Click here to visit our Festival Main Page, where we’ve gathered everything under the sun to help you plan your 2018 visit to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival!
2017 Epcot Food and Wine
Most of this information still isn’t available on DisneyWorld.com, and it’s taken lots of time on hold and some virtual digging to gather it. But we’re saving you the trouble!
Read on to see What’s On, What’s Off, and What’s Still Up in the Air for Epcot’s Food and Wine Special Events and Low-Cost/Free Seminars and Demonstrations!
What’s ON!!!
Parisian Breakfast
Buddy Valastro at a 2011 Culinary Demonstration
What’s OFF!!
Trader Sam’s Behind the Scenes is NO MORE!
What’s Up in the Air!
Click here to find everything you need to know about Low-Cost and Free Events during Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival!
Click here to find everything you need to know about Special Events at Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival!
Ready to Plan for Your 2018 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Trip?
Pre-Order the DFB Guide to the 2018 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book today, and get the 2017 edition free as an immediate download! Two guides for the price of one! This 250+-page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever.
Your purchase includes several bonus items as well — including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable World Showcase Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World!
Pre-Order your 2018 edition today and get the 2017 edition for FREE! Don’t miss a moment of the fun!
Use code Chefs at check-out for a 20% off the cover price!
In the comments below, let us know what you’ve experienced booking for Food and Wine — and what you’re most excited to try in 2018!
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Aww I was really looking forward to purchasing the tasting sampler card this year so we could really be adventurous and try a bunch of stuff this year. I wish Disney would just make us all happy and release the menus already. LOL Thanks for all the up to date info!!
We’ll be going to our FIRST F&W this year. I don’t think there are any deal breakers on this list. I carefully read everything you write about this festival and just hope to be prepared!
Tried to make reservations for some of the special dining events tonight, (like the Italian luncheon or tequila lunch) but she wasn’t showing that any of those events available for booking. Just the demos, etc listed on the Disney website were available. Not sure what is going on.
On the Tasting Sampler/Card topic, we are thinking of getting the counter service dining plan for one night, which we can convert into a ton of festival snacks to share, and I think it’s cheaper than the sampler used to be anyway. Or we may get the table service plan if we decide to do ETTB dining package, and convert everything else into festival snacks. Seems to be the cheapest way to do the festival, assuming there are some booths where you want 3 items.
Honestly, I can not believe Disney took away the Adventures in Signature Dining. They were some of the best events!! Pricey but worth it.
This is just terrible news.
I may not go any more.
Anyone want to buy DVC points????
Tebo, the Craft Beer Tasting that was held in Japan is not coming back, but we expect the Craft Beer Marketplace food booth to remain!
Thanks for the love, MissBianca! You might consider the DFB Guide to Food and Wine, too, since it’ll have everything you need in one place!
I’m very disappointed about the cancellation of the Signature Dining events this year. Those have been my main reason for coming to the festival. I’m stuck with this year’s reservation (I had to make my DVC reservations 11 months in advance), but I think I’ll skip next year and see if the magic comes back or not. I’m a big WDW fan, but there are other food and wine festivals out there to explore, especially with Disney cutting back their event so drastically.
Your guide says that the food booths don’t open until 11AM, but on the Disney website, it shows that the Food & Wine Festival opens at 9AM. Can you please explain? Thanks!
Kendall,
The front and the Festival Center and some shopping opens at 9, the booths/food kiosks open at 11
We too are thoroughly disappointed that the Signature Dining events have been removed. This is the main reason why we attend. The removal of the Signature Dining Events, combined with the fact that there is no Party of the senses during the time we are attending, leaves us with the Italian lunch, Tequila pairing and cheese seminar. If we did not have an annual pass this year (for which we want to get our money’s worth), we would not attend, and do not plan to return for awhile. Very disappointed.
There is more to the F&W Festival than the food booths. The festival center will open at 9am and the seminars and tastings–in the festival center–will start around then.
Question for you, on the official site it doesn’t list Chef Alex has having a culinary demo on November 12 but your list does. Any updates?
Do annual pass holders get a discount at the food booths?
Does anyone know how much the Eat to the Beat with dinner is compared to just the dinner? For example if I go to the Garden Grill and Eat to the Beat for Dinner at $58 is it worth it? How much extra is the dinner with Eat the Beat included?
I too am disappointed that the signature dining is gone, I was looking forward to that. Also, the way Disney rolled all this out was like amateur hour, very sad.
I can not tell you how disappointed I am about this year’s events. My husband and I have been coming to the festival for years and really look forward to the special events. NO SIGNATURE DINING!!!! and severe cut back on upper end events – I can go to a food truck rodeo anywhere – why bother with Disney prices and lines. We will still give it a chance this year (reservations already made), but unlikely to return in the future.
Crissy, you can always look up pricing for restaurants online and compare them to the Eat to the Beat prices so you know if it’s a good value. Looking at your example of Garden Grill, the dinner price there is just under $50, so you might consider the additional $8 for Eat to the Beat worth the price for guaranteed seating for the show. Hope this helps!
Kirsten, they do not.
Megan here are some links to Chef Alex’s Sunday Brunch and her Culinary Demonstration. Hope this helps!
Noooo! No Behind the Scenes at Trader Sam’s?????? BUMMER!!! Was so looking forward to that.