As 2018 continues to fly by, yesterday marked the end of this year’s Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! Each year this popular fall event continues to grow offering new food options, interactive experiences, and even kid-friendly activities. I was lucky enough to visit the Food and Wine Festival twice this year, and it did not disappoint! 

When I usually visit these Epcot festivals, I tend to focus just on the food, (because food is amazing obviously) but this year I branched out a bit and enjoyed taking in some of the the other festival offerings! Here are some of my favorites from this year’s Food and Wine Festival.

Family Fun

While Food and Wine is a festival that is geared more towards adult guests, Disney has made an effort to add a few fun activities for the whole family. From the Disney Du Jour Character Dance Parties to the special play area for little ones, there were plenty of ways to get the whole family involved this festival season. My favorite activity this year was Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt! I loved the extra challenge of searching for that tiny chef all over World Showcase while trying delicious dishes. At the end I even got an awesome prize and some fun little memories. (You can read all about Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak here!)

Interactive Experiences

Epcot’s Festival Center was in full swing this year and nothing made me happier! As many of you know, this pavilion was the previous home of my favorite Epcot Future World Pavilion, Wonders of Life, so anytime I get to stop in it’s like a trip down memory lane. Within the Festival Center this year guests could experience cooking demonstrations and other activities unique to this festival! One new activity that was introduced this year was ESPN’s Monday Night Football Tailgate Tastings. On select Monday Nights in September and October, guests had the chance to learn how to make three different tailgate foods as well as taste test them along with alcoholic pairings! I got to write an article about this experience for Best of Orlando, and considering this event is completely complimentary I thought it was a pretty awesome idea.

Passholder Perks

As a proud Annual Passholder, I’m always excited to learn what special offerings will be available with each passing season at Walt Disney World! This Food and Wine Festival Season, Disney continued the Passholder Magnet tradition with an adorable Chef Mickey-inspired design for all Annual Passholders who visited the festival once. To make things even more fun, Annual Passholders who visited the festival four times were eligible for an engraved wooden cutting board! This second prize was a total surprise and I’m happy to say that I ended up being eligible for both this season. Fingers crossed unique perks like this pop up next year too!

Food, Glorious Food

Would this really be a Food and Wine Festival post without mentioning the reason for the festival?! Food, of course! As always, Epcot offered lots of outdoor kitchens stocked with delicious tastes and sips. My favorite from last year was Brazil’s braised beef, and it was delicious again this year! A festival favorite among guests this year was the Impossible Burger, which I was able to try last month. Being the picky eater that I am, this wasn’t a favorite of mine but I really enjoyed the concept and getting to try it, which is one of my favorite perks of festival time! The Tropical Mimosa was pretty delicious from Shimmering Sips though, so that may have become a new must have for me.

Although Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival has officially come to an end, in just a few short days Epcot will be kicking off their final festival of the year! Festival of the Holidays begins on November 18, 2018 and runs until January 6, 2019. So if you’re headed to Disney for the holiday season, be sure to check out what the next festival has to offer!

Which Epcot Festival is Your Favorite?