Everything You Need to Know about Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival
It’s Food and Wine time! The Epcot Food and Wine Festival is my favorite of the festivals. I have everything you need to know about Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival so you can plan a great day in the park!
The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival kicks off in mid July, and typically runs through mid to late November. During the Food and Wine Festival most of the food and drinks can be found in World Showcase. When planning a trip to EPCOT for the Food and Wine Festival, it’s a good idea to have a plan so you can enjoy all the amazing food and drinks, and not miss a thing!
Make a Plan for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
First, you need to book a park pass reservation for the day you want to visit EPCOT. I highly suggest avoiding EPCOT on a Saturday or Sunday, if possible. The crowds get quite heavy on the weekends, and I think it gives a more family friendly atmosphere if you can go during the week. Make sure you grab a Food and Wine Passport as you enter World Showcase! This will be a great guide for you as you taste your way around the world.
Make a List of Must Try Food and Drinks
The menus in World Showcase are so vast and appeal to any level of taste. Before the Food and Wine Festival, Disney releases the menus. Note that some food booths do not open on the first day of the festival. So keep that in mind!
On the My Disney Experience App, you can find a link to “Learn More” about the festival. If you tap on “Global Marketplace”, it will take you to a list of the food booths. From there, choose the one you want, and it will show you a menu! This will help you narrow down some foods you want to try, and those you may want to skip.
There are vegetarian, gluten free, kid friendly, and so many good menu items for everyone in your family. Make sure everyone gets to try what they want!
Don’t Miss Out on the Family Friendly Fun
EPCOT’s favorite rat, Remy, leads guests through Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt around World Showcase. You can purchase a sticker map for the kids for a nominal fee in the gift shops. As they find Remy hidden throughout World Showcase, they can mark their map with the provided stickers. Upon completing it, take the map to Disney Traders, World Traveler, or Gateway Gifts and choose a surprise, compliments of Chef Remy!
Be sure to visit the Emile’s Fromage Montage! If you purchase 5 cheese dishes from select Global Marketplaces on the passport, you can collect a stamp for each dish. When you have collected 5 stamps, visit Shimmering Sips for a special prize!
Your family may need a break! The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Center is designed to give World Showcase travelers a nice break while enjoying the Festival. Sometimes they have entertainment, art exhibits, cooking classes, or merchandise. It’s definitely a good place to take a small break!
What is New at the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival?
This year, EPCOT is opening 8 new food experiences during the Festival! While all of them sound amazing, these are the ones I am most excited about!
Brew-Wing at the Epcot Experience
- Garlic-Parmesan Wings with Celery and Ranch (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Barbecue Wings with Celery and Ranch (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Traditional Buffalo Wings with Celery and Ranch (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Teriyaki-Sesame Wings with Celery and Ranch
- Mango-Habanero Wings with Celery and Ranch (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Cheese Flatbread
- Pepperoni Flatbread
- Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company Pineapple Vibes Blonde Ale, Orlando, FL
- Central 28 Beer Company Groveland Road Blood Orange IPA, DeBary, FL
- Wicked Weed Brewing Watermelon Dragonfruit Session Sour, Asheville, NC
- Bold Rock Honeycrisp Hard Cider, Nellysford, VA
- Starcut Ciders Magpie Hard Cider, Bellaire, MI
- Blake’s Hard Cider Co. Apple Lantern Roasted Pumpkin, Armada, MI
- Beer Flight
- Cider Flight
Mac & Eats –Opening October 1
- Traditional Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Panko
- Truffle Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Panko
- Cowboy Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Pork Belly, Brisket Burnt Ends, Pickled Peppers and Onion Straws
- Macaroni and Cheese with House-made Italian Sausage and Peppers (plant-based item)
- 81Bay Brewing Co. Lemon Hazy IPA, Tampa, FL
- L’Ecole No. 41 Chenin Blanc Old Vines, Columbia Valley, WA
- Evolution by Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR
The Swanky Saucy Swine
- Crispy Barbecue Pork Rinds with Pimento Cheese (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Roasted Porchetta with Pork-fat Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Lemon-Parsley Salsa Verde (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Soy-glazed Sticky Ribs with Green Onions and Peanuts
- Crispy Pig Ear Salad with Fire Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco, Roasted Corn Salsa and Avocado Cream (gluten/wheat-friendly)
- Parish Brewing Co. SIPS Pinot Noir Black Currant Sour, Broussard, LA
- Rombauer Zinfandel, California
- Bourbon Bloody Mary with Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey
Best Tips for Getting the Most out of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
You cannot eat everything. Well, you could, but you may want to allow yourself two days of Festival fun to enjoy ALL of the menu items. We love to get a few things from each booth ~ food and drinks ~ and share them amongst our family. That way, everyone gets a taste, and you can try something new!
Bring a small tray. Trust me, you will use it! Sometimes, they even sell them with the Food and Wine merchandise. It makes carrying your food so much easier. Just throw it in your backpack ~ you’ll definitely use it.
Skip a table service meal. While EPCOT definitely is FULL of some of the best table service locations at Walt Disney World, the exclusive foods at Food and Wine are worth giving up a table service meal.
Split up your party while waiting in line. Then, meet up when you have your foods and taste everything!
Each food booth/kiosk has food and drink items meant to be paired with one another. These really make for a tasty, unique experience!
The best part of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is that it is included with your theme park ticket! Will your family be visiting the Epcot Food and Wine Festival?
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