To me, there’s nothing better than a theme park day where I can ride my favorite attractions, munch on snacks, and see some beloved characters. These days are even better when there’s a food festival for everyone in the park to enjoy. The best theme park food festivals are scattered across the country, and one is even at an international theme park.
If you’re a foodie like me, you’ll want to plan your trips to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Dollywood, and more around these seven theme park food festivals. Even better, I’m sharing my best tips for getting the most out of each festival.
EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival
One of the most popular theme park food festivals is the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival. The event takes place at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This yearly event kicks off in late summer and goes through the fall. The official dates for this year’s event have not been announced as of publication. The park-wide offering brings outdoor pop-up kitchens to World Showcase and other parts of the park to serve international cuisine.
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The theme park festival is also known for its free concerts. The Eat to the Beat Concert Series takes place nightly at the America Gardens Theater at the America Pavilion. Throughout the festival, musicians, bands, and local artists take to the stage to perform nightly. You can wait in line for the seats or book a dining package for guaranteed seats. The dining packages are good for one meal at a select restaurant at EPCOT and a designated showtime.
Pro-tip: Try to go to the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival on weekdays Monday through Thursday. The weekend crowds at any of EPCOT’s festivals are very heavy and make the festival less enjoyable.
Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival
If you’re going to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California this spring, check out the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival. The tasty event kicks off on February 28 and runs through April 21. Around Disney California Adventure, you’ll find eight different festival kitchens celebrating the bounty of California. Plus many of the restaurants around the park offer festival-specific food items.
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A few dishes I can’t wait to try at the festival include the sirloin gruyere mac and cheese with black garlic chimichurri and garlic butter crunch from the Garlic Kissed booth, the musubi fried rice inspired by Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa from the Golden Dreams booth, and the mango sticky rice-inspired churro from the churro cart in Hollywood Land. You can read the full menus for the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival on the Disney Parks Blog Foodie Guide.
Along with the scrumptious food items, there are plenty of other experiences to enjoy around the park. For those who want a more exclusive foodie event, you can head to the Sonoma Terrace where Cocktails at Sonoma Terrace hosted by CORKCICLE will have seminars dedicated to beer, cider, and wine. Carthay Circle Receptions is hosting winemakers for special tastings and pairings. On weekends, the festival brings in chefs from Disneyland and beyond for culinary demonstrations at the Hollywood Backlot Stage in Hollywood Land. This is a great way to see professionals in action and maybe learn a new cooking tip.
Pro-tip: Consider getting a Sip and Savor Pass, a one-time purchase credential that lets you try up to eight different food or non-alcoholic drinks at various locations around the park. You can use your Sip and Savor Pass on multiple visits until all the credits are gone. So don’t feel like you need to overindulge in one day if you plan to return before the festival ends.
Dollywood’s Flower and Food Festival
Dollywood is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, so it’s already a great time to visit. But if you’re looking for even more fun at the theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, consider trekking to the Smoky Mountains for the Dollywood Flower and Food Festival. The exciting theme park food festival takes place this year from April 18 through June 8, so you have plenty of time to check it out.
The park’s flower power is on full display with over half a million blooms bursting with color around Dollywood. As you go from ride to ride, you’ll also see the park’s signature Mosaicultures. These incredible pieces of art are made from living plants. One of my favorites to find is Dolly’s mom stitching Dolly’s Coat of Many Colors.
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When it’s time for a bite to eat, you can sink your teeth into new dishes inspired by international cuisine like a lemon cannoli, or get a taste of the South with a honey and peach BBQ sandwich. The park does offer Tasting Passes. These allow you to try up to five different festival foods for one set price.
Pro-tip: Dollywood’s iconic Umbrella Sky is back for the festival. The walkway is lined overhead with hundreds of colorful umbrellas, making this a perfect spot for photos, sitting in the shade, or just enjoying the park’s atmosphere.
Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival
Another delightful theme park food festival is at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The park’s Boysenberry Festival celebrates the delicious berry that started it all. This year’s festival takes place daily from March 28 through April 27. Around the park, you can try more than two dozen new food and drink offerings all themed to the humble boysenberry.
While the menus for this year’s event are not available as of publication, in years past dishes have included boysenberry sausages with boysenberry sauerkraut slaw, cucumber and boysenberry lemonade, and a boysenberry and chocolate stuffed cookie. Those over 21 can also indulge in boysenberry-flavored wine, seltzer, beers, and ciders. Some spots outside the park get in on the boysenberry fun. These include Cable Car Kitchen and Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
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Along with all of the different foods to try, you can also shop for boysenberry-themed gifts and crafts. And no good down-home-style festival is complete without a pie-eating contest. In the past at Knott’s, kids and adults could participate in the classic contest with boysenberry pies. I hope this activity returns to the festival this year as it’s great fun for participants and spectators alike.
Pro-tip: If you have a green thumb, you can purchase boysenberry plants to bring home to try to grow some fruit. During past festivals, you could get the plants at the Gold Mine Trail. Check the park map or ask a park worker for more details on this year’s location.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Bier Fest
Beer lovers will want to go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for its Bier Fest. This year, the festival takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, plus Labor Day from August 1 through September 1. Bier Fest is Virginia’s largest craft beer and BBQ festival, so there is something for everyone here.
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Last year, Bier Fest had over 80 craft brews and cocktails from over 50 breweries, including 30 local brewers. In 2024, the festival also brought 25 new specialty BBQ dishes to the park. While the menus for food and drink haven’t been announced for this year, we’re sure that park goers won’t be disappointed with the range of things to try. Some highlights of last year’s menus included BBQ bacon ranch dip, smoked lamb ribs, and cheddar-jalapeno bratwurst.
As you walk around the park you’ll also hear a lineup of local bands and be able to hop onto some of your favorite attractions too.
Pro-tip: The Bier Fest Brews and BBQ Sampler is a great way to save money if you want to try many items. It’s essentially a tasting pass, which is also available at many other theme park food festivals, and includes your choice of ten samples from draft beer, cocktails, and BBQ menu offerings. The sampler can save you up to 15 percent on items since you’re pre-paying. While it’s unknown if the sampler will return in 2025, I hope it does since it’s a great way to try many items and share them with friends and family.
Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic
While it’s not technically inside a theme park, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic is an exciting food festival right in the heart of Disney World just steps from EPCOT. The 2025 festival dates are November 14 and 15 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Throughout the two-night festival, guests can try hundreds of wines, enjoy dozens of food samples, hear live music, and more for one set cost. I think this is the best deal of any theme park food festival because your ticket includes all your drinks and food. Even better, the food menus highlight the restaurants that are part of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort complex, including the Swan Reserve. Before the official festival begins in the evening, you can also participate in educational seminars. In the past, these have included a hands-on wine blending class, cocktail session, and even local beer tastings.
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The festival is open to the general public, so you don’t have to stay at the Swan, Dolphin, or Swan Reserve to enjoy the event. I do think it’s best to stay at one of these resorts since you’ll be drinking. At the end of the night, no one should get behind the wheel of a car after drinking. Alternatively, other resorts within walking distance are Disney’s BoardWalk, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
Pro-tip: Try to arrive at the festival area in the causeway of the Swan and Dolphin just before 5:00 p.m. The festival area can get busy quickly and if you don’t want to wait in lines to get your food it’s best to arrive early and start eating right as the festival begins. I also like to walk to the far end of the event area to start my evening at Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic since most people will begin with the booths closest to the hotel’s main doors.
Tokyo DisneySea Food and Wine Festival
If you’re taking a trip to the Tokyo Disney Resort this spring or early summer, plan a day around the Tokyo DisneySea Food and Wine Festival. This gastronomic affair takes place April 8 through June 30. The theme park food festival’s theme is traveling the world through cuisine. Even though it’s only in its second year, fans are clamoring for the event’s return. As you enter the park, grab a festival guide, which will give you all the details about where to find festival-specific items.
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Like most theme park food and wine festivals, you can purchase food and drink tickets, which are part of the Seasonal Gourmet Ticket Set. The set includes the tasting tickets, plus a souvenir lunch box. Additionally, merchandise featuring Mickey and his pals on various culinary adventures will be available around the park.
Around the eight ports of Tokyo DisneySea, there will be a variety of drinks and snacks to try. A few highlights include pineapple and coconut-flavored sparkling drinks from Zambini Brothers Ristorante and Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen, a candy sweet potato sundae from Liberty Landing Diner, and garlic-flavored fried shrimp from Yucatan Base Camp Grill. The traditional table-service restaurants at the park will serve menus inspired by the stories told in Fantasy Springs.
Pro-tip: If you’re planning your trip to Tokyo for this year, consider skipping Golden Week, which is a national holiday week in Japan. This year, Golden Week falls from April 29 through May 5. During this time the theme parks will be exceptionally crowded. You likely won’t be able to enjoy all Tokyo DisneySea offers. I suggest going to the Food and Wine Festival early in the season or from mid-May to early June instead.
