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EPCOT festivals 2027 start on January 15 with the International Festival of the Arts, and the Flower & Garden Festival follows on March 10. Before that, 2026 closes with the Food & Wine Festival (through November 21) and the Festival of the Holidays (November 27 to December 30). Each one changes what you eat, hear and see around World Showcase, so each needs its own plan.
Every festival date and program detail below comes from Disney’s own pages, checked in October 2026. Disney hasn’t announced 2027 dates for Food & Wine or the Festival of the Holidays, so the 2026 runs serve as a guide. You’ll also see what’s included, what needs a booking and which hotels let you walk in.
Quick answer: In 2027 the Festival of the Arts runs January 15 to March 1 and Flower & Garden runs March 10 to May 31. Food & Wine runs through November 21, 2026, and the Festival of the Holidays November 27 to December 30, 2026; their 2027 dates aren’t out yet. Entry comes with your EPCOT ticket, food is pay-as-you-go, and dining packages guarantee concert seats. For the easiest festival days, stay at the Walt Disney World Swan or Dolphin and walk in through International Gateway.
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EPCOT festivals 2027 calendar (with the rest of 2026)
Here is the cycle as Disney lists it at the time of writing. The 2027 Arts and Flower & Garden pages still show 2026 highlights, subject to change.
| Festival | Dates | Concert series | Signature food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & Wine 2026 | Aug 27 – Nov 21, 2026 | Eat to the Beat (to Nov 16) | Global Marketplaces |
| Festival of the Holidays 2026 | Nov 27 – Dec 30, 2026 | Candlelight Processional | Holiday Kitchens |
| Festival of the Arts 2027 | Jan 15 – Mar 1, 2027 | DISNEY ON BROADWAY (2026 series) | Food Studios |
| Flower & Garden 2027 | Mar 10 – May 31, 2027 | Garden Rocks (2026 series) | Outdoor Kitchens |
| Food & Wine and Holidays 2027 | Not announced yet | To be announced | To be announced |
When no festival is running
Going by those dates, there’s no festival from November 22 to 26, 2026 (Thanksgiving week), December 31, 2026 to January 14, 2027, March 2 to 9, 2027, and from June 1, 2027 until the next Food & Wine opens. The park runs as usual, just without festival booths or concerts. Visiting over the holiday? Our Thanksgiving in Orlando guide covers that week’s park hours and dinners.
What’s included with EPCOT admission, and what costs extra
Disney’s Food & Wine, Festival of the Arts and Flower & Garden pages say each festival is included with valid EPCOT admission, though a park reservation may be required for some ticket types (Disney’s Early Entry page says date-based tickets no longer need one). Disney’s Festival of the Holidays pages don’t say that, but they sell no separate festival ticket, only regular park tickets.
- Included: walking the festival, exhibits, storytellers, topiaries and chalk art, and the concert series on a standby basis, with seating based on availability.
- Pay as you go: every dish and drink at the marketplaces, kitchens and studios, plus merchandise. During Food & Wine, mini festival gift cards can be activated with as little as $15.
- Paid add-ons: concert dining packages, scavenger hunt maps or game boards, and Disney After Hours, a separate-ticket night event.
- Food strolls: pick up a Festival Passport in the park, buy the featured dishes and collect a stamp for each. At Food & Wine’s Emile’s Fromage Montage, five stamps earn a treat at the Shimmering Sips marketplace.
Festival of the Arts 2027: January 15 to March 1
The 2027 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, presented by Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game, runs January 15 through March 1. Disney lists these 2026 highlights, subject to change:
- Food Studios serving bites and sips with a creative twist, plus the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine food stroll.
- DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert Series with songs from musicals such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Aladdin, and dining packages with a guaranteed seat.
- Exhibits and art: Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of DISNEY ON BROADWAY, Animation Academy drawing sessions led by an animator, chalk art galleries and Visual Art in Performance, where an artist paints a Disney character in minutes.
- For kids: Figment’s Brush with the Masters scavenger hunt, Kids’ Chalk Art and the Expression Section paint-by-numbers mural.
Opening day, Friday, January 15, falls just before the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, and Disney After Hours at EPCOT is set for January 21 and February 18. For weather and crowds, read our guides to Orlando in January and Orlando in February.
Flower & Garden Festival 2027: March 10 to May 31
The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival returns March 10 to May 31, 2027, an 83-day run. Disney will post 2027 details this winter; its 2026 highlights were:
- Gardens and topiaries around the park, including living sculptures of Disney characters.
- Garden Rocks Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre, with Garden Rocks Dining Packages for a guaranteed seat.
- Outdoor Kitchens, the festival-exclusive food kiosks, and the Garden Graze food stroll with a sweet reward at the end.
- For families: Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration scavenger hunt and a CommuniCore Hall exhibit with a bee’s-eye view of a giant garden as it moves from day to night.
Spring break and Easter fall inside this festival, and Disney After Hours at EPCOT is set for April 1, 15 and 22 and May 6 and 13. Our guides to Orlando in March and Orlando in April cover crowds and weather for those weeks.
Food & Wine Festival: the 2026 run and what’s next
The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival runs August 27 to November 21, billed by Disney as a culinary adventure across six continents. Its Global Marketplaces are festival-exclusive kiosks from CommuniCore Hall to World Showcase, with allergy-friendly menus. The Wedge marketplace in CommuniCore Hall is listed only through November 8.
- Eat to the Beat: nightly at America Gardens Theatre at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 PM, but only through November 16. The remaining lineup includes Boyz II Men (November 2 and 3), The Beach Boys (November 11 and 12) and The Hooligans to close (November 13 to 16), all subject to change.
- For kids: Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak (buy a map and stickers, find the Remy statuettes, get a keepsake), Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit through November 2, the Cheers to Cheese! exhibit through November 8 and the pots-and-pans beats of the Jammin’ Chefs.
Disney hasn’t announced 2027 dates. The 2026 festival opened in late August and ends on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Separately, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hosts its own ticketed Food & Wine Classic on its causeway on November 20 and 21, 2026, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM, open to the public; it isn’t part of EPCOT’s festival.
Festival of the Holidays 2026: November 27 to December 30
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, presented by AdventHealth, runs November 27 through December 30, 2026. Holiday Kitchens serve seasonal recipes from around the world, the Holiday Cookie Stroll ends with a treat, and storytellers share traditions around World Showcase, from Las Posadas with Mariachi Cobre in Mexico to Père Noël in France.
- JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season: gospel, R&B and holiday songs for Christmas and Kwanzaa, daily on the CommuniCore Plaza Stage.
- Character photos: Santa Claus in CommuniCore Hall daily through December 24, and Goofy as Santa at The Odyssey through December 30.
- For kids: Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt and Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses, a holiday version of the boat ride.
Candlelight Processional
The centerpiece runs nightly at America Gardens Theatre at 4:45, 6:30 and 8:00 PM: the Christmas story retold by a celebrity narrator with a massed choir, a 50-piece orchestra, herald trumpets and the Voices of Liberty. Disney’s 2026 narrators include Gary Sinise (November 29 to December 1), Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Groban and Eva Longoria (December 28 to 30); the opening nights are still to be announced, and appearances can change.
Candlelight dining package bookings opened on Disney’s site on October 14, 2026, and Disney calls advance reservations highly recommended. For parties, lights and other seasonal events, see our Christmas in Orlando guide.
Concerts and dining packages: how guaranteed seats work
| Concert series | Festival | Where and when | Guaranteed seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eat to the Beat | Food & Wine | America Gardens Theatre, 5:30, 6:45, 8:00 PM to Nov 16 | Concert Series Dining Package |
| Candlelight Processional | Holidays | America Gardens Theatre, 4:45, 6:30, 8:00 PM nightly | Candlelight Dining Package |
| DISNEY ON BROADWAY | Arts | 2027 details not posted yet | DISNEY ON BROADWAY Dining Package |
| Garden Rocks | Flower & Garden | America Gardens Theatre; 2027 times not posted | Garden Rocks Dining Package |
Disney’s Food & Wine and Candlelight package pages give the rules. At most participating EPCOT restaurants you get an entrée and dessert or a buffet, plus a drink, and one guaranteed seat per person for a show that day. A badge after the meal gets you into a separate queue, where package seats are filled first come, first served. You need a credit card guarantee, park admission isn’t included, packages may not be offered on peak dates, and prices vary by restaurant, before tax and tip.
Without a package, Disney seats you first come, first served while space lasts. For Food & Wine and Candlelight, Regal Eagle Smokehouse may sell same-day packages without a reservation if you decide late.
Lightning Lane, Early Entry and evening hours at festival time
Disney’s EPCOT Lightning Lane list covers attractions only: Multi Pass lets you book up to three experiences, with Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Test Track in the top group, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a separate Single Pass. Concerts and booths aren’t on it. Disney Resort hotel guests and select others, including the Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve, can buy 7 days before their stay; everyone else gets 3 days. Our Disney Lightning Lane guide explains the tiers.
- Early Theme Park Entry: 30 minutes before opening every day of your stay, which Disney says continues through 2027. Besides Disney Resort hotels, the list includes the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando and Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace. At EPCOT it covers rides such as Frozen Ever After, Remy’s, Test Track and Cosmic Rewind.
- Extended Evening Hours: select nights for Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa guests plus the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve and Shades of Green, with select food and merchandise locations open.
- Disney After Hours at EPCOT: a separate ticket from 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM, with entry from 7:00 PM, on the festival dates above plus summer nights.
Tips for a festival day at EPCOT
- Ride first, graze later. Use Early Entry or the first hours for rides, then work through the booths in the afternoon and evening, when the concerts start.
- Use International Gateway. It opens into World Showcase, where most booths sit, and it’s the gate you walk to from the Swan and Dolphin. Our EPCOT tips for first-timers explain both entrances.
- Book packages early. For standby seats, line up well before your chosen show.
- Check the app. Storyteller, concert and character times are in My Disney Experience, and lineups change.
- Pick quieter days. Weekdays outside holiday weeks are usually easier for grazing.
Where to stay for EPCOT festivals
Walking back to your room between lunch and the evening concert is the best festival upgrade. Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Yacht Club and Beach Club are closest to International Gateway (about 0.3 to 0.4 mile by our route checks), but they’re Disney-owned and booked through Disney, not Booking.com. Below are the closest Booking.com options plus two shuttle hotels; our hotels near EPCOT comparison covers the full field.
Walt Disney World Swan
The Marriott-run Swan sits on Crescent Lake, and the resort describes walkways to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Our foot-routing check puts International Gateway about 0.7 to 0.9 mile away, roughly 15 to 20 minutes depending on where you start. FriendShip water taxis leave the dock between the Swan and Dolphin about every 20 to 25 minutes from an hour before the parks open; Disney says boat hours vary with water and weather.
Guests get Early Entry, Extended Evening Hours and the 7-day Lightning Lane window. At the time of writing there’s a mandatory $50-plus-tax daily resort service package and $40 plus tax a day for self-parking, with standard theme park parking included. Marriott Bonvoy perks apply only to bookings made with Marriott. Our Walt Disney World Swan review covers the rooms.
Check your festival dates at the Walt Disney World Swan on Booking.com
Walt Disney World Dolphin
The Dolphin shares the Swan’s pools, boats, buses, fees and Disney perks, and our route check makes the walk to International Gateway about 0.7 mile, roughly 15 minutes. It’s the larger of the two buildings and a slightly shorter walk to the park. Read our Walt Disney World Dolphin review, or our Swan vs Dolphin vs Swan Reserve comparison to choose between the three.
See prices and availability at the Walt Disney World Dolphin
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
The newest of the three sits across Epcot Resorts Boulevard with the same Disney perks. Buses stop at its own entrance, water taxis leave from the dock between the Swan and Dolphin, and our foot-routing check makes International Gateway about 0.9 mile, around 20 minutes. The resort’s FAQ lists one $50-plus-tax package without separating the three hotels, so confirm the charge on your booking.
Compare rates for the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area
Drury Plaza is the value pick: no resort fee, a free hot breakfast from 6:00 to 10:00 AM, the 5:30 Kickback with hot food and drinks from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, and a free shuttle that Drury says runs every hour to all four Disney theme parks. It’s on Disney’s Early Entry list. Self-parking is $28 a night on Drury’s brand page, but the hotel’s own FAQ still says $25 plus tax, so confirm when you book; EPCOT’s main lot is about 5.5 miles away. Shuttle seats are first come, first served, and times follow a weekly schedule (the last EPCOT return was 10:20 PM in mid-October), so check it before an evening concert. Our Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando review has the details.
See available rooms at Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
This Disney Springs-area resort sells EPCOT Fireworks View rooms in its Tower and is on Disney’s Early Entry list. The $41-plus-tax daily resort charge includes an hourly Disney shuttle: buses leave at 35 minutes past the hour from 90 minutes before opening and return from EPCOT at 10 past, the last one 60 minutes after closing, with reservations both ways up to 72 hours ahead. Parking is $38 self or $48 valet a night, plus tax, and EPCOT’s main lot is about 4.6 miles away. See our Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace review.
Check your dates for Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace on Booking.com
Rates vary by season, availability and how far ahead you book.
Planning by month? Food & Wine and Festival of the Holidays weeks are covered in Orlando in September, Orlando in October, Orlando in November and Orlando in December; Flower & Garden’s finale in Orlando in May.
Disney dates: see the best time to visit Disney World: prices by date, events and closures month by month.
Frequently asked questions
When are the EPCOT festivals in 2027?
Disney lists the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts from January 15 to March 1, 2027, and the Flower & Garden Festival from March 10 to May 31, 2027. The 2027 Food & Wine Festival and Festival of the Holidays haven’t been announced yet. In 2026, Food & Wine runs August 27 to November 21 and the Festival of the Holidays November 27 to December 30.
Are EPCOT festivals included with park admission?
Yes. Disney’s pages say Food & Wine, the Festival of the Arts and Flower & Garden are included with valid EPCOT admission, though some ticket types may need a park reservation. The Festival of the Holidays pages sell no separate festival ticket, only regular park tickets. You pay extra for food and drink, merchandise, scavenger hunt maps and concert dining packages.
When is the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival in 2027?
Disney hasn’t announced 2027 dates at the time of writing. The 2026 festival runs from August 27 to November 21, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, but that’s a guide, not a promise. Check Disney’s Food & Wine page before you book flights or a hotel around it.
Do you need a dining package for the Candlelight Processional?
No, but it’s the only way to guarantee a seat. Shows run nightly at 4:45, 6:30 and 8:00 PM at America Gardens Theatre, and guests without a package are seated first come, first served while space lasts. The dining package adds a meal and one guaranteed seat per person for a same-day show; park admission isn’t included.
What is the best hotel for EPCOT festivals?
To walk, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are the closest hotels on Booking.com, about 15 to 20 minutes on foot from International Gateway, with Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours. To keep extra charges down, Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando has no resort fee, free breakfast and a free park shuttle. Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Yacht Club and Beach Club are closer but booked through Disney.
Bottom line
EPCOT’s 2027 festival year opens with the Festival of the Arts on January 15 and Flower & Garden on March 10, while Food & Wine and the Festival of the Holidays finish 2026. Pick your festival, book any concert package early and stay where you can walk in through International Gateway. Check rates at the Walt Disney World Swan for the easiest festival base.
Sources checked in October 2026: Disney: EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, Disney: EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, Disney: EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, Disney: Festival of the Holidays entertainment, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin: Transportation