This Year’s Epcot Food & Wine Festival Highlights

Disney calls it the International Food & Wine Festival. Many people just call it Tastes Around the World. And we know it as That Time of Year When Epcot is Mega-Popular.

More importantly, it is now a regular part of the Orlando landscape until November 19th, with a record-breaking run of 129 days and more than 200 taste sensations!

That represents a significant amount of food and wine (especially as the latter category has expanded hugely in recent years to include a lot of craft beers and a variety of cocktails), but that isn’t all that the Festival has in store.

What IS the Food & Wine Festival?

For those unfamiliar with this classic Walt Disney World event, or just those who are new to Orlando, the Festival is a true international celebration of cuisines from all over the globe, along with additional family fun in the form of a World Showcase scavenger hunt, special merchandise and live concerts each evening.

In the past, the individual kiosks for all the food and beverage were set up only around the World Showcase section of Epcot, but this has been expanded more recently to include parts of Future World as well, making for a more extensive event.

Most of the food offerings are appetizer-sized portions (meaning you can sample quite a few in one day!), and they range in price from $5-$9, while some of the cocktails are a bit more expensive.

The sounds of the Festival are provided by a series of Eat To The Beat concerts at the America Gardens Theatre, featuring well-known bands and singers, with three roughly half-hour performances each evening, at 5.30, 6.45 and 8pm.

There is even a specially created children’s outdoor play area, and it’s all on offer with regular park admission, meaning there is no additional cost to enjoy the Food & Wine vibe.

LOTS of Food & Drink

In all, there are 29 food and wine kiosks (or Global Marketplaces, as Disney calls them), plus another four regular food outlets that serve additional Festival treats.

They range from Polynesia to Africa and Greek to Irish, and the accent is very much on giving a try to things you might not normally sample. In addition to the national kiosks, there are also several themed examples, such as Lobster Landing (with all dishes featuring lobster in some way), Swanky Sauce Swine (everything to do with pork) and Mac & Eats, featuring different variations on macaroni and cheese.

Wine choices also run the gamut from sweet to dry and local to international, notably with wines from California, Oregon and Washington that you might well not find in the UK.

With almost 100 different food items, you will never be short of choice, especially as some of the regular kiosks feature brand new offerings (like the delicious Feijoada – black beans with crispy pork belly and rice – at the Brazilian marketplace) and there is one brand new kiosk, The Fry Basket, featuring different kinds of fries – a great way to snack on holiday!

You can also keep ALL the food and beverage options at your fingertips by picking up the free Festival Passport booklet – which lists every Marketplace and every dish and drink – just inside the park entrance.

Our recommendations: don’t miss the Takoyaki (octopus) at Japan, Chermoula Chicken in Morocco, and the Sweet-and-Spicy Shrimp from the Australia kiosk, plus the warm Chocolate Pudding Cake from Ireland, true chocolatey decadence!

The sounds of the Festival

While the food and drink options are the headline acts as far as the event is concerned, there is also a strong case for including the Eat To The Beat concerts in the same category.

These special live performances on the big stage opposite the American Adventure pavilion in World Showcase are an integral part of the overall experience, and quite a few of the performers attract fans from far and wide.

There is a good mixture, too, from reliable ‘old faithfuls’ like Hanson, Sheila E, Taylor Dayne and Christopher Cross, to new faces such as American rapper Blanco Brown, Christian rock band Newsboys, singer and percussionist Stokley and gospel performers Robert Randolph and the Family Band.

Some of the bands will be new to British visitors, but don’t hesitate to give them a chance. You may just find your new favourite!

And, if you’re lucky enough to be there for the likes of Billy Ocean, Tiffany and** Air Supply**, get ready for a genuinely fun time, as these well-versed performers thrive in this more relaxed setting, where they can interact with fans and set a laid-back, family-friendly mood.

For the full concert listing, see this link.

Best time to visit?

If those are some of the highlights of Food & Wine 2022, you also need to know that the Festival has become massively popular in recent years, as Disney has raised the bar for the sheer culinary quality on offer, along with a truly dazzling array of adult beverages (but, remember you need to be 21 and up for alcoholic drinks).

The locals in particular flock to Epcot during this period, boosting the park’s crowds during the evening hours, but especially at the weekends.

In particular, Friday and Saturday are peak capacity as they represent prime weekend party time for the regulars, with the crowds building up substantially from mid-day onwards.

That means your best bet to enjoy all the fun, tastes and entertainment of the Festival is Monday to Thursday. The Global Marketplaces open at 11am, which makes them great for lunch or dinner, or you can just snack your way around Epcot to your heart’s content. You won’t be short of choices!

Oh, and don’t forget to buy your Walt Disney World tickets in advance. You can find them on our website on this link.

For more information on this fab event, visit DisneyWorld.com.

Have you sampled the Food & Wine festival in the past? Tell us your experiences on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.