Tip 4: While the international marketplaces are well organized and stationed in the shadows of their country’s static Epcot locations, it is helpful to have both a festival map and a full map of Epcot’s detail handy to gather additional input and perspective.
Tip 5: Disney Gift Cards – Most gift shops and the Welcome Center offer a super convenient mini Disney gift card that you can preload with whatever cash amount suits your fancy. You simply wear the card on your wrist for quick and easy payment options, instead of hauling out wallets and purses while balancing food plates and beverage glasses. Keep in mind that the average marketplace tastings run about $3-5 for a tapa-sized portion.
If you have several days to enjoy the festival and have serious foodie tendencies, then you’ll want to reserve a table at one of Disney’s signature dining experiences. Both Disney’s Contemporary California Grill, with an ultra-fresh, market-driven menu, and the Grand Floridian’s Citricos will stir your taste buds to new heights, with their chef-inspired gourmet creations and exceptional wine and beverage menus.
Eat to the Beat Concert Series: Wrap up your day at the Food and Wine Festival with familiar musical favorites at the “Eat to the Beat” concert series, located on the water across from Epcot’s United States’ pavilion. These 30-minute concerts performed three times a night by oldies but goodies like: Taylor Dayne, Sugar Ray, Rick Springfield, Air Supply and Jon Secada are the perfect way to allow a sensory shift from taste to sound.
Party for the Senses: If you are looking to take your food and wine tastings to the next level, then check out Epcot’s “Party for the Senses,” an upscale collection of gourmet goodies tabled with perfect-pairing wines. Live musical entertainment, a solo Cirque du Soleil performance and divine desserts designed to knock your foodie socks off round out the party's best offerings.
The Epcot Food and Wine Festival uniquely caters to newbie foodies and established gourmands alike, while reaching out to wine fans and serious oenophiles through an astounding selection of international cuisines and in depth educational seminars. By providing an approachable, fun-filled, hands-on tasting experience with well-paired food and beverage samples, guests gain a first-hand appreciation of the culinary world’s delicious diversity.
While the elements of food and wine are vast and varied, many components share thematical and stylistic similarities. Twenty-three country cuisines from six continents, and over 60 international wineries all converge onto Epcot's 1.3 mile promenade, under the creativity and convenience of Epcot’s 15th Annual Food and Wine Festival, proving that the world of food and wine, may also be a “small world after all.”
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary travel for the purpose of reviewing the region and the event. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
