Epcot Festivals: Your Complete Guide to All Four Annual Events
Epcot festivals have become incredibly popular year-round, offering a wide array of unique food and entertainment options that locals absolutely love. However, if you’re not a regular visitor to Walt Disney World, they can seem a little daunting. Wondering if you should plan your trip around one of these festivals? Well, we’ve got all the information you need! In this guide, we’ll break down everything you can expect from each of the four Epcot festivals, plus links to my detailed, regularly updated guide for each one.
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Planning a Walt Disney World vacation? Be sure to check out our guides to Walt Disney World in 2026 and Walt Disney World in 2027 for everything the resort has to offer!
What You Need to Know About All Epcot Festivals
All Epcot Festivals feature food and beverage booths throughout the park. You will find temporary, semi-permanent, and permanent booths throughout Epcot that feature exclusive menu items for each festival. Menus are released shortly before each festival and typically offer unique food and drink options that aren’t available at any other time of the year.
Typically, there is a feature show at America Gardens Theatre for each of the festivals, and each show typically has an associated dining package that guarantees admission. (But due to popularity, arriving early may still be your best bet at getting a good seat!)
Every festival offers unique entertainment, activities, and even merchandise throughout the park. Some activities are free, while others do require an additional fee. One activity to take note of is a paid scavenger hunt. Maps can be purchased (usually for less than $12), and guests then search the park for items. Your completed map can be exchanged for a small treat or item.
All four Epcot festivals are included with regular park admission. You don’t need a separate ticket to enjoy the food booths, concerts (standby), or general festival atmosphere, though certain add-ons like dining packages, scavenger hunt maps, and workshops do cost extra.
The Epcot Festival Calendar
Epcot runs four festivals back to back throughout the year, so there’s rarely a bad time to visit if a festival experience is what you’re after. Here’s the general rhythm: the Festival of the Arts kicks off the year in mid-January, Flower & Garden takes over for spring, Food & Wine carries through late summer and fall, and the Festival of the Holidays closes out the year. Exact dates shift slightly each year, so I’ve noted the most recently confirmed dates for each below, along with a link to my full guide for each one. You can also check Disney’s official Epcot events page anytime for the very latest.
Tips and Tricks
Epcot festivals are quite popular with the locals, which means that evenings and weekends will be busy. If you want to avoid the crowds, plan to visit Epcot during the week and make the most of your daytime hours. You may also want to avoid the first and last weekends of the event, as these tend to be more crowded.
Also, keep in mind that some guests may engage in a bit more alcohol consumption, especially during the Food & Wine Festival, as many of the booths offer unique drinks and wine tastings. For some, this may not be a big deal, but for families traveling with younger children, it may be something you want to consider.
Epcot Festival of the Arts
- Typical window: mid-January through late February
- Most recently confirmed dates: January 16 – February 23, 2026
This kicks off the festival calendar each year, and it’s genuinely one of the most underrated festivals at Epcot in my opinion. It typically opens in mid-January and wraps up by late February, though exact dates aren’t usually confirmed by Disney until the fall.
Offering a multitude of engaging activities, the International Festival of the Arts stands out among other Epcot festivals. Alongside delectable, visually stunning Food Studio dishes, attendees can participate in Animation Academy sessions, watch chalk artists and live painters at work, add to a collaborative Paint-By-Number Mural, and enjoy nightly performances from the Disney on Broadway Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre. Past performers have included Sierra Boggess, Adam Jacobs, Susan Egan, and James Monroe Iglehart, with the festival traditionally closing out with a Grand Finale performance featuring multiple artists together on stage.
One nice thing about this festival compared to the Candlelight Processional: because January and February crowds are lighter, it’s usually much easier to grab a walk-up concert seat without needing a dining package.
Be sure to visit our Guide to the Epcot International Festival of the Arts for current dates and more detailed information!
Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
- Typical window: early March through early June
- Most recently confirmed dates: March 4 – June 1, 2026
This one follows the Festival of the Arts each spring, typically running from early March through early June. If you ask me, it’s the most visually stunning of all four festivals, and it’s worth planning around if the timing lines up for you.
The festival features beautifully designed interactive gardens, more than 60 living topiary sculptures shaped like Disney characters, and over 30 individual garden and floral displays throughout the park. You’ll also find Outdoor Kitchens serving fresh, spring-inspired dishes, live entertainment through the Garden Rocks Concert Series, and family-friendly exhibits like Butterfly Landing.
Garden Rocks concerts run nightly at America Gardens Theatre, typically leaning toward classic rock, pop, and nostalgia acts. Past lineups have included Rick Springfield, Air Supply, 98 Degrees, and The Commodores. As with the Festival of the Arts, it’s generally easy to grab a walk-up seat without a dining package.
Family-friendly activities include the Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration scavenger hunt and the Easter-timed Egg-Stravaganza scavenger hunt, both of which reward completed maps with a festival-exclusive prize.
Be sure to visit our Guide to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival for current dates and more detailed information!
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
- Typical window: late August through mid-November
- Most recently confirmed dates: August 27 – November 21, 2026
This is the one every Disney fan talks about, and for good reason. It’s the biggest of the four festivals, typically featuring upward of 30 Global Marketplace booths compared to under 20 for the others, and it draws serious crowds, especially since it’s beloved by locals who come to “eat and drink their way around the world.”
The Eat to the Beat Concert Series runs nightly at America Gardens Theatre for most of the festival’s run, though the concert series typically wraps up a few days before the festival itself ends. Lineups mix new artists making their Eat to the Beat debut with returning favorites like Boyz II Men, Hanson, and The Beach Boys. Shows typically run at 5:30, 6:45, and 8:00 PM, with dining packages for guaranteed concert seating usually going on sale about six weeks before the festival opens.
Beyond the food and music, expect the Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt, Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, and Emile’s Fromage Montage, a cheese-themed food stroll for anyone who wants an excuse to eat more cheese (no judgment here).
Be sure to visit our Guide to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival for the full concert schedule, dining package pricing, and more detailed information!
Epcot Festival of the Holidays
- Typical window: the day after Thanksgiving through December 30
- Most recently confirmed dates: November 27 – December 30, 2026
This closes out the festival calendar each year, typically opening the day after Thanksgiving and running through December 30. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to celebrate the holidays elsewhere around the world? Featuring traditions from around the globe, including some incredible cuisine and holiday treats, this festival is sure to put you in the holiday spirit.
The centerpiece of the festival is the Candlelight Processional, held nightly at America Gardens Theatre. Celebrity narrators tell the story of Christmas alongside a 50-piece orchestra and a massed choir, and it’s genuinely one of the most moving performances at Walt Disney World. Admission is free with park entry, but standby lines can run two hours or more on popular nights, so a dining package is worth considering if you want a guaranteed seat. Disney typically announces the narrator lineup and dining package pricing closer to the festival’s opening.
Beyond the Processional, you can expect Holiday Kitchens serving festive dishes from around World Showcase, the World Showcase Holiday Storytellers sharing traditions from around the globe, Santa Claus meet-and-greets at multiple pavilions, the Gingerbread Spaceship Earth display with its nightly Celebration Countdown, and the Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition scavenger hunt.
Be sure to visit our Guide to the Epcot Festival of the Holidays for current dates and more detailed information!
We hope you enjoyed our guide to the Epcot Festivals! Be sure to visit my step-by-step guide to start planning your next Walt Disney World vacation!
Ready to Keep Planning?
Here are some resources to help you get started!
- Planning Your First Vacation to Walt Disney World
- Guide to Walt Disney World in 2026
- Guide to Walt Disney World in 2027
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