It’s hard to believe it is already that time of year, but here we are. The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival begins tomorrow and that means lots of new food and drink options will be available in Epcot for two months.
Just like Disney World as a whole, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival can be a little intimidating if this is your first time experiencing it. The food sounds and smells delicious and the cost of each plate is not bad. You get snack sized portions for around $3-$5. So you can try a decent amount of food without spending a small fortune.
Here are some tips for the festival:
Check out the Food Choices Ahead of Time
Grab a Food & Wine Festival booklet ahead of time. These passports list all the food and drinks available at each of the booths and serve as a checklist for guests to use to keep track of what they have tried. You can also get a stamp from each country’s booth. By looking at the checklist ahead of time you can get an idea of which items you would like to try and avoid standing around, unsure of where to go to next.
Share the Food
Sharing plates works in everyone’s favor. This will give you the opportunity to try more things and you won’t feel full as quickly. My husband and I did this last year and we definitely got to try more things than we would have had we not shared. Granted, not everyone is going to want to try the same things all the time, but when you can I would definitely share.
Take Your Time
Also, don’t rush through the World Showcase. There is so much to see and try in the World Showcase during this festival, so you don’t want to rush around and miss little touches at the different booths. For starters, the booths are all themed to their home country and it’s fun to look at them all and pick a favorite.
Take Part in the Extra Activities
Every year there are food and drink seminars that are available during the two months of the festival. You can find a list of these seminars on the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival page on Disney’s website. These seminars do cost extra, but they can be a lot of fun.
Another activity to look at is Remy’s Hide and Squeak. Guests can purchase a map from one of the Festival Shops and start looking for Remy throughout the festival. There are stickers that come with the map to place on each location once you find him and after you are done you can bring the finished map to Disney Traders for your prize. We didn’t play last year, but we did see the Remy statues hidden throughout the World Showcase.
Don’t Miss the Eat to the Beat Concert Series
These are fun and free concerts that are available for guests in Epcot to attend. These are concerts that take place in the America Garden Theatre and they run for the length of the Food & Wine Festival. Different acts will place throughout the two months. The performances will happen daily at 5:30, 6:45, and 8 p.m. The Eat to the Beat Concert Series is included in Epcot admission, no extra ticket is needed. Here is the full lineup of the concert series for the two month festival:
- Sept. 14-15: Wang Chung
- Sept. 16-18: STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
- Sept. 19-20: Air Supply
- Sept. 21-23: BoDeans
- Sept. 24-25: Fuel
- Sept. 26-28: Sugar Ray
- Sept. 29-30: Los Lobos
- Oct. 1-2: David Cook
- Oct. 3-4: Wilson Phillips
- Oct. 5-6: Blues Traveler
- Oct. 7-9: Plain White T’s
- Oct. 10-11: 38 Special
- Oct. 12-13: Jeffrey Osborne
- Oct. 14-16: Tiffany
- Oct. 17-19: Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx
- Oct. 20-21: Christopher Cross
- Oct. 22-23: Toad The Wet Sprocket
- Oct. 24-25: Chaka Khan
- Oct. 26-27: Billy Ocean
- Oct. 28-29: Living Colour
- Oct. 30-Nov. 1: Hanson
- Nov. 2-3: Soul Asylum
- Nov. 4-6: Delta Rae
- Nov. 7-9: Boyz II Men
- Nov. 10-11: Sister Hazel
- Nov. 12-14: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
So there are a few tips to help you prepare for the festival. This is truly one of our favorite events at Disney World and I know we are not alone in feeling that way.
The Epcot International Food & Wine will run from September 14-November 14.
Are you planning to attend this year?
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
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Liz
I love all things Disney, but my main love is for Disney World and I'm always planning for the next trip. Before becoming a Disney blogger, I was a radio DJ, so I guess I'm just continuing in the communication industry, just in a different form. I love talking Disney and I could talk about Disney all day. That's why I started blogging and created the Facebook group. The Disney community is full of friendly, helpful, and happy people...and I love being a part of it! If there is any Disney subject you would like to see covered just let me know! Need help planning your Disney vacation. Feel free to contact myself or Melissa at Never Stop Dreaming Travel Co. We love helping people plan their trips! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out our Countdown to Disney app! Feel free to email me with suggestions of things you would like to see in the app :-)