EPCOT Food & Wine 2026: 9 First-Time Eat to the Beat Acts

If you’re planning a Disney World trip this fall, the timing just got a lot more important. Disney revealed the complete 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Eat to the Beat Concert Series schedule on June 17 via the Disney Parks Blog, and this year’s roster is the most ambitious in recent memory — nine acts making their EPCOT debut alongside proven festival favorites.

The festival runs August 27 through November 21, 2026, with concerts nightly from August 27 through November 16. Admission to every show is included with standard EPCOT park admission — no upcharge required to get in the door.

We’ve been tracking the Food & Wine Festival across multiple fall seasons, and this year’s lineup announcement has us paying close attention to specific weeks on the calendar that will sell out fast.

9 First-Time EPCOT Acts in One Festival

That is the headline number. According to the Disney Parks Blog announcement, the following acts are making their Eat to the Beat debut in 2026:

Artist	Performance Dates
The War and Treaty	September 4–5
Couch	September 11–12
Fitz and the Tantrums	September 13–14
Grupo Manía	September 20–21
Rey Ruiz	October 5–6
Allen Stone	October 21–22
Lauren Alaina	October 26–27
Big Head Todd and The Monsters	November 4–5
Grace Potter	November 9–10

That is actually nine first-timers, not seven — Disney listed the festival debuts prominently, and the full schedule reveals additional new names beyond the three highlighted acts (Lauren Alaina, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Grace Potter). For context, most years deliver two or three new names. Nine is a significant refresh.

The Returning Acts Worth Booking Around

The new names get the attention, but the returning acts are what the Food & Wine regulars plan their trips around. Boyz II Men (November 2–3), The Beach Boys (November 11–12), Yellowcard (September 6–7), Hanson (August 28–31), and MercyMe (September 18–19) are all back. The Fray returns October 12–13, and Bowling for Soup plays October 28–29.

Hanson’s four-night run to open the concert series is the longest continuous stretch in the lineup and historically draws strong crowds — we’d expect August 28–31 to be among the busiest non-holiday weekends of the festival.

How Dining Packages Work (And When to Book)

Disney offers Concert Series Dining Packages that pair a meal at a participating EPCOT restaurant with guaranteed reserved seating for that evening’s show. Reservations for the 2026 dining packages open July 16 — that is less than a month away, and for any of the debut acts or multi-night headliners, seats in the reserved section will go quickly.

The dining package is worth understanding even if you don’t plan to use it every night. General seating at the American Gardens Theatre is first-come, first-served with shows at multiple times each evening. If you’re targeting a specific act and don’t have a dining package, arriving 45–60 minutes early for your preferred showtime is the practical standard during peak festival weeks.

What’s at the 30+ Global Marketplaces

The concert series is built on top of the broader Food & Wine Festival, which features more than 30 Global Marketplaces throughout EPCOT. These are the outdoor food booths positioned around World Showcase and beyond — each one themed to a region or cuisine, with rotating small-plate and beverage offerings priced individually (no festival ticket or meal-plan redemption required at most booths).

Disney has not yet released the full Global Marketplace menu lineup for 2026. That announcement typically comes 4–6 weeks before the festival opens, which would put it in mid-to-late July. We’ll cover the food booth breakdown in detail once that drops.

When to Go for the Best Experience

Based on the schedule, here are the weeks we’d highlight for different types of visitors:

For debut acts: September 13–14 (Fitz and the Tantrums) and October 26–27 (Lauren Alaina) are the highest-profile EPCOT firsts on the list — both artists have substantial mainstream followings that will drive demand.

For lower crowds with strong lineups: Early October historically sees lighter attendance than September or November holiday weeks. The Fray (October 12–13) and STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas (October 14–15) make that stretch a strong option.

For the full fall-festival atmosphere: November 2–3 with Boyz II Men lands close enough to Halloween to still carry festive energy, but far enough from Thanksgiving to avoid peak crowds. The Beach Boys on November 11–12 offers a similar sweet spot.

The American Gardens Theatre is located at The American Adventure pavilion, between the Japan and Italy pavilions along World Showcase Lagoon. Dinner on the waterfront with a live act and 30 food booths within walking distance is one of the better evenings you can have in a Disney park — and in 2026, the concert calendar gives you more genuinely new options than the festival has offered in years.