Chef Figment is in five places. Waiter Mickey is in five more. Here’s where to find every one.
Disney PhotoPass has a full lineup of photo opportunities throughout EPCOT for the 2026 Food & Wine Festival. All photo ops run August 27 through November 21 unless noted otherwise.
Quick Summary
- All photo ops run August 27 – November 21, 2026
- Waiter Mickey appears in five World Showcase pavilions
- Chef Figment appears at five separate locations
- Food-themed props include a Giant Empanada and a Leaning Tower of Cheeza
- Several props appear at two locations each
- The Muppets get two setups: Bunsen & Beaker, and the Swedish Chef
Character and Character-Inspired Props
Waiter Mickey Mouse
Available in five World Showcase pavilions:
- China
- France
- Japan
- Mexico
- Italy
Chef Figment
Available at five locations across the park:
- By the water near Journey Into Imagination With Figment
- At the main entrance of the park
- By the Disney Vacation Club kiosk heading from World Celebration into World Showcase
- In the center of World Celebration heading towards World Showcase, just before the large planter
- Near the entrance to World Showcase between Port of Entry and Disney Traders
Figment getting five locations to Mickey’s five is not an accident. He’s EPCOT’s most merchandised character, the face of Festival of the Arts since 2017, and — with Dreamfinder’s return newly confirmed for the Imagination pavilion — having a genuine moment.
Bunsen & Beaker
By the water near Journey Into Imagination With Figment.
Swedish Chef
Near the central planter in World Celebration.
Two Muppet setups is a notable amount of Muppet presence, and it lines up with a broader pattern — The Muppet Show’s 50th anniversary collection appeared in the D23 2026 merchandise drop, and Kermit was confirmed for the Magic Kingdom Muppets attraction. The property is getting attention again.
The Swedish Chef at a food festival is also the single most obvious pairing in the entire lineup, and it’s remarkable it took this long.
Elemental
Behind Spaceship Earth on the pathway to CommuniCore Hall.
Food-Themed Props
Giant Empanada
Mexico pavilion.
Leaning Tower of Cheeza
Two locations:
- The Italy pavilion
- Near the entrance to World Showcase between Port of Entry and Disney Traders
Food & Wine Cheese Board
Morocco pavilion.
Ratatouille Cheese Board
On the bridge between the United Kingdom and France pavilions.
China Dish Prop
China pavilion.
Japan Dish Prop
Japan pavilion.
Frying Pan
Two locations:
- Behind Spaceship Earth on the pathway to CommuniCore Hall
- By the Disney Vacation Club kiosk heading from World Celebration into World Showcase
Festival Props
Festival Balloons
Two locations:
- Near the central planter in World Celebration
- By the Disney Vacation Club kiosk heading from World Celebration into World Showcase
Figment Passport
Near the entrance to World Showcase between Port of Entry and Disney Traders.
The Smart Way to Do This
Notice the clustering. Several props share the same handful of locations, which means you can knock out multiple photos without walking the full promenade.
The Disney Vacation Club kiosk — heading from World Celebration into World Showcase — has three separate props: Chef Figment, the Frying Pan, and Festival Balloons.
The Port of Entry / Disney Traders area at the World Showcase entrance has three: Chef Figment, the Leaning Tower of Cheeza, and the Figment Passport.
The central planter in World Celebration has two: the Swedish Chef and Festival Balloons.
Behind Spaceship Earth toward CommuniCore Hall has two: Elemental and the Frying Pan.
Hit those four spots and you’ve covered ten of the setups without leaving the front half of the park.
When to Go
Morning, before the marketplaces get busy.
PhotoPass photographers at festival props develop queues once World Showcase fills, and the props near the World Showcase entrance sit exactly where crowds bottleneck.
Rope drop the front-of-park cluster, then work into World Showcase for the pavilion-specific props — Waiter Mickey in China, France, Japan, Mexico, and Italy, plus the dish props and cheese boards.
Memory Maker or an Annual Pass with PhotoPass included makes this worthwhile. Paying per-image for fifteen-plus festival props is not economical.
Getting the Photos Without Paying Per Image
PhotoPass images are free to view and share as low-resolution previews, but downloading them at full quality costs money unless you have coverage.
Memory Maker is the standard option — a one-time purchase covering unlimited PhotoPass downloads for a set window. It’s cheaper bought in advance than on the day.
Most Walt Disney World Annual Passes can add on PhotoPass downloads, which makes festival prop-hunting essentially free for passholders. Check your tier.
Some resort packages bundle it. Worth confirming before buying separately.
Photographers will also shoot on your phone if you ask. That’s free, and for a prop photo it’s often all you need.
A Note on Magic Shots
Several festival props support Magic Shots — the added digital effects PhotoPass photographers apply after the fact.
Ask the photographer at each prop. Magic Shots aren’t always signposted, and the effects available rotate by season. It costs nothing to ask and the results are usually more interesting than the plain shot.
Chef Figment and Waiter Mickey setups are the most likely candidates, since character-inspired props are where Disney typically layers effects.
Don’t Forget the Festival Decor
Beyond the official PhotoPass props, EPCOT dresses the entrance plaza and World Showcase Plaza in festival decor for the run of the event.
Those aren’t staffed by photographers, but they’re the backdrops most people actually want — the multicolor festival typography, the planters, and the seasonal signage.
The entrance plaza is best photographed early, before the arrival crowd builds.
The Bottom Line
EPCOT’s 2026 Food & Wine Festival PhotoPass lineup runs August 27 through November 21, with Waiter Mickey in five World Showcase pavilions and Chef Figment at five locations across the park.
Food-themed props include a Giant Empanada in Mexico, the Leaning Tower of Cheeza in Italy, cheese boards in Morocco and on the UK–France bridge, and dish props in China and Japan.
Four locations carry two or three props each — plan around those and you’ll cover most of the lineup in a fraction of the walking.
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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop
I’m a die-hard Disney fan with 38 years of visits under my belt, having stepped into Disney World 120+ times. Proud to be a Disney Annual Passholder, a Vacation Club member since ’92, a Castaway Club Member, and a runDisney enthusiast. Oh, and I’ve graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. Need Disney insights or planning tips? I’m your guy!
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