Does This NEW Permit Mean CHANGES Are Coming to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival?

There is construction happening all OVER Disney World these days, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

New lands and new attractions are in development, and refurbishments are happening all around the property. Now, we’ve got a new construction permit filed for EPCOT that has us questioning what’s coming next.

A “notice of commencement” construction permit was filed by Walt Disney World Resort for an address matching World Showplace in EPCOT. This is the event building located between the Canada and UK Pavilions in World Showcase.

The building has been used for a variety of purposes over the years, but more recently, it has remained closed off behind its entrance gate. The permit lists a contractor named Shaw Contract Flooring and the description on the permit is “general construction.” If the building is getting a facelift, is it going to be put in use again?

Most recently, World Showplace was partially open for visitors to use its bathrooms while the UK Pavilion restrooms were under construction. However, the building was used for a festival space multiple times in 2020 and 2021 when those coming to the parks were still required to wear masks, and Disney wanted to offer a large, indoor, air-conditioned area where social distancing was still possible.

World Showplace set up with festival booths in 2020

But longtime Disney fans know that it used to be a festival staple before the pandemic. For a while, this was where culinary demonstrations and special offerings were hosted during the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, and with that festival coming up on the calendar, could Disney be preparing to use it again?

Those special offerings haven’t returned to the Food & Wine Festival since the pandemic. We had hoped that when EPCOT added CommuniCore Hall, that it could become a space for those kinds of events. However, that has since been used more for food booths, additional seating, and occasionally, special exhibits or entertainment.

Emma at CommuniCore Hall during Flower & Garden

Now it’s also important to note that World Showplace is occasionally used for media events or rented out for private events. So it’s possible that the upcoming refurbishment is just to make the space nicer for those purposes. We’ll have to wait and see if anything is announced in the future.