Since we moved to central Florida in the summer of 2013, EPCOT has been one of our favorite amusement parks. Our discovery of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival that fall was a superb experience and each year we mark our calendars in anticipation of this event.
This year the festival began on September 25th and will continue through November 16th, 2015. We finally had a chance to visit this week and decided to go solo as a couple this time, leaving the kids at home with their beloved babysitter.
The evening we went was a perfect example of an fall afternoon in Orlando. The skies were mostly clear with luscious billowing clouds overhead, the weather was in the low eighties and humidity free. We couldn’t have picked a better evening for strolling and sampling delicacies from around the world.
One of the things I love about the festival is that each year there are a few educational exhibits. I found this cool exhibit about growing cranberries complete with cranberry farmer present and available for answering questions.
This year the Chew will be taping over the course of three days at the Festival. The kids and I are super excited because this is one of the few “adult” shows that we occasionally watch together (my kids love culinary shows and anything on HGTV, LOL). I’m not sure what time of day exactly the tapings will occur but I do know they’ll be airing sometime during the week of October 12th-16th.
VEGAN BEEF WITH JASMINE RICE AND PICKLE GARNISH
The World Showcase is the main focus area for the tasting stations. Arranged by regions and cultures, you will find booths representing different countries and samplings of delicacies to eat and drink. It is important to note that these samples are exactly that; think tapas style portions.
Prices vary starting at about $4 per sample which can be a blessing and a curse. Smaller samples make it easier to try several different dishes from different countries. Unfortunately, it also makes it easy to spend more than you had planned if you don’t budget before hand how much you’ll be spending that day.
AMERICA GARDENS THEATRE HOSTING THE EAT TO THE BEAT CONCERT SERIES
Each year during the Food and Wine Festival there is a concert series called Eat to the Beat. It takes place in the America Gardens Theatre and has three showings each evening (5:30, 6:45 and 8:00pm). Featuring “legendary artists” from diverse genres like Chaka Khan, Sugar Ray, and Boyz II Men (?!?!) this years line up is like a walk down memory lane with artists from different eras. And the concerts are complimentary with park admission! For extra fees you can secure prime seating but most people just prepare to line up in advance and easily find seating in the vast amphitheater.
INCREDIBLE BAKLAVA FROM THE MOROCCO BOOTH
Each year in the Festival Center there are several events for the true foodies. Almost daily there are seminars and classes and cooking demonstrations. There is a long list of celebrity chefs who make appearances throughout the festival, including Iron Chef Cat Cora, the Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, Amanda Freitag and Alex Guarnaschelli. For additional fees you can take part in hands on seminars on a variety of subjects from mixology to gourmet cheeses.
What I love about this Festival is that there is so much to see we can return again and again during the duration of the event and always find something unique, a new corner to discover, a different exhibit to engage in.
The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is an annual event, occurring in the fall. One cool thing I noticed is that it overlaps with events occurring at other Disney Parks. For instance Hollywood Studios debuts the Christmas themed Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights on November 6th and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom begins on November 8th. Considering the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT ends on November 16th, it’s certainly possible to hit these three popular events in one vacation in early November!
We plan to visit the Food and Wine Festival at least once more before the season is over, next time with the girls. I’ve heard that they have added new activities for the kids that look like a lot of fun!
Have you ever been to the Food and Wine Festival? If so, what was your favorite experience as part of the festival?
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