2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

October 4, 2011 | Filed under: Epcot at Walt Disney World Orlando,Walt Disney World | Posted by: nigel worrall

The popular Walt Disney World Epcot International Food & Wine Festival kicked off last weekend and it’s already received some great reviews. There’s a lot to do and with all the food, drink and lively events taking place there’s a lot to take in.

While there are a few exceptions, most of the Food & Wine festival revolves around the World Showcase at Epcot, where there are 29 separate booths (International Marketplaces) set up around the lagoon. Each marketplace serves tapas-sized servings of food from that country along with wines and other beverages. The portions aren’t particularly large and the servings generally aren’t very expensive (roughly $3 to $8 per item) but you’ll need to choose wisely as 29 booths are a lot to tackle.

That’s our first tip… plan your walk. Before your visit, take a look at our 2011-food-and-wine-guide-map and see what interests you. On the map, you’ll find the food and beverage selections from each of the marketplaces. Make a list of what you want to try. Then, decide which way makes the most sense to walk around World Showcase based on your choices.

Another suggestion we have, is to pick up a Marketplace Discovery Passport when you arrive before you head to World Showcase. Introduced last year, these passport-sized booklets are free and contain listings of each of the menus at each booth. There’s also a place for a stamp and for notes so make sure you get a stamp when you stop at a booth.

To collect a passport, head to the Festival Welcome Center, one of the few areas that isn’t in World Showcase. The center is in between Mission: Space and Ellen’s Energy Adventure in the old Wonders of Life Pavilion in Future World. If your schedule allows try and get to Epcot before World Showcase opens or plan to visit on a weekday if you can. During the festival, World Showcase can get pretty busy on weekend afternoons and some marketplace lines can get quite long.

The lines and crowds closer to 11 a.m., when World Showcase typically opens, are often shorter and thinner. While each marketplace accepts cash and credit cards, many festival visitors find it easier to purchase a Disney Gift Card for convenience as they find it easier to hand over the card than to pull out a wallet every few steps. Others like the cards as a way to track their spending and it may be easier to put a certain amount you want to spend on the card and just eat until it’s gone as opposed to totaling multiple receipts.

The International Marketplaces are all included with Epcot admission. There are, however, some separately ticketed events and if this is your first time visiting the festival, we suggest sticking with the booths as there’s absolutely plenty to sample.

There are several other free events, such as the Eat to the Beat concert series and the new HGTV Home Entertaining seminars. The Eat to the Beat concert series features the following:

Taylor Dayne:

38 Special:

Jon Secada:

Roger Hodgson formerly of Supertramp:

Billy Ocean:

Starship starring Mickey Thomas:

Sugar Ray:

The Orchestra starring former members of ELO:

Howard Jones:

Boyz II Men:

Gin Blossoms:

Sister Hazel:

Hanson:

The Pointer Sisters:

Night Ranger:

Air Supply:

Richard Marx:

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy:

The concerts, which are included with Epcot admission, will be at the America Gardens Theatre stage beginning September 30. Performances will be nightly and of course, this year’s schedule is subject to change.

Seven popular HGTV celebrities will offer the inside scoop on home entertaining at weekend seminars during the 45-day Epcot International Food & Wine Festival running Sept. 30-Nov. 13. Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival a top HGTV personality will appear at The Festival Center in Future World to share his or her own secrets to throwing a perfect party.

“Design stars from the network will talk about home entertaining,” said Michael Jenner, festival manager. “Think about the way interior decorators design a room … and imagine that same creative process brought to the dinner table. It’ll be a great way to get ready for all the holidays coming up.”

Here’s the lineup (subject to change):

The appearances are also included with Epcot admission.