Disney is busy right now!

Mickey is hard at work!
From Disney World to Disneyland, the U.S. parks are keeping us busy with news and updates, and we’re doing a roundup of the biggest highlights so you can stay in the know! Let’s dive in and head coast to coast with Mickey.
Disney never rests, and neither do we! With so much going on this week, our team has been going coast to coast to cover all of the news, new snacks, major moments, and more, so let’s dive right in.
STAY CALM…IT’S HAPPENING! EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Dates Were Announced!
Yes! YES! The time has COME! We’ve finally got EPCOT Food and Wine Festival dates for 2025! Mark your calendars, put stickers in your diary, and write it on your hand in sharpie, y’all — the festival runs from August 28-November 22 this year!

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
You can check out EVERYTHING we know about the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival for 2025 right here (and, yes, this is getting updated regularly, I promise)! We even have three confirmed booths and some yummy returning dishes for the festival:
- Milled & Mulled: Fall Fruit Cheesecake featuring Boursin® Fig & Balsamic Cheesecake with Pomegranates and Candied Pecans
- Brazil: Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Greece: Griddled Cheese with Pistachios and Honey

Full Spread at Greece!
We’ll see you there on August 28th, but in the meantime, pore over the details on our 2025 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival page!
Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary
It’s a big year for the original Disney park because it’s 70 years old! The 70th Anniversary celebrations kicked off on May 16th, 2025, with tons of new merchandise, snacks, entertainment, and more.

Disneyland Entrance and Train Station
We explored all of the new offers and even got to see Duffy and ShellieMay make their way back to Disneyland after only being rare characters in the U.S. parks.

Duffy and ShellieMay are back!
Not only that, but Paint the Night also returned to light up the night! This nighttime parade runs twice a night at 8:45 and 10:45 PM.

Paint the Night is back!
This is just scratching the surface of everything we got to see as the celebrations kicked off. The 70th Anniversary is technically on July 17th, 2025, but the festivities will run until Summer 2026.
ALL of Disneyland Resort’s 70th Anniversary Celebration Limited-Time TREATS
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates and Tickets Announced
Next up, we have some big Disney World news! If you’re into the spooky season, this one is for you. We finally know when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will return in 2025.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
The party begins on August 15th, 2025, and will run until October 31st, 2025. The special ticketed event takes place at Magic Kingdom at night on select nights of the year. Guests can get into the park starting at 4 PM, and the party itself runs from 7 PM to midnight, depending on the weather.

Boo to You Parade
The party dates can be seen here!
- August: 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 29
- September: 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30
- October: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31

Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle at the Sanderson Sisters!
The party has tons of specialty snacks, characters, live entertainment, fireworks, and more!
More About Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Here
The Beginning of the End…
Finally, we’re ending on a bit of a bitter sweet note because the first round of Muppet Courtyard closures began this week. Now this is more of a “happening” than an announcement (so it’s not included in our headline’s three), but we needed to share it anyways…you know…for the healing process. In case you’ve missed it, Muppets Courtyard is in the process of permanently closing and it started with Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The Italian table service closed forever on May 10th, 2025, to begin the process of the area becoming Monsters INC. Land! The rest of this area will close on June 8th, 2025, which will include Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo’s. The final day to grab some puffy pizza and head into Muppet Labs will be June 7th, 2025.

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
We are super sad to see this land go, but can’t wait to see what Monster Inc. Land will become!
Learn More About Monsters Inc. Land Here!
There are some major changes going on within the Disney Company, and we can’t wait to see what changes are coming.
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“Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary”
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Hopefully, they won’t turn the castle into a hideous birthday cake like they did at WDW.