Foodies from all over the country flock to Orlando to attend the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This 53 day event runs through November 16th. If you plan on attending, here’s what your day should look like so that you get the most out of your experience.
10 a.m.- Start out by going to the Festival Center. While here you can pick up a “passport” that you can get stamped at each booth you visit. Then, go to Mexico and head clockwise. This way you can get the most samples in the limited amount of time that you have. Also, don’t forget to pick up a park map, festival map and paper schedule of shows as you enter the park.
12 p.m.- Stop for lunch in Morocco or France. While eating, look at the festival map and figure out which places you want to go to. If you plan on riding rides, map out which rides are located near the foods you want to try. It’s easier to go on a ride, hit up an eatery nearby and then move on to the next area of the park rather than going back and forth between different areas. While waiting in line at the rides make sure you strike up a conversation with other riders to find out which food they have tried and ask them if there’s anything that they recommend.
2 p.m.- Now’s the time to take a break and find somewhere to cool off. An excellent place to do this is at The Land pavilion. It is located in between the park’s entrance and the World Showcase. The food court inside is rather large so you certainly will be able to find something to snack on while you are there.
4 p.m.- Take in a live show if you can. The area around the World Showcase usually has something going on. The paper schedule that you grabbed when entering the park will have all the performance times on it. The British Revolution is one of the most recommended shows to see at Epcot.
6 p.m.- This is a great time to get dinner as it will allow you to see one of the nightly concerts at 6:45 p.m. in the World Showcase. Le Cellier Steakhouse is a great place to go if you are looking for some phenomenal food.
8 p.m.- Find a spot by the World Showcase Lagoon to catch the fireworks and light show at 8:30 p.m. The 30 minute wait will allow you some down time and give you an opportunity to use your phone to load some of your favorite pictures of the day to your social media accounts.
Because this year is the 20th anniversary of the event, there’s going to be a lot going on throughout the park. Make sure you stop by the burger block parties, beverage boot camps or one of the 400 culinary demos.
Celebrity chefs will be on hand. One of the things that really makes the food fabulous at this event are the celebrity chefs. These chefs include Alex Guarnaschelli, Amanda Freitag, Andrew Zimmern, Cat Cora and Bryan Voltaggio. Overall there will be over 270 chefs present at the food and wine festival.
Because this year is the 20th anniversary of the event, there’s going to be a lot going on throughout the park. Make sure you stop by the burger block parties, beverage boot camps or one of the 400 culinary demos. Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival is such a fun, annual event. Even if you don’t want to spend any extra and just want to experience the bare minimum at the festival, you really will get your money’s worth.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published with 2015 information and is retained as a useful reference. For the most current details, contact Atlas Travel Center — our advisors stay up to date on all travel conditions, pricing, and availability. We’ve been in business since 1987 and hold an A+ BBB rating.
