food IS a theme park
The 2026 EPCOT Festival of the Arts is here, and you know what that means. We’re eating our way around EPCOT and checking out all the food booths. We’re also checking out the Disney on Broadway concert series, and all the various things you can see and do around the festival.
Lorcana in EPCOT
This year’s festival brought something new to EPCOT, though. Disney has introduced some new Disney Lorcana experiences, and we decided to check those out.
Somedays, it feels like just about everything is under construction or being refurbished or getting completely revamped in Disney World. Hotels are getting new lobbies AND rooms, while the theme parks are getting brand new lands with new rides, shops, and restaurants.
Prime Rib Sliders
Well, that construction is continuing over at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, where two restaurants will close soon, so if you want to grab a bite at Yachtsman Steakhouse or The Crew’s Cup Lounge, you’ll need to do it before they close!
It’s finally here! One of our favorite EPCOT festivals has arrived. That’s right…we’re LIVE from the EPCOT Festival of the Arts, eating all things, doing all things, and seeing all the things.
2026 EPCOT Festival of the Arts Passport
We’ll be enjoying everything at the festival, but before we get started, we have to tell you about the one thing you NEED to pick up before you do anything else. You’ll want to get your hands on the Festival Passport, which is your pocket-sized guide to everything the EPCOT Festival of the Arts has to offer. We grabbed one, so let’s take a look at it!
There’s no denying that the Magic is Disney World’s most iconic park. After all, the Magic Kingdom WAS Walt Disney World when the resort first opened in 1971. Therefore, it can be tempting to plan hit the Magic Kingdom FIRST THING when you arrive at the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”
Mickey!
However, we’d argue that you should resist the temptation to go to the Magic Kingdom first, as we’ve got a BETTER plan.
A huge shake-up is happening in the world of Lucasfilm, aka the studio in charge of all things Star Wars.
©Disney
With a huge movie on the way (The Mandalorian and Grogu), as well as plans for more seasons of shows like Ahsoka, it’s long been rumored that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy would soon step down. Well, that has now been confirmed by Deadline, and Kennedy’s replacements will actually be two people, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan.
The one thing you gotta’ love about visiting Disney World is that it’s designed for all of the senses. You’re not just seeing magic come to life, but you’re also hearing it, touching it, tasting it, and smelling it. In fact, when it comes to the smells at Disney World, some are so iconic that many of us try to recreate them at home.
Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom
Well, one of those iconic smells is the smell you get when you walk into Main Street Confectionery or Main Street Bakery, where Disney creates some of its best sugary bakery treats. Well, that Main Street Bakery smell is now the theme of a new candle by Bath & Body Works.
We would like to think of ourselves as cookie connoisseurs. We love cookies, and we know all the good spots in Disney World to get great cookies.
Gideon’s Bakehouse!
It’s no secret that one of our longtime favorite cookie spots is Gideon’s Bakehouse, which continues to surprise us with its unique cookie flavors and offerings (granted, the cake slices AND cold brew are great here, too). Well, if you love Gideon’s Bakehouse as much as we do…we have to tell you about a free gift the shop is giving away tomorrow, January 16th.
If you need a drink in Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? You have a few choices. You can always grab a Cold Brew Black Caf at Docking Bay 7, but if you want to have a drink in a real hive of scum and villainy, there’s Oga’s Cantina.
DJ R-3X in Oga’s Cantina in Disneyland
Well, things at Oga’s Cantina has been changing in Disneyland. First, Oga’s got rid of advance reservations and now only has walk-up availability (meaning you might have to stand in line to get inside). But this popular bar is going to be closing soon, and although we originally thought the closure was only going to be for about five days, it looks like it might be closed longer than that.
It’s hard to believe that 70 years old, one man’s dream became a theme park that eventually launched theme parks all across the world. But that’s exactly what Walt Disney did when he dreamed up Disneyland and created The Happiest Place on Earth, even against all odds.
©Disney
Now, we’ve learned a lot from shows like The Imagineering Story about how Disneyland and its rides were created, but a brand new documentary about the creation of Disneyland, Disneyland Handcrafted, goes even deeper with “the sights, sounds, and first-hand accounts” of those who helped create this iconic OG Disney theme park. Well, we got some NEW details about that documentary recently at a media event.
Okay, get your calendars out because we have a new date that could be important for Disney fans to learn more about how the company is doing and what it has planned for the future.
Walt Disney Studios Lot in Burbank, California
The Walt Disney Company is having its first quarter 2026 earnings call at 8:30 AM ET on Monday, February 2nd.
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