Get Set for Epcot Food & Wine Festival

Get Set for Epcot Food & Wine Festival

If it’s July, it must be time for another Walt Disney World festival. Because, as we well know these days, when one major event at the Epcot park closes, there’s another one along to take its place almost straight away.

And this year is no different - which is great news for anyone heading to Orlando later this month.

We have just said goodbye to the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot (as of July 5), a marathon 127-day presentation of wonderfully creative horticultural elements that make the park blossom each spring.

But we don’t have to wait long for the next exciting and innovative fiesta of themed tastes from around the world. Oh no.

Starting July 27th and running until November 18th, the International Food & Wine Festival offers another 115 days of intriguing menu items, tempting wines, delicious cocktails and bevy of craft beers.

What IS the Food & Wine Festival?

It seems to be a recurring question each year, but it’s always worth posing as we know there will be a lot of first-time visitors to Central Florida this summer. Those planes from Virgin Atlantic and British Airways landing daily at Orlando International Airport - and those of TUI at Melbourne Orlando Airport - will be pretty much full, and that means many new arrivals.

So, for those unfamiliar with this classic Disney event, 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.

The food offerings tend to be of appetiser-sized portions from around $6-$10 each, and they positively encourage grazing around World Showcase. The cocktails tend to be a little pricier, while the beers also vary depending on whether they are a 6oz sample or a more substantial 12oz pour.

The sounds of the festival are then provided by a series of concerts at the America Gardens Theatre in the American Adventure pavilion, featuring a variety of bands and other performers, some of whom will be well-known - like Air Supply and Billy Ocean - while others will be up-and-coming American groups who will probably be new to most British visitors.

The concerts, which go by the overall name of Eat To The Beat, consist of three roughly half-hour sets each evening, at 5.30, 6.45 and 8pm respectively.

There is even a specially created children’s outdoor play area and different scavenger hunts to keep the young ’uns amused. And the key fact is that there is no additional cost to enjoy the Food & Wine vibe. It is all included with regular park admission (and, if you don’t have your Walt Disney World tickets already, be sure to visit our ticket section on this link).

Food at Epcot Food and Wine Festival

OK, if you’re ready to have your tastebuds tantalised, this year’s line-up of food and wine kiosks, or Global Marketplaces as Disney likes to call them, numbers fully 30 outlets offering an array of themed goodies this year.

Admittedly, a handful of those booths won’t open until later in August, but they still represent a mouth-watering selection of different cuisines and alcoholic beverages in the coming weeks and months.

This year, the kiosks will range from Japanese to Latin and include six of the seven continents, while, like last year, there are also a sprinkling of themed examples, such as Appleseed Orchard (with all dishes and drinks featuring apple in some way), Flavours from Fire (an array of dishes that are either smoked, char-grilled or barbecued) and the perennial favourite Mac & Eats, featuring different variations on macaroni and cheese.

With almost 100 different food items, you will never be short of choice, especially as some of the regular kiosks featured brand new offerings last year (like the delicious Feijoada – black beans with crispy pork belly and rice – at the Brazilian marketplace) and we have one brand new kiosk to look forward to this year.

You can 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.

Eat To The Beat

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 “Don’t Miss This” category.

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

As ever, there is a good mixture, too, from reliable ‘old faithful’s like Hanson, Sheila E, Taylor Dayne and Sugar Ray, to new faces such as Florida rock band We The Kings, American Idol winner Phillip Phillips, The Bacon Brothers featuring actor Kevin Bacon, and Australian guitarist Orianthi.

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.

And there’s more!

Fans of fromage can take part in Emile’s Fromage Montage, a fun way to try tasty cheese dishes from around the world. Grab your Festival Passport and purchase any five cheese dishes listed in the back of the Festival Passport to collect a stamp. Once you’ve collected five stamps, head to Shimmering Sips hosted by CORKCICLE to redeem a sweet treat unique to the festival.

Families can also embark on Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak – a “Ratatouille”-inspired adventure that is très magnifique! Guests of all ages can search for Remy throughout World Showcase and the Global Marketplaces (fee for Map, $9.99, with little prizes at stake if all the Remy’s are discovered).

And, to celebrate the Halloween season, there’s the chance to partake in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, a special pumpkin scavenger hunt from September 29 through October 31.

Finally, there is the all-important Festival merchandise. No Epcot event is complete without a glittering array of suitably themed gifts, souvenirs and apparel, and this year will be no different. In fact, we believe Disney will have more merch outlets than ever before, so watch out for your wallets!

Top tips for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Disney has raised the bar for the sheer culinary quality on offer this year, along with a truly dazzling array of alcohol (drinking responsibly is still the essential message, though).

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

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

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