It’s official! One of our favorite EPCOT festivals, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is returning SOON, and we’re already making our list of everything we want to eat and drink now that we have the full list of food booths and menus.
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Passport
Of course, there’s so much MORE to the festival than just food and drinks, including the Eat to the Beat concert series, which is also always a LOT of fun. This year’s festival is starting a little later than usual (although it’s in line with the festival pre-2020) and begins on August 29th and runs through November 23rd. However, as we get closer to the festival’s first day, we’re getting kinda’ concerned about some particular things.
Before 2020, The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival had a ton of ADDITIONAL things going on, including food seminars and demonstrations like Party for the Senses, a tasting event where you could sample tons of food items and drinks while listening to live music and enjoying live entertainment. This was a separately ticketed event, and although pricey, we always felt it was worth it. As far as the seminars and demonstrations go, we used to even get celebrity chef-hosted events!
Party for the Senses
Food seminars and demonstrations haven’t been at the festival since 2019, though. However, part of the EPCOT transformation included two new spaces, CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza. Disney initially described those spaces as being specifically something they would use for the festival, including special festival events (like Party of the Senses), as well as food demonstrations and seminars. The space was also originally described as offering space for concerts.
Encanto singalong at CommuniCore Hall
CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza both opened this summer, so you might think we’d be seeing those spaces used for the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, right? Well, although the spaces include concert space, the Eat to the Beat concert series has been confirmed for its America Gardens Theatre location, where we’ve seen it previously. Wasn’t the whole point of these new festival spaces to offer larger areas for concerts? America Gardens Theatre has such limited seating, so what gives?
Eat to the Beat
Disney also told us that these spaces would be used for demonstrations and seminars. However, we’re only a few weeks out from the festival and Disney has not yet announced any demonstrations, seminars, or special events. Wasn’t that what CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza were built for? Again, we’re concerned that these new spaces aren’t being used for what they were initially intended for. Will CommuniCore Hall continue to just look like a bland cafeteria throughout the festival instead?
CommuniCore Hall — there’s nothing here
It’s almost looking like the answer is “yes.” Now, we have no problem with using this space as indoor seating in air conditioning during the festival. However, it was supposed to be MORE, and it seems like this year’s EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is going to be the same as it’s been since 2021 — and that’s just disappointing. We hope Disney surprises us and announces some special demonstrations or seminars or SOMETHING, but this close to the festival, we’re losing hope.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
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IT'S WINE & DINE TIME!
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What do you think? Are you disappointed the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival hasn’t brought back these special events? Let us know in the comments!
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Considering the concept art really showed off a gallery that’s more FotA’s style, I assume they had no plans to put this space to use for its first festival. If there had been any last minute delays, they’d have to do a lot of refunds and notifications as people might even want to cancel or postpone their initial plans if the seminars and special dinner or concerts weren’t included. So I think it’s realistic to assume the spaces aren’t going to be used for much before next year. Perhaps there’s time for something with the Holiday festival, but short of what they’ve done with the Odyssey building being a bigger space for a booth, I wouldn’t expect a last minute dry run.
I’m glad you explained the lack of seminars and pairings. Although, we have attended the Food and Wine several times. We enjoyed those seminars and food/wine pairings. We even managed the Party of the Senses. Not sure which is more disappointing, not being able to get a reservation to one of the events or not having anything at all. We are looking forward to critiquing this years experience and hope it is not the end. Must say I am pleased that I found your Blog.
We’ve going to the Food and Wine Festival for over 10 years,but since covid I don’t think it should be listed as a festival. The food stands around are there almost all the time now. They have no seminars or food and wine dinners. The last demonstration I personally saw was Robert Irvine. After a couple years but nothing but the food stands we will no longer be attending the so called Epcot Food and Wine Festival. DVC member the first units in Old Key West Sold
All the festivals have nothing new, just the same every year now.