While a Disney vacation is fun at any time of the year, it is even more fun if you visit during one of Walt Disney World’s special events. As special events happen there all year long, chances are pretty good you’ll encounter at least one during your visit.
Some of the more popular events are:
- EPCOT International Festival of the Arts: held during January and February
- EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival: held during March, April and May
- EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival: held from late August through early November
- EPCOT International Festival of Holidays: held from mid November through end of December
- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: held from mid-August through Halloween
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: held from early November until just before Christmas
In addition to these there are several others, such as Run Disney events, behind the scene tours and holiday celebrations at the different parks and hotels. The list can go on and on depending on your interest or the time of year you visit!
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is still my all time favorite. I am a foodie and really enjoy learning about and tasting different food and wines from all over the world. On a recent trip, I found the samples to be adequate to allow 4 adults to taste each sample, therefore saving money all around. Each sample can range in cost from $3 to $6 depending on the sample. We found that if each couple bought a sample and a drink and then we shared all around, we saved a lot of money rather than each getting our own sample. There were several things that although my husband wouldn’t eat the entire sample – a bite gave him enough of a taste to know if he would indeed try it again!
With over 30 countries being represented, that is a lot of samples to try, especially since each country has several items to choose from, ranging from vegetables to entrees, desserts and snacks. A word of advice though: you need to plan on spending several days visiting World Showcase. Not only can the food be rich, but in the end, that will be a lot of food and drink! Be sure to keep a bottle of water handy to keep you and everyone in your party hydrated!
One thing that is fun is getting the Food and Wine “passport” that list each country and the foods and drink they are offering. As you sample your way around the world make notes and grade each sample as you go along. This will help when deciding which food you would like to try again and also which you prefer to avoid on your next trip around World Showcase!
Now if you can’t make it to EPCOT during the fall but still want to “eat and drink around the world”, no worries! Due to this festival’s success, food and drink kiosks now play a major role in the other 3 EPCOT festivals too: the Festival of Holidays, Festival of the Arts, and Flower and Garden Festival! So pick your favorite season and enjoy sampling!
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Debbie and her husband live in Collegedale, TN where her youngest son is going to college. She is a huge Disney fan who dreams of someday retiring and working as a tour guide at Walt Disney World. She has enjoyed many trips to WDW with children, grandchildren and sometimes adults only. It is her ultimate goal to make sure everyone who visits WDW has the same magical time that she enjoys every time she visits.
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