EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival is around the corner, and if you’re planning to spend time there, you need to know that it’s not as simple as just arriving and trying good food.
No, there’s a SYSTEM when it comes to EPCOT festivals, and we’re here to make sure you’re doing everything right so you can have the most successful day possible. These are our TOP tips for making sure you do EPCOT festivals right!
Going on the First Day
We know, we know, this is rich coming from us since we’re at EPCOT festivals on the first day EVERY time, but that’s so we can make sure we pass all the information onto you! And sometimes, that information is that certain booths aren’t open, offerings aren’t how they were advertised, or that there are some issues you’ll want to watch out for.
For that reason, we don’t necessarily recommend going to festivals on day one if you can help it — not only are they incredibly crowded, but you may also run into issues that would have been solved in a couple of days. Wait for the kinks to be worked out, then experience the festival at its fullest, AND with lower crowds.
Drinking Too Many Sugary and/or Alcoholic Drinks Without Enough Water
Staying hydrated during a festival is always important, no matter what, and that gets more and more true the hotter it is outside. However, if you’re planning on drinking alcohol and/or drinking lots of the sugary drinks you’ll find around the festival, this grows even more important.
Your body will spend more energy processing the sugar and/or alcohol, and what you’re drinking may be taking the place of water. It’s best to completely even out your water intake vs. other drinks. For example, for every sugary or alcoholic drink you have, you should have one cup of water to make up for it.
Going Too Early
Normally, we say that rope dropping can be a great choice, especially if you want to get the most out of your park day. However, on festival days, this often ISN’T the way to go, unless you want to get rides out of the way first.
The majority of the festival booths don’t open until closer to 11 AM, so if you’re ONLY heading into the park for the festival, you may want to wait. Now, you can always spend the morning in a different park, then hop over later in the day, or, again, spend time riding rides in the morning, then jump over to festival booths. Also, eating that much food and really enjoying the booths is always better when it’s cooler. So later in the day tends to be best!
Forgetting Sunscreen
Florida is sunny during all seasons of the year, so you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing plenty of sunscreen, no matter the season.
This is true even during the winter — you can still burn when it’s colder outside if the UV is high enough, and that’s common in Florida. We suggest bringing some with you into the park so you can reapply. It’ll wear off quickly!
Not Budgeting
Listen, those prices may seem like great deals, and most of the time, they are, but it’s SO important to budget. Or else, you may look at your bank statement at the end of the day and go pale.
One of our favorite ways to do this is to get a Disney gift card with the amount you want to spend. Then you can spend it wisely at the different booths. Once it’s out, think wisely about refilling it — when it’s gone, we say that’s a good time to call it quits for the day.
We’ll continue to be in attendance on the first day of each EPCOT festival to help you prepare for your upcoming trip, and you can check out what our day one experience at the Food & Wine Festival looked like last year to get an idea!
Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest EPCOT festival news and beyond!
Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest EPCOT festival news and beyond!
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Are you planning to attend the Food and Wine Festival this year? Tell us in the comments!
My major gripe with both the Food and Wine Festival and the Garden and Flower one are the lines to sample the Food at the kiosks. We have tried to not have a sit down dinner in a restaurant and sample food at the different kiosks. But the shortest line we encountered was at least 30 minutes so trying that takes a long time standing in line if you try a few of them. Not sure if eating at off times (3-4 PM for dinner , for example) would make a difference. Might try that when we are there this fall.