Extra, extra, read all about it! Seriously, we’re sure Disney World hasn’t had a wink of sleep because they’ve dropped so many new updates this week. If you’ve missed out, this is your chance to catch up!

Magic Kingdom

I’m back again with another round of WHAT’S NEW UPDATES AT DISNEY WORLD, a rundown on all the epic news and updates that happened at Disney World this past week. This week, we got the 4-1-1 on TWO NEW BOOTHS announced for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, the Country Bear Musical Jamboree has officially OPENED at Magic Kingdom, and an exclusive hotel perk that’s coming BACK to Hollywood Studios! Are y’all ready? Okay, let’s go!

TWO NEW BOOTHS Announced for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

This year’s festival is starting a little later and will run from August 29th through November 23rd. Now, we’ve seen a few details about what to expect for this year’s festival, including the schedule for the Eat to the Beat concert series. And now, we’re learning about two NEW food booths coming to the festival in 2024!

It’s getting closer!

The two new booths for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival will be Autumn Blaze and Harvest Table! These new booths will “focus on fall food and flavors,” according to Kevin Downing, the Chef de Cuisine for EPCOT Festivals. We spotted mention of them in the seasonal newsletter for Disney Visa cardholders — Disney Insider.

The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

“We are going beyond the usual seasonal ingredients like apples and pumpkins and using other foods that capture the flavors in unique ways, such as a brined pork tenderloin with fennel slaw at Autumn Blaze and a wild game chili at Harvest Table,” Downing said.

Frozen Pomegranate Tea at the 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Last week, some of the festival prep became evident in EPCOT, as we saw some of the returning booths installed including Spain…

Spain!

…India…

India!

…as well as Coastal Eats, Noodle Exchange, and Hawai’i — Disney had previously confirmed that Passionfruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts will be back on the menu at the Hawai’i booth!

Passionfruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts

We also noticed that a booth has been moved near the new playground area (it looks like it was last year’s Bubbles and Brine or Char and Chop booth). Other dishes Disney has announced will return include the Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce at the Germany booth…

Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce

…Belgian Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream or Warm Chocolate Ganache at the Belgium booth…

Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream

…and Dark Chocolate Fondue with Berries, Pound Cake, and Meringues at the Alps booth.

Dark Chocolate Fondue with Berries, Pound Cake and Meringues

We can’t wait for this year’s festival to commence!

5 Major Changes We’re Expecting For The 2024 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

The Country Bear Musical Jamboree Officially Reopened Following Ride OVERHAUL in Magic Kingdom

The Bears are BACK in town!

The NEW Country Bear Musical Jamboree!

After months of refurbishment, the Country Bears are officially back at the Magic Kingdom. However, this isn’t your father’s Country Bear Jamboree. The opening day Magic Kingdom attraction has been completely reimagined!

Country Bear Musical Jamboree

The new Country Musical Jamboree officially reopened on July 17th. The new show — which we were able to see an exclusive preview of earlier this month  — is based around the“Opry-style shows of Nashville,” according to Disney, and features the titular bears performing “reinterpreted Disney tunes in different genres of country music – like bluegrass, pop-country, Americana, rockabilly and other styles.” We’ve rounded up a full list of the changes between the old show and the NEW show, and as you can see, the bears have a NEW look.

Teddi Beara

We headed straight for the Country Bear Musical Jamboree on the morning the attraction reopened. While there were a healthy amount of people who went straight for the new show…

And just like that the doors are OPEN! #CountryBearMusicalJamboree 🐻 pic.twitter.com/hlpWYT8D4y

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 17, 2024

… it didn’t look to be quite as crowded as Disney anticipated, at least at first.

Not quite as crowded as anticipated it seems.

Still, those present for the show seemed happy to have the Country Bears back after their long hibernation.

💗🎀🎤 pic.twitter.com/tYiOiRQxvj

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 17, 2024

Big Al seemed to get a big reaction!

Hiya, Big Al! 👋🐻 pic.twitter.com/icMUDHdZQm

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 17, 2024

While there’s sure to be a long debate on whether the new Country Bear Musical Jamboree lives up to the iconic original incarnation, we must admit that “The Bare Necessities” finale is one element of the new show that really works well when seen with an audience. Here’s a full list of the NEW songs:

• “Try Everything” from Zootopia
• “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid
• “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins
• “A Whole New World” from Aladdin
• “Fixer Upper” from Frozen
• “Remember Me” from Coco
• “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story
• “The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book
• “Come Again”

We’re glad to have our favorite band of bears back!

FIRST LOOK: Disney Just Dropped a NEW $35 Souvenir in Magic Kingdom

An Exclusive Hotel Perk Is Coming BACK to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney World offers Extended Evening Theme Park Hours for select guests, giving them extra hours in the parks! Unlike Early Theme Park Hours, Extended Evening Hours are offered only at one park per specific date. Right now, you’ll find this extra perk in EPCOT and Magic Kingdom, but Disney just revealed that Extended Evening Hours are coming back to Hollywood Studios!

Tower of Terror

We spotted the change on the My Disney Experience app. People staying at select Disney World hotels can experience Extended Evening Hours at Hollywood Studios beginning on September 25th, 2024.

©Disney

This means you’ll be able to ride the following rides!

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Toy Story Mania!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

And as a reminder, these are the hotels that qualify for Extended Evening Hours: 

• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort

Hollywood Studios

We’re happy to see this hotel perk is back and can’t wait to take advantage of it starting on September 25th, 2024!

Of course, that’s not all that happened! There are plenty of things that happen every single day at Disney World. Check out EVERYTHING by clicking through the links below! Our reporters and writers keep these pages updated with all the latest things that take place in the parks — from merchandise drops to new menu items. See for yourself!

Looking for more big Disney World news? Click here!

In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.

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What do you think of these big Disney World updates? Let us know in the comments!