Autumn is traditionally a time of plenty and of harvest celebration and there is no better place to celebrate and give thanks than at Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival, held every Fall at Disney World’s Epcot Center in Florida.
My mouth waters at the mere thought of it!
It is my favourite event at any of Central Florida’s theme parks. This year’s festival began on 25th September but there is still time to sample its delights – it runs until November 16th.
Wish I was there!
My family are enjoying the delights of the festival as we speak and I only wish I was there with them!
I’m afraid to say that their reporting back from the show left a little to be desired however… their top tip was the fact they paid $10 for a Guinness!
However, I can heartily recommend the Greek stall – the food there is amazing and worth the trip alone!
The French section do amazing iced cocktails – wow – they are good.
And, best of all, this year also sees the return of the Scottish food stand. And, yes, last time we were there we all enjoyed the haggis, neeps and tatties. Fantastic!
Truly there is a wealth of choice and you’d have difficulty eating your whole way around the world – although the Orlando Sentinel has had a go at it for you!
What you need to know
Mid-week is a great time to go. This festival also attracts a lot of locals so the weekends can get busy.
Most Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events are included with admission to the Park, but several experiences do require a separate admission fee. This includes the food and refreshment samples, entry into Premium Experiences and entry into Cultural Dining Opportunities.
However, the Eat to the Beat concerts are included with the normal price of admission. There are still some great acts from the 80s and 90s due to play including Tiffany on the 24th and 25th of October, Boyz II Men on November 2nd and 4th, Maxi Priest on 13th and 14th November and Chaka Khan on 15th and 16th November. See the complete line-up here.
If you want to be seated near the stage then we do recommend getting there early – as much as an hour or more before the concert is scheduled to start.
Most food choices will set you back around $3 – $8 – so you won’t need an astronomical amount of spending money.
What to do before you go
A few simple steps to get the most from the festival:
- Prebook your Epcot and other Disney tickets through Ellis Exclusive Villas and you can get great discounts on the cost of your admission.
- Book special events in advance – this includes the mixology seminars, culinary demonstrations, celebrity chef events and dining packages.
- Download the festival map
- This year, Disney is partnering with Facebook to offer a special notification service for iOS phone users when you’re at the festival. You’ll need to turn on Bluetooth and enable location services for your Facebook app, then you will receive exclusive festival updates in your Facebook newsfeed. It will be interesting to see how well this works!
Fancy the festival but can’t make it this year? We are already taking bookings for September/ October 2016. If you book for Fall 2016 with Ellis Exclusive Villas before the end of this year’s festival – 16th November – and quote the discount code EPCOT FOOD FEST we’ll give you a mouth-watering 10% discount off your booking.
Yum!
