that expensive. You are paying a bit of a premium for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series Dining Package, and that’s even assuming you “optimization” your order and select the most expensive entrees, but it’s not that bad. Carnivores, in particular, can come pretty close to breaking even.

If you elect not to do the Eat to the Beat Dining Package and don’t want very long in line, you have a couple of options. First, show up to the standby line ~15 minutes before the first show of the day starts. Depending upon the popularity of the band and the weather, there are usually still plenty of seats in the sun (very few spots in the America Gardens Theater are shaded). If not, at least you didn’t waste a ton of time standing in line.

In many scenarios, that strategy will work just fine. You may not have the best seats, but you’ll still be able to see the show and have a seat. If the theatre is already full, we recommend trying to watch from the walkway behind the America Gardens Theatre.

Cast Members manage crowd flow back here in the walkway, but you can simply stand behind the theater (not in the walkway) and watch the concert. This is actually a really good view for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series, and is still reasonably close to the stage given the small venue size.

Another strategy that might work is visiting the Free ‘Secret’ Lounge in World Showcase During EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.

Exact dates and details–or even whether it’ll return, period–have yet to be announced for the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, but this lounge is open to everyone (who knows where to look and how to access it).

For the last few years, they’ve had wristbands available for reserved Eat to the Beat seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. I generally make a stop there after doing Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure right at opening as availability is limited and can run out fast for popular performers. Just something to consider if you don’t want to pay extra for a package!

Ultimately, that’s what we do in order to watch the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. Although we regularly buy the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages, we have never–not once!–bought dining packages for any of the other three festivals. From our perspective, it’s a waste of money, as we can still easily enjoy the performances with minimal effort.

We may not be right up front and center, but the views are good throughout the America Gardens Theater–and even behind it. To each their own, but we’d rather allocate our budget for visiting Walt Disney World on other things. If you have infinite resources and don’t mind wasting money, by all means, book the Eat to the Beat Dining Package for peace of mind. If it’ll be a splurge, save that money for something else at Walt Disney World!

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Your Thoughts

Are you a fan of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series? What do you think of the 2026 lineup? Which bands have you seen perform on the America Gardens Theater stage in the past? Do you usually book the Eat to the Beat Dining Package or wait in line? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!