We’re Exploring EVERYTHING at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival – Come With Us

By Kelly Oliveros
Posted on Posted on

Get ready — your next trip to EPCOT is about to be a whole lot more flavorful, entertaining, and adventurous!

Spaceship Earth

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival has officially begun for 2023 and there is a LOT to check out. Between the food booths, merchandise, entertainment, and more — planning for the Festival can be a little overwhelming, but don’t worry, we can help! Here is our complete guide to EVERYTHING you need to know about the Festival.

It’s happening! We made sure to visit EPCOT bright and early on day one of the festival. We were pumped up, energized, and ready to EAT!

The entire AllEars team is reporting for duty in EPCOT.

We’re READY!

Come with us to explore everything you need to know about the festival this year.

Dates

The 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival runs from July 27th through November 18th, 2023, so you’ve got plenty of time to check it out. Bring your appetite (and maybe a tray) because there is a LOT of food!

Go TEAM!

Keep in mind that you will want to time your visit carefully because some booths don’t open until August (The Noodle Exchange and Hawai’i ), while others won’t open until September (specifically, 4 of the NEW booths won’t open until September 22nd)!

Crowds

Festivals at EPCOT can be a big draw for crowds, so that’s something to keep in mind. Particularly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, you can find some seriously LARGE crowds at EPCOT. So, if you have the chance, you might want to consider visiting the Festival during the weekdays for slightly lighter crowds.

A look at the line to get into EPCOT on July 27th

We were at the Festival on its opening day and got a look at the crowds for ourselves.

Another peek at the crowds

Again, keep in mind that these were opening-day crowds (which can be rather intense), but you’ll still want to be prepared for more people around the parks during a Festival and on the weekends.

Click here to learn more about the crowds on opening day!

Atmosphere and Decor

In terms of atmosphere and decor, you’ll want to look all around EPCOT for signs, banners, and more that celebrate the Festival! At the front of the park, you’ll find a display in the center planter, making it the go-to photo op for many guests.

Ta-da!

But there are other touches of decor to look for as you walk around the park! Be sure to take the time to stop and snap a selfie or two to commemorate your visit.

Festival Passport

Free, useful, AND fun? This next souvenir is (in our opinion) a must-get for the Food and Wine Festival. The Festival Passport is something you can typically find a lot of right at the front of EPCOT, though you’ll also see it available at scattered locations throughout the park.

Within the Passport (which, again, is FREE to get), you’ll find menus for each of the food booths, details on the entertainment, merchandise, and more information that can be so useful for your visit.

This thing is our lifeline during the festival

It’s easy to carry around, take out at a moment’s notice, and look through as you’re strolling around the park.

Here’s a peek inside!

Plus, the Festival Passport is where you’ll get stamps to mark each time you’ve bought a participating snack for Emile’s Fromage Montage so you can later redeem your prize (more on that in a second). If you forget to pick up a festival passport, there’s a digital version available on the My Disney Experience app, too!

Food & Wine Festival Booths

Now, let’s talk about the big draw of this Festival — the FOOD. We’re excited. Are you excited?

At the Food & Wine Festival, there will be TONS of food booths to check out with soooooo many new and returning dishes to try.

Liege Waffle

See that adorable little waffle? It’s the new Liege Waffle from Connections Cafe!

Oh, and we also grabbed the Yucatan Sunset Margarita, with Teremana Blanco Tequila, Passion Fruit Syrup, Bol’s Triple Sec 30 proof Liqueur, with Lime and Orange Juices. You can find it at Connections Eatery!

Next up, it’s time for a little trip to Spain!

We’ll be trying new and returning dishes this year, so stay tuned to hear our thoughts on all the eats and drinks in EPCOT this year!

For a COMPLETE list of the booths and their menus, click here.

We also had to start our morning with a little drink to give us some caffeine, so we headed for the Joffrey’s stand. We tried the Amaretto Iced Tea.

A food booth dedicated to FRIES?! Yeah, you know we ordered everything on the menu. Check out our review of The Fry Basket!

YUM!

Next stop: Greece! We tried the wine flight, Spanakopita, Griddled Cheese (which is also part of Emile’s Fromage Montage), Lamb Gyro, and the NEW IMPOSSIBLE Moussaka!

Who’s ready for some classic American eats from Flavors of America?

Coastal Eats is serving up oysters and crab cakes; are they worth a try? Check out our review to find out!

Refreshment Outpost brought the spice, the beans, and the rice!

Always a fan-favorite, Mexico is BACK with some new savory options!

Cheese, anyone? Look out for our review of the France booth!

The Alps is known for its melty Swiss cheese, but now there’s a NEW dish in town: Dark Chocolate Fondue!

Over at the Ireland booth, we couldn’t wait to dive into our meal!

Time for a little Joffrey’s treat!

How about a little Funnel Cake from the Funnel Cake stand?

Did the Germany booth produce any winners this year? Look out for our review!

The China booth is (predictably) full of Chinese food we can’t wait to try!

China!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to head to Italy!

 

What time is it? Why, it’s Australia time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the Brazil booth we go! Hope you’re hungry for cheese bread, because that’s what we can’t wait to try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepare for some SPICE! The Japan booth brought the heat this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are some interesting things on the menu at Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina this year, including the Grilled Chermoula Chicken or Moroccan-spiced Lamb Kebabs, Fried Falafel Pita, Stone-baked Moroccan Bread, and the Pistachio Cake.

Look at all this beautiful food!

We’re back at Joffrey’s! All this eating is exhausting, so we needed a refreshing break.

Beer, beef, and waffles: welcome to Belgium!

 

 

 

The time has come: we’ve made it to the last Joffrey’s stop of the day!

 

 

 

 

Oh, and here’s a peek at the chaos that is Brew-Wing at the Odyssey Pavilion.

https://twitter.com/AllEarsNet/status/1684716566691143680A

 

 

 

 

Whew! What a time!

 

 

 

 

 

Look out for our reviews of all the 2023 Food and Wine Festival booths!

To see all of the NEW dishes coming this year, click here.

Note that 2 booths will NOT open until August 15th — Hawaii and The Noodle Exchange.

Four other booths won’t open until September 22nd. These are 4 of the NEW booths — specifically: Char & Chop, Wine & Wedge, Bubbles & Brine, and Swirled Showcase. September 22nd also marks the start of many 100th Anniversary festivities in EPCOT so that day could be particularly packed.

©Disney

But, there are plenty of things to try at the Festival until August and September arrive.

Kenya Booth

We’ll be updating this post with photos and details about the snacks we tried, so look back for more info throughout the day!

Emile’s Fromage Montage (Cheese Crawl!)

Ready for some cheeeeeeeeesy fun? Then Emile’s Fromage Montage is for you! This is commonly referred to as the Festival’s “Cheese Crawl.” Basically, you need to buy any 5 of the featured dishes on the Cheese Crawl. Be sure to get your Festival Passport stamped each time you get a qualifying dish.

Schinkennudeln (On the Cheese Crawl)

Once you’ve collected all five stamps, you can bring your Passport to Shimmering Sips Marketplace hosted by CORKCICLE to get a specialty PRIZE. In the past, this has included a souvenir glass and soft-serve creation, and this year, you can get a lunch bag!

Here’s a complete list of all the qualifying items for the Cheese Crawl in 2023:

Germany

  • Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham, Onions and Cheese

Spain

  • Charcuterie with a selection of imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses, Olives and an Herb Vinaigrette
Charcuterie 2020

Canada

  • Canadian Cheddar and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll
Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup 2022

India

  • Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese with Mango-Curry Ketchup (this could be the same or similar to the Crispy Paneer with Mango-Curry Ketchup from the 2022 festival)

Greece

  • Griddled Cheese with Pistachios and Honey
Griddled Cheese 2021

Brazil

  • Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread
Pão de Queijo 2022

Hawaii

  • Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts
Passion Fruit Cheesecake 2022

Flavors from Fire

  • Smoked Corned Beef with House-Made Potato Chips, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions and Beer-Cheese Fondue
Smoked Corned Beef 2022

The Alps

  • Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham, Baby Potatoes, Cornichons and Baguette
  • Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Baby Potatoes, Cornichons and Baguette
Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese 2022

Wine & Wedge

  • Assorted Artisanal Cheeses and Accoutrements
  • Fig and Balsamic Boursin® Soufflé with Fig Tapenade
  • Southern Pimento Cheese with Bread-and-Butter Pickled Vegetables and Grilled Bread
©Disney

Note that there’s no time limit on your completion of the Cheese Crawl (except that you have to finish it before the end of the Festival). You can spread your purchases out throughout a single day, various days, or even various trips (again, as long as you complete it before the Festival ends).

Click here to learn more about the Cheese Crawl!

Entertainment

When it comes to entertainment, the big draw at this Festival is the Eat to the Beat Concert Series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Eat to the Beat, you get the chance to watch internationally-known artists and bands perform at the America Gardens Theatre (in the American Adventure Pavilion) for FREE on select nights.

Eat to the Beat

Generally, the internationally-known artists perform Fridays through Mondays. Tuesdays through Thursdays, local bands perform. Performances take place at 5:30PM, 6:45PM, and 8PM each day.

To see a COMPLETE list of the performers for Eat to the Beat in 2023, click here!

Again, note that seeing these concerts is free, but certain popular artists can draw quite the crowd, which means the standby line to get a good seat for their performances can be VERY long. If there’s a particular artist you want to see, you may want to get in line early.

Another option is to buy an Eat to the Beat Concert Series Dining Package. These packages couple a meal at participating EPCOT restaurants with priority seating for one performance on that same day. It can be a good way of securing your seat without having to wait in a standby line.

Eat to the Beat 2022

Here are all the restaurants and pricing for each dining package that’s available in 2023:

  • Akershus Royal Banquet — Breakfast is $64 for adults and $41 for children (ages 3-9). Lunch and Dinner are $74 for adults and $48 for children.
  • Biergarten — $60 for adults and $34 for children (in 2022, prices were $57 per adult and $32 for children)
  • Coral Reef Restaurant — $69 for adults and $27 for children (this was $22 per child last year)
  • Garden Grill Restaurant — Breakfast is $53 for adults and $34 for children. Lunch and Dinner are $66 for adults and $43 for children
  • Le Cellier — $95 per person and $36 for children (this was $78 for adults in 2022 and $28 for children)
  • Regal Eagle Smokehouse — $35 for adults (same-day dining packages only)
  • Rose and Crown Dining Room — $59 for adults and $25 for children
  • Spice Road Table — $47 for adults and $20 for children (was $44 for adults and $16 for children in 2022)
Eat to the Beat 2022

At Spice Road Table, the pricing includes two small plates, a shared dessert platter, and a nonalcoholic beverage. At all other restaurants, the dining package includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert (or one full buffet/family-style meal, where applicable), along with a nonalcoholic beverage.

Spice Road Table

Advance dining reservations for Eat to the Beat dining packages are available now but the 60-day advance restriction does apply. Note that Regal Eagle Smokehouse Dining Packages are NOT available through advance dining reservations. Those are only available as a walk-up option on the day of your visit and are subject to availability.

Muppet Labs!

NEW to the Festival this year is something called Muppet Labs! It seems Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker have been busy creating some snacks for the Festival, including the Unnecessarily Spicy, Yet Extremely Tasty Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings and the Pickle Milkshake.

Guests will be able to “join” Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, who will appear via videos, as they taste some of the snacks at the Brew-Wing Lab booth.

Welcome to Muppet Labs!

And yes, we had to try the pickle milkshake. You know, for science.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disney certainly got creative with this one, huh? You can read more about our experience here!

Click here to learn more about the Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey 

Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak

Want to participate in an activity as you eat and drink your way around the world? Looking for something fun for the kiddos to do? Check out Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak. The returning scavenger hunt allows guests of ALL ages to search for little statues of Remy that have been hidden throughout the World Showcase.

Look out for Remy throughout the park!

You can search for Remy for free all on your own, but if you want a map to follow as you search for him and you want to collect a prize for your work, then you’ll want to pay for the map and stickers.

Remy (2022)

You can buy a map and stickers from the following spots:

  • Disney Traders
  • Port of Entry
  • Creations Shop
  • World Traveler at International Gateway
  • Festival Merchandise Kiosks

As you search for Remy, you can place the appropriate sticker in the corresponding location on the map. Once you find all of the statues, return your map to the following spots for a PRIZE:

  • Creations Shop
  • Disney Traders
  • World Traveler at International Gateway
Look out for those redemption locations!

This year, the prize is an insulated lunch bag!

The PRIZE!

There are four different designs available, including an Encanto pattern and a classic Chef Mickey pattern…

Check out the different options!

…as well as a Figment and Ratatouille pattern.

How CUTE!

Note that each design is subject to availability, so keep your eyes out for the different options.

The prize this year is great!

If you’re looking for a unique souvenir that doubles as a place to keep your festival leftovers, this is a fun option!

Merchandise

In terms of merchandise, there is a LOT to check out at the Festival this year, including a bunch of different collections. Foodies can pick up pieces from the Festival Event Logo Collection, which includes a set of ears…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…a Spirit Jersey track jacket…

Spirit jersey

…a Loungefly bag…

Backpack

…and more.

They’re COASTERS!

There’s also a Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Picnic Collection, which includes drinkware…

Stemless Wine Glass

…Dooney & Bourke bags, and more.

Dooney & Bourke alert!

There will also be an Encanto collection available, complete with a serving platter…

Casita

…some drinkware…

Tervis Tumbler

…plenty of kitchen essentials…

Cup

…a potholder…

More kitchen items

…and apron.

Apron

And there will be a Figment Annual Passholder collection available, too, with Figment-inspired gear that includes clothing, trading pins, and a MagicBand+ design.

Figment!

We’ve got a full look at allllll the merchandise, so take a look right HERE!

Coming Soon!

But wait…there’s MORE. Keep in mind that some of the Festival booths won’t open until a little later this year.

Plus, from September 29th through October 31st, 2023 (or while supplies last) the Halloween pumpkin scavenger hunt — Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit — will return to EPCOT. This is similar to Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak, except that you’ll purchase a map that’ll send you on a hunt for Disney-themed Halloween pumpkins (mainly toward the front of the park. Then you can return your game board (completed or not) to get your prize.

You can buy a map at Disney Traders, Creations Shop, Port of Entry, World Traveler at International Gateway, and Festival Merchandise Kiosks. You can return the map to Disney Traders or World Traveler.

Hey, It’s a Pumpkin! (2022)

And that’s a COMPLETE guide to the Food & Wine Festival! We’ll be sharing some top tips in terms of our favorite eats and more soon, so check back with us for that.

Planning your trip to the Food & Wine Festival? Stop by our AllEars Style page to figure out the perfect look!

We even have a “Foodie and Wine”-themed outfit that could be great for this Festival!

Foodie & Wine

Food & Wine

Stay tuned for more news.

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Will you be visiting the Food & Wine Festival this year? Tell us in the comments!

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