EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Tips: How I Plan My Day

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is one of my favorite times to visit Walt Disney World, especially for an adults-only trip or a day at EPCOT with my husband or friends.

I have attended the festival many times over the years, and I have learned that walking into EPCOT without a plan can get overwhelming very quickly. EPCOT has dozens of Global Marketplaces, plus specialty drinks, entertainment, merchandise, scavenger hunts, attractions, and everything else it normally offers.

You are not going to try everything in one day, and I do not think that should be the goal.

I have a much better experience when I decide ahead of time what interests me most, make a list, and leave enough flexibility to enjoy the park without rushing from booth to booth.

The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival runs from August 27 through November 21 and celebrates the festival’s 30th anniversary. If you are planning to attend, these are the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival tips I use to decide what to eat, what to share and how to make the most of my day.

Start With Disney’s Official Food & Wine Menus

Before my trip, I go through Disney’s official EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Foodie Guide.

I look at the food, desserts, alcoholic drinks, and nonalcoholic drinks available at every marketplace. I also check the prices and locations.

This takes some time, but I would rather do it at home than stand in EPCOT trying to read every menu while deciding what I want. It also helps me notice items at smaller booths that I might otherwise walk past.

For 2026, some marketplaces and menu items have different opening dates. That makes checking the current guide especially important. A dish you saw online may not be available on your visit date.

Make a list in Your Notes App

I use the Notes app on my iPhone to create my list. I separate it into a few categories:

Must try

These are the items I would be disappointed to miss.

For each one, I include:

• The name of the item
• The marketplace
• The price
• Whether I plan to share it
• Who wants to share it with me

Would like to try

These items sound good but aren’t as important as my must-try choices. I can add them if I am still hungry, have room in the budget, or happen to pass the marketplace at the right time.

Drinks

Frozen Pomegranate & Raspberry Tea

I keep alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks on the same list, but I label them. That makes it easier to see how many drinks I am considering and how much they could add to the total cost.

This list is a guide, not a challenge that I have to complete. If I become full or something no longer sounds appealing once I see it, I move on.

Organize Your Choices by Location

EPCOT is a large park. You do not want to order something near the front of the park, walk all the way to the back for your next item, and then realize another must-try dish was near where you started.

Once I have my list, I look at where the marketplaces are located and group nearby choices together. This creates a more natural route and cuts down on unnecessary walking.

Disney’s Festival Passport is helpful once you arrive. I use it to find the marketplaces, confirm current menu information, and keep track of the items that interested me when I planned at home.

I would still make the Notes app list before the trip. The Passport is easier to use when you already know what you want.

Decide What Matters Most to Your Group

Not everyone wants the same type of festival day.

Some people want to spend most of the day trying food and drinks. Others care more about rides, entertainment or shopping and only want to stop at a few marketplaces. Someone else may want to complete Remy’s scavenger hunt or Emile’s Fromage Montage.

Talk about that before you arrive.

For an adults-only or couples trip, I would ask:

• Is food the main priority?
• Are specialty drinks important?
• Does anyone want to see an Eat to the Beat concert?
• Are there EPCOT attractions someone does not want to miss?
• Does anyone want to shop for festival merchandise?
• Do you want to complete one of the festival activities?
• How much does everyone want to spend?

You do not all need to order the same things. In fact, having different tastes can work in your favor because everyone can choose something different and share.

Estimate Your Food and Drink Budget Before You Go

Once I know what I want to try, I add up the prices. That gives me a realistic idea of what the day may cost before I get to EPCOT.

It also helps me decide which items are worth sharing.

Disney offers festival-themed mini gift cards you can load with money and wear on your wrist. Some guests like using one because it keeps their festival spending separate. Whether you use a gift card, credit card, or MagicBand, I still recommend estimating the total first.

It’s easy to spend more than expected when each purchase feels small.

Share Food When It Makes Sense

Sharing is one of the easiest ways to try more food without becoming full too quickly.

Some festival portions are large enough for two or three people to taste, while others may only provide a bite or two for each person. After seeing the portion, you can decide whether sharing makes sense.

When I am traveling with other people, we look at our lists together. If several of us want the same item, we may order one first. We can always return for another if everyone loves it and wants more.

Sharing can also make the day less expensive. Instead of everyone buying the same dish, you can use that money to try something different at another marketplace.

I Usually Skip a Table-Service Meal

When Food & Wine is the focus of my EPCOT day, I usually do not make a table-service reservation.

The festival dishes become my meals. A table-service lunch or dinner would take up time, use a large part of my food budget and leave me with less room to try the items I planned for.

If I am still hungry later, I would rather visit another marketplace or pick up something elsewhere in EPCOT.

That will not be the right choice for everyone. A table-service meal provides air conditioning, guaranteed seating and a break from the park. Someone visiting EPCOT for the first time may also want a more traditional meal.

For an adults-only festival-focused day, however, I prefer to keep the schedule open.

Avoid Weekends When Possible

I try to avoid visiting the festival on Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays when I can.

Local visitors often come to EPCOT for the festival on weekends, and World Showcase can feel much busier. Longer lines also make it harder to follow your plan and find a place to stand or sit with your food.

A weekday is not guaranteed to be quiet, especially during holidays or school breaks, but it is usually my preference.

Start Early, but Pace Yourself

On a festival-focused day, I like to start visiting the marketplaces when they open for service rather than waiting until later in the afternoon.

Lines can become longer as the day goes on. Starting earlier also gives me time to spread my choices across several hours.

I do not try to eat everything on my list in one stretch. I may try a few items, explore the park, visit an attraction, and then return to the festival later.

That pacing makes the day more enjoyable. It also gives you time to decide whether you are actually hungry before ordering something else.

My approach is different because I have visited EPCOT and experienced its attractions many times. If this is your first visit, you may want to do your priority attractions first and add festival stops along the way.

Stay Hydrated

Florida can still be hot and humid during Food & Wine, especially during the earlier weeks of the festival.

I bring a refillable water bottle and make a point of drinking water throughout the day. This is particularly important if you are ordering alcoholic drinks.

It is easy to focus on the next marketplace and forget how much time you have spent walking in the sun. Take breaks, find air conditioning when you need it and do not wait until you feel unwell to drink water.

Finding Tables, Seating and Shade

Disney adds standing tables around many festival areas, but seating and shade can still be limited.

New “tables” at Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Before ordering, I look around to see where we can eat. If I am with other people, one person can look for a table while someone else orders.

This is also another reason I do not order too many items at once. Carrying several plates and drinks through a crowded area while searching for a table is not fun.

If you find a shaded place to sit, use the opportunity to take a real break before continuing.

Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Is Not Just for Children

I have completed Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak with my husband and my parents many times, and we had so much fun.

For 2026, guests can purchase a map and stickers for $11.99 plus tax while supplies last. You search for Remy statuettes around World Showcase and the Global Marketplaces, then place the corresponding stickers on the map.

You can turn in the map for a festival keepsake, even if you do not find every Remy.

The scavenger hunt gives you another reason to slow down and look around each pavilion. I would not dismiss it just because you are traveling without children.

If someone in your group enjoys scavenger hunts, add it to the plan before you arrive so you allow enough time.

Consider Emile’s Fromage Montage

Cheese lovers may also want to participate in Emile’s Fromage Montage.

Pick up a Festival Passport and look for the participating cheese dishes. After you purchase five eligible items and collect the corresponding stamps, you can bring the Passport to Shimmering Sips for a festival treat.

You do not have to complete it in one day. Disney allows guests to continue the food stroll on another festival visit.

Review the participating dishes before deciding. Don’t order five cheese dishes just for the prize if those aren’t the foods you actually want to eat.

Build Attractions and Entertainment Around Your Festival Plans

Food & Wine does not replace everything else at EPCOT.

The park still has attractions, shops, entertainment, and nighttime experiences. Eat to the Beat concerts also take place on select festival nights.

If you have attractions that are important to you, plan those first. Then look at the marketplace locations and decide which ones fit naturally into your route.

For a repeat visitor who wants Food & Wine to be the focus, it may make sense to begin at the marketplaces and fit attractions into the breaks between tastings.

For a first-time visitor, I would reverse that approach. Choose your must-do attractions first and treat the festival as one part of the EPCOT day.

Leave Room for Something Unexpected

Planning helps, but I never want the list to control the entire day.

A dish may look better in person than it did online. Someone in your group may find a drink they want to try. You may pass a marketplace with a short line and decide to stop.

I leave room in both my budget and my appetite for one or two unplanned choices.

The purpose of making a list is to avoid forgetting what matters to you. It isn’t meant to keep you from discovering something new.

My EPCOT Food & Wine Planning Checklist

Before your visit:

• Review Disney’s current festival menus
• Mark your must-try food and drinks
• Create a second list of optional items
• Add the marketplace and price beside each item
• Group your choices by location
• Decide what can be shared
• Estimate the total cost
• Check the Eat to the Beat schedule
• Decide whether you want to do Remy’s scavenger hunt
• Check whether you want to complete Emile’s Fromage Montage
• Make a list of priority EPCOT attractions
• Pack a refillable water bottle

Once you arrive:

• Pick up a Festival Passport
• Confirm that your selected items are available
• Begin with your highest-priority marketplaces
• Share portions when it makes sense
• Alternate festival stops with attractions and breaks
• Drink water throughout the day
• Do not order more than you can comfortably carry
• Leave room for one unexpected choice

A Little Planning Makes Food & Wine More Enjoyable

You can’t experience every part of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival in one day. Trying to do everything can leave you feeling rushed, overly full, and wondering what you missed.

I would rather choose the food, drinks, and activities that matter most to my group, enjoy them at a comfortable pace, and leave EPCOT with a reason to return.

A little planning helps you try more of what interests you, spend more intentionally, and avoid leaving the festival feeling like you missed everything.

Travel With The Magic has helped families, couples, and adults plan Walt Disney World vacations since 2009. We can help you choose the right Disney Resort, plan your park days, and decide how experiences such as Food & Wine fit into the rest of your vacation.

Learn more about our Walt Disney World vacation planning or request a complimentary vacation quote.

Festival dates, menus, prices, entertainment, and activities are subject to change and availability. Valid EPCOT admission is required. Theme park reservations may also be required depending on the type of admission.