When it comes to EPCOT, one of the major appeals is the opportunity to experience the seasonal festivals that allow visitors to try new foods, watch some seasonal shows, and buy themed merchandise.

Food & Wine Festival

EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival takes place yearly throughout the late summer and fall harvest seasons, bringing hearty eats to each of the festival booths, as well as concerts, games, and a food-inspired race weekend. While this is a fan-favorite festival for many, it might be worth skipping this year for some.

The 2023 Food and Wine Festival will take place from July 27th through November 18th, and this year, we see good reason to potentially skip the festival entirely. If you’re deciding whether or not to visit this year, make sure to take these important details into consideration!

CommuniCore Hall and Plaza May or May Not Be Complete

Disney announced that CommuniCore Hall and Plaza, a dedicated festival area would arrive to EPCOT in late 2023, where visitors could visit a central location to experience festival offerings. Alongside the Hall will be the Plaza, which will allow guests to experience booths, concerts, and vendors in one central location. This is set to be located in World Celebration.

CommuniCore Hall Construction in May 2023

However, it’s currently May and we don’t yet have an opening timeline or any hints as to when the Hall and Plaza could open. Many Disney fans were looking forward to potentially experiencing this update as part of the Food and Wine Festival this year, but it seems that the chances could be slim. Of course, Disney could always surprise us with news of an opening timeline at any point!

There Might Not Be Seminars and Demos This Year

In the past, Culinary Demos, Beverage Seminars, Food and Beverage Pairings, and Mix It! Make It! Seminars were typically offered from year to year, allowing visitors to experience the festival in a unique way.

Demonstrations available in 2019

However, Disney hasn’t yet confirmed details of any demos or seminars that might pop up this year, which does have us slightly concerned that there might not be any this year. Of course, Disney could surprise us and announce the return of these at any time, but we’ll just have to wait and see!

We’ll continue to keep you updated with any and all festival news, so make sure to follow along for more!

Click here to see everything CONFIRMED for the 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

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Will you be visiting the Food and Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments!

The post Why You Should Skip The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival This Year first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disney World is a dream vacation destination for many reasons.

Animal Kingdom

There are delicious snacks, thrilling rides, and even baby animals. Baby animals might seem like a random addition to that list, but the topic is fresh on our minds. Why? Well, because Disney just welcomed an all new baby to the growing family of animals that roam in the savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Dr. Mark Penning is Disney’s Vice President of the Animals, Science, and Environment department. He recently took to Instagram to announce the arrival of Penny, a baby yellow-backed duiker calf who was born to her mom Pearl.

©Disney

“This birth is truly special to me, as yellow-backed duikers are one of my favorite animals,” Dr. Mark said on Instagram. The birth of Penny is a huge milestone for Disney, as the last yellow-backed duiker who was born in their care was over 20 years ago.

There are all sorts of animals that you might spot!

Disney worked together with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan to introduce this species to Disney World visitors.

You can spot several animals on Kilimanjaro Safaris

Dr. Mark said that mom and baby are backstage now, but that visitors can expect to see Penny and Pearl on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail later this summer!

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail

We can’t wait to see Penny and her mom! We love when new baby animals arrive on the scene at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We’ll make sure to keep you updated with more Animal Kingdom news, and more Disney news in general! Make sure to follow along for more!

Click here to see more baby animals at Disney World!

Do you love seeing the animals while visiting Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

The post Guess What — This Is the BEST Disney News You’ll See All Day first appeared on the disney food blog.

A new candle holder and set of glasses featuring a rainbow Mickey are available at Walt Disney World Resort for Pride Month 2023. We found the candle holder at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom and the glasses set at 5&10 in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Mickey Pride Candle Holder – $29.99

The large candle holder features a Progress Pride Mickey head on one side.

The Progress Pride flag is a traditional rainbow, plus black and brown stripes representing LGBTQIA+ people of color and light pink, light blue, and white stripes representing the trans community.

The candle holder is not dishwasher or microwave-safe.

Mickey Pride Glasses – $29.99

This set includes two glasses, which have the same design as the candle holder, with a Progress Pride Mickey on one side.

Disney has not indicated that proceeds from this year’s collection will be donated to LGBTQIA+ organizations, as has been standard in previous years. On twdcpridecollection.com, Disney does list LGBTQIA+ organizations they support.

More Pride Month 2023

Pride Month is celebrated worldwide every June, honoring the anniversary of the Stonewall riots — although Florida saves some celebrations for the cooler fall months.

Check out more Pride 2023 merchandise at Walt Disney World, including a Spirit Jersey and a Mickey ear headband. There is also a Marvel Pride collection and Star Wars Pride collection.

For rainbow snacks, read the full guide to Pride 2023 food and beverage at Walt Disney World.

Disneyland Resort is celebrating with their first-ever Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite. Both events have sold out.

Disneyland Resort has the same series of Pride 2023 merchandise and their own food and beverage items, as well as a Pride sipper, popcorn bucket, and other souvenirs.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post New Mickey Pride Candle Holder and Glasses at Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW News Today.

Disney has been debuting lots of ‘The Little Mermaid’-inspired drinks and treats to celebrate the release of the live-action film. Today, we tried and reviewed the Bubbles of the Sea drink at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Bubbles of the Sea – $6.99

Gold Peak® Sweet Green Tea, Lemon Juice, Pineapple, and Guava topped with Boba Pearls and a splash of Shimmer

We stopped by Fairfax Faire on Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to try another live-action ‘The Little Mermaid’-inspired treat.

Much like the other ‘The Little Mermaid’ drink we reviewed earlier today, it was very aesthetically pleasing. The liquid has shimmer in it, so it glimmers and looks iridescent at times.

According to the ingredients, there should be green tea in this drink. Instead, it tasted a lot like a sweet lemonade to us.

It was very refreshing, but definitely on the sweeter side. Upon our first few sips, we tasted a hint of fruit flavor. Although it says pineapple was in the drink, the only fruit we could detect was guava and lemon.

The popping boba pearls add a nice, fun element to the drink. The boba was reminiscent of a green apple flavor, though that wasn’t an ingredient listed in the description.

Overall, we thought that this drink wasn’t bad. It was very refreshing — which is great for the upcoming hot and humid summer days. The price point seemed fair for the size of the drink. We also found it to be pretty much the same as a refresher from Starbucks.

Are you going to try this drink during your next trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Let us know in the comments below.

For more news on ‘The Little Mermaid,’ check out these articles:

• New ‘The Little Mermaid’ Milk Shake Arrives at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• PHOTOS: Live-Action Ariel Meet and Greet Opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• PHOTOS, VIDEO: Live-Action Ariel Appears in Musical Street Show at Disneyland Paris
• AMC in Disney Springs Gets Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ Décor Ahead of Upcoming Release

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post REVIEW: New Bubbles of the Sea Inspired by ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios appeared first on WDW News Today.