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’m so upset to even think that Candlelight won’t happen, because I’ve been performing in it my whole high school career and it has always been so much fun. But, obviously, you can’t social distance the singers and orchestra without leaving approximately 20 people maximum on stage, so that wouldn’t work.
I doubt that Candlelight will happen. Most of the choirs are high school students and schools are unlikely to sanction what would be a risky trip. Rehearsals/audition tapes happen in August for many choirs. Parents probably won’t go along with travel plans (plus cost in a time of financial stress is too high).
Singing is a “super spreader” activity. A number of choirs have discovered that when most or all choir members acme down with COVID. Doubt that Disney (who is ever mindful of cutting costs) would put it on for 25% audience. There is no way to “socially distance” the choir or orchestra on the stage.
Maybe next year.
Hmm, could be. My uncle passed away two weeks ago. He had severe COPD and has needed a lung transplant for 3 years prior, so not a huge surprise. BUT my aunt tested positive (though not sick) and so did many from their church. And Harold was in the choir there.
I can’t wait to read your new reviews of the booths in Epcot if the menus are different! We’re going at the end of September, and this will be my first time being there for Food and Wine.
“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.”
Umm okay. But isn’t that what they are still doing by selling admission for the same price without fireworks, shows, meet and greets, is that not selling a jacked up ticket price for something that is a shadow of its normal self?
Hi Tom! Any thoughts on how long the new festival will last? We are going Nov 18-22.
My *guess* is that they’ll run another event right after this one.
It would be cool if they had the choir and orchestra for the Candlelight Processional spread out all around World Showcase and perform that way. The audience could be spread out around the opposite side of World Showcase.
Candlelight Christmas Procession: Zoom Edition. Featuring celebrity narrator, Tom Morrow!
Very excited to learn that some version of Food and Wine is still happening since it’s the main reason we’re going to Disney this year. Also I think it’s the 25th anniversary of the festival. It won’t be a long trip but we’ll make the most of the time we have.
I would love to go to WDW in the fall and still see MK decorated for Halloween. Even though the Halloween parties are cancelled, they should still have the castle change colors. I love that part…it adds an aura of creepiness! Tom, how did you and Sarah get your picture taken with the headless horseman?! I’ve been to three MNSSHPs and I didn’t know anything about this photo op!
Melissa, my guess is the headless horseman isn’t really there.
We are supposed to be visiting mid-October. Yes, it’s the week you don’t recommend lol but with mine and my husband’s work schedules, it’s one of the best times. I was devastated when they started cancelling dining reservations…especially ones that I had worked super hard to get. I’m super heartbroken with the cancellation of MNSSHP! This was going to be my/our first holiday party and I was so excited. I totally understand why Disney is doing it, it just sucks. I’ve really been trying to hold out and see if things get better. But with the cancellation of the Halloween party, I’m wondering if we just shouldn’t cancel and try again next year. However, if there’s a huge potential for the crowd numbers to be lower, it makes me question if it’s beneficial for us to keep our reservations. I hate not having answers or not knowing what to do. Lol especially since all of this is ever-changing.
I really enjoy reading your knowledge and opinions on all things Disney.
Our trip is late October and disappointed with the cancellation of MNSSHP, but they need to do what’s best. Do you think a Disney is doing a wait and see with things since Universal Studios still has their Halloween Horror Nights still on? I’m curious if Disney will offer any Resort discounts?
Whoops I commented on the wrong post, I meant to comment on your Park Pass post. But my question was in regards to where you wrote this;
“ Planning a New Trip for Next Year: By June 28, all guests will be able to purchase new Disney Resort hotel packages and theme park tickets and make their park reservations for arrivals starting in 2021 as Walt Disney World’s phased reopening continues.
Guests will be able to view park reservation availability on DisneyWorld.com prior to purchasing their tickets.”
I’m going in 2021.
I think I know the answer to this but I’m looking for confirmation (over thinker here.) I have a trip (Room only currently) booked for September 6-11th 2021. I tried to extend it by a night last week and couldn’t (obviously.) Does this now mean that on June 28th I can buy tickets and that I also have to make my park reservations now? Also, should I buy park hoppers just in case? Please someone help a girl out haha.
Park tickets for 2020 are slated to go on sale again “later this summer,” not on June 28. You might want to call and see if someone can help you.