2023 Epcot Food and Wine Festival to feature four new Global Marketplaces

The countdown has begun to the 2023 Epcot Food and Wine Festival. While many people plan their Disney Parks vacation around the annual food event, the bounty of new and returning favorite menu items has people planning their culinary adventures. With four new Global Marketplaces coming to the Disney event, it will be necessary to plan a few extra visits during the festival’s multi-month event.

Running from July 27 through November 18, the 2023 Epcot Food and Wine Festival will feature culinary delights from six continents. From familiar dishes that people cannot wait to enjoy again to new offerings that push people’s flavor boundaries, the Disney chefs ensure that everyone leaves satisfied.

In a nod to the Disney100 celebration, four new Global Marketplaces will celebrate the special event. According to Disney, these options will be Char & Chop, Wine & Wedge, Bubbles & Brine and Swirled Showcase.

Although details on the four new Global Marketplaces have not been released, one offering seems to suggest food and beverage pairing. Wine and Wedge sounds like a wine and cheese option. Maybe it could incorporate some special selections from master sommelier George Miliotes from Wine Bar George. Hopefully, there will be some under the radar wines for people to explore.

Looking at the other names, it could be an opportunity for the Disney chefs to offer some elevated plates. While the annual Festival of the Arts event pushes the culinary creativity, these names suggest menus that will be more complex than the classic filet mignon from Le Cellier.

2023 Epcot Food and Wine Festival brings new culinary adventures to the table

While many people cheer when Chef Mickey and Minnie stir up a new recipe, two other characters have many people extremely excited to taste their offerings. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and the verbose Beaker have gone to their food lab and created bold dishes for guests.

Featured at Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey, the Muppets Labs brings its culinary genius to the table. As shown on the Disney Parks website the menu includes:

• Orange-Cardamom Wings (NEW)
• Traditional Buffalo Wings with Celery and Ranch
• Impossible™ Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Plant-Based Blue Cheese, Plant-Based Ranch and Celery (NEW) (plant-based item)
• Scorching Hot Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings with Creamy Cucumber Raita (NEW)
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Wings
• Garlic-Parmesan Wings
• Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Buffalo Sauce, Plant-Based Blue Cheese and Plant-based Ranch (plant-based item)
• Sun King Brewing Caipirinha Lager, Sarasota, FL (NEW)
• Brew Hub French Connection IPA, Lakeland, FL (NEW)
• 3 Daughters Brewing Old Fashion Porter, St. Petersburg, FL (NEW)
• Blake’s Hard Cider Co. Tropicolada Hard Cider, Armada, MI (NEW)
• Bold Rock Peach Berry Hard Cider, Nellysford, VA (NEW)
• 3 Daughters Brewing Raspberry Lemonade Hard Cider, St. Petersburg, FL (NEW)
• Frozen Pomegranate Tea (nonalcoholic)
• Pickle Milkshake (nonalcoholic)
• Beer Flight
• Cider Flight

While the concept of the chicken wings and beer marketplace is not necessarily new, the Muppet connection is a breath of fresh air. Even if someone had never considered the extremely spicy chicken wing, they might visit the location because of the Muppet connection.

It will be interesting to see guests’ reaction to the Pickle Milkshake. While pickle flavored food continues to popular, pickle beverages can be divisive. Still, many people will order one just because. Dipping the garlic parmesan fries into the pickle milkshake might be the ultimate combo purchase on this menu.

The 2023 Epcot Food and Wine Festival presented by CORKCICLE runs from July 27 through November 18, 2023. In addition to theme park tickets, reservations are required. Some marketplaces will open later in the festival’s run.

Even though the food is often the draw, the annual Epcot festival features Eat to the Beat concert series, themed merchandise and more. Additional information and tickets can be found on the Disney website.