2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Guide
Our ultimate guide to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival provides likely event dates, tips & info, booth lineup, snack & dessert reviews, entertainment details, things to do for kids, and everything else you need to know about Walt Disney World’s foodie event.
Walt Disney World has not yet released dates for the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, and we’re actually reluctant to make concrete predictions since it has had a wide range of starting dates since 2019, beginning as early as mid-July and as late as the end of August. (More on that below.) We’re actually more confident about when it’ll end–likely on November 23, 2024.
The other big unanswered question is whether the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival will be entirely back to normal, with its full slate of seminars, special dinners, celebrity chef panels, and various enhancements. These have been absent for the past few years for a variety of different reasons, but there’s a good chance they’ll all (or mostly) return this year. If you want to be notified about 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival official details, dates, or anything else, sign up for our FREE Walt Disney World email newsletter.
Turning back to dates, there are a range of possibilities for the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. One noteworthy thing that happened last year was a shortening–rather than an extension–of the event. This was unprecedented. EPCOT festivals have a history of getting longer, but never shorter. Last year’s event ran a total of 115 days, starting 13 days later and ending a day earlier than the previous year. It was 2 weeks shorter than in 2020-2022, but still over one month longer than 2019 or earlier.
Our suspicion is that Walt Disney World has data indicating that guests get “festival fatigue” and there are diminishing returns from running the same event for multiple months. Basically, that it wore out its welcome, and there wasn’t value in starting the festival in the late summer. That’s really they only reason they would’ve shortened it.
We’ve speculated that something similar might happen with the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. After all, the fall foodie festival started in late August from 2017 to 2019, and in September prior to then. So even with last year’s late July start date, it was beginning over a month earlier than the historical norm.
To that end, we want to point out that Walt Disney World has announced a start date but not an end date for the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. This event is incredibly popular in March and April…and loses its luster by May. Throughout June and into early July, there’s far less interest. EPCOT festivals are fueled by locals and Annual Passholders, and the ‘shelf life’ on most events is a little less than 3 months.
Point being, we could easily see a scenario where the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival wraps up by late May and the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival starts in late August. In fact, we’d bet on both events being shorter than they were last year. What we wouldn’t necessarily bet on–but what we think would be the smartest move of all–is Walt Disney World introducing a brand-new summer festival for June through August to fill the long gap in between.
This could all be totally wrong. Walt Disney World could conclude it made a mistake last year and extend the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, making it longer than ever before! Regardless of what happens, there’s enough uncertainty that we are not going to predict a start date for the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. It could begin in in the first half of July or September 2024–or anytime in between–and we wouldn’t be surprised. That range of potential outcomes is quite wide, and all plausible.
What’s more certain is the end of the event being November 23, 2024. The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival usually concludes the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which is that date. Even that isn’t a 100% sure thing, though, as Thanksgiving is later than normal and Walt Disney World might opt to end Food & Wine early to start Festival of the Holidays, especially if Food & Wine starts early.
That’s unlikely. The end date of November 23 is probably 95% likely for the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. We’ll keep you posted, updating this section accordingly as dates are rumored or announced!
Even though Walt Disney World has yet to release the full details of the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, we already know roughly 80% or more of what it’ll entail. That’s actually a lower number than usual–it’s usually 95% the same from year to year, but with CommuniCore Hall opening in 2024, we’re expecting a lot of changes.
Although the event is never 100% the same from year-to-year, it follows a familiar formula with significant annual overlap. Most of the food booths and menu items are at least 75% the same year-to-year, as is almost everything else about the event.
As noted above, the big exception to that is the culinary seminars, demonstrations, meals with celebrity chefs, and other special events. These have been on hiatus since 2019, but we’re guessing that they finally return to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival now that the CommuniCore Hall events space will be open.
However, it was honestly somewhat of a surprise that last year’s Food & Wine Festival didn’t bring back these elements. It seems like a no-brainer, as all of these special events are expensive and generate a lot of revenue. If Disney opts against them, it’ll almost certainly be due to insufficient staffing (the bane of Walt Disney World’s efforts to scale back operations and resume full normalcy right now).
We’ll keep you posted about the status of the Party for the Senses, celebrity chef meals and demonstrations, beverage and cheese seminars, and other events if/when Walt Disney World announces them. For now, here’s what you need to know about the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!
There’s a reason Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival is beloved among many Walt Disney World visitors. October and November are typically the busiest time of the year at the park, and this event is popular primarily because it allows guests the opportunity to eat and drink their way around the World Showcase and parts of Future World, trying new and inventive cuisine along the way.
Although it can be an expensive event, we’ve found ways to get more bang for our buck, and have fun dining at EPCOT before the fireworks. This comprehensive guide to the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will cover everything you need to know when planning for the event, including how to budget your time and money!
What to Expect & Festival Overview
At the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, there’s something for every budget. While you can enjoy some events without spending anything, it’s very easy to spend a lot of money, particularly as you graze around the marketplace booths. Once you start looking at the special events and celebrity meals, well, the sky is the limit on how much you can spend during the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!
We’ve done the Food & Wine Festival many times every year for the past decade-plus, spending more money on snacks than we care to think about. We spend several days in Walt Disney World every year during July, August, September, October, and November, grazing the marketplaces and partaking in the Food & Wine festivities.
All in all, we usually have a good time. Weather-wise, July and August are definitely the least pleasant months for the event and November is the best experience, but after grazing the booths the first three months, we’re usually a bit “over it” by the end. (However, if we were planning only one trip, it’d be in November.)
Beyond that, a few things stuck out that are worth noting. First, and I say this every year, but it’s true once again: by and large, your money doesn’t go very far. Portions don’t seem smaller than last year, nor do prices seem higher, but both were already pretty bad last year, so it’s not like this should be construed as a positive thing. You’ll definitely want to seek out a few sizable dishes.
Second, crowds are far worse on the weekends and after work and not nearly as bad on weekdays between 11 am and 5 pm. When EPCOT is more crowded, don’t be surprised if you wait in line 10 or more minutes at the cash registers and another 10 minutes at food pick-up.
In the past we’ve cautioned about long lines on the weekends for the more popular booths, which is especially true during peak times in October and November. This compounds the effect of being out in the sweltering heat and humidity. By contrast, on a weekday in September (or even later in the year), you might encounter no lines whatsoever.
Third, some of the best booths are in Future World. To be fair, there are great items scattered around all of the booths, but the best pound for pound options are often those found closer to the front of the park. This includes the best booth of Food & Wine, Flavors from Fire.
Finally, and most importantly, food quality remains high. The last couple of years the food lineups have been really strong, and I would say that last year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival surpassed the previous year’s event in terms of quality. From the quality of the snacks to the booths themselves (some, like India, are gorgeous!), everything is incredibly well done. It almost makes the higher prices and smaller portions a bit more palatable. Almost.
Although this article will provide tips for the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, there are a lot of things we recommend doing in the fall. Read our 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Guide and our When to Visit Walt Disney World in 2024 posts to get an idea of what else to do this time of year. Fall is the perfect time to visit Walt Disney World! Well, my personal “perfect” time of year is Christmas (nothing beats Christmas at Walt Disney World for me!), but fall is a close second.
If you’re looking for what’s new for the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival or what our recommend plan of attack is for the festival? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our strategy for keeping your sanity at the event…
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Strategy
Strategy for snacks? Seems like overkill, right? Not at all. While the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is a fun way to sample (mostly) good foods, it’s also insanely popular and expensive (I would say overpriced, but “popular and overpriced” seems like a bit of a contradiction).
By midday, some Food & Wine Festival booths have lengthy lines for ordering and pickup. By late-afternoon, World Showcase is a sea of sweaty humanity with some booth lines having wait times exceeding those for attractions. Add to this little shade and some slightly inebriated guests, and it can be an unpleasant mix. By evening, some areas of World Showcase feel like a mild frat party, with lines being quite lengthy, especially on weekends.
First, you can find the full menus for these booths for the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival here. We highly recommend reading these menus before your trip. Study them, learn them, master then. Knowing what you plan to try before you go is great so you don’t wander aimlessly or end up getting things that aren’t what you want most on impulse.
Below are some tips to make your festival experience more pleasant…
Leave the Shrimp, Take the Salmon & Scallops – With rare exceptions, shrimp at EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival is overpriced, rubbery, and just generally unappetizing. In all our years of doing the event, we’ve found it’s one thing that the culinary teams consistently do not get right. By contrast, salmon and scallop dishes are almost always good–better than you’d expect for their price and being prepared in small kitchens.
Avoid the Hot & Heavy – For an event that starts in the summer and continues in September and October–two months that are still typically quite hot and humid in Florida, there are typically a lot of hot and heavy dishes at the event. While a lot of these are good and worth trying, you’ll want to space them out so they don’t further overheat you. Ideally, have them early in the day or later in the evening once the sun has gone down. (Although that flies in the face of one of our next tips…)
AC Break – During the hottest part of the day, taking a break from the activities in World Showcase and going to the in-door and air-conditioned films and other attractions is a good idea. General tips for surviving a hot day at Walt Disney World also apply here.
You can get free cups of water from any counter service restaurant, you want to hit places with air-conditioning (I’ll put in a plug for the underrated Impressions de France, which is now only shown in evenings for some stupid reason), and you want to pace yourself when eating and drinking. We expand upon these tips in our Drinking Around the World Showcase article–the idea is the same here.
Go on a Weekday – We noted this above from a crowds perspective, but you’ll want to go on a weekday to avoid the party atmosphere. Weekends are when local college students descend upon EPCOT, and turn the place into a veritable frat party. I love frat parties just as much as the next guy, but there is a time and a place for frat parties. Namely, at a frat house when you’re in college. Not in family-oriented theme parks. Your opinion of Food & Wine Festival could differ dramatically based on whether you go on a weekday or weekend.
Go Early – Slightly before Food and Wine starts, you should be lining up for your first kiosk. Lines are far shorter earlier in the day, but just as important is that it isn’t quite as hot at 11 am as it is at 2 pm. There is very little shade at the booths. If you’ve ever waited in line 30 minutes for some wine and creme brulee in France while sweating through your shirt, you know what I’m talking about.
Stay or Arrive Late – Lines for the Global Marketplaces typically peak during prime meal hours, and drop by around 8 pm as people are finding spots for EPCOT’s nighttime spectacular. While we recommend doing likewise and grabbing a viewing location, sending someone to grab a few of the heavier dishes that you skipped earlier to enjoy after the sun has gone down is a great idea, too!
There’s probably more strategy than this, like a scientific approach to which direction around World Showcase you should go, the ideal moment to purchase items for maximum freshness, etc., but this is a solid plan of attack. After your second or third drink from one of the kiosks, you’ll be so oblivious to what’s going on that standing in line for snacks may not even bother you.
Fun for Kids at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival
Those of you with families and kids might be thinking that the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival sounds very adult. In some ways–many ways–it definitely is. However, as you can see in perusing the menus, there’s cuisine that’s appropriate for all ages, and many of the dishes aren’t strictly high-brow “foodie” cuisine–they’re fun and universally approachable. So there’s plenty for kids to eat.
Beyond that, there’s entertainment and fun for all ages. The big thing, beyond the fact that this all occurs in a theme park with attractions like Frozen Ever After, princesses, and other characters, is the scavenger hunts and culinary challenges. First, there’s Emile’s Fromage Montage–you sample a variety of delicious cheeses served in inventive ways, and collect a stamp for each on your “cheese crawl.” Collect all 5 stamps and bring the stamped Festival Passport to Shimmering Sips for a specialty prize unique to the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.
Finally, there’s Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt. Embark on an adventure inspired by the Pixar film as you search for Remy on a savory scavenger hunt during the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. Simply purchase your map and stickers from select Festival merchandise locations, then locate statuettes of Remy hidden all around World Showcase and match the ingredient stickers to your map. Once you’ve found them all, take your completed map to select gift shops and choose a surprise, compliments of Chef Remy!
Our pro tip here is to look at the prizes before purchasing the map. If they’re something you or your kids want, then buy the map. If not, do the scavenger hunt on your own without the map. It’s a fun activity either way, and the map is absolutely unnecessary to searching out the statues and having an enjoyable experience. We buy the map about half the time–the prizes are often good, and the price is usually fair by Walt Disney World merchandise standards.
Eat to the Beat! Concerts
America Gardens Bandstand – Local Central Florida bands to take the stage at America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase Tuesdays through Thursdays most weeks, when crowds are typically lower at EPCOT.
Eat to the Beat Concert Series – During these Eat to the Beat concerts, popular bands from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s perform some of their greatest hits for the Food & Wine Festival crowds. These concerts are included with park admission, and take place three times per evening on Fridays through Mondays at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 8:00 p.m.
No, you’re not going to find current big-name artists like ZZ Top or whatever the kids are listening to these days, but it’s a free concert in Walt Disney World. You can find the full line-up and performance dates on our Eat to the Beat Concert Series Schedule.
Food & Wine Festival Seminars & Events
In addition to the booths at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, there are normally a lot of events. Some of these are regular things like seminars that are offered on a daily basis, and are easily accessible to the average guest. (Again, nothing in this section has been confirmed for the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.)
Other offerings are premium special events (the use of both ‘premium’ and ‘special’ is basically Disneyspeak for ‘super-duper expensive.’) that are relatively unknown to the average guest and often sell out far in advance. We aren’t really fans of super-duper expensive stuff, but we are fans of words like free and low-cost.
For those looking to splurge on special events during Food & Wine, the slate of celebrity chefs might be of interest. These visiting chefs host a variety of daily demonstrations, Party for the Senses, grand tasting experiences, beverage and cheese seminars, and other events, all of which are a big part of the festival.
Past celebrity chefs have included Cooking Channel host Tiffani Thiessen and Richard Blais, Alex Guarnaschelli, Robert Irvine, Masaharu Morimoto, Buddy Valastro, Art Smith, and Carla Hall, plus many others.
Low-Cost Culinary Demonstrations – The low-cost culinary demonstrations are our favorite aspect of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. At $15 to $20 each, they offer a lot more than the free seminars, and a lot of times the samples you receive at these seminars are a better value than what you’d receive if you simply went around to booths and ordered items. In addition to the samples, you receive some basic background information and some entertaining presentations.
These seminars, in general, definitely are not geared to the same level of foodie audience as the special event meals, nor are the samples of the same caliber, but you get what you pay for. We have done several of these, and they generally offer the best value at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. These low-cost seminars offer a good primer to the topic covered, plus pretty good samples.
Walt Disney World has a schedule of the culinary demos, and advance booking info on its Food & Wine Festival Culinary Demos page.
Premium Special Events
The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival features a number of special events, many of which are quite pricey. Like, over $100 per person in price as the starting price. Reviews for these events are often prefaced with “despite the cost, we enjoyed it…” (or something along those lines), so if there’s one that strikes you as being interesting and you have disposable income, consider giving it a try. Not all of them cost quite that much, but they aren’t cheap.
Here are just a handful of the many premium special events:
- Interactive Culinary Adventures – Held at select Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts, these special events encourage guests to ask the experts, taste and cook alongside chefs.
- Sunday Brunch with the Chef – A 2-hour event featuring a breakfast buffet hosted by a culinary TV personality, and includes a sparkling wine toast as well as a meet-and-greet photo opportunity with the celebrity chef.
- Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It – This hands-on workshop gives guests the opportunity to learn from professional chefs in cake decorating, garnishing, cocktail mixing, and other culinary activities.
- Party for the Senses – The most popular special event of the Food & Wine Festival, this typically occurs on select dates in September, October, and November.
- What’s Cookin’ With – This features some of the country’s top celebrity chefs, beginning in the morning with a delightful plated brunch and sparkling wine toast. This starts with a demo, followed by the chefs answering questions from the audience and sharing their anecdotes.
Personally, I think there’s not just the standard Walt Disney World premium here, but also scarcity pricing, in that many of these events are extremely small. Disney knows there are enough guests with significant disposable incomes who won’t balk at high prices to fill the events. That’s just my take, though. Other Walt Disney World fans love these premium events!
Summary & Conclusion
If you like food, the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival should be a lot of fun for you. You don’t need to be a foodie to enjoy it, as there’s really something for everyone. Food & Wine Festival can be a great event and you don’t have to break the bank doing it, but it can also be expensive, crowded, hot, and unpleasant. Good planning and strategy makes all the difference in the experience you have. If you take away nothing else from this post, remember that.
We’ve done EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival multiple times each of the last several years and have generally enjoyed our experiences. In part, this is because we picked weekdays to visit, and had great luck with getting excellent food from the marketplace booths.
Additionally, there’s a ton to do. Even if you went to the park every day of Food & Wine Festival, you couldn’t experience it all, but you would go broke trying! We mention cost here a lot, and for good reason: you can spend a ridiculous amount of money without really trying. Just grazing the various booths for an afternoon can set you back a lot of money.
This isn’t meant to scare you away from the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. To the contrary, in fact. The event can be a tremendous amount of fun if you plan ahead, avoid the hordes of people on the weekend, and get lucky with mild weather. World Showcase feels like an actually living, breathing World Showcase during the festival, with a culinary focus.
Food & Wine is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular events of the year–for good reason. We typically spend a couple full weeks in EPCOT over the course of the event, eating our way around the park. Last year, we bought and ate over 100 snacks (literally), covering every dish at the event in our comprehensive Global Marketplace Food Photos, Reviews & Booth Menus: EPCOT Food & Wine Festival index.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
Your Thoughts
Have you done the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World? What did you think? Any favorite marketplace booths or culinary demonstrations you’d recommend? Ever had any negative experiences? Have any tips of your own to share? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I was debating on travelling to Disney either Oct 15th – 23rd
or Oct 22nd – 30th. I noticed that Orlando school kids have 28th off. Does that usually make for a busy day at the parks? Which week would be better overall?
thank you
If possible go in late sept, way less crowded then oct. you’ll notice that sept tickets are value season and October are regular.
My daughter and I are going to WDW Sept. 19th-24, 2016, so we can enjoy the F&W events for the first time. My questions are: (1) Will the food/wine vendors take Disney Rewards Cards or Disney Gift Cards in payment? or must we use cash or credit cards? We have quite a bit of Disney Dollars from Disney (Chase) Visa purchases so we would like to be able to use the Rewards card. (2) What time will the F&W booths open? Thank you for all the information you have provided.
Hi S Q! In May 2016, I used Disney Gift Cards and Disney Rewards Redemption Cards at the Flower & Garden booths. I can’t see why the F&W booths would be any different. I think the booths open at 11 AM. 🙂
I am really struggling over when (day of the week) to visit Epcot. Traveling Oct 19-25, 2016. I see very high crowd levels over the weekend, probably due to large crowds at food and wine festival. Do I avoid Epcot entirely or would it be safe to take my kids to the other half of the park during that time? Trying to avoid crowds and drunks. Thanks!
With Food & Wine Festival spilling out into Future World, I’d recommend Mon-Thurs, if you can. If not, the crowds and drunks won’t be as bad in Future World, but weekdays are definitely best!
Thanks, Tom! I had us set for a Wednesday, but that’s also day of arrival and we wouldn’t be in the park until closer to noon. I thought we’d want more time so moved Epcot day to Friday when we could be there all day. Now I just don’t know….
The weekends are always super busy at F&W…I would not avoid Epcot, get some fast passes and have fun, and while your there,enjoy some treats..some lines are longer than others, try to go to the booths as soon as they open at 11…they get super busy by dinner time.I have gone every year for years, and there is the occasional intoxicated person, if you go, go to the food and wine stuff first,then spend the rest of the day doing other things on the other side of the park if your worried about people being drunk.
Been going for years and use to enjoy with the family. This year it was out of control, very overcrowded, lines were ridiculous, and nothing but nasty drunks everywhere. Its a food and wine festival not a drunk fest. Can’t believe Disney would risk packing a park full of people and allowing people to drink to very over intoxication. We had an issue and waited over 30 minutes for security to show up. This was a very unsafe atmosphere for anyone much less family with children.
I couldn’t agree more. We’ve gone the past 2 years & going again this year with 2 young children. We hate the food & wine festival to be honest because of the drunk idiots & the RUDE crowds. After learning this in year 1, last year we tried to avoid this area except when we had lunch reservations and then my kids had a fast pass for Frozen. This year we’re going to avoid the area altogether, Frozen is not worth dealing with the drunk idiots and we’ll eat crappy food elsewhere so that we can just stay in the main attraction / ride area. I was really disappointed bringing my kids through that crowd with people spilling drinks and running over us, it was awful. To me the only way to solve this would be to implement a drink ticket system, where people buy tickets for drinks and are limited as to how many they can buy at once, and they can refuse to sell to drunk people. That at least reduces the over-consumption. I’m all for having a good time, but this is a freaking kids-themed amusement park people!!!
I have reservations prepaid for several events at the F&W Festival but my wife and I can’t make the trip. Disney will not allow us to cancel so want to offer these up to anyone who can use them. It’s two seats for
Cheese and Wine Oct 17 10:00-11:30a
What’s Cooking Brunch with Cat Cora Oct 18 at 10:00-12:00
Tequila Lunch Oct 16 at 12:00-1:30p
Tutto Italia Ristorante Oct 17 at 1:00p
Culinary Demo Paula DaSilva Rabbit Oct 16 at 5:00p
Culinary Demo Lobster Oct 18 at 5:00p
Party for the Senses Oct 17 at 7:00-9:30p
Were you able to book these online or did you have to call?
Good morning, Tom! Based on your experience, do you judge the new “Tasting Sampler” a good deal at the F&W Festival? It comes out to almost $63 per person (inc tax) for eight food or beverage items (“some exclusions may apply” but are not specified before purchasing) and you get priority seating for the Eat to the Beat concert that night. Particularly as I’m not certain we’ll attend the concert, I was curious whether you felt that price point (~7.85 per item) was a good get.
(BTW – Absolutely love your blog; my husband and I are in our twenties with no kids and your tips are SPOT ON for our Disney trips. I don’t even bother googling my WDW questions, I just come straight to your site. Sarah’s fashion tips saved my life during our anniversary trip!)
Great question! I am wondering the same thing. Anyone?
Tom – Thanks for all the information regarding the Food & Wine Festival. I’m taking a trip to Disney with my girlfriends next year (all in our 40s) and trying to decide the best time to go. I’m looking at Columbus Day Weekend (Oct. 6-9) or Veterans Day Weekend (Nov. 10-13). Do you have any tips on which would be better in terms or weather, crowds, etc… Also, the 2016 Food & Wine dates have not been posted yet but from what I have read it appears to always run at least through the 2nd weekend in November. Do you know if that is generally the case? I’m leaning towards November but I’m wondering is there is as much to do at the Food and Wine Fest in the last week or is it winding down? Thanks so much for your feedback!
Thankfully, my fiance and I are not going to be there until November, so I can see how it is for you at the fesitval before we go! Honestly, as a total foodie, I am so excited! Can’t wait!
Love your blogs! I was wondering if the booths will be serving food/drinks during the soft opening? Also, do the booths start serving at 9 am?
Thanks!
Of course they will serving food and drinks-as that is what a soft opening is. First the food places never open before 11 on any day. At the soft opening the booths open btw 2-4. Each one opens here and there. So open sooner and some later if there are issues.
I’m loving the updated website, I haven’t been on my Disney blog rampage in a while so I’m not sure how new the update is, but am loving it. I’m going to the Food and wine in October and the Party for the Senses, and your post made me even more excited/hungry. Hoping to have a 3D viewing of Illuminations after the Party for the Senses!
Hi!
Great post! Do you know the breakdown for the disney dining plan, i.e. I know you can split a sit down meal into two quick service meals, but can you split any of the above into snacks?
Thanks!!!
Hi There! Great article! This is our first time at Disney and I’ve gotten so excited looking over everything 🙂 I do have a question for you guys…. I’m booking reservations for Dining. We will be going during this festival. On days we are in Epcot, should we book a meal like normal, or just snack all day throughout the park? What are you thoughts? Thanks!!!! Lindsey
I use snack credits during F&W at Epcot and save meal credits for other times. This way, we can do a 2-credit experience like Cinderella’s Royal Table without having to pay out-of-pocket for a meal. You can definitely get a meal’s worth at kiosks and it’s by far the best value for those snack credits.
Thanks for all the info on your site! My wife and I just booked a 8 night trip to Disney in November with free dining but Disney will only have the Food and Wine festival going on for the first Two days of our trip, Sunday and Monday. We wont make it to the park Sunday so we are thinking the best thing to do would be to go Monday and try to use up all the snack credits during the festival as it seems this is the best “redemption value” as far as price and quality for the snack credits goes. Would you agree? The second part is that this will leave us with extra table service credits. What would be your top pick for signature dining be? I’m thinking Yachtsman Steakhouse or Fultons Crab House. Any thoughts? Thanks again!!
Hi Josh,
Just got home from a week long trip, and finally ate at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. It was SOOOO good, and in my opinion, definitely worth the two table service credits! Have fun.
Hi! Thanks for the post. Do you think opening day (Friday) will be crazy busy? Trying to plan my attack and that’s the only weekday we will be there and I want to avoid on the weekend 🙂
Yes, but probably less busy than opening Saturday.
Thanks for the tips! This post was quite timely for me. I am finishing up my MBA and wanted to re-start a science blog that I began a few years back. I never really knew what I was doing with it or where to start so this helps a lot!
My wife and I are excited to be going to the F&W Festival for four days and will be staying at BCV. Both are a first for us. We have APs and a TIW card. This is more of a relaxing trip for my wife and I to enjoy the full F&W experience, so we don’t have to try to see or do everything at Disney World.
1. Do you know what time the food stations normally start and stop serving food?
2. Would you recommend making breakfast reservations like we normally do or will it be better to eat a light snack and have more room for the food stations?
3. Do you have a great four day F&W Festival itinerary with park hopping included? We love tasting food so I could see going to Epcot every day to taste some food (and wine!).
Thanks!
we will be there for the run and do not drink, is it still a good way to spend one of our days??
Great post! We changed our travel dates just before booking in order to be there for the first weekend of the festival. I figure if it’s my first WDW trip, might as well make it extra special with this wonderful event.
how do I get tickets for events , for a party of four, on sept 25 and sept 26 when I am in the disney area.thanks.
How/where could I confirm a soft opening a day early that you mentioned? The only day available for my family to go might be opening day (Friday). If we could avoid the weekend “frat” crowds and attend the soft opening on Thursday that would be so awesome.
The only real way you can “confirm” it is by showing up at Epcot the potential soft opening day and seeing if things are open, or by following various unofficial Disney accounts on social media and seeing if they post anything that day. Since it’s a soft opening, there is no official announcement made by Disney.
In reality, there has been a soft opening every single year for the last decade or so…