This is a year of HUGE changes for Disney World!
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
Park pass reservations are gone for most Disney World visitors. All-day park hopping is back. The Disney Dining Plan has returned. Even more changes are coming later in the year: Country Bear Jamboree in Magic Kingdom will reopen with a brand NEW show this summer, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open this year, too. Things are also changing with EPCOT’s festivals, and we think this year’s Food & Wine Festival is going to be a LOT different.
This year’s festival could be shorter
Okay, so we’ve already seen one HUGE EPCOT festival change with the dates for the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival — the festival is a lot shorter than it was last year. It’s going to end 36 days earlier than in 2023! With things seeming to be getting back to the pre-pandemic level of “normal” in Disney World, we think we could see a change with the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, too.
Could the Food & Wine Festival open in August this year?
Before 2020, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival usually started in August, rather than in July, as it’s been doing the past few years. We believe it could return to a late August opening this year. That could mean that there might be a fifth EPCOT festival during the summer, or it could mean summers will be more chill again in EPCOT.
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
Of course, the opposite could happen. Disney may decide to have the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival begin earlier this year and have it run longer. We have no confirmation that either of these situations is the case, though, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Disney Just Slashed a Popular EPCOT Festival in a Huge Way
Demonstrations and Seminars Will Return
Okay, so not a lot of folks remember Disney World before 2020, but BEFORE Disney World’s closure, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival featured a LOT more than it does now. In addition to the food booths, concert series, and activities, there were also a TON of food demonstrations and seminars, some featuring Celebrity Chefs.
Workshop at the 2019 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival
So here’s the thing, the CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza Festival Areas are set to open in 2024, and we’re guessing that will happen BEFORE the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. CommuniCore Hall is being built with the intention of hosting festival programming. That could mean that we’ll see the return of the food seminars and demonstrations in some way at this year’s festival.
Communicore Hall Construction
All we can say is BRING BACK THE CELEBRITY CHEFS! In the past we’ve seen Cat Cora, Robert Irvine, Buddy Valastro, Jamie Deen, and more.
Learn more about CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza
So we think the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival will be LIT with a LOT more to do, even if it might end up being a little shorter. All we know is that we’re looking forward to it and will let you know more when we have details!
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
We’re Already Seeing Serious Changes For EPCOT Festivals in 2024
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How do you think the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival will be different this year? Let us know in the comments!
The post 2 Major Changes We’re Expecting at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival in 2024 first appeared on the disney food blog.