OCTOBER 2004

Epcot: International Food and Wine Festival launches; pumpkins shaped like Mickey Mouse are in season at The Land

Magic Kingdom: Trick-or-treating for 13 nights inside Magic Kingdom; Haunted Mansion hosts 'Happy Haunts Ball'

Downtown Disney: New Year's Eve celebration tickets go on sale

Disney Sports: Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort tees up

Disney-MGM Studios: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith receives industry award

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Epcot Presents International Food and Wine Festival

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Walt Disney World Resort launches the 9th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Oct. 1 with new festival marketplaces and an expanded lineup of celebrity chefs and featured dinners, wine schools, tastings and pairings for culinary aficionados and neophytes alike. The festival continues daily through Nov. 14.

Festival-goers can visit wine seminars and tastings, culinary demonstrations, and ethnic marketplaces brimming with exotic delights during the 45-day fest. Guests can also soak up live entertainment during the nightly Eat to the Beat! concert series while sampling the cuisine of more than 20 international marketplaces in appetizer-sized tastings ranging from $1 to $4.50. Other highlights include:

The Festival Welcome Center, with a new Champagne and Sparkling Wine Bar, commemorative posters and other festival keepsakes, the latest in KitchenAid accessories and programming updates.

Some 250 Disney chefs and guest chefs -- including Allen Susser, Eric Tanaka, Emily Luchetti and other notables -- conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting elegant dinners and tasting events.

Up to 1,200 wine and beer seminars providing complimentary samplings.

New cultural experiences including Valencia, Spain, and The New England Fair, and the return of favorites including Australia, Discover Down Under.

New festival marketplaces including Peru and India, and the return of favorites like Russia, Greece, New Zealand and Ireland.

A variety of grand-scale ticketed culinary events, including a festival kickoff dinner with Fess Parker Winery and the weekly Party for the Senses, a 20-chef, 20-winemaker extravaganza with special entertainment.

Eat to the Beat! concert series: Kool and the Gang kick off the six-week fest Oct. 1, with 10 other acts to follow through Nov. 14. The diverse entertainment lineup includes classic rocker Eddie Money, pop singer Taylor Dayne, and country music artist Blake Shelton. Acts perform three half-hour concerts nightly at America Gardens Theatre in Epcot World Showcase.

Entrance to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, plus wine and beer seminars and cooking demonstrations, is included with regular Epcot admission. Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST for information or reservations for special events and programs. Festival details also are available at disneyworld.com/foodandwine.

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Halloween is Coming ... and Mickey Mouse is Turning into a Pumpkin
At The Land in Epcot

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The clock doesn't have to strike "12" for Mickey Mouse to turn into a pumpkin. All it takes is innovative growing as The Land pavilion at Epcot gets ready for Halloween.

Using plastic forms that encourage young pumpkins to grow into the familiar shape of Mickey Mouse's head -- two ear-like protrusions from the larger sphere -- the Walt Disney World plant experts have this year's Halloween shaping up as uniquely bountiful.

Pumpkins are the third type of fruit that has taken on the familiar shape of "the big cheese" during the last year at The Land. Previously, the team has used custom forms to grow cucumbers and watermelons into Mickey Mouse-shaped fruits.

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Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Provides Fun
And Fanciful Fright in Magic Kingdom

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Mickey's Not-So Scary Halloween Party will feature more evenings of far-from-frightening fun than ever before in 2004 as Magic Kingdom hosts 13 special party nights: Oct. 1, 3, 8, 12, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29 and 31. (Note: Oct. 31 party is already sold out.)

Guests are invited to dress in costumes and trick-or-treat through the park from 7 p.m. to midnight each evening (after regular park closing).

The evening includes "Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade," Mickey's Mouse-Ka-Rade costume parties, Halloween storytelling, live shows, unique merchandise and a special Halloween-themed fireworks display lighting up the sky above Cinderella Castle.

In addition, families can enjoy a complimentary photo at no additional charge and unlimited use of popular attractions such as "Mickey's PhilharMagic," The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, and many more.

Advance tickets for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are $31.95 plus tax for guests ages 10 and above, $25.95 plus tax for guests ages 3-9. (Children under 3 are admitted at no charge.) Tickets on the day of each party are $34.95 plus tax for guests ages 10 and above, $28.95 plus tax for guests ages 3-9.

Additional guest information is available by calling 407/824-4321 or by visiting disneyworld.com.

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'999 Happy Haunts' Host Halloween Party
At Famed Magic Kingdom Attraction

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Fans of The Haunted Mansion attraction at Magic Kingdom can join in the Halloween frightful fun in the "999 Happy Haunts Ball," the third annual gathering at the famous Disney attraction.

The gathering, scheduled for Oct. 25-27, will feature specially created event merchandise, a live auction, seminars about The Haunted Mansion, themed entertainment and a private Magic Kingdom dinner party.

Event packages for one, two or three days are available. Space is limited. Guests may visit www.DisneyGallery.com to register or for additional information.

Magic Kingdom is one of four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort.

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Downtown Disney Pleasure Island New Year's Eve Tickets Go On Sale

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Tickets for this year's New Year's Eve celebration at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island are now on sale. Cheap Trick, Tone Loc and Kurtis Blow will headline the entertainment lineup for the annual, island-wide street party.

The celebration will take place from 8 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2004, until 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2005. Admission includes access to all Pleasure Island clubs, complimentary snacks and desserts, a special fireworks show and a champagne toast at midnight.

Tickets cost $84 each plus tax. Guests must be 21 years old or older with proper ID to attend. Walt Disney World Annual Pass holders may buy tickets for themselves and one guest for $74 each plus tax. Tickets are available by calling 407/W-DISNEY.

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PGA TOUR Tees it Up Oct. 21-24 at Two Disney Courses
For 2004 Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- One hundred forty-four PGA TOUR professionals and 144 amateurs will tee it up at Disney's Palm and Magnolia golf courses on Oct. 21-24 for the Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort.

The annual Disney Classic is in its 34th year of play and second year of sponsorship by FUNAI, a Japanese electronics company. This year's purse is the event's largest in history at $4.2 million, with $756,000 going to the winner.

Vijay Singh, who won at Disney in 2003, will return to defend his title. Tiger Woods, an annual participant since turning pro in 1996, is expected to highlight the player field, along with notables Ernie Els, Charles Howell III and Chris DiMarco.

Disney's Palm and Magnolia golf courses, both Joe Lee designs, will be the site for the 2004 Funai Classic. The 7,201-yard Magnolia has hosted the Classic for 34 years -- putting it among the longest continuing host venues for a PGA TOUR event. The Palm course plays 6,957 yards and has been used continuously on the TOUR since 1972.

The schedule for 2004 Funai Classic Week (Oct. 18-24) is as follows:

Mon., Oct. 18-Wed., Oct. 20 - Practice Rounds (Disney's Palm and Magnolia courses)

Wednesday, Oct. 20 - Father-Child Tournament (Disney's Oak Trail)

Thursday, Oct. 21 - First Round (Disney's Palm and Magnolia)

Friday, Oct. 22 - Second Round (Disney's Palm and Magnolia)

Saturday, Oct. 23 - Third Round (Disney's Magnolia)

Sunday, Oct. 24 - Final Round (Disney's Magnolia)

Ticket prices are: $10 (Daily Practice Ticket; only for practice rounds Monday-Wednesday), $30 (Good Any One Day Ticket; Thursday-Sunday), $50 (Weekly Badge; Monday-Sunday), and $250 (Bistro Gourmet Fairway Club; individual package that includes: weeklong admission Thursday-Sunday and access to exclusive hospitality areas in prime locations on the front and back nines of the Magnolia course).

Daily tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 877/803-7073 or at the gate on tournament days. Weekly Badges or group tickets can be purchased through the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce by calling 407/835-2525. For more information, please visit www.orlando.org.

(Note: Children and teens 17 and under receive free admission to the Classic when accompanied by a paying adult.)

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Disney Roller Coaster Honored in Annual Awards

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney-MGM Studios has earned a Golden Ticket Award in the Best Indoor Roller Coaster category from Amusement Today magazine during a recent ceremony held at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio.

Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards, introduced in 1998, are based on polls from a cross-section of amusement park aficionados in four geographical U.S. regions, and a fifth region for international surveys.

Disney-MGM Studios is one of four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort.