Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Kicks off at Walt Disney World

Fiona Chandra

The annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is returning to Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, bringing global food to the World Showcase. The Epcot Legacy Showplace at the Odyssey Pavilion will feature a number of bites and brews such as chilled scotch egg, L’Orange cotton candy and beers from various Florida breweries.

The Global Marketplace will have booths featuring food from around the world. Find spicy Ethiopian red lentil stew and Stellenbosch Simonsig Pinotage at the Africa booth, or Belgian waffles and Leffe Blonde Belgian Pale Ale at the Belgium booth. Munch on Brazilian cheese bread and sip frozen caipirinhas, or taste some Greek Bougatsa for dessert alongside Greek wines. There will even be a Patagonia booth featuring beef empanadas and wines from Rio Negro. There will also be a culinary demonstration each afternoon. Beverage seminars will be held each day, with tastings featuring Domaine Bousquet, Caymus Vineyards, Piper Heidsieck Champagne, Remy Cointreau, Champagne Taittinger, Woodford Reserve, and many others. Tickets to beverage tasting seminars are $17 per person.

Cheesemakers will hold cheese seminars paired with wines, craft beers, or other beverages. The cheese seminars will be held on select Saturdays for $89 per person. On Wednesdays through Friday, ABC’s The Chew will be broadcasting live on the Festival Stage.

Grand tasting events will light up the evenings at Epcot, with Party of the Senses, which offers an elegant dining gala with live entertainment and over 50 gourmet tasting stations with featured guest chefs. Guest chefs will come from all over the world include Bryan Voltaggio (VOLT, Maryland), Yuhi Fujinaga (Morimoto Asia), Christian Torres (Frontera Cocina), chefs from other Disney resorts, and more. Party for the Senses will be held on Sept. 23, October 7, October 14, October 21, and November 11. Tickets to Party of the Senses range from $179-329 per guest.

Another new event series this year is the Eat to the Beat Concert Series featuring bands and artists such as Postmodern Jukebox, 10,000 Maniacs, Air Supply, and others. The Disney Resort Hotels will also host special events, including cocktail making classes at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, and cooking classes and five-course meals at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Signature Dining experiences will include a celebration for Chateau Ste Michelle’s 50^th Anniversary at Artist Point and a culinary experience capturing the countries of Africa at Jiko.

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival takes place Aug. 31 through Nov. 13.