Here at the DFB, we seriously love the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. You know who else loves it?
2024 Food and Wine Festival
EVERYBODY! We had a feeling that everyone in Disney World would be nearly as excited as we are to try ALL the bites and sips on the menus for the Marketplace Food Booths, check out the performances at the nightly Eat to the Beat concerts, eat cheese followed by MORE CHEESE, and all the other Festival fun! Given the level of anticipation for this beloved event, we’re here with an update on the crowds that have come out for the very first day of this year’s Food and Wine Festival.
We’re taking it bit by bit throughout the day, starting right at Rope Drop! Here’s a look at the crowd entering the park right upon opening.
It was pretty empty!
Early on opening day, crowds are a bit… lighter than we’re used to, even at the in-demand merchandise locations like the Creations Shop.
…Sparse
Of course, keep in mind that the Marketplace Food Booths don’t open in full until 11AM, which is also the time that World Showcase opens completely for the day. We would definitely expect crowd levels to pick up later in the afternoon as the booths open and the festival really gets going.
Where is everybody?
Now, the first day of the Festival is often quite busy, and you may wonder how to best go about navigating the crowds during your visit. We recommend visiting EPCOT on a weekday, if you can, as many locals tend to join in the Festival fun on the weekends, adding to crowd levels.
Crowd check!
Here’s what crowd levels are looking like this morning in EPCOT! pic.twitter.com/8uFlgjRq8D— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) August 29, 2024
As the day’s gone on, crowds have picked up as expected.
Picking up
Once food booths opened up, crowds grew larger.
2024 India Booth
Seating areas filled up as well.
Brew Wings
If you can start working your way around the Marketplace Booths as soon as they open at 11AM, that can help, too, as guest levels typically increase throughout the day, with nights especially hoppin’.
Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:
- Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
- Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus
- Find ALL of our EPCOT Food and Wine Festival REVIEWS right here!
And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.
IT'S WINE & DINE TIME!
Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.
If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!
Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!
Food and Wine Festival 101Eat to the Beat Concert Updates
EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page
Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details
Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival
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Are you planning on visiting the festival this year? Let us know in the comments below!
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I’m not going to lie the F&WF has really gone down hill the last few years. I could understand not having the demonstrations during the pandemic but why not now? We waited 5 years for Commicore Hall to open for what? To put merchandise? This isn’t what I expected at all. This just isn’t the event it used to be.
I agree with Nicole’s posting. Although this was our first food festival visit, I was quite surprised at:
1 – lack of seating throughout the park. We ate squatting on curbs, propped up on railings, over a trash can, etc.
2 – Commicore hall was indeed disappointing. Just a subset of merchandise already available at the Creations Shop. It would have greatly added to the festivities to have cooking demonstration and also better merchandise choices.
With that said, we did enjoy some fantastic food! Yes, there were duds which we mostly avoided. We would love to try it again next year and hope for improvement. I plan to write to Disney Guest Services with specific feedback.