The Best Time To Go To Disney's EPCOT Food And Wine Festival
With an average of 34,000 people visit Disney's EPCOT each day, the annual Food and Wine Festival is sure to attract a crowd. As such, if you plan to stop by EPCOT during the 2023 festival season – running July 27 through November 18 – you might want to be strategic about when exactly you visit.
Just as experts recommend mid-week afternoons as the best time to shop at Costco to avoid crowds, experienced festival-goers suggest visiting EPCOT Monday through Thursday to avoid the heaviest traffic. Regardless of the day you go, you should also aim to arrive at vendors before they open at 11 a.m. so you can spend less time waiting in line. Disney World Dole Whip first thing in the morning? Yes, please.
Beyond the sheer number of visitors at the Food and Wine Festival, you might also want to consider the weather when planning your trip. July and August, for instance, are hot months for Florida, so you might want to go later in the season when it's cooler.
Keep in mind which vendors you most want to visit
Another thing you should consider when planning your trip is when your favorite vendors are open. Most of them are available the entire Food and Wine Festival season, but some open later in the season. In 2022, for instance, the Hawai'i and Noodle Exchange vendors didn't open until August 15. According to the Disney Food Blog, these two vendors again won't open until August again this year. Meanwhile, Bubbles & Brine, Char & Chop, Swirled Showcase, and Wine & Wedge won't open until September. Therefore, if you're hoping to sample artisan cheese or caviar with Champagne cream, you might want to visit EPCOT during the second half of the festival.
Regardless of when you choose to visit, however, you can expect to try foods from six different continents, as well as regions like the Alps, the American and Australian coasts, and even the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Get more than ready for hummus, crab cakes, and fondue.