Epcot Food Festival-bad Crowds ?

[ramftbl]

Hello All !!! How crowded does Epcot get in the fall during the International Food Festival ? Does it start out busy in the beginning then taper off later in the festival ? I would think that weekends would be worse than weekdays..
Thanks for any and all replies !!!

[disneycouple2004]

We were there opening weekend in 06..yes the weekends are quite crowded...not so bad during the week..and less as the month goes on..Keep in mind most of the crowd is at Epcot..other parks were great as far as crowds go..the weather was perfect..a bit warm at times but overall its a great time to go !:thumbsup:

[MsMin]

We were there mid October this year for the first time so I can only speak of our experience. Our first day was a Thursday and we started there to avoid wknd crowds. Rarely did we have more than one or two ppl in line ahead of us an often throughout the day we had no lines. We went to MNSSHP that night missing any evening crowds. We returned Friday night and the crowds were a little heavier but only as the evening wore on and not at every kiosk. Crowds were very manageable. We avoided Sat. but were in EPCOT for the Intercot meet and noticed the crowds were very heavy for that time of year. We returned Sunday afternoon and it wasn't bad, a few lines, similar to Friday evening and we had a great time. I wouldn't hesitate to return in mid October again and if at all possible I prefer to go on weekdays b/c the parks are more crowded on weekends regardless of the season or events.
As mentioned it was warm. We were used to going in December with the cooler weather. By October I'm a little tired of heat and look forward to cooler temps which are rare in October.
I love December and cooler weather but loved the F&WF and I am torn right now on which season I should plan for a return trip....

[merhon2]

We were there on the last day this year. We were there in the evening and it was very crowded. The lines for each food booth was very long. We did not have a very good time walking around the worlds. We went back a couple of days later there was hardly anybody. A big difference.

[gardenia]

We have gone the last weekend of F & W for the last two years, and it's always packed. The lines are long, and some of the food items are not available.

[SBETigg]

World Showcase generally feels more congested when the Food & Wine Festival is going on, but the crowds are only bad on weekends. I think the first and last weekend tend to be the most crowded.

[tiaramom]

We Have Been To The Festival The Last 3 Years . The Crowds Are Large- But Its Fine- There Is Plenty Of Space For Everyone. The Lines Arent So Long - Maybe 15- Minutes Or Maybe 20 ( If The Counter Servers Are Slow. 10-12 People Deep. Its All Worth The Wait. It Gets A Bit Tight To Walk In Some Areas- Especially In The Evening- When Lighting Is Poor At Epcot. So Watch Your Footing- Some Had Too Much To Drink-
It Still Is Fun- I Found This Year Much More Crowded Than The Previous Years.
Why? I Dont Know.... The Entertainment Is Awesome - As Are The Foods . Even Child Friendly-

[SurferStitch]

We were there the first week of October in 2005, and crowds (and kiosk lines) were big not only on weekends, but the weekdays, too. Some lines were easily 20 people deep, while others were only 10-12 people deep. This was weekend or weekday.

Then again, every park had pretty big crowds, so Epcot wasn't the only crowded park.

[biodtl]

We were there last year on either the 1st or second week (I can't remember when it started), and the festival crowds only seemed to be a problem for the WS. And even then, it was really only certain kiosks that were long waits. Everything else seemed pretty normal to me.

FW wasn't bad at all, except for TT and Soarin, which are notoriouly long waits anyway.

[Ian]

I was there this year (for the INTERCOT 10th Anniversary Bash) and on the weekends Epcot (especially WS) was crowded.

The only thing was, it didn't really seem to affect ride lines all that much. The waits really weren't excessive. It was mostly just the crowds on the pathways in WS that were tough to navigate.

[wedway76]

The only thing was, it didn't really seem to affect ride lines all that much. The waits really weren't excessive. It was mostly just the crowds on the pathways in WS that were tough to navigate.

I agree, I think the F & W Festival crowd is different from the ride crowd.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the F & W Festival. I would much rather sit down to a nice dinner in a restaurant than go to a pay as you go cocktail hour.

[DNS]

We were there in early October in 2007 and it was pretty crowded, but not too bad. I wouldn't hesitate to go again that time of year. We loved the Food and Wine Festival. Yum, yum, yum.

[iheartdisney]

We were there October 2006 and found it to be VERY crowded. We were staying at an EPCOT resort, so we were in EPCOT many days at many different times of day and night. We were at Food & Wine a few years before that and didn't remember it being so crowded but that time we were there the second week in Nov. as it was winding down.

A sidenote: don't know if you'll be traveling with children or not but we found (especially this last trip) that Food & Wine festival is an adult activity. One obviously inebriated man leered at our 13 yr. old daughter and made advances, another woman sloshed her margarita all over our 2 yr. old in his stroller. My husband and I are not alcohol snobs - we partake - but not to excess in a family atmosphere. And frankly, I think all of WDW should be considered a safe, family atmosphere. But during Food & Wine Festival, we'll stay away if we have the kids with us.

[WDWfanatic742]

The pathways are crazy, but the rides are the same as usual :thumbsup:. During the day, the crowds are ALOT less crowded then at night. You can hardly walk around at night in World Showcase with the festival and Illuminations to go off then.

[Donald A]

The two times we have went in early November it has really not been that bad. Very comparable to the trip I took last week.

[TheMartellFamily]

When we have gone he weekend is very busy with the lines quite long. If we go during the week there are no lines and the crowds are nice. We enjoy going when it is EMH in the evening so we can take the WS at a much slower pace. It is DW and DH favorite thing to do at WDW.