Food and Wine Festival 101

[azdisneymom]

DD and I are going to be at EPCOT during the Food and Wine Festival for the first time ever. We would really appreciate some advice from those who have gone - sort of a 101 class on the festival. Is it really crowded, expensive, delicious and best day to go? Thanks.

[Polynesian Dweller]

We go to it every year and on weekdays its not really crowded. Weekends, including Friday afternoon/evening, can be crowded but not packed by any means. But we feel that Tuesday and Wednesday are the lightest days and best time to walk around the World Showcase.

[KineGirl]

we wont do DDP for F&W fest but rather hit the kiosks around WS nightly and do the special dining events instead. The plates at the kiosk are $2- $4 and normally 3-5 plates fill us up. There are supposed to be 25 kiosks this year :eat: Everything from perogies to lobster rolls. YUUUUMMMM

Check out the concert schedule

Plan extra time than normal for Epcot during F&W fest because on top of the great food everywhere there are also extra artisans to stop and admire. (as mentioned before - we go every night)

Dont forget to stop by the welcome center!

Try to take advantage of at least one of the special dining events. Also there are celebrity chef book signings and wine appreciation seminars.

:beer::mickey::marg::wine::eat::party:

[chick20679]

My Mom and I have gone a few times, and we absolutely L-O-V-E it!!
We have never done any of the special dinners or any of those things (too expensive for us).
We simply walk around and get things from the kiosks that look interesting. Then we split each thing we get, so we each get just a bite or sip(maybe two). That way we can try pretty much all of the things that appeal to us over the course of the evening - we don't get too full or spend too much money. It has worked very well for us, although I'm sure others have different "plans of attack".
We also have done one of the complimentary wine seminars and the complimentary beer seminar in the UK, as well as the Sam Adams seminar (not sure if either of those are still available). They were all great, but you have to arrive pretty early in order to be able to get a seat.
In any case, you won't regret a trip during this time. Have a great time!

[Djscherr]

My Mom and I have gone a few times, and we absolutely L-O-V-E it!!
We have never done any of the special dinners or any of those things (too expensive for us).
We simply walk around and get things from the kiosks that look interesting. Then we split each thing we get, so we each get just a bite or sip(maybe two). That way we can try pretty much all of the things that appeal to us over the course of the evening - we don't get too full or spend too much money. It has worked very well for us, although I'm sure others have different "plans of attack".
We also have done one of the complimentary wine seminars and the complimentary beer seminar in the UK, as well as the Sam Adams seminar (not sure if either of those are still available). They were all great, but you have to arrive pretty early in order to be able to get a seat.
In any case, you won't regret a trip during this time. Have a great time!

This is actually an excellent idea, when I went, I was with my aunt and we'd each try one thing at the booth and share it with each other (well except for the Buco Bay Lemon Lager man I wish I could order that stuff over the net). It can get a bit expensive but sharing really helps you sample a lot. We went back another night and we knew our favorites so hit them all up. Also if you like the food and you like to cool there might be a cookbook on sale that lists all the items that were on sale (at least it was a few years back when I went).

[AHOTE]

My Mom and I have gone a few times, and we absolutely L-O-V-E it!!
We have never done any of the special dinners or any of those things (too expensive for us).
We simply walk around and get things from the kiosks that look interesting. Then we split each thing we get, so we each get just a bite or sip(maybe two). That way we can try pretty much all of the things that appeal to us over the course of the evening - we don't get too full or spend too much money. It has worked very well for us, although I'm sure others have different "plans of attack".
We also have done one of the complimentary wine seminars and the complimentary beer seminar in the UK, as well as the Sam Adams seminar (not sure if either of those are still available). They were all great, but you have to arrive pretty early in order to be able to get a seat.
In any case, you won't regret a trip during this time. Have a great time!

We go every year and do just about the same thing. We are on the DDP but we use our snack credits for the sampler portions available throughout world showcase and a CS credit if we're still hungry at the end of the day, which is unlikely. We use our "leftover" TS credit from that day for a signature dinner during our stay. We stay way on the weekends, just too crowded. Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday we find are good days to go. Can't wait to do it all again this year. Only 149 days to go. :wine: :joy: :woohoo:

[azdisneymom]

Thank you so much. This exactly the kind of info we needed. Can't wait.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

We tried it for the first time last year. One tip I'd give it keep an eye out on what they will have going on. Once you can book something like a wine tasting...do it. They fill up quickly.

Go to the free cooking demonstrations. They are a lot of fun and you'll get the recipes to take home.

[MsMin]

We went for the 1st time last year too and loved it so much we are going back this year! I organized a list of booths so we could discuss what we wanted to look for ... sort of a "can't miss this list" We a group that's helpful. We didn't do the DDP. The first day we spent only 48 for 4 of us and were very full. We planned a stop there every day with the exception of the Intercot meet last year. With hoppers we could go at lunch and end at MK or start at another park then head to EPCOT. The only day that was super crowded was that Saturday evening. Even Sunday wasn't as bad as Sat. crowd wise.
The escargot were awesome and we went back for that 3x's. I'm looking forward to that for this year too.
I love to collect souvenirs too and one of my favorites is my coffee cup I had signed by the artist from the food and wine poster. It has a place of honor in my kitchen. I remember she was signing purchases on Sunday last year so check that out. :thumbsup: Loads of seminars and events, many free and I found it very helpful to study it before we got there. Have a great time.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I remember one more. If you enjoy wine bring or make your own wine journal to take with you. That way you can remember which wines you like and what you liked about them. So when you get home....you can pick them up at store.

[kellyisbusy]

:blush:We just love the food and wine festival and have been several times. The first day weekend day is always crowded and you will stand in line for quite a while to get a sample of food. The samples are bite size, maybe two bites, they are fun to sample but can get expensive. If you get 5 samples you can spend $20--if you have DDP you have in the past been able to use snack credits. Hubby and I each get something different so we can try more stuff with our credits. There are lots of wine samples that range in different prices. Overall it can be an expensive event but fun. You can meet some interesting people. Last year I met a man writing a review for a travel magazine, I purchased a seafood salad and he wanted to know what it was and what I thought about it. I liked some of it but could have done without the baby squid.

[E-Ticket4]

Does anyone know when the events are posted? Like the wine :wine: tastings or the beer :beer:classes? The free cooking demos sound good too.
Thanks

[AHOTE]

Does anyone know when the events are posted? Like the wine :wine: tastings or the beer :beer:classes? The free cooking demos sound good too.
Thanks

If memory serves me right it was July before a majority of the events were listed. I check for them starting now with the hope that some listings will be put up early, so far no luck. :wait: We did a few of the wine tastings last year and the one from Spain :wine: was very good as was the beer tasting from Samuel Adams. :beer: Came home with some good recipes too. I also bought the F & W cook book that featured recipes from all the participating countries. There's some great food in that book, I use it weekly. Only 144 1/2 days to go....