If you have an EPCOT trip on the calendar for October, a handful of notable changes are worth knowing about before you go. They touch everything from festival booths and fireworks dining to park hours and after-hours access for deluxe resort guests.
On October 2nd, the final four booths of the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival open: Coastal Eats, Earth Eats, The Alps, and India. All four will remain available through the close of the festival. That same date marks the debut of fireworks dining packages at Shiki-Sai, the Japan Pavilion's sushi restaurant. The package includes an appetizer, traditional sashimi, a sushi selection, and an exclusive dessert and beverages, priced at $120 per adult (or $149.50 with tax and gratuity) and $60 per child ($74.70 all-in). Reservations are currently open, and the package comes with seating to view Luminous: The Symphony of Us, EPCOT's nightly fireworks show.
Plan around two delayed openings this month if you're visiting during runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend. On Friday, October 23rd and Sunday, October 25th, EPCOT will open at 10 AM rather than the usual 9 AM, with Early Entry pushed to 9:30 AM instead of 8:30 AM. The 5K falls on Friday and the Half Marathon on Sunday, so expect elevated crowd levels on both days.
On the upside, deluxe resort guests can take advantage of Extended Evening Hours on three Monday nights — October 5th, 12th, and 19th — from 9 PM to 11 PM. During those windows, a solid lineup of attractions will be available with shorter-than-usual wait times, including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Frozen Ever After, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin' Around the World, Test Track, Mission: SPACE, Spaceship Earth, Gran Fiesta Tour, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.
Planning Your Trip
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Details on all four changes were first reported by the Disney Food Blog.
