Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

20 years. That’s how long it takes to build one of the largest food and wine events in the world. Now 53 days long, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (Sept 25-Nov 16, 2015) brings together more than 250 chefs, including the much-loved Disney chefs and celebrity chefs like Cat Cora, under one “roof” (okay, open sky – but that’s even better, right?!) to celebrate all-things food and wine. Yup, featuring a record 30 global marketplaces – from Patagonia to New Zealand – it’s basically a foodie/wino heaven. So you can just imagine how excited I was to eat and drink my way around the festival for the very first time…

What began as a 30-day festival in 1996 has now become the culinary adventure for those looking to taste their way around the globe (well, other than doing a RTW trip). Always growing and improving, this year there are 32 new marketplace dishes and 75 new cocktails, beers, wines and ciders at the festival. No wonder the Travel Channel rated it as one of America’s top food fests! I kind of felt like we were on the Amazing Race as we dashed from marketplace to marketplace with our passports in hand. The voice in my head: “must. try. everything“…

I kicked off the feasting at the Hawaii marketplace where I tasted the Kālua pork slider with sweet and sour Dole® Pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise ($4.00). I’m a sucker for pork and pineapple and thought the sandwich was executed quite well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the bun, but the pineapple chutney and spicy mayo made up for it.

As I stuffed my face with food, I took a moment to look around: it was my first time at Epcot after all. The World Showcase consists of 11 nations (Mexico, China, The American Adventure, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Canada, United Kingdom, Morocco and Norway) each with their own live shows, small shops and restaurants…

But what’s amazing is that the food and wine options spike during the festival; a total of 30 marketplaces dot the 1.3 mile promenade around the beautiful lagoon.

After I devoured my pork slider, I headed over to the Dominican Republic marketplace where I had a chance to taste their brand new menu. The Pescado con Coco – seared grouper, pigeon peas with rice and coconut sauce ($4.75) – was rich and interesting. It was also a very generous portion for the price-point.

Being the wino that I am, I headed straight over to the Germany World Showcase to sip on a Riesling flight ($5.00): J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfürstlay Riesling Kabinett, Selbach-Oster Mosel Riesling Spätlese and J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfürstlay Riesling Auslese. I’m glad I got the flight because I wasn’t a fan of the featured rieslings — stick to the beer at this showcase. But don’t fret: there are plenty of other wines that will hit the spot at Epcot; in fact, there are more than 300 domestic and international wines being offered this year!

I was super impressed by the range of drinks available at the festival (both alcoholic and non). From juices and floats to craft beers and wine. Some of my fellow travel buddies even indulged in some bubbly (Sparkling Pomegranate Kir – $7.75) in the France marketplace.

Ok, back to food: the Loaded Mac & Cheese at Farm Fresh ($4.25) was also a new dish this year so I decided to check it out. Umm, good thing I did because it was my second favourite dish at the festival (first were the empanadas from Patagonia). Topped with Nueske’s® pepper bacon, cheddar cheese, peppers and green onions, it was just the creamy comfort food I was looking for.

And if you have a sweet tooth, you’ll probably never want to leave Epcot. Everywhere I looked there was a decadent dessert being devoured by a food-lover. That’s because there are over 100, 000 desserts served at the festival!! The Frozen S’mores made with Monin® Toasted Marshmallow Syrup at Desserts & Champagne ($3.25) is definitely a festival fave.

I could go on and on about the food and drinks at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, but I think you guys get the point. If you love food, this is one magical realm you must explore. So grab your friends and fam, put on your stretchy pants/flowy shirts and embark on your own culinary adventure.

Here are 10 tips and tricks that will hopefully help make your experience a more pleasant one:

• I highly recommend printing the park map here and planning out your day – there’s a ton to eat, drink, see and do so it’s better to determine your picks ahead of time.
• Go against the crowd: most tend to go clockwise starting at Mexico/China. Instead, try going right when you enter the park and start at Scotland.
• Make sure you pack comfortable shoes because there’s lots of walking involved — you are hopping around the globe after all!
• The festival, Discovery Passport, attractions and park entertainment are all included with regular Epcot admission ($103.31), but food and drink purchases at the marketplaces (mostly under $10) are not so load up a gift card (sold onsite) and put it around your wrist for easy payment around the fest.
• If you’re looking to save some cash, book accommodations outside of the Disney Parks. I highly recommend staying at Global Vacation Homes.
• Wear a hat, take sunblock and make sure you drink lots of water — it can get super hot!
• Check out the festival’s premium events (there are 193 this year) ranging from signature dinners to food & wine pairings.
• If you want to learn more about the culinary world, there are 400 demos and mixology seminars during the fest.
• Oh, and don’t forget the rides and entertainment: I completely missed Boyz II Men performing live because I was too busy stuffing my face. There are 159 Eat to the Beat concerts ranging from rock to blues so make sure to check them out.
• And lastly, do NOT leave Epcot before the fireworks! More than 1,200 fireworks light up the skies each night over the lagoon. It’s pure magic.

Our park admission and food expenses were covered by Experience Kissimmee as part of a press trip to Kissimmee, Florida. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own.