Epcot Food and Wine Festival

[bostomco]

What's the deal with the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? We're going to be there during it this year and I was wondering if we needed a special ticket? Is it samples of food or is it actual special meals that you can purchase? And are there any special beers they bring in? DW loves wine, but I'm definately a beer connoisseur!

[Leighler]

You do not need a special ticket unless you want to do a special wine tasting/dinner, etc. Your Epcot ticket is your admission. I believe they do have special beers . I don't remember getting any free samples- you have to purchase them all at different little booths around the WS and I believe they cost anywhere from $2-$6 (at least that's what it used to be). It's really a great time!!

[Wrigley]

I've been wondering about the Food and Wine festival also, since we will be at the World during that time as well. Does anyone know if you need to use cash to purchase the samples, or do they allow debit cards?

[Disney Doll]

I'm pretty sure we used plastic at several of the booths last year. I usually don't carry cash.

[WDW_Obsessed]

The food (which is great by the way!) is like little plates which usually have a sampling of what each country is offering, at least that's what I remember from last year. DH and I chose to eat dinner at Epcot one evening during the food and wine festival and it was great just hopping around the countries and splitting plates of food samplings at each one. We had a fantastic variety of food and ended up spending less money than we would on an actual meal at most resturaunts. We both drank wine that evening, but I think I remember there being beer also. It was alot of fun!

[hoop de do]

Usually around July they post the different foods, wine and beer being offered. There are many great wines and beers (believe me). I'm sure you will have a great experience. We always eat and drink our way around the world but it does take at least two days. It's a great time for food, wine and beer lovers.
Have a great time and let us know what you thought.

[ledudes]

We have been a few times. It is always fun. We also have gotten the free dining plan the last few times and we always save up our snack credits to use at the festival at teh different food carts. It is great to sample all teh food from different countries. (they add countries that aren't usually there too) There are also lots of different bands that perform during it so be sure to check out the schedule.

[SBETigg]

You can use your cards (room key or credit/debit) at most but not all F & W Festival booths. The samples all cost. There is food, wine, beer, and other beverages. It is fun to sample around the world for a meal, but when we did this, it actually ended up costing us way more than we spend on most table service meals. We charged it all to the room and were surprised when we saw the printout of what we spent because we stopped paying attention and just had fun.

[BluewaterBrad]

The EPCOT Food and Wine Fest is awesome!! Our favorite time to visit!!

[DNS]

You order the samples just like you would a full meal. Some have few offerings and others have many. We are very picky eaters, but were able to find things from several countries. I am thinking there were over 20 countries represented when we were there a couple of years ago.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) The festival is a big foodie event.
2) There are at least 25 booths around Epcot with different and/or strange food.
3) Each booth has matching wines and usually beers.
4) There are also (fee) events to learn more about food and wine.
5) Plus, there are free concerts.

6) Overall, as really good time.
7) Expect to pay $4-$6 per food sample.
8) You could spend $60-$80 easily (I wonder if this was planned that way?)
9) A good event to not miss.
10) But, stay away on weekends, as the locals make it really crowded.

[Mitzie]

Ditto on everyone else. We were there this past year during the F&W festival and loved it! We also saved up our snack credits and used them to basically "do" lunch. This was a nice way to not use up any of our other credits for a meal and since snack credits can be rough to use up anyway. Various countries as well as regions from the US were represented with tastes for all palates. We are going the beginning of Dec. this year to catch Christmas decor, but the following year is already slated for Oct. to hit the F&W.

[GAN]

You've picked a great time of year to visit -Food & Wine is a great event. Sam Adams usually puts on a free beer tasting next to the American pavilion throughout the day -they give you 4/5 sample sized beers to taste and they explain them in some detail. Also, there are some excellent free wine seminars that offer opportunities to learn/sample different wines -these have been held in the Wonders of Life pavilion the last couple years. I recommend you try to plan to catch a couple of these -very interesting. As someone mentioned the events(fee) calendar is usually published around July -these free seminars aren't usually posted until the Festival actually opens(late September). Also, as Scupper mentioned -avoid weekends if possible.

[artyboy]

You are going to have an awesome time. We used the festival as our spot for a few of our lunches 2 years ago.

I'm going back this year...can't wait!

[forever a child]

I am so glad to hear that you can use the snack credit from the dining plan for the F&W food sampling.

[Emmanuel]

2008 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival's theme is "Cities in Wonderland ." Your Epcot admission is all that’s needed to participate in this popular venue.

The Festival Welcome Center features a Wine Shop where you can purchase your favorite selection as well as other event souvenirs.

There are marketplaces featuring food, wine and beer. The appetizer sized portions usually range in price from $2.00 - $5.00 and provide the perfect opportunity to try the traditional cuisine from around the world.

This year's International Food and Wine Festival will play host to seminars, tasting events and sumptuous dinners overseen by top Disney Chefs as well as renowned guest Chefs.

Over the course of the Festival, there will be 1200 beer and wine seminars scheduled with complimentary samples.