New at 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival: Cheers to Cheese at CommuniCore, Magic Shots & More!

Walt Disney World revealed what’s new during the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, highlighted by the ‘Cheers to Cheese’ interactive experience at CommuniCore Hall, merchandise, PhotoPass Magic Shots, and more. Here’s everything we know so far, plus our commentary about changes & expectations for this year’s celebration.

As a reminder, the flagship 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival starts on August 27, 2026 and runs through November 21, 2026. It’s beginning and ending one day earlier than last year, which is roughly the historical norm. Although it had expanded in recent years, back in 2019 and earlier, the fall foodie festival typically began Labor Day weekend and ended the weekend before Thanksgiving.

It’s still unknown whether the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival will be back to 2019 normal, with its full slate of seminars, special dinners, celebrity chef panels, and various enhancements. We assume not given that the start is only a few weeks away and there’s been radio silence on these from Walt Disney World. The special offerings have been absent for the past few years and seem unlikely to return in 2026. Or ever.

Global Marketplace Menu Update

According to Walt Disney World, there will be dozens of Global Marketplaces throughout EPCOT, including returning favorites such as Gyozas of the Galaxy, Australia, and the Alps. A full list has yet to be announced.

We’ve have some readers ask about these menus, so it’s worth mentioning that they’re typically released closer to mid-month. In each of the last two years, menus were unveiled on August 13th. So expect them next week, right on the eve of the D23 Expo!

While the WDW chefs are still cooking up the final menus and list of marketplaces for the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, here’s a scrumptious sneak peek–three items that will be returning this year:

• Street Corn-style Dumplings: Chicken Dumplings with Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Street Corn Salad, Cotija, Lime Crema, and Cilantro (Gyozas of the Galaxy)
• Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer with Sweet-and-Sour Vegetables and Coconut-Chilie Sauce (Australia)
• Kirschwasser Torte with Cherry-Brandy Buttercream, Fondant, Sugared Almonds, and Cherry Compote (The Alps)

Walt Disney World has also confirmed that some Global Marketplaces will have a phased opening during the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Keep your eyes peeled for the full menus and opening dates for each marketplace.

In total, we’re expecting 32-36 Global Marketplaces during the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. If past precedent is any indication, it’s likely that only a small handful of booths (3-6) will open in the second wave in late September or early October 2026.

What’s New: Cheers to Cheese at CommuniCore Hall

Starting September 18, 2026, get ready to say, “Cheers to Cheese!” with an all-new interactive exhibit coming to CommuniCore Hall. You will be able to celebrate one of the world’s most beloved foods, discovering fun facts and the fascinating history of cheese around every corner.

Cheers to Cheese at CommuniCore Hall is in addition to Emile’s Fromage Montage, which is a long-running food stroll that encourages guests to sample a variety of delicious cheeses served in inventive ways. As part of Emile’s Fromage Montage, guests purchase any five cheese dishes from Global Marketplaces listed in the Festival Passport and collect a stamp for each dish purchased. After collecting all five stamps, bring the passport to the specified location for a specialty unique item to enjoy.

It’s unclear what, exactly, Cheers to Cheese will entail. Unless the Walt Disney Company bought stock in Boursin, it’s probably safe to assume the “interactive” element of this won’t involve eating. Hopefully we’re wrong about that, and there’s a scavenger hunt or something to similarly complete as part of Cheers to Cheese, and guests are “rewarded” with a small sample upon completion. Sponsor samples have been given out many times in the past at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, after all.

My guess is that Cheers to Cheese is actually similar to Spike’s Garden, but with ‘fun fact’ placards for guests to trigger. Spike’s Garden at Flower & Garden was billed as a larger-than-life, immersive garden that transitions from day to night. It was to feature fireflies that glow in the dark and flowers that open by moonlight, with each element of the garden becoming more magical once the sun goes down. That’s the marketing copy, not how I remember it. What I recall was a neat-enough centerpiece around a large open area and some seating. The lighting was moody at night, I’ll grant them that.

We had been hopeful that CommuniCore Hall would be used for its promised purpose of other offerings like culinary seminars, demonstrations, meals with celebrity chefs, and other special events. All of the things it promised have been squandered.

There’s the “state-of-the-art show kitchen” that Disney teased “may even attract a few special culinary guests.” There’s the “dynamic space to anchor” EPCOT Festivals and event space “limited only by the boundaries of imagination.” Those are all actual things that Disney stated about CommuniCore Hall.

What’s amazing to me is that CommuniCore Hall is objectively worse than any festival space used at EPCOT in the last decade. That’s right, the new purpose-built festival venue that took 5 years and untold hundreds of millions of dollars to bring to life, is inferior to past makeshift spaces even from a festival perspective. CommuniCore Hall is almost impressively bad; the worst of all worlds.

The GoofyCore Hall takeover runs through September 8, 2026 for Cool Kids’ Summer, overlapping with the first week of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. GoofyCore features DJ-led dance parties, and family-friendly games with silly twists, like Loopy Limbo and Parachutes ‘n’ Pipsqueaks. GoofyCore is the best-ever utilization of CommuniCore Hall, which isn’t a high bar.

At minimum, adding “Cheers to Cheese” a few weeks after the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival starts is better than nothing, which is what Disney did last year. In an odd and more surprising move, CommuniCore Hall was not used for last year’s EPCOT Food & Wine Festival at all. Cool Kid Summer ended very early in that festival’s run, the GoofyCore Hall overlay was removed, and CommuniCore Hall reopened as ordinary seating. The venue served up nothing but the bitter taste of disappointment, which was sadly on-brand for CommuniCore Hall.

In a perfect world, CommuniCore Hall would just become GoofyCore full-time and would open a food kiosk inside for parents to enjoy while their kids play. Meanwhile, the Wonders of Life and World ShowPlace buildings are massive flex spaces that are largely unused or underutilized. Both previously served as festival centers during Food & Wine and could fill the role once again. In the meantime, again, Cheers to Cheese is better than nothing, and that’s the bar for this festival.

PhotoPass Magic Shots

Say “cheese!” Disney PhotoPass photographers all around the park will be serving up new and returning limited-time photo ops, including special Magic Shots. The announced new addition for the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is Waiter Mickey Mouse, which is available throughout World Showcase (Mexico, China, Italy, Japan, and France).

You can also encounter a gigantic empanada, explore unorthodox (and unintelligible) culinary sciences with The Swedish Chef, discover a leaning tower of cheeza with Max Goof, and use the secret ingredient of imagination to find Chef Figment.

Here are the other new and returning PhotoPass Magic Shots for the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival:

2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Merchandise

It’s not an EPCOT festival without merchandise, and this year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival merchandise is serving looks.

Popping with colors like blue, orange, yellow, and purple, this lineup features sweet apparel, bright accessories, kitchenware, and more. Here’s a taste of what Walt Disney World is cooking:

According to Walt Disney World, this is just a small taste of the 2026 Food & Wine merchandise. From a churro that magically transforms into a tote bag, a gorgeous wine glass, to a mug topped with a sweet pastry lid, this year’s collection is full of surprises.

Personally, I couldn’t care less about Food & Wine merchandise unless it’s Figment or Muppets, and even then, it’s rare for me to buy anything at full price. However, I am very intrigued by the colorful new branding, which suggests that maybe–just maybe–we’ll finally get refreshed graphics for the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.

The visual identity of the event has been recycled year after year, to the point that they’d probably let it buy booze in France (the actual country, not the pavilion). The post-COVID events have all looked the same–and it’s not as if they landed on a brilliant design back in 2020 that just couldn’t possibly be topped.

The look the last several years is bland, boring, and utterly forgettable. (Honestly, without looking, do you even remember the designs on the planters or banners? And you’ve probably seen them a lot!) It’s time for something fresh. New visuals may not be as consequential as restoring the event to 2019 normal, but it would at least be a start!

Eat to the Beat is Back, Baby!

The Eat to the Beat Concert Series will also be back for the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. At the America Gardens Theatre, live music and delectable cuisine come together to create an unforgettable experience. Stay tuned for the full Eat to the Beat schedule, which will include returning fan favorites as well as new local sounds.

This series showcases a lineup of artists spanning various genres and eras, with something for everyone to enjoy. The concerts typically take place a few times daily, providing ample opportunities for guests to catch their favorite acts.

Admission to see your favorite act is included with EPCOT park entry, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For those seeking guaranteed seating, dining packages are offered, allowing guests to enjoy a meal at select EPCOT restaurants before the show.

As a reminder, Advance Dining Reservations for the Eat to the Beat Dining Packages opened last month. From what I can see, there’s still ample availability. Reservations for Eat to the Beat Dining Packages work like other ADRs, with availability on a rolling basis and the 60+10 rule applying.

Ultimately, we’re looking forward to the start of the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. I just hope that it’s better than last year, which is a pretty low bar to clear since that iteration of the event was the weakest in a long time. At least, as far as the festival goes. The menus at the food booths were actually quite good.

Beyond the above grievances finally remedied, I’d like to see new Global Marketplaces from actual countries or regions and a return of the studio concept booths in the culinary corridor, plus past favorites making a comeback. In any case, here’s hoping this will be the year the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival turns things around. Even if Cheers to Cheese is simple, that plus a new visual package for the event (assuming the merchandise is a taste of what’s to come) feels like a course correction. We’ll keep you posted!

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Looking forward to the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? Have you attended the event in any of the last few years? Any hopes for Global Marketplace booths or menu items? Think any of the other demonstrations or seminars will return? Concerned that CommuniCore Hall once again won’t be used in 2026? Hoping that the Wonders or World ShowPlace venues make a return? Any tips you want to share to make the most of the experience? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!