Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival
Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival runs from late July to mid-November every year. It is the most popular festival at Epcot. Just like the other festivals at Epcot, you will find exclusive cultural food and drink options, merchandise, decorations, events, activities, and live entertainment. This Festival is one you do not want to miss!
There is no better way to spend your day than snacking and drinking around the world at Epcot. Your taste buds will come alive while experiencing & 35 different booths offering delicious foods from all over the world. Each booth offers at least 1 food option, 1 dessert option, and 1 drink option from the inspired culture, giving you a taste of each country in each delicious bite. Most booths will offer a vegetarian or plant-based option, which will be marked with a greenleaf on the menu. Have you ever heard the phrase, “eat and drink around the World at Epcot?” Stop by each country, grab a small bite and a beverage and enjoy the sights as you stroll through and take in each unique culture. There is very limited seating available around the world to sit and eat, but not a problem! Think of it as burning off calories from all of that yummy food!
Whether you are looking for something sweet or salty, liquor or beer, spicy or fruity you are sure to find something that fits your cravings. Some of my favorites and top suggestions to try:
- The Pickle Fries served with Dill Ranch at The Fry Basket
- The Fiery Dream vodka drink in China
- The freshly baked Carrot Cake in America
- The Escargot Croissant with a Strawberry Rose Mimosa in France
- The Kalua Pork Slider with an Aulani Sunrise at the Hawaii Booth
Entertainment
The main form of live entertainment at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival is the Eat to the Beats Concert series. Each night you will be rocked and rolled and serenaded by a different live band. If you find yourself visiting Epcot on a weekend, you will be privy to the top musical guests and performers. This year’s favorites were: MercyMe, Toby Mac, Boyz II Men, Mark Willis, Hoobastank, and Hanson.
An Eat to the Beat Dining package is definitely another option to consider when visiting the park during the festival. This allows you to book a dining experience at select restaurants in Epcot on the day of your visit and have reserved seating for one of the concert shows. This helps so you do not have to arrive so early to get a seat for the concert.
Final Thoughts, Tips, and Questions:
Thank you for making it this far! Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival is one of my favorite festivals to visit (alongside Epcot’s Festival of the Arts, which I will get to in another blog post.) Whichever festival you decide to visit during your stay at Walt Disney World, I am sure you will have a magical time! Here are some tips that I have gathered along the way:
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Get a festival passport at any of the booths to see all the food that is offered at each location
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Make sure you have your ID with you when purchasing Alcohol
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Drink plenty of water, even if you are not consuming an adult beverage. Being in the sun all day can drain you, staying hydrated will help.
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Worried about spending too much money? Set aside what you plan to spend on food and drinks, then put that on a disney gift card. This will help you to not overspend.
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Wear your stretchy shorts that day
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The weekend nights can get a little “rowdy”, so if you are worried about that with your kids then plan to visit the festival during daylight hours or during the week
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Make sure you have a plan to get back to your resort if you are planning on driving to the parks
Are you ready to plan your trip to visit the Food and Wine Festival in 2024? Now let’s dive into some of the most commonly asked questions about the Food and Wine festival.
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When is the best time to visit?
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This is definitely one of the most asked questions about Walt Disney World in general. I suggest visiting the festival on a week day if possible. The weekends tend to draw more crowds due to locals visiting and those that are just doing a short weekend trip. This trip I visited over Columbus Day Weekend and it was definitely more crowded the year before, but not unmanageable. I would suggest if a weekend plan is in the works to visit the festival, then plan to go earlier on a Saturday morning or a Sunday evening.
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Does it cost any extra to visit the Food and Wine Festival?
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Epcot’s Food and Wine festival is included in your park ticket, this is not a separate ticketing event. All you need is a park ticket for the day to visit, however food, drinks, merchandise, and activities do come at an extra cost. The cost for food and drinks is around $5 – $15 per item. When the dining plan returns in 2024, you can use your snack credits to purchase most of the food items. This is a fantastic way to get great use out of those credits!
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What kind of food will I find at the Food and Wine festival?
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There were 35 different locations this year at the festival offering some kind of special treat. Most of the booths are themed around a country or region and offer foods and drinks inspired by that country. So, for the foodies out there who want to try any and everything, this is for you! But there are also many booths that offer great options for the less adventurous ones.
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What are the portion sizes and are they big enough to share?
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Most food items are snack sized and smaller potions. As for the sharable part, well, truly that depends on the person you are sharing with. If you are just wanting to have a small bite from each of the booths to just try the food, sharing is a great idea. This way you do not get too full and can try all of the things! The drinks are also offered in smaller portions at most of the booths.
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What is there to do with kids?
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There is fun for the entire family when visiting the Epcot festivals. There are scavenger hunts and the kidcot fun spots. While you are walking around the world showcase enjoying the yummy food and drinks, let your kids search for Remy or for the painted hidden pumpkins along the way. You can purchase the map at select Epcot merchandise locations (Port of Entry, Disney Traders, Creations Shop, World Traveler at International Gateway or some festival merchandise kiosks). Or make a pit stop at one of the kidcot fun spot locations. For the Food and Wine festival there were two different scavenger hunts offered this year:
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Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak – Search for Remy around each country in the World Showcase, then place the sticker that matches the food he is holding. When you are all done, return to any of the stores that sell the scavenger hunt and collect the prize. The cost for this is $9.99+tax and can be bought
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Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit – this is only offered from the end of September till October 31. Search for decorative pumpkins hidden throughout the park. Place the matching sticker on the map in the location found, when you are done, turn it in at any of the purchasing locations and receive your prize! The cost for this is $9.99+tax.
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Kidcot Fun Spots – Epcot is Walt Disney World’s most educational park. There are 11 Kidcot Fun Spots located throughout the world showcase. Each one has a fun activity that is free to do, and your kids will get an activity card with some fun and interesting facts about that country’s culture.
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Do you suggest 1 or 2 days to enjoy the festival?
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Epcot, in my opinion, can be a 2-day park, one day to explore the World Showcase and the other to enjoy all the things Epcot has to offer. But it can also be done in just 1 day. If you only have one day, I would suggest being ready to eat at the booths when they open at 11 am (to help avoid the crowds), then take a mid-day break to explore outside of the World Showcase, finally finish up the evening snacking around the world before heading back to your room. If you are staying onsite at a Walt Disney World Resort, you can take advantage of the early theme park entry offered only to onsite guests. You can accomplish so many things at Epcot when taking advantage of this special offering.
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