This year has flown by and we’re already well past the halfway mark of 2024. We’ve already attended TWO major EPCOT festivals, and now it’s time to turn our attention toward a third!

EPCOT is home to several events and four big-time festivals each year, and the next scheduled festival happens to be the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival! Taking place from August 29th through November 23rd, 2024, this fan-favorite festival usually offers some amazing booths and entertainment, and we can’t wait to experience it all! With that said, we have noticed that this year’s festival will look a lot different than the Food & Wine festivals of the past.

While the Food & Wine festival will feature a lot of the comforts and fan-favorites EPCOT enthusiasts are used to, three big changes have stood out to us when looking ahead to this year’s event. Let’s jump in and examine the ways the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will differ from past festivals!

The Dining Plan is BACK

The Disney Dining Plan OFFICIALLY returned earlier this year after a four-year hiatus and it’ll immediately make an impact on the upcoming Food & Wine Festival.

The two Disney Dining Plans give you the convenience and flexibility of prepaid meals and snacks and credits have previously worked for other EPCOT festival booths this year, so that’s something to be mindful of during this year’s Food & Wine Festival.

As the first Food & Wine Festival to happen since the Dining Plan returned, the experience will naturally look a little bit different. We’ve seen some pretty good use of dining credits for festivals already this year, and we’ll be on the lookout for good ways to spend dining credits during the Food & Wine Festival!

The Festival Is Shorter

In past years, the Food & Wine Festival was longer. For comparison, this year’s festival is being held from August 29th through November 23rd while the 2023 Food & Wine Festival was held between July 27th through November 18th — a full month longer!

The last time the festival was this short was in 2019 when it ran from August 29th through November 23rd. Why is Disney World making this change? We have a theory…

Pre-COVID-19, Disney used EPCOT festivals as a way to attract crowds during slow seasons at the park. With crowds at Disney World and normalcy returning all over the theme park industry, it makes sense that Disney wants to move back slightly toward older business practices.

So what does this ultimately mean? Obviously, you’ll have less of a time window to experience the festival. However, all is not lost as we feel that experiencing this particular festival is best during the fall, and walking around with a full belly in cooler temperatures is a good thing!

CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza Will Be Open

When CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza originally opened in June, they were met with a barrage of criticism. Accused of being a waste of space with not much to offer, this EPCOT area was designed to be a festival hub and should look a lot different during the Food & Wine Festival.

Housed in EPCOT’s World Celebration, CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza will host their first festival with this year’s Food & Wine Festival.

CommuniCore Plaza provides an outdoor space where guests can relax and experience Festival food, shade, and entertainment, while CommuniCore Hall is the first fully-purpose-built structure in Festival programming history that offers guests a wide variety of experiences with food, art, live music, and more.

We hope the festival transforms the CommuniCore Plaza and CommuniCore Hall into the dynamic festival areas they were meant to be and that EPCOT visitors get to experience the area’s redemption arc!

Want to learn more about this year’s Food & Wine Festival? Check out our guidebook for comprehensive coverage and info about this popular event!

Are you excited for this year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival changes? Share your thoughts below and continue to follow us here at DFB for all the latest Disney World news, reviews, tips, and more!

We’ve Gotta Share Some BAD NEWS About the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Which change are you most worried or excited about? Let us know in the comments!