It’s almost time to enjoy one of EPCOT’s most popular festivals!

The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival will be coming to EPCOT later this year, and with it comes the chance to enjoy all of your favorites that the festival brings. If you have been before, you may be asking yourself if this is a year you should skip it. Let’s talk about it!

With the 2024 Food and Wine Festival coming soon, we’ve got to talk about why you might want to potentially skip this year’s festival. Keep these details in mind when planning on either visiting this year or not!

The Seminars and Demos Might Still Be Missing

Believe it or not, the Food & Wine Festival used to be a smorgasbord of experiences beyond just delicious bites and catchy tunes. Before 2020, the festival teased our taste buds with informative demonstrations and interactive workshops. You could delve deeper into the world of food and drinks through expert-led pairings and hands-on learning. Remember those celebrity chef sightings? Stars like Robert Irvine, Cat Cora, and Buddy Valastro were once regular fixtures, sharing their culinary magic with festival-goers.

Also, remember the Party for the Senses? This culinary adventure took guests on a tasting tour, indulging in over 50 unique bites and beverages! And there was even more! Cheese connoisseurs could refine their palate at dedicated seminars, while brunch enthusiasts could enjoy exclusive experiences with celebrity chefs. Special events like Parisian breakfasts at Chefs de France rounded out a truly immersive foodie experience.

Let’s be honest, the past few festivals haven’t quite captured the same magic.  Since we haven’t heard if these experiences are making a return this year, you might want to either wait a bit longer until there’s confirmation or hold off entirely until we know about the 2025 festival.

Disney May Need to Work the Kinks Out in Its New Venue

CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza will open on June 10th. The new venue smack in the middle of EPCOT will be used as a “festival center.” And that’s one reason to believe the seminars, tastings, and exclusive parties could return to the festival this year.

But whatever comes to CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, Disney may be testing things and working out the kinks this year. Again — you may want to see what is announced for this new area before you decide to book your trip.

Will There Be a New Festival?

We know that trips to Disney World are expensive and if you’re planning your one and only trip for the year, you may want to consider that we could be in store for a new festival. The reason we think this could be happening is due to the fact that the  2023 Food and Wine Festival was shorter by 10 or more days than the previous three years, which suggests it could be shorter again this year.

If that’s the case, that leaves a LOT of time between Flower and Garden and Food and Wine, and Disney might want to fill the space with a brand new summer festival. Now obviously, this is total speculation on our part! We don’t have any information from Disney about any new festival, nor do we know the dates for Food and Wine yet. But we did see Disney add the new summertime Pixar Fest in Disneyland this year, so who knows what could be on the horizon for Florida?

These festivals are a huge draw for EPCOT, and Disney isn’t one to let the formula go stagnant, so we wouldn’t put it past them to add a fifth one to the calendar. So, you may want to hold off on booking a trip for Food and Wine until you know a bit more.

In the end, we’re just hoping that Disney brings back the full gamut of activities and experiences that once made the Food & Wine Festival truly unique! There will be a new venue to experience, and that will be exciting, as well. We’re keeping an eye out for any new announcements about the Food & Wine Festival, so keep following DFB for the latest!

Click here for our full Food & Wine Festival page!

Will you be visiting the Food & Wine Festival this year? Tell us in the comments.

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