Doing EVERYTHING at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Is NOT for the Weak, and I Found That Out Personally

EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival is arguably the most popular festival of the year, and I had a mission to take on the ENTIRE Festival…in one day.

Now, this was my first time covering the festival for work and reporting LIVE for AllEars — I’ve been working behind-the-scenes on the opening day of Food and Wine for the past few years, so this was a really fun change of pace! However, my coworkers warned me that this festival was VERY different for a variety of reasons, and that I needed to be extra prepared to have a successful day. Here’s what I did to make sure I stayed organized, cool, and, of course, had fun throughout the day — and what YOU can do during your visit to the Food and Wine Festival, too!

When we’re preparing for EPCOT festivals, the AllEars team puts together a game plan. This is like your list of “must-dos” if you’re planning a trip of your own. This helps us understand what exactly we’re each in charge of covering for the day to keep us on track. For example, my game plan told me I was in charge of covering:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt
• Bramblewood Bites
• Connections Eatery & Cafe
• 3/4 Specialty Joffrey’s Drinks
• Spaceship Earth Show

Now, my load was WAY lighter than some of our other reporters, partially due to the fact that our other team members have more experience under their belt than I do, and I have a shellfish allergy that kept me from being assigned to certain booths. This also meant that it was more likely I’d finish my tasks early, and could be available to help out other team members who had more food booths on their lists.

In total, we had ten (!!!) reporters in the park to cover this massive festival. This meant that in addition to taking the photos and videos needed for our blog posts and social media videos, we also needed to film segments for the YouTube video! It takes a village, truly.

The team decided to arrive at EPCOT bright and early (and I mean EARLY!), which we recommend if you are planning a full day in EPCOT. 

Once the park was officially open, it was go time! EPCOT festival booths usually don’t open until about 11 AM, so we had two hours to knock out other things on our list. This is where time management is REALLY important, because time passes FAST when you’re on vacation in Disney World! I headed straight to Creations Shop to grab the map for Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak! After locating the map and prize (which you can pick up at the same time you purchase the map, since you don’t need to finish the scavenger hunt to get the prize) and saying hello to some truly wonderful AllEars viewers (THANK YOU for saying hello!), I headed off into World Showcase to find a few of the hidden Remy figures.

Now, as I mentioned, the team had warned me that this Festival would be unlike any of the others and very likely would be the toughest. I asked why, and they said it’s for one reason — THE HEAT. I naively thought that because the festival now starts in late August instead of late July, the temperature would be a little more bearable, but I was WRONG! It was only around 10 AM, but as I was walking around World Showcase finding Remy statues, I was already feeling what they meant.

I had also been warned about my phone overheating, which is definitely a problem when you’re taking as many photos and videos as constantly as we are. To combat both of these things, I made sure to layer up on sunscreen, bring a cooling neck fan, and step inside EVERY opportunity I could. When I found a Remy statue, I’d immediately step inside the AC, then drink my water every chance I got.

This helped immensely, and by continuing to do it throughout the day, I was able to keep my phone from overheating and even charge it multiple times! I had two portable chargers with me, but when I stepped inside, I was able to plug in the portable charger I’d been using, so it was always ready to go.

Something a lot of people may not realize about our festival days is that we are truly eating EVERYTHING served at the Festival. For example, I tried the Cast Iron-Seared River Trout for $7.25 and had three out of the four specialty Joffrey’s coffee drinks around the park!

Overall, while I was super hot and tired by the end of the day, I had the best time. I’ll admit that I was a little scared that I’d be lying on the ground only half alive after a long, busy day in EPCOT, but if you take care of yourself throughout the day, that won’t happen. I always appreciate the opportunity to practice my reporting skills and hang out with the AllEars YouTube team, and I never take any opportunity I get for granted. I even got to try a dish I ended up loving, which was the Grilled Cider-Brined Pork Tenderloin at Bramblewood Bites!

If you’re heading to the festival this year, here are my top tips for you:

• Bring a portable charger if you know you’re going to be using your phone a lot
• Remember that some spots, such as the Joffrey’s coffee locations, open earlier than 11 AM, so you can experience those offerings earlier! Additionally, some booths open 10–15 minutes earlier than you’d expect
• Bring your sunscreen with you and reapply multiple times a day (sunburn will NOT be fun for future days of your trip)
• STAY HYDRATED! I mean this with my WHOLE chest — every chance you get, drink water. I don’t care if you just did five minutes ago, DRINK MORE
• Take breaks inside with the AC and sit down whenever you can! If you feel yourself getting irritable, you notice you haven’t been particularly hungry or thirsty in a while, or you’re just not feeling yourself, it’s time to go inside, sit down, and take a break

If you’re not sure what you want to get at the festival, you can check out our MASSIVE review of all the items we tried below, and make your list of your must-try dishes. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney World news!

MASSIVE REVIEW: We Tried EVERY Booth at the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

What are you most excited to experience at this year’s festival? Tell us in the comments!

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