Disney Food Festivals Are Taking On Big Changes In 2024

EPCOT isn't just the home of Spaceship Earth and Figment. The Disney park also features the World Showcase (where you can famously drink around the world), and perhaps most importantly, a rotation of immersive food festivals throughout the year. The four annual food festivals at EPCOT are the International Festival of the Arts, the International Flower and Garden Festival, the International Food and Wine Festival, and the Festival of the Holidays. But there are some big changes coming to some of Disney World's food festivals in 2024.

The International Flower and Garden Festival is the park's annual spring event and features an array of activities, including a Garden Graze food crawl. This year's festival will run from February 28 through May 27, which is notably shorter than previous years — exactly 36 days shorter than 2023's festival. This key change could also signal further shifts in the park's rotation of food festivals. The schedule for EPCOT's 2024 Food and Wine Festival has not yet been released; however, the abbreviated Flower and Garden dates might mean a longer (or shorter) Food and Wine Festival. Or, it could lead to the introduction of a new festival altogether, though this is not yet verified.

But it's not just the timelines that might be seeing some switches in 2024. Two new festival areas are set to open this year, and they might bring some big changes to Disney's festival lineup, perhaps returning it to its pre-pandemic activity-stuffed glory.

The two new EPCOT spaces are called CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza. CommuniCore Hall will be an indoor space that can host multiple events and has several areas for festival activities. The hall will have room for a mixology bar, meet-and-greet areas, galleries, and a demonstration station. CommuniCore Hall is set to replace the now-defunct EPCOT Experience, which previously hosted the festival events.

CommuniCore Plaza, on the other hand, is an outdoor event space that will host performances both small and large, including the concert series that occurs for Disney's food festivals throughout the year. These two spaces are located in the CommuniCore area of EPCOT, a space dedicated to technological advancements. CommuniCore originally opened in 1982 and was an inaugural part of Disney World. However, this area, like the park itself, has evolved over the years. And it looks like this new iteration of the pavilion will see a shift towards rotating festivals rather than a strict focus on technology.

The new CommuniCore areas, along with the shift in the timeline for the upcoming International Flower and Garden Festival, could mark a huge change for EPCOT. With the added space, it looks like we might be returning to the activity-rich festivals of 2019 and before, which featured a myriad of events and tutorials that are currently missing from the festivals, at least compared to pre-pandemic Disney.

And it's no wonder why. EPCOT festivals are particularly popular events, featuring a mix of different foods, drinks, and activities that transform the already spacious theme park into an entirely new and ever-changing event. The shorter festival schedules and the new CommuniCore additions only increase the park's capacity to host more festivals. As to what this abbreviated Flower and Garden Festival means for other festivals going forward, only time (and Disney) will tell. But there are certainly some beautiful and delicious things beginning to bloom this spring in Orlando.