Credit: DisneyAfter eliminating a fan-favorite hack, Walt Disney World Resort has introduced a solution to address the reduced dining space at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. The 30th annual event kicks off on August 27, 2026.
Disney World Kills Dining Hack
Over the last few months, Walt Disney World Resort has slowly been replacing the flat-top, push-to-open trash and recycling can designs around its theme parks with a new, more hygienic and efficient design. The updated waste receptacles feature a foot pedal to open them and internal compactors, so custodial cast members don’t have to change the bags as frequently. Outdoor models have rounded solar panels on top.
The arrival of the new bins, designed by Walt Disney Imagineers and themed to their respective locations, might seem like one of the most uncontroversial updates at the Central Florida Disney parks in some time. But their arrival around the EPCOT World Showcase caused immediate concern among frequent Disney Park guests.
During busy annual events like the upcoming International Food & Wine Festival, EPCOT guests often use the flat-top trash cans as impromptu dining spaces when buying small bites from Global Marketplaces around the World Showcase. The new, round-top designs are much harder to place food trays and beverage cups on.
Luckily, Walt Disney World Resort has introduced a solution.
A New Solution Arrives in the Germany World Showcase Pavilion
Just one week before the start of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, Walt Disney World Resort has installed the first of what is likely to be a wave of temporary countertops on railings around the World Showcase. On August 20, WDW News Today shared a photo of the first wooden counter in the Germany World Showcase Pavilion on Facebook:
The counters feature a raised back edge, likely to prevent trash and other items from falling into the flowerbeds. Crucially, they also have a “no seating” sign–though whether Disney Park guests heed that warning remains to be seen.
About the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will take place from August 27 to November 21, 2026. Walt Disney World Resort recently revealed the full list of Global Marketplaces for this year’s event, though specific menu items and availability are subject to change.
To celebrate 30 years of the iconic seasonal event, Walt Disney World Resort is bringing back or reimagining 30 fan-favorite menu items from past festivals.
Have you ever attended the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? Share your favorite memories with Inside the Magic in the comments!
