The 4 Disney World events savvy travelers plan trips around

You could visit Walt Disney World any time of year, but savvy travelers will want to plan around four key events: EPCOT's festivals. Each one features unique experiences you won't find other times of year. "That steak dish and that beer cheese soup at Canada for Food and Wine, you'll only find it du

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What is the story about?

You could visit Walt Disney World any time of year, but savvy travelers will want to plan around four key events: EPCOT's festivals.

Each one features unique experiences you won't find other times of year.

"That steak dish and that beer cheese soup at Canada for Food and Wine, you'll only find it during Food and Wine. That Candlelight Processional entertainment, only time that you're gonna see it is if you come during Festival of the Holidays," Dave Kesting, former general manager of EPCOT Festivals, previously told USA TODAY. "So they all have similar components, but each one has a different star of the show."

And with the exception of dining, they're all included in the price of park admission.

EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is currently

underway, and Disney just announced the dates for the first two festivals of 2027.

Here's what travelers planning trips to the Florida resort should know.

How many festivals does Disney World have? What are the dates?

EPCOT hosts four festivals each year:

EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will run Jan. 15 through March 1, 2027.
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival will run March 10 through May 31, 2027.
EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival began Aug. 27 and will run through Nov. 21, 2026.
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will run Nov. 27 through Dec. 30, 2026.

What is Festival of the Arts at EPCOT?

EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is a weeks-long celebration of visual, performing and culinary arts, featuring scores of Disney artists, whom guests can meet in person, and nightly Disney on Broadway concerts with Broadway performers. There are also various hands-on activities like drawing classes taught by Disney artists, chalk art for kids, and a huge paint-by-numbers mural that guests work on together.

Is EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival worth it?

For many fans, the answer is yes. EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is known for its head-turning topiaries, but guests also enjoy the festival's butterfly garden with live butterflies, Garden Rocks concert series and Outdoor Kitchens that serve up snack-size garden-to-table cuisine.

EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival's colorful

Is EPCOT Food and Wine free?

Entertainment experiences like Eat to the Beat concerts and other EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival activities are free, but the actual food and drinks at Global Marketplaces are not. Guests pay for those à la carte.

A line for food and drink at the Hawai’i stop (near Port of Entry) on opening day of the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.

How long is Festival of the Holidays at EPCOT?

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays runs about a month, traditionally from around Thanksgiving to nearly the New Year. During the event, guests can learn how various cultures from around the world celebrate different holidays and try traditional foods ranging from yule logs to latkes.

Many guests make a point to catch the Candlelight Processional, in which celebrity narrators tell the Christmas story alongside a live chorus and orchestra. This year's narrators include Auliʻi Cravalho and Jodi Benson - who voiced Moana and Ariel, respectively – as well as Jason Kelce, Simu Liu and more.