Epcot® International Food and Wine Festival

If you are planning a Central Florida vacation anytime between August 30 – November 12, then you must check out the International Food and Wine Festival at Disney’s Epcot®! This 75 day event is perfect for Disney® fans, theme-park enthusiasts, and culinary connoisseurs alike. Looking for some place close to the action? Rosen Inn at Lake Buena Vista is close by countless things to do in Orlando, but it is even closer to Walt Disney World® and the International Food and Wine Festival.

What to Expect

The Food and Wine Festival has been a staple annual event at Epcot since 1995, but is has grown considerably in the last couple years. Epcot is set up in a ring-shape like a world marketplace. Walking around the whole park is like going on a world tour as you visit several major countries along the way.

What makes the Food and Wine Festival special is that each country will have booths serving drinks and dish favorites from each country. Grab a teriyaki chicken bun with Ozeki Rai sake in Japan. Sample chicken souvflaki with Moscofilero in Greece, and chow down on a waffle and sip chilled coffee spiked with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur in Belgium. You can also pre-schedule specialty dining and tastings to experience the finer side of a country’s cuisine and expand your culinary knowledge.

Festival Tips

There are dozens and dozens of cuisines to try, so you could easily spend a week at the festival and still not have made it through the entire event. Instead of trying to do it all, be sure to grab a festival guide to make a mental note of places you must go and things you must try. Here are a few of our recommendations:

• Go Cashless: Forget lugging around money to pay for things, and instead grab a festival bracelet that works as a pre-loaded gift card. Believe us, your hands will be full of delicious food and drink, and you won’t want to be accidentally dropping things while you try to reach into your pocket.
• Learn from the Pros: The Festival will feature a lineup of celebrity chefs this year, so don’t miss out on their culinary demonstrations. They will teach you how to prepare certain dishes to spice up your recipe box, and give you insider cooking tips and tricks. Reservations are required, so be sure to book your spot in advance.
• Pairing Tips: Don’t forget about the other side of the festival: drinks! Attend a food and beverage pairing seminar where experts from both industries help you learn more about what makes a good meal and drink pairing. Best of all, you get to sample what the experts have thought up for some first-hand experience.

Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel®

Located just a few minutes down the road from Epcot, Rosen Inn is the perfect place to stay for International Food and Wine Festival-goers. You can even book your Disney® tickets and your room all in the same place on our website or over the phone, since we are a Good Neighbor Hotel partner. Best of all, Rosen Inn just recently underwent a renovation, so you are getting a comfortable, updated room at an amazing price. Call us today at 407-996-7236 to book your stay.