This Is Why We WARN You To Avoid the First Weekend of an EPCOT Festival…

Well, we survived the first day of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival.

2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

We managed to eat ALL the food, and even made our way through Emile’s Montage Fromage (the cheese crawl). We chased a rat all over EPCOT for a scavenger hunt and enjoyed a concert and a special Spaceship Earth lighting show at the end of the evening. Well, we went back to EPCOT on the first Saturday of the festival (July 29th), and well, we’re going to warn you to NEVER do that.

Yep, we’re telling you to do as we say and NOT as we do, because, y’all, EPCOT is VERY crowded right now. If you want an idea of HOW crowded, check out this video of what entering EPCOT looked like this morning. There are a LOT of people waiting to get in.

Good morning from EPCOT where crowds have shown UP for the first weekend of the International Food & Wine Festival! pic.twitter.com/qoeb0aRjEy

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 29, 2023

Here’s another view of those crowds waiting to get inside EPCOT.

WOW

We popped into Creations Shop, where you’ll find a lot of the EPCOT Food and Wine merchandise, and yep, quite a few people were shopping the new collections (which you can see here).

Inside Creations Shop

It’s a sea of people at EPCOT right now. A lot of groups are showing up, too. Of course, a lot of people are in line at the new Food and Wine Festival food booths. Mexico is particularly popular right now. They’re ready for those delicious Tostadas de Carnitas and Taco de Costilla, as well as some unique margaritas.

Line at Mexico

The India booth was also pretty hopping, and no, we’re not sorry about telling EVERYONE about the Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese with Mango-Curry Ketchup. That crispy cheese SLAPS.

Line at India

By the afternoon, World Showcase started feeling even busier.

Getting even busier

So yeah, if you’re planning on visiting EPCOT during one of the first weekends of the Food and Wine Festival, we hope you bring a lot of patience. It’s going to be busy. If you are attending the Food and Wine Festival, though, you should check out our fun Food and Wine tees!

DFB Exclusive Food & Wine Merch!

Our DFB exclusive graphic tees and merch includes super fun stuff to wear to the parks, or to rep your happy place at the grocery store! Click here to visit the DFB Merch Store!

Everything You NEED to Eat and Drink at the 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

IT'S WINE & DINE TIME!

Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.

If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!