SO much is happening in Disney World right now.

Fall is in the air, and around Main Street, Disney World is working on several projects, and we are itching to sip on our pumpkin-themed drinks. Right now, we’re diving into the biggest Disney news of the week, so you don’t miss a thing.

There is always something going on within the Walt Disney Company. In fact, so much is changing that we do a weekly news roundup to help keep track of what’s all going on. Let’s dive straight into the wins (and slips) of the week.

Beak and Barrel Reservations

Disney had a tough bit of news this week because the Beak and Barrel reservations were finally supposed to open! The new pirate lounge in Magic Kingdom officially opens on August 29th, and reservations for the lounge were supposed to open on August 14th. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out.

After hours of waiting to grab our seat at the tavern table, we had collected more broken Disney website pages than we had reservations. Disney finally confirmed in the afternoon that due to technical difficulties, reservations wouldn’t open on time.

Womp, womp. The next day (after many disappointed sighs), Disney finally announced it would attempt to drop reservations the week of August 18th, 2025. We are seriously excited to check out the new pirate pub, which continues the story of the famous Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

You can find grub from the galley, non-alcoholic drinks, and specialty cocktails in the new Magic Kingdom lounge.

The Beak and Barrel — Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

EPCOT 2025 Food and Wine Menus

August is a big month for Disney World, and one of the biggest events is EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival! After patiently waiting, this week we finally got the 2025 Food and Wine menus.

We are seriously excited for the festival to start on August 28th, 2025 and you can expect to find new and returnings like:

• Fried Pickle Spears with dill ranch

• Garlic-Parmesan Wings 

• Lump Crab Cake with cajun-spiced vinegar slaw and rémoulade

• Seaside Pot Pie with shrimp, scallops, crawfish tails, and lobster bisque topped with puff pastry (New)

• French Onion Soup-style Dumplings: Pork and beef soup dumplings with caramelized onions, sherry-beef broth, onion and Gruyère soubise, Parmesan cracker, and micro chives (New)

• and Rodizio-style Grilled Beef Skewer with marble potatoes, charred shallots, roasted baby peppers, and chimichurri (New)

This is just scratching the surface of what you can expect to find at this year’s festivals. We’re polishing our trays as we speak!

FULL MENUS Announced for the 2025 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Begins

Finally, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party began in Magic Kingdom!

The separate ticket is BACK for select nights from August 15th through October 31st, 2025. During the first party of the season, we checked out so many new treats, that gorgeous purple map, and more! (Spoiler: we didn’t love them all.)

This party is where adults can wear costumes, you can see limited-time entertainment, and you can trick or treat throughout the park. The crowds definitely showed up for the first party of the year, but we get it!

Be sure to check out our full coverage of the event, where we covered everything you might need before it’s your time to party.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

There is always so much going on in Disney World and beyond, so be sure to keep following DFB for the latest and greatest Disney news.

4 NEW RULES for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World

 

Are you going to Disney World soon? Tell us in the comments!