Credit: Disney Walt Disney World fans may still have several weeks to wait before the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival officially begins. Still, the park is already giving guests an unexpected preview of what’s coming. Disney has quietly started preparing EPCOT for one of its biggest annual events, and the first signs of the transformation have now appeared throughout the park. While plenty of festival details are still under wraps, these early additions make it clear that preparations are officially underway. If you’re visiting EPCOT this month, you may notice the park already looks a little different from just days ago.
One of EPCOT’s Biggest Annual Traditions
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival has become one of Walt Disney World’s most anticipated seasonal events. Every year, the festival fills World Showcase and other areas of the park with Global Marketplace food booths serving dishes and beverages inspired by countries and cultures from around the world.
The event goes far beyond food, though. Guests can sample specialty drinks, enjoy exclusive merchandise, watch live culinary demonstrations, participate in family-friendly activities, and catch performances during the popular Eat to the Beat Concert Series.
For many Disney fans, the festival offers a completely different way to experience EPCOT. Instead of focusing only on attractions, visitors often spend the day exploring new flavors, collecting festival merchandise, and discovering limited-time offerings that disappear once the event ends.
Because so much goes into creating that experience, Disney begins transforming the park well before opening day.
Festival Kiosks Are Already Appearing Around EPCOT
That transformation has now officially started.
Crews have begun installing Global Marketplace kiosks throughout EPCOT ahead of the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. While many guests won’t notice them immediately, the temporary structures are already appearing around World Showcase, with additional kiosks popping up in other areas of the park as well.
The arrival of these booths marks one of the first visible signs that the Food & Wine Festival season is approaching.
Every year, kiosk installation kicks off the festival build-out process. Once the structures are in place, Disney gradually adds themed decorations, menu boards, festival branding, and signage over the following weeks. Those finishing touches haven’t arrived yet, but seeing the kiosks themselves means preparations are moving ahead on schedule.
It’s a familiar process for longtime EPCOT fans, but it’s still surprising to see the work begin this early. Guests visiting the park weeks before opening day are already getting a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney prepares one of its largest annual festivals.
As more kiosks appear across EPCOT, the park will continue taking on its seasonal look until everything is ready for opening day.
The Countdown to Food & Wine Is Officially On
The early construction lines up with Disney’s previously announced festival schedule.
The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will run from August 27 through November 21, giving guests nearly three months to experience this year’s event.
Disney has already confirmed several returning favorites. Emile’s Fromage Montage will once again encourage guests to sample select cheese-inspired dishes while collecting stamps to earn a special prize. Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt will also return, sending families around World Showcase in search of Remy while offering another collectible reward.
Music fans also have something to look forward to. Disney has already released the complete Eat to the Beat Concert Series lineup, allowing visitors to plan trips around their favorite performers long before the festival begins.
Additional food booth menus, merchandise collections, and entertainment details are still expected to arrive closer to opening day. Disney typically reveals those announcements gradually throughout the summer as anticipation continues to build.
More Festival Changes Are Still on the Way
Although the newly installed kiosks don’t reveal what each booth will serve, they offer an exciting reminder that the Food & Wine Festival season is getting closer every day.
Over the next several weeks, guests can expect to see more decorations appear throughout EPCOT, along with festival signs, menus, themed displays, and other finishing touches that transform the park into one of Walt Disney World’s signature seasonal events.
For frequent visitors, spotting these early additions has almost become part of the tradition. Watching the festival slowly come together before opening day gives guests an inside look at the amount of preparation required before the first food orders are served.
If Disney follows its usual timeline, the pace of visible changes should continue accelerating throughout August.
EPCOT Is Already Getting Ready
The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival may not officially begin until late August, but Disney isn’t waiting until then to start preparing the park. The arrival of Global Marketplace kiosks confirms that preparations are already in full swing, even if menus and decorations have yet to appear.
For guests visiting EPCOT over the next few weeks, these early installations offer a fun glimpse at what’s ahead. And with nearly three months of food, entertainment, and returning festival favorites on the calendar, it won’t be long before EPCOT fully transforms for one of Disney World’s most popular annual celebrations.
