Hooray! We finally have a few more updates on the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, which will be showcasing tons of awesomeness from September 14-November 14 this year!
We’ve been reporting the latest and greatest for you as soon as we hear it, from new Eat to the Beat Concert acts to confirmed Food and Wine Festival World Showcase Booths. And now we have even more great info to help you as you plan your Fall trip to the World.
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Updates
Disney releases Food and Wine info in trickles this time of year, and today we’ve got more details on World Showcase Booths, new special events, a reimagined Party for the Senses, and a twist to the standard culinary and beverage seminars at the Festival Center. Read on for more!
Confirmed World Showcase Booths
This year, guests will nosh at over 30 Epcot Food and Wine Festival World Showcase Booths (check out our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booths page for more details!). Confirmed as returning this year are Greece, Desserts & Champagne, and Farm Fresh.
Greece Marketplace Booth
New items will include hard soda floats (much like the Hard Root Beer Float you can currently get at the Fife and Drum Tavern in Epcot’s American Adventure pavilion) at the Desserts & Champagne booth; a savory vegan dish at the Greece marketplace; and new savory menu options at the Farm Fresh booth.
Hard Root Beer Float
The Booths will again extend into Future World this year, but we have no confirmation on whether The Chew will be involved this year.
Check out our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booths page for more details as we get them!
Ready to Plan for Your Epcot Food and Wine Festival Trip?
The DFB Guide to the 2016 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book is now available for pre-order! This 250+-page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever.
Your purchase includes several bonus items as well — including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable World Showcase Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World!
Order your 2016 edition today and we’ll immediately send you the 2015 edition for FREE to get started on planning right away! Don’t miss a moment of the fun!
Use code Chefs at check-out for a 20% off the cover price!
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Eat to the Beat Lineup (So Far!)
Ahead of the official announcement, our team has put together a first look at some of the music acts we expect to see during this year’s Eat to the Beat Concert Series; and now we have a few more updates.
We’re excited to confirm that new acts will include Wang Chung, Delta Rae, and Toad the Wet Sprocket. Joining them in the lineup will be returning acts Wilson Phillips, Boyz II Men, Jeffrey Osbourne, 38 Special, Starship, and Christopher Cross. Unconfirmed (but we’re pretty darn sure about them) new acts include Fuel and Plain White T’s.
Note that this schedule is subject to change.
- Wang Chung NEW! — September 14-15
- Starship — September 16-18
- TBD — September 19-23
- Fuel NEW! — September 24
- TBD — September 25-October 8
- Plain White T’s (UNCONFIRMED) NEW! — October 7-9
- 38 Special — October 10-11
- Jeffrey Osbourne — October 12-13 NEW!
- TBD — October 14-19
- Christopher Cross – October 20-21
- TBD — October 22-November 14
- Delta Rae, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Wilson Phillips, Boyz II Men — UNKNOWN DATES
Since this partial list is preliminary, be sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for additions and/or changes to the schedule! We will bring you all the latest news first!
Updated Festival Center Offerings — Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It Workshops
The Festival Center always offers culinary, beverage, and mixology seminars — and we think those will return — but they’re adding a little something new this year!
Jacques Torres Making Something Deliciously Chocolate
In 2016, the Festival Center will be host to the new “Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It!” hands-on workshops, offering guests a chance to learn a variety of culinary skills from chefs, bakers, mixologists and other pros. Participants will put expert advice to use whether mixing cocktails, decorating cakes, or using herbs to kick up a dish’s flavor. Sounds fun! We’ll get more details to you as soon as we have them!
Special Events — Party For the Senses, Rockin’ Burger Block Party, and NEW Events
Special Events at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival
include the uber popular Party for the Senses, Signature meals featuring Celebrity Chefs around the resort, and the new-in-2015 Rockin’ Burger Block Party (see a review here)– all returning in 2016.
Party For the Senses
This year, though, the Party for the Senses will be “re-imagined” with new “concepts and themes.” We’re thinking we’ll see more themed nights like last year’s Black and Yellow event. There will also be new live entertainment for the Block Party and Party for the Senses.
Burger Victory at the Rockin’ Burger Block Party
As for Signature events around the Walt Disney World Resort, 2016 will see the debut of a new Grand Floridian brunch with a twist, and a new cooking school experience.
Check out our Special Events page for more details when we have them!
Celebrity Chefs
A big draw at the festival are the famous culinary bigwigs that descend upon Epcot in the Fall. This year, guests can chat up Cat Cora, Norman Van Aken, Masaharu Morimoto, Elizabeth Falkner, Buddy Valastro and Jamie Deen among others at events.
Chef Cat Cora Book Signing at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival
…And More!
Here are a few more bits and bites to help you plan your Festival experience!
The popular Festival Private Label California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are back and available by the bottle or by the glass.
Exclusive Festival Wines
Ratatouille returns — Chef Remy of “Ratatouille” returns with his fun-for-the-family culinary scavenger hunt.
Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Pins — Your Suprise for Helping Chef Remy!
Back to Basics will return to the Festival Center. This free with admission weekend series features epicurean tips and tricks from the pros, book and bottle signings, and The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar, hosted by Ghirardelli.
Ghirardelli Drinking Chocolate from Epcot Food and Wine Festival
The Chase Lounge returns for Chase debit and credit card members (including Disney Visa cardholders). The Lounge is usually in the American Adventure pavilion, and offers charging stations, complimentary non-alcoholic drinks, and much-needed A/C.
Chase Lounge Entrance in the America Pavilion at the 2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival
Stay tuned to DFB. We’ll share all of the news about the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival — ASAP! Better yet — join the DFB Newsletter and get your big news first!
Pin It for Later!
It’s Time to Start Planning!
The DFB Guide to the 2016 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book is now available for pre-order! And we’ve got a two for one deal for you!
This 250+-page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever.
Your purchase includes several bonus items as well — including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable World Showcase Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World!
Order your 2016 edition today and we’ll immediately send you the 2015 edition for FREE to get started on planning right away! Don’t miss a moment of the fun!
Use code Chefs at check-out for a 20% off the cover price!
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Index
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booth and Menu Index
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Special Events
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Low-Cost Seminars and Demonstrations
2016 Eat to the Beat Concert Schedule
Epcot Food and Wine Festival Fans Facebook Page
2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Wine and Dine Half Marathon
2016 Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic
Food and Wine Festival 101
2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Menus and FOOD PHOTOS
2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Gluten Free Items
How to Book Epcot Food & Wine Festival Events
To book all special events and demonstrations, call 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378). Join the Disney Food Blog Newsletter to find out as soon as we do about details and booking dates! Culinary Demonstrations, Beverage Seminars, Mixology Seminars, and general admission for some special events may be bookable online at www.epcotfoodfestival.com as well as by phone.
Tables in Wonderland members, Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Golden Oak Residents may be eligible for a discount (per person, per event) for beverage and mixology seminars and culinary demos taking place Mon-Thurs during the festival. Discounts are by phone only at 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378). Stay tuned to DisneyFoodBlog.com and the Disney Food Blog Newsletter for details.
Chase Disney Visa Cardholders may be able to book select special events, demos, and seminars early. A limited number of seats would be available for the TBD booking date.
Are you headed to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments below what you’re looking forward to!
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I can’t say I’ve ever gotten excited about Eat to the Beat, but Delta Rae is my FAVORITE band. (!!!!!!!!!!) We’ll be there on the TBD Oct 14-19 dates, so fingers crossed that they’re the ones performing then! (And if not, I am also very excited about Toad, Wilson Phillips, AND Boys II Men.) Great job, music bookers! Woohooooooo!
We love the culinary demos and we’re very disappointed last year when Disney decided to drop the wine presenters who used to accompany the chefs. The festival wines that replaced them were such a blatant money grab. Felt sorry for poor Pam Smith having to push them. Oh well, what can you do, the chefs were great. We did note that the beverage demos across the hall looked like a complete bust. They really looked like a major down grade from the past.
Wait, I could have sworn Fuel played two years ago. Because I remember thinking when it was announced, “Huh, they seem a little harder edged than the usual groups.”
Cant wait we are going this year early oct. First time we have ever been at this time of year.
I am not impressed with the musical acts for Eat to the Beat… I don’t even know who half of them are… You need to have more variety to accomodate all age groups…
I’m concerned that they have not announced the 3D Dessert party. I thought it would be coming back after taking a year off last year but I am looking forward to hearing more details about this years festival!
Hoping Boyz II Men will be there in early November!
What, no Sister Hazel yet?!?
What needs to be “reimagined” is the premium package. It was so stripped down last year that I couldn’t even come close to justifying the cost. The first year, it was close enough to be worth the cost.
A.J.,
Do we have dates for the rockin burger party yet?
Lynne S. — We do not have them yet, but I promise we will share as soon as we do! 🙂
Do you have to purchase tickets for Eat to the Beat? If so, where? Any recommendations for first timers to the F+W fest (we’ve done disney lots before but never the F+W festival). Thanks in advance!
Do you know when the culinary demos at the Festival Center will be announced??
Doug — We’re still awaiting the information about the demos. We’ll keep you posted. 🙂
HI totally agree about the “festival wines” last year – they were SO bad! and poor Chefs and Pam that had to smile while they drank them . I so hope they don’t do that this year!
question- I hope they have different dates for the seminars and demos to book them or we will be on the phone all day and never get through – do they have different booking dates? one for special events and one for demos? thanks!