Fine cuisine and wines from some of the best “foodie” cities in the world will take a bow at the 13th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 26 through Nov. 9 at Walt Disney World Resort.

Throughout the six-week festival, Epcot guests can explore the culinary “Cities in Wonderland” – from trendy Cork, Ireland, to the melting pot of Cape Town, South Africa – around the World Showcase promenade while also discovering blissful bites at international and regional marketplaces brimming with exotic flavors and comfort foods. The six-week festival will showcase tastes from countries on six continents.

In fact, more than 25 international marketplaces will serve tapas-sized portions of regional specialties at $2-to-$5 each, and recommended wines and beers make perfect pairings at each kiosk. New festival flavors explore the culinary wonders of Lyon, France; Marrakesh, Morocco; Shanghai, China; Bologna, Italy; Tokyo and Mexico City. Exhibits along the promenade also will showcase entertainment and traditional crafts of several countries.

As always, there are handful of new cultural experiences at this year’s festival.

At Louisiana, guests can discover sights, sounds, flavors and crafts of the state’s seven regions. Music, dance, artistry, food and beer are featured, and complimentary culinary seminars are hosted daily. At Melbourne, Australia, guests can glimpse Federation Square and scenes from Queen Victoria Market and enjoy a wine walkabout and tasting bar serve favorite sips.

During opening weekend, eight of the United States’ top chef teams will compete at the gold-standard Bocuse d’Or USA semifinals of the international cuisine contest, to be held at Epcot for the first time. The prestigious cook-off will feature the country’s leading chef candidates, each with one assistant, cooking Sept. 26 and 27 before an audience of park guests at World Showplace pavilion. All park guests can attend the cook-off, where competitors will prepare elaborate fish and meat platters to be evaluated for excellence in taste, presentation, creativity and technical precision.

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