Epcot’s Food And Wine Festival Is The Ultimate Vacation To Take This Year
Source: Courtesy of Disney / other
Whether you want to make it a family trip, a girlfriend’s getaway, a baecation or a solo trip — traveling to Orlando, Florida to visit Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival this year is the way to go if you’re in need of a vacation.
Although necessary, the COVID restrictions of the past year have really limited many of us from taking international trips at our leisure — and to an extent, also from exploring the world and its array of culture. While traveling domestically, the concept of taking a “staycation” has both risen in popularity. Even the joy of something as mundane as visiting your favorite restaurant or discovering a new one with exciting and bold flavors have both proven to be things we often took for granted before the pandemic hit.
A trip to Epcot for its annual Food & Wine Festival gives you the chance to feel transported to different places around the world. Global locations featured at the park are researched, executed and designed. You’ll really feel like you’re wandering the globe, from city to city, all while enjoying great food and drinks of course.
RELATED CONTENT: “#GoMommy: 15 Ways To Guarantee A Great Disney Family Vacation”
Karla Baker, General Manager of EPCOT Merchandise, shared “there are over 30 food and beverage global marketplaces” — aka spots where you can essentially taste the world’s offerings. In addition to the park introducing three new air-conditioned spaces for you to visit while chowing down, there’ll also be relevant goodies and souvenirs for you to bring back as mementos from your “worldly” travels.
For those who have experienced the festival before — or go every year — you’ll be happy to hear that 50% of the dishes served this year are “new or reimagined.”
MADAMENOIRE also got the chance to chat with Courtney Jackson, a chef who works on the food development team for the annual food and wine event. According to Jackson, all preparation boils down to showcasing the roots of each dish served while adding a Disney spin.
“What we do in order to cultivate the different offerings and dishes at all our locations is try to pay homage to the cultures, cuisines, and unique cooking techniques that we pull from,” Jackson said. “That’s how we go about making all of the different global marketplaces we have here at Epcot really feel like the global places they represent. Our guests can come here and enjoy all that and not have to buy plane tickets to go all over the world.”
RELATED CONTENT: “She Tried It! Disney Dining …For Grown Ups”
MADAMENOIRE spoke with an alcohol and beverage sommelier who estimated a whopping 70% of drinks served will be new to the festival.
Presented by Corksickle, Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival runs for 129 days this year — from July 15 to November 20 — giving attendees all the time needed to go enjoy innovative dishes and cuisines from around the world.
Hit up France for the Crème Brûlée au Grand Mariner; Italy for the Italian White Sangria with Prosecco; Morocco for extra flavorfully spiced meals; Mexico for yummy empanadas and margaritas with a kick; and Earth Foods for the best plant-based Impossible Food sliders you’ll ever have.
