Disney World Cancels Fall Events & Introduces New Festival
Since the announcement that Walt Disney World’s theme parks would begin to reopen on July 11, it’s been one seismic change after another, from shortened hours to a reservations system for park entry.
The biggest of which has undoubtedly been that All Reservations Will Be Cancelled—Free Dining, Restaurants, FastPass+ & Dining Plan. Unsurprisingly, that was just the first of many ‘modifications’ for the upcoming Walt Disney World theme park experience.
Walt Disney World has now shared an update regarding special events for this summer and fall season at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Let’s start with the good news, which concerns the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival…
For this year, Epcot is introducing a modified festival experience, which will be Walt Disney World’s longest festival ever: “A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival!”
This new take on the foodie festival will debut July 15, 2020 (same date Epcot reopens) and continue through the fall (no end date has been set), offering over 20 signature global marketplaces like Hawaii, Hops & Barley, and Islands of the Caribbean, spaced out around World Showcase and Future World.
If you’ve ever imagined a world where the floral fun of Flower & Garden is sprinkled in with the global goodies of Food & Wine, here’s your chance. In addition to Food & Wine Festival cuisine, guests will be able to see Walt Disney World’s newest topiary, Remy, in the France pavilion and find Flower & Garden merchandise.
For scavenger hunt fans, Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak scavenger hunt returns. And stay tuned as Food & Wine merchandise joins the fun later on after the festival begins.
Unfortunately, in an effort to accommodate proper physical distancing, Walt Disney World will not be able to host the “Eat to the Beat” concerts this year (or “Garden Rocks,” for that matter).
There will be plenty of music to enjoy at America Gardens Theatre with local EPCOT entertainment such as Mariachi Cobre, the JAMMitors and more. These fan favorites will spread out their performances throughout the day, giving audiences more options to enjoy them.
While assessing Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it was determined that many of that special event’s iconic entertainment–including stage shows, parades, fireworks, and meet & greets–are unable to take place in this unprecedented environment with proper physical distancing and without significant modifications.
With that in mind, Walt Disney World has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Additionally, Disney H2O Glow Nights, the nighttime special ticket event at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, will not take place for the remainder of 2020. Guests who have already bought tickets to these events will be assisted with refunds over the coming weeks.
Looking ahead to the holiday season, this may spark questions about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, which includes the Candlelight Processional. Both of those events will likewise need to accommodate physical distancing, which will be a tough task.
Walt Disney World is monitoring health developments and the current environment closely, and will make a decision on these events as more is learned from government and health officials. Walt Disney World’s goal is to explore every option and look at ways in which we can still host events and festivals full of Disney magic, while still operating responsibly with the health and safety of our guests and cast members in mind.
In terms of commentary, there’s not a ton to add here. “A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival” comes as a surprise to us, but it shouldn’t.
Prior to the reopening announcement, we made several comments about Epcot potentially not reopening until the start of Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival; that’s the most lucrative time of year for the park and the summer is slow by comparison. We were, frankly, shocked that Epcot would reopen in mid-July.
It never dawned on us that Epcot might simply opt to not take down the decorations and food booths from the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, switch up the branding and menus a bit, and effectively extend that event.
It’s probably a bit disingenuous to call this “A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival” and not “Epcot Flower & Garden Festival: Midsommar Edition” but it’s also a really savvy move on Walt Disney World’s part. Major props to whoever thought of this. (Knowing my luck, the menus will be all new, and those Outdoor Kitchen booth reviews I wrote right before the parks closed will remain obsolete.)
As for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it’s disappointing news but an inevitability and the right move for guests. With only one month between the Magic Kingdom reopening and the first Halloween Party, this was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
We anticipate a lot of negative feedback in response to this decision. However, the guest satisfaction would’ve taken a more serious hit if Walt Disney World cut all of the major entertainment but still sold $100+ tickets to an event that almost certainly would’ve been a shadow of its normal self.
While we were intrigued about what Walt Disney World might offer as replacement entertainment, that’s us speaking as diehard fans who have attended dozens of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties over the years.
For first-timers or guests who simply don’t know what to expect, cancelling is without question the right thing to do here. Before getting too upset, just consider how mad you’d be had you paid money to attend what probably would’ve ended up being a cash-grab event. Hopefully the event will be able to return bigger and better in 2021.
As for the Christmas events, we’d expect Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to be cancelled unless things change in a hurry. The same things that make the Halloween Party a non-starter–stage shows, parades, fireworks, and meet & greets–are also what makes the cancellation of that likely.
On the plus side, time is in Walt Disney World’s favor here. Things could change dramatically between now and November (as unlikely as that might seem right now) or Walt Disney World’s creative minds could start working overtime on alternative entertainment that better spreads out crowds and is of a high caliber. We’re not holding our breath, but it’s definitely a possibility.
As for Candlelight Processional, we fully expect that to happen–even if at 33% of normal capacity–because those dining packages are such a money-maker. (EDIT: Totally forgot about the mass choir when making this “prediction” and was only thinking about the audience. With that in mind, it seems less likely.)
On the other hand, they cancelled another big money-maker in the Disney Dining Plan, but that seemed like more of a panicked decision while scrambling to iron things out for reopening. With several months between now and Candlelight Processional, there might be sufficient time to come up with a suitable plan to make that work. That’s just our prediction, though. We’ll keep you posted on further developments as we hear them!
If you have questions about the closure, including policy changes and what we know thus far, please consult our Walt Disney World Reopening FAQ & Info, which should answer most inquiries. See our other WDW Closure & Reopening Updates for the latest news. If you’re planning a Walt Disney World trip, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of ‘A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival’? Lame that they’re essentially extending Flower & Garden and rebranding it, or a clever and fun hybrid of the two events? Are you disappointed by the cancellation of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, or do you think it’s the right decision? Do you have plans to visit Walt Disney World this summer or fall, or will you hold off until 2021 or beyond? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? 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!
I don’t understand the decision for the festival. Sorry-but I never go during a Friday or Saturday on normal years to avoid drunk people. Disney just doesn’t handle them well-and the things I have witnessed are NOT appropriate for a family park-which I believe Epcot still is! Now in a bid for money they are still having a festival with 20 Booths. Wow, just wow. An excuse for people to leave their masks off and drink too much and then probably not follow distancing protocols. And all of this while the numbers are again going up in Florida. In fact I believe the US may be the only country (Brazil?) that flattened numbers for awhile but they never went down significantly. This is almost ensuring a spike. Can you imagine the crowds in Epcot if they run a festival and open Ratatouille? They would almost assuredly do virtual queue and then people would be all over the festival area. I don’t understand why you, Tom, think cancelling the MNSSHP was “inevitable” but to run a Festival is “good news”????
The food booths are pretty well spread out, and physical distancing can be accomplished in the lines and seating areas for the booths. Guests are going to eat regardless (and not wear masks while they do). In my view, it’s better to have them eating outdoors where spread is less likely.
As for crowds…there are attendance caps to enter the park. If Ratatouille does open, I assume there will be a virtual queue just to enter that area of France.
By contrast, the vast majority of MNSSHP guests congregate in the Central Plaza and on Main Street for entertainment. Even if Disney only sold 1,000 tickets (something they wouldn’t do since they’d lose a ton of money on the event), it wouldn’t be conducive to proper physical distancing due to the nature of its crowds.
I agree with the drunk party not being social distancing. WDW has not really ever done a good job of drunk control. I don’t go on the weekends either. I guess its better to cancel Halloween than the drunk party. Guess I will finally cancel my Oct. reservations. So sad it has come to this. Disappointed loosing all the family fun but not the drunk party. I wonder if the WDW upper people have ever been to the drinking festival on a weekend night…. Seems like they don’t know what they are doing.
Disappointed? Sure. We did have tickets for a party night in September. But think it’s truly for the best. Disney is trying to keep both their Cast Members and guests safe. Kudos to them for making the difficult decision. 😉
It seems like opening July 11th may have been premature due to Florida’s substantial increase in COVID cases. I do have a question for you Tom- Is WDW offering any discounts during this time period to offset the cancelled/closed entertainment? Do you believe those discounts are steep enough to gain attention?
No major discounts yet for new bookings. That’s discussed more here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/reopening-crowds-discounts-disney-world/
With all these cancellations…has there been any mention of cancelling the run for wine and dine? It’s very difficult to run in a mask and with no characters it seems like a lot of money spent for a special event.
I’ m okay with all the special event cancellations. It is irritating to pay for a FL resident pass and not be able to go into the parks because it is closed for an event unless you pay an extra cost. The greedy, money- making EFWF of today is nothing like what we started with. There were free wine tasting classes, top chefs that anyone could go see for no extra fees, just wait in line and more. The festivals weren’t as long, so there was more anticipation and simpler enjoyment. Entertainment was first get in line, first get in – not you can go after the guest that paid for dinner get the front seats. Waiting in line was what we expected, so choices were made. Maybe going back to the WDW of 15 years ago, will be a good thing. We were entertained by being there, not all the extras.
Agree. Disney is a nice place obviously but I started going in 1980 and around 2000 it has gotten more corporate less personal experiences. Way to crowded and of course so so very expensive to go!
We have reservations in Sept and are looking forward to our trip, regardless of the changes. We have come to WDW for years and there are always changes, so we are just happy to be there. All of the theming, music, restaurants and wonderful cast members bring us back every year.
Personally, I really love that EPCOT is getting an extended/hybrid festival. Having been there during a festival and not, I much prefer the festival atmosphere and extra offerings. As much as I’d like to go to a special ticketed event, especially when the offerings are mainly special entertainment, I’ve always balked at the ticket price in addition to paying for my park tickets as I’m not local and not an annual pass holder. If I was a local, it would probably be a totally different story. Festivals offer much more benefit to the far-away vacationers, in my opinion.
I think a modified MVMCP is more likely than Candlelight at this point; every article I read talks about how singing or loud taking in close proximity is the quickest way for it to spread. I guess if they had all the singers wear masks and had them at half capacity? I don’t know if I can see Disney putting high schoolers in that situation. :/
The event I will miss is the Early Morning Magic – Fantasyland. We did that several times and have enjoyed it a lot. It includes breakfast, but the best part is having limited access to all of the Fantasyland rides before the park opens with no waiting. It’s ironic since it’s a low crowd situation.
Regarding the Food and Wine Festival, I am really shocked this is taking place, in July, modified or not. Even with Social Distancing and wearing of a mask, how are they going to control the waiting in lines for food, where people stand, where they eat, and when they can take off their mask and when they need to put them on. Florida’s numbers of Covid positive keeps “spiking” and I just cannot imagine how dangerous this event will be. In my sad opinion, I would not go back to Disney, personally for “any” festival, certainly not one where you are standing around waiting for food, and looking for seating. Quite frankly, I can’t imagine ANY protocol that would make any of their parks safe to attend. Sadly, I will not go near Disney until there is a Vaccine or an Antiviral treatment like a “Tamiflu” that works for Covid 19. My life is more important then seeing a movie, riding a ride, going to a concert, swimming in a pool (despite chlorine), or any festival. I know too many people that have fallen gravely ill from Covid, and several young people in their 30’s and 40’s that have died, not to mention elderly parents of close friends. If you think this virus’ is gone, it’s not. But good luck attending and hopefully the number that “die” will be minimal, if Disney even decides to “contact” trace which I cannot imagine they will!
With the park attendance cap, It should be very easy to socially distance even with festival offerings. I went to EPCOT the day before the parks closed and it was extremely easy to get around without being near anyone.
The MNSSHP cancellation is inevitable because the party consists of four main aspects: character meet & greet with rare characters {not possible with social distancing}, the MNSSHP Boo to You Parade {not possible with social distancing}, party-specific fireworks show {not possible at MK with social distancing}, and trick or treating. We’ve been to this party many times and can confirm that even the trick or treating would not be enjoyable in MK with social distancing. There would need to be far fewer trick or treating locations, thereby making the event a shadow of former years’ events.
Many MNSSHP attendees are annual visitors to the event; these visitors would certainly be disappointed in such a drastic and obvious difference from the party’s past offerings. MNSSHP is truly magical and lots of fun with its usual line up of the experiences.
So I agree, Annual Passholders and regular park visitors definitely assumed this event would be cancelled.
Tom & Sarah, just wondering your thoughts on the likelihood of DVC Moonlight Magic at Studios still taking place in September. I had reservation for Epcot’s MM in May. It would be nice if DVC received some pixie dust. I’m really living in Fantasyland on this one, but they could still hold the Typhoon Lagoon July MM as a soft opening. My vacation dates coincide with both those previously scheduled dates. I’ll be in my BW villa regardless.
Thank you both for your extensive research and timely posts.
I’m not holding my breath at this point, but I really don’t know.
From a safety perspective, there’s no reason to cancel Moonlight Magic. However, DVC might opt to save some money after losing so many sales the last few months and find an excuse to cancel.
I don’t really understand the logic on cancelling the H20 Glow Nights…I heard today that waterpark cast members we recalled to work, so if they are going to have the water parks open….why not honor the tickets sold already for glow nights? There is no difference in operations for the park attractions besides the “dance party”. Just nixx the dance party with Partysaurus-Rex, and you can still socially distance when not in the “chlorine/water”.
If the water parks will be open then, my guess would be that it’s a matter of ticket sales and that event no longer being financially viable for Disney.
Trish-We are in the same boat. We have been planning this trip for two years and it will be our first time at WDW. We are ok going with some of the changes, but if our kids won’t be able to build droids or go to the MNSSHP, it looks like we’ll be having a very disappointing family discussion.
honestly Brandi if this is you trip of a lifetime kind of thing I would put it off. You will miss out on so much. Now you won’t really miss it since you don’t know, but I would still wait.
Brandi – if this is your first time going to WDW I would move until next year to experience what WDW is all about – there would be so much right now that your family would miss and for what it costs I would want your family to enjoy the complete WDW not just parts of it. We cancelled from this April then moved to October now moved it to next April.
Nope, last lines crossed. Booked June 19….waited patiently through all the hoopla, not devoting a vacation (ours comes once every 5-7yrs) completely across the continent to full price & 1/4 experiences. When they do communicate with us regarding our sept-oct trip, it’s a firm cancel. Leadership has taken a turn for the worst. When the kids say “dad, I don’t want to go anymore” it really puts it to bed. $$$$$ now used for Much less expensive, higher educational and visiting places less traveled.
Be safe, be kind and use common sense.
This is not making me feel hopefully for MVMCP happening during my trip the first week of Dec. I have my resort reservation but I held off on park tickets because my 9 year old doesn’t want to go if there is no parade or fireworks, she would rather wait. I’m torn because I still want to see Disney at Christmas, especially with potentially lower crowds. This would be our first Dec trip, since we almost always go in Feb or early March. I was excited about MVMCP but now I’m just hoping they can pull out something special for Christmas so I can justify going. I’m also hoping when park ticket sales do go back online, they have adjusted their ticket pricing for not having parades or fireworks which might be my other deciding factor.
The parks decorated for Christmas is very beautiful. I would not let your entire trip hinge on that Mickey Christmas Party.
As fun as MVMCP is (and it is fun), there are so many other things that are amazing about Christmas at Disney. Don’t let that party be your deciding factor. You will have a wonderful time even without it!
We have gone three different times the first week of December. The resorts and all four parks are beautifully decorated. The cancellation of Mickeys Christmas party would not be a deal killer for me. It’s fun but I don’t think you need to cancel because of it not happening. The crowds will be less this year so you will be able to experience things with shorter wait times.
JoAnne
I was holding off canceling our trip in October. Now that Mickey’s Halloween Party is cancelled I will be cancelling the family trip. I’m so glad I didn’t tell my little granddaughters about going. I planned it to be a surprise. It was going to be their first time. I’ll plan for next year.
They probably won’t even be open in October with Florida becoming the new epicenter of the virus.
We go every year with our grandchildren and had to cancel April and now October we never tell them we are going because of these things happening – we have now scheduled for next April and it will also be a surprise nothing better than surprising young grandchildren and seeing their faces. Hope you will be able to try again next year it sure is worth it.
Tom beat the Orlando Sentinel. Their email showed up Thursday evening June 18, 10:30 pm.
I like the idea of the festival booths and topiaries in July. As pass holders, we enjoy just walking around and relaxing. And with Covid-19, I’ll feel better about snacking in the open air than I would spending a long time inside at a table meal. Still not sure, though … it’ll be a last-minute decision if we do end up going this summer.
Hey Tom, I appreciate your blog and advice, but for a first timer to Disney, I must admit, there appears to be a LOT of reflexive justification for Disney’s decisions and very little prospective explanation/ commentary. You say in your article, “ As for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it’s disappointing news but an inevitability and the right move for guests.“. That may be “inevitable@ for die hard Disney fans, but I think you’re statement is inaccurate for the vast majority of tourists. I have read your articles religiously and do not remember you ever mentioning the cancellation as an “inevitability.” Could you show me where you said that previously?Thanks.
Poor grammar … “ That may be “inevitable” for die hard Disney fans, but I think your…”
John Doe, if you’ve never been to MNSSHP or WDW in general, you have no idea of the crowds that can form. At the Halloween parties, huge lines for character meet and greets, long lines for getting candy, etc. Hard to do “social distancing” in that respect.
He didn’t say it was inevitable previously, but party regulars would know it. I always take my niece to the party as a birthday present and just last week I had a discussion with her that it may not happen this year to get her mentally prepared.
With the limitations on entertainment (fireworks, parades, characters), the party would be a shell of itself. Again, Tom and other Disney bloggers didn’t exactly say they thought this was going to happen, but I think it was a mental “anytime now.”