Nearly every day of the calendar year, Walt Disney World’s EPCOT is in festival mode. Whether it’s the International Festival of the Arts to start the year; the International Flower & Garden Festival spring into summer; the International Food & Wine Festival summer into fall; or the International Festival of the Holidays to close out the year, there just always seems to be something to see and do!

It wasn’t always this way, though! Let’s take a look at the history of EPCOT’s festivals and how the park grew into becoming the festival super-center it is today.
1994
1994 was a big year for EPCOT. The first of its festivals, the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, debuted!

Later that year, something in Disney World changed that would forever shape the holiday season at EPCOT. Disney’s Candlelight Processional, which at the time was playing annually in Magic Kingdom since the park opened in 1971, moved to the American Adventure Pavilion in World Showcase.

1995
Just one year after the launch of EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival, a second festival joined the ranks. This is the year that marked the beginning of the now-famous and fan-favorite EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival.

1996
EPCOT truly knows how to keep the festival party going! In 1996, Holidays Around the World debuted in the park. Centered around the Candlelight Processional, World Showcase was transformed each holiday season with unique entertainment and food offerings for guests. It wouldn’t change its name to what we know it to be today, however, for two decades.

2002
To remedy lower attendance in the parks following the attacks on September 11, 2001, EPCOT’s festivals started to grow in a big way. In 2002, the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival hosted its first ever Eat to the Beat Concert Series, which brought big-name musical acts to the American Adventure Pavilion throughout the festival.

2016
Two decades after EPCOT’s Holidays Around the World debuted, it was officially renamed the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, keeping closer to the “festival” branding of the Food & Wine Festival and the Flower & Garden Festival.

2017
In 2017, the newest EPCOT festival, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, debuted! This is arguably the most unique EPCOT festival, celebrating culinary, visual, and performing arts. It is also one of the shorter festivals, running for only six to seven weeks, as compared to the Flower & Garden and Food & Wine Festivals, which now run for months.

2020
Following the historic closures at Disney World, EPCOT is certainly making up for lost time! The 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival was a whopping four months long! Since then, each festival has been a “Taste” of that festival, offering many of the food booths and festival offerings in a modified format to accommodate physical distancing.

Now, it’s nearly impossible to spend a week in Disney World and NOT be around during an EPCOT Festival. Lately, the turnaround time between festivals is getting shorter and shorter, with some festivals starting just one week after their predecessors — essentially, just long enough to switch over the kitchens and change out the banners!

Those outdoor food booths, which used to come and go frequently as festivals closed, are now semi-permanent structures around World Showcase, solidifying their place as a “constant” that guests can expect when visiting EPCOT.
Which EPCOT festival is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Disney World News
- Disney Adults Can’t Stop Debating If This NEW Disney World Concept Art Is Amazing or Terrible
- CELEBRITY SIGHTING: You Won’t Believe Who Just Had a Dance-Off With Pluto at Disney World
- Uh-Oh. Two of the Most Popular Rides in Disney World Just Closed at the SAME Time
- REVIEW: I Regret To Inform You the Best Breakfast In Disney World Costs $45 — But You’re Going To Leave HAPPY
- 10 MAJOR Changes Coming to Disney World This Fall
- Why Every Disney Adult Is Marking July 16th on Their Calendars
- 7 Life-Changing Announcements for Disney Adults in 2026
- I Used To Hate This Disney World Roller Coaster — But This Update Changed My Mind
- 5 Disney Controversies That Vanished From Public Memory, But These Fans Are Still Weirdly Fixated On
- BREAKING: A NEW Disney Character Is Coming to Magic Kingdom
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!

Trending Now
Why isn't Disney getting more specific about a soon-to-be-changed ride?
Amazon is clearing out the Disney vault!
We asked our resident Disney adults which ride at Hollywood Studios they would rope drop...
Amazon has Loungeflys on sale as part of Prime Day!
Amazon Prime Day is giving us amazing deals on Oura Ring accessories!
Get your calendars out; we know when Disney World Christmas party tickets go on sale!
Let’s be real: Disney World is basically a maze of vibes, snacks, and tiny details...
Let's breakdown the major changes coming to Disney World this Fall 2025.
We found the best Disney essentials you can get on sale on Amazon right now!
This big celebrity recently went to all four parks at Disney World!
Here are the BIG Disney World transportation problems you should be including in your plans!
EPCOT's latest ride reopening could prove chaotic for land hopping.
Let's have a chat about an Oura Ring that Disney Adults just can’t seem to...
Disney's Boardwalk Villas got a scathing review recently that could indicate some issues with a...
Everyone say hello to Whimsy!
A NEW character dining spot and two returning options are headed to Disneyland soon!
We're sharing our absolute favorite Disney finds that are on sale right now!
Amazon Prime Day is here with some HUGE deals on Disney souvenirs.
NEW menu items just landed at Catalina Eddie's in Hollywood Studios and we're bringing you...
This Disney World rule could definitely use some tweaks.