Top 5 Free Or Low-Cost Epcot Food & Wine Festival Activities

Annual Walt Disney World Festival
Starts Sept. 30
AJ Wolfe, The Disney Food Blog

The following is a guest post from the Disney Food Blog's AJ Wolfe as part of WESH's extended coverage of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World.

The 2011 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is coming up quickly! Only a couple of weeks left until the official Sept. 30 start date, and we're here to make sure you're prepared to enjoy yourself!

The festival runs for 45 days and includes highlights for any food lover. Celebrity chefs, nationally-known personalities, historic wineries, regional dishes, and trendy subjects like mixology and chocolate will all be a part of this year's festival -- and that's just the beginning!

But don't let that fool you. Just because this is the largest Food and Wine Festival in the country doesn't mean that it's too expensive to enjoy. One of my favorite parts of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival each year is the fact that there are several events, seminars, and activities that fit into any budget! That's right -- you won't have to break the bank to take part in some extraordinary Food & Wine Festival opportunities. (However, note that you will have to pay Epcot admission to participate in these activities.) Here are my top five low-cost -- and even free -- opportunities at the festival this year.

Culinary Demonstrations, Beverage Seminars And Mixology Seminars

Ranging in price from $10-14, these 45-minute seminars offer the chance to hear (and see!) the experts.

Culinary Demonstrations -- Here, about 100 guests will be seated in front of a show kitchen where successful chefs will create a dish for all to see. The best part? The guests get to sample the dish while it's being created on stage! The dish will be paired with a wine or beer, which guests also get to sample.

Note that quite often a meet-and-greet will be held with the chef after the seminar; this could be a great way to get a photo and autograph from your favorite Food Network chef!

Culinary Demonstrations are held daily during the festival at 1, 3 and 5 p. m.

Beverage Seminars -- Here, guests will hear an expert discuss the individual qualities and attributes of wine and beer samples. Usually the expert is a representative from the winery or brewery represented in the seminar. It's customary for guests to sample three or more types of wine or beer at these events. And if you find a wine you like, be sure to purchase a bottle at The Cellar in the Festival Center -- have it signed by the vintner after the seminar!

Beverage Seminars are held daily at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

Mixology Seminars -- Mixology Seminars are new this year, but promise to be the beginning of some very interesting happy hours! In these events, mixology experts will show new ways to experiment with spirits. Of course, guests will have the chance to taste the outcome!

Mixology Seminars are held daily at 6 p.m.

Guests can book tickets online here, or call 407-WDW-FEST to book. Note that Disney World Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Tables in Wonderland members can all receive a discount on demonstrations and seminars taking place Monday through Thursday during the festival. These groups must call the 407-WDW-FEST to book the discounted rate.

Events with celebrity chefs like Food Network's Robert Irvine and Cake Boss Buddy Valastro are already selling out, so get your tickets soon!

International Marketplace Booths

What most people think of when considering the Epcot Food and Wine Festival are the dozens of regionally-themed booths set up around the World Showcase Lagoon. This year, 30 booths will be selling food from all different regions and countries, including three new additions -- Hawai'i, the Caribbean Islands, and Portugal!

Booths sell a variety of tapas and sample-sized menu items from classic regional dishes to brand new wines never before sold in The United States! Menu items range from $3-8, though drink samples could be more expensive when larger sizes are offered. Many of the items will be available for purchase with a Disney Dining Plan snack credit, and guests can use Disney Gift Cards to purchase items at the booths. Booths are open for business from 11am through Park Closing every day during the festival.

This year, be sure to check out the new Portugal wine bar and stop by the returning Scandinavia booth. Long-time favorites at the festival include booths representing Canada, Germany, Ireland, and Mexico -- be sure to stop by the festival early in the day to avoid the long lines that form in the evening and on the weekends!

Eat To The Beat Concert Series

Every year, Epcot brings some of my favorite bands from the 70s, 80s, and 90s to play the nightly Eat to the Beat Concert Series -- free events (with Epcot admission) held in the America Gardens Theatre in the American Adventure pavilion.

This year, new additions include the Gin Blossoms, the Pointer Sisters and The Orchestra, starring former members of ELO. Favorites like Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, Taylor Dayne, Howard Jones and Richard Marx will be returning.

Concerts are held three times nightly -- 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. -- and the set list is different each time! Even if you don't want to wait in line to get a seat, the concerts are held in an amphitheater, which means you'll be able to listen even if you're just walking by on your way to the next International Marketplace Booth!

Festival Passport

In 2010, Disney World introduced the Festival Passport as part of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival -- and what a fun introduction!

This little booklet can be procured for free at the Festival Center, and offers a list of every dish on the menus at the International Marketplace Booths around the World Showcase. For every dish you purchase, get a stamp in your passport representing the booth's country or region. This is a very fun activity for kids as they collect stamps from all different countries (and sample new foods!), and for adults as they compete with one another to collect the most stamps!


Festival Center Events, Including HGTV Home Entertaining Seminars

The Festival Center -- set up in the old Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot's Future World -- will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day and serves as the hub for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. This will be the location for many of the culinary, beverage and mixology seminars, and also houses several other low-cost and free events and activities for guests!

The schedule here will be different each day, but here are just a few of the free (with Epcot admission) opportunities available:

HGTV Home Entertaining Seminars -- Your favorite HGTV hosts will be at the festival for the first time this year! Join them Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for tips on the ultimate entertainment room, holiday table setting, herb and vegetable gardening and kitchen designs. These seminars are free with Epcot admission, and they're first-come, first-served when it comes to seating. If you can't wait to see Vern Yip, Lisa LaPorta, Emily Henderson, or one of four more HGTV hosts, be sure to attend!

Meet and Greets -- Excited to meet your favorite celebrity chef? Photo and autograph sessions happen multiple times per day in the Festival Center. Be sure to check the daily schedule at the Center to find out who you could meet that day. (Tip: Usually chefs will do a meet-and-greet after they've done a seminar at the Festival Center, so check out the seminar schedule for details.) Get there early for popular chefs; lines can be long.

Authors Without Borders -- Some of your favorite culinary authors will be attending the festival, and these 30-minute sessions offer guests the chance to hear them speak about their latest work! Meet-and-greets and autograph sessions are often held after these events. Once again, check the daily schedule for details and times once you arrive at the festival.

Authentic Taste Seminars -- If you'd like to attend a culinary seminar but don't want to shell out the cash, these free (with Epcot admission) events are held often at the Festival Center. In these seminars, experts in the field celebrate the origins, properties, and history of pure ingredients. While you can often find a spot in these seminars at the last minute, popular topics like chocolate do increase your chances of standing in line to get in.

Clearly there's plenty to do without breaking the bank at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival this year. But that's not all that's available! The Disney Food Blog offers extensive coverage of the special events, seminars, demonstrations, booths, and activities scheduled for the Festival in our online Epcot Food and Wine Festival pages. Come check out all of the fun opportunities you'll have to enjoy 45 festival days this Fall! We'll see you there!

AJ Wolfe is the owner and executive editor of The Disney Food Blog, a website covering all things food and drink in Walt Disney theme parks and resorts. The Disney Food Blog is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.


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