EPCOT Food And Wine Festival

Each booth has a large menu

This festival has been a staple at EPCOT for decades. Over the years it has grown and it continues to change with each year. However, it still remains to be one of the most popular attractions at EPCOT. This festival had been on my must try list for years. When I was in high school I wanted to try all the different foods from around the world. I loved dining at the permanent counties at the World Showcase and wanted to try things that I would not otherwise get to try. Somewhere in my mid 20's I started to enjoy wine and I really wanted to be able to pair wine and food. 

This festival is popular for a reason. The food is fantastic. Simply put, there aren't that many that aren't good. Sure there are some options that give you more bang for your buck and some that are just leaps and bounds above the rest. The amount of variety in foods and drinks is just mind blowing. 

All this is made of chocolate

In order to prevent yourself from going broke or getting too overwhelmed at the festival I strongly recommend setting a budget and planning ahead of your trip. This will allow you to make the most of your time while you are there and help you to try as many things as you want. If you were to just show up and walk around the various booths to try to figure out what you want you would very likely be full, tipsy, and broke after just a few and you very well may miss out on something amazing. 

I'll speak more about how I recommend planning and budgeting for the festival in another post. I could honestly fill a book with planning and budgeting. If I were to include it all in one post you would never get through it. 

The festival has changed a lot over the years. It is the reason some people choose to vacation at Disney in the fall. There is a spring time version at California Adventure, but it never seems to have the buzz that EPCOT does. A lot of the locals will spend a few hours at the parks during the less busy weekdays and enjoy the various offerings of food and drinks. I'm actually kind of jealous because that sounds like a much better way to get to sample all that the festival has to offer. 

The food and wine passport is a must have. 

Before COVID changed everything the festival offered the food and beverages at the various booths, but there was also so much more. There were culinary demonstrations, concerts, and classes where you could learn anything from different cooking techniques to food and wine pairings. They have had some concerts still during COVID, but the classes have disappeared and the demonstrations are limited. Hopefully, they will bring back more attractions once things start to return to normal. 

In 2021 the festival had been greatly extended, running from September through November. This was honestly a good thing since the vast majority of EPCOT was under construction so there really wasn't a whole lot to do. Though, it did make the World Showcase area much more crowded, which made finding a place to enjoy your food and beverages harder. I'm sure once more things start to open back up at the park the crowds at food and wine will lessen again. 

EPCOT decorates the entire park for the festival

There is so much to experience at this festival that there is bound to be something for everyone. Disney has even made  great effort to ensure that those with special dietary restrictions can enjoy themselves too. Which I think is amazing. The most recent trip we saw a booth that was dedicated to vegetarians and vegans. There are even notes on the menus about which items are available gluten free. 

Overall, I love the food and wine festival. I've been twice and am currently planning my third trip. I've learned a lot from the first trip when I was so overwhelmed by all the options. I feel that there isn't much else more relaxing that enjoying fine dining and drinks with good company on a nice day at EPCOT. Honestly, even in the rain we've had a good time.