Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

If you are a true “foodie” then the Epcot Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World Resort is the happiest place on earth. Delicious dishes and desserts from over 40 global marketplaces open your mind and tastebuds to a whole new world of food experiences.

What is the Epcot Food and Wine Festival?

The Epcot Food and Wine Festival is an annual event at the Walt Disney World Resort Epcot Theme Park. It is a celebration of cultures, cuisines, and music. There is so much to see, do, and EAT during the festival! There are over 40 Global Marketplace featuring food and wine from around the world. Each Global Marketplace offers a small plate of traditional cuisine from either a country or food genre (chocolate, cheese, nuts, etc,) for a price range of $4.00-$8.00.

I love Wikipedia’s definition of a FOODIE. “A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger.” A dream came true for us last week when we were able to attend the Epcot Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World Resort. It is definitely a new food experience like no other and every foodie should seek it out! In the tradition of Disney magic, it brings out the “foodie” in all who attend – even those with the pickiest of palates. It is an “Amazing Culinary Adventure!”

For more information on the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, including how to get tickets, go to disneyworld.disney.com.

When is the Epcot Food and Wine Festival?

The Epcot Food and Wine Festival traditionally starts at the end of August and runs through mid-November. Check the Walt Disney World Resort website for exact dates.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival – A Food Bloggers Dream!

We attended the Epcot Food and Wine Festival with some AMAZING food bloggers:  Picky Palate,  Disney Hungry, Kevin & Amanda, The Novice Chef, Lil’ Luna, I Heart Naptime, and Dine and Dish, Cookies and Cups.

As you can see by our food photos, we were eager to experience everything the Epcot Food and Wine Festival has to offer! It was so much fun!

Some of the photos below are shared from these awesome food blogs (you will see a photo credit with a link to their blog). We set out on our culinary adventure with high hopes of finding dishes we would all enjoy. With over 40 marketplaces from around the world offering several menu options, we were not disappointed. There were foods we all loved, and we each found new loves we will seek out again.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival – Global Marketplaces

The Global Marketplaces offer traditional and innovative entrees and desserts that represent the food and flavors of different countries and regions of the world. In addition to the marketplaces offering international cuisine, there were marketplaces focused on certain types of foods and cooking techniques. I loved the booths Flavors from Fire, The Chocolate Studio, and Coastal Eats. See all of our favorites below and don’t miss our tips on visiting the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Menus and Favorites

AFRICA – Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips

AUSTRALIA – Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp

 BELGIUM – Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote

 BELGIUM – Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache

 BRAZIL – Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

CANADA – Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon

CANADA – Canadian Cheddar and Bacon Soup with a Pretzel Roll

CHINA – Black Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Noodles

FRANCE – Creme Brûlée with House-made Raspberry Jam

GREECE – Bougatsa (Strudel with Vanilla Custard, Honey Lemon Syrup, and Cinnamon)

HAWAII – Kalua Pork Slider

INDIA – Warm Indian Bread with Pickled Garlic, Mango Salsa, and Coriander Pesto Dips and Madras Red Curry with Cauliflower, Carrots, Chickpeas, and Rice

IRELAND – Warm Chocolate Pudding

ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN – Quesito (Puff Pastry) with Sweetened Cream Cheese

JAPAN – Salmon BLT Sushi Roll topped with Yuzo Miso Salmon, Tomato, and Bacon

MEXICO – Coconut Rice Pudding

MOROCCO – Hummus Fries with Cucumber, Tomato, Onions, and Tzatziki Sauce

NEW ZEALAND – Seared Venison Loin with Mushroom Marsala and Kumara Puree

THAILAND – Seared Shrimp and Scallop Cake with Cold Noodle Salad

MARKETPLACE CUISINE

THE ALMOND ORCHARD – Banana Almond Soft-serve Sundae

HOPS AND BARLEY – Freshly Baked Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

REFRESHMENT PORT – Sweet Potato Poutine with Caramel, Marshmallows, and Pecans

ACTIVE EATS – Loaded Mac ‘n Cheese with Bacon, Cheddar, Peppers, and Green Onions

ACTIVE EATS – Spice Crusted Verlasso Salmon with Lentil Salad and Avocado

COASTAL EATS – Lump Crab Cake with Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Lemongrass Cream

COASTAL EATS – Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette

FLAVORS FROM FIRE – Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak

FLAVORS FROM FIRE – Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes

CHOCOLATE STUDIO – Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Caramel Sauce

Inside the LIGHT LAB

TASTE TRACK – Croissant Doughnuts Variety

TASTE TRACK – Croissant Doughnut topped with Gelato

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Entertainment and Special Events

There are so many events happening during the Food and Wine Festival that you don’t want to miss! We had the opportunity to try out a few and it made me love the Food and Wine Festival even more. Party for the Senses was definitely my favorite! But the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Food and Wine tastings were great options during the day to get off your feet and enjoy some yummy food and fun entertainment!

Party for the Senses

Party for the Senses was an incredible dining opportunity I will never forget! There are 5 Saturdays during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival that they hold this event and tickets sell out fast! We were at the first so there are still 4 nights left!

Gourmet Chef’s from around the globe come and prepare signature dishes and you can go to each of the Chef’s stations to try them. On top of that there is incredible live entertainment. If you ever get the opportunity- Party for the Senses is something I highly recommend! The food was out of this world amazing! I couldn’t even begin to pick a favorite, but I loved everything I tried in the image above. So much delicious food packed into one memorable night.

Just take a look at this menu from Party for the Senses, I still can’t get over how many Chef Stations there were. This menu was front and back (click to view larger).

Eat to the Beat Concert Series

The Eat to the Beat Concert series has live performances from popular music artists EVERY NIGHT during the Food and Wine Festival. It’s in the American Gardens Outdoor Theatre so everyone can enjoy the music, but you do need a ticket to sit in the actual theatre. Here is a list of the musicians performing this year:

Food and Wine Pairing Classes

Throughout the festival there are dining and pairing events where you get to watch the chef prepare the food in person and then you get to try it yourself! Everyone has a recipe to follow along with and keep to try the recipe at home. I’ve included the menu from the class we attended.

Illuminations Reflections of Earth

Be sure to catch the Nighttime Fireworks – Illuminations Reflections of Earth – at Epcot while you are there. The fireworks, music, and images displayed on the rotating globe in the water are stunning. This nighttime spectacular will be ending summer of 2019 and will be replaced by a new show! So go see it while you still can!

Tips for Visiting the Epcot Food and Wine Festival

This was our second time visiting the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Both this year and last were everything we hoped and dreamed it would be! Here are a few “glad we did” and “wish we had” tips for the next visit.

Glad We Did

1. We had a light breakfast and went to Epcot with a healthy appetite!
2. Everyone in our group was comfortable with sharing food. This made it physically and economically easier to sample more dishes.
3. We paced ourselves throughout the day. With so much to see and do at Epcot, we could go to several marketplaces then take a break for attractions, shows, and visiting the countries in the World Showcase to build up our appetites again.
4. Download the My Disney Experience mobile app. This app is essential for Epcot and all of the parks at Walt Disney World Resort. The interactive map gives directions to anywhere you want to go. The app gives wait times for attractions, showtimes for fireworks and parades, and character greeting and location times. My favorite feature is that you can view restaurant menus and make dining reservations right on the app.
5. We used a pre-loaded wristband gift card for the booths! It made purchasing food quick and effortless, no fumbling around with a purse or wallet for cash or cards. They are available all over Epcot and can be used at all the booths, and regular stores and restaurants.
6. Wear comfortable walking shoes!

Wish We Had

1.  We wish we had planned ahead by reviewing the marketplace menus before our visit. We spent a lot of time the day of our visit deciding what to order from each menu. The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival website offers a list of the marketplaces and menus so you can decide which marketplaces you would like to visit and which foods and beverages you would like to try before you go. This would have been particularly helpful with finding the marketplaces that offered gluten-free cuisine before our visit.
2. Along with reviewing menus, we wish we had reviewed a map of Epcot before our visit. This would have helped in planning our marketplace visits with the attractions and countries we wanted to visit at the World Showcase and saved some time back tracking. It also would’ve helped with the timing of our fast passes.
3. In addition to planning in advance, you can grab a Festival Passport booklet when you enter the park. It’s loaded with valuable information about the Food and Wine Festival! It also has stickers from each booth that you can add to the booth’s page of the book when you visit it. Which is a really fun way for kids (and adults) to keep track of where you have visited.

*We were not compensated or obligated to write this post and all opinions are our own. We were provided media passes to the park, a gift card to use towards sampling the food, and complimentary tickets to Party for the Senses.