***2009*** Epcot Food & Wine Festival ENDED NOV. 8

[TDC Nala]

This thread is for information about and discussion of the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival only. Please do not engage in off-topic chat or discussion of possible Festival meets on this thread.

The 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival dates are September 25 – November 8.

Here is a link to a Disney website for the 2009 Festival:
http://foodwinefest.com/cms/

July 22, 2009: ALL OFFICIAL WDW FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL EVENT INFO PLUS WORLD SHOWCASE KIOSK MENUS are now featured on the Walt Disney World website at this address:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/pa...s/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/

LINK TO PDF OF THE FESTIVAL GUIDE. (Note: the World Showcase map is not included in this PDF)
http://wdw2.wdpromedia.com/media/wd...oodWine2009/FoodandWine_2009FestivalGuide.pdf

CHANGES OF NOTE FOR 2009:
$75 upcharge for "Wine View Room" with reserved seating at Party for the Senses.

All culinary and wine demonstrations and seminars held in the Festival Center, which in the past have been available at no extra charge, will cost $8 per person per seminar. The payment and ticket distribution setup is not known at this time.

Booking for special events opens Tuesday, August 11. Call 407-WDW-FEST.

SEMINARS AND DEMONSTRATIONS PRE-REGISTRATION
Use this link
http://www.register123.com/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x173908616f

to access a preregistration page to book the $8 food and wine demonstration seminars at the Festival Center in advance for 8$ - or a discounted price of $5 (based on availability) for TIW/AP/DVC members (you must enter your AP or membership number to get the discounted price), starting on Wednesday, August 26.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

Thanks for starting this thread, TDC Nala! Hope everyone has a great time at Food & Wine Fest 2009!

Cheers!
-Michelle

 

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Found this on Disney's site:

Eat to the Beat concert series schedule:
9/25–9/27 — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
9/28–9/29 — Richard Marx (NEW!)
9/30–10/3 — Starship starring Mickey Thomas
10/4–10/6 — En Vogue
10/7–10/8 — Better Than Ezra (NEW!)
10/9–10/11 — Sister Hazel
10/12–10/13 — Kool & The Gang
10/14–10/16 — Spyro Gyra
10/17–10/18 — Jon Secada
10/19–10/20 — Sister Sledge
10/21–10/22 — Vanessa Carlton (NEW!)
10/23–10/25 — Taylor Dayne
10/26–10/28 — Boyz II Men
10/29–10/31 — John Waite (NEW!)
11/1–11/2 — Night Ranger
11/3–11/5 — Billy Ocean (NEW!)
11/6–11/8 — Los Lobos

I'll be there to see the first 3. I think the first 2 should be pretty good. I don't really care to see Starship but would love to be there to see Better Than Ezra. Unfortunately my husband has business that can't be postponed.

 

[Seattle]

This will be our first time @ the Food & Wine Fest... are the concerts seperately ticketed events? Or open to whoever happens by?

Thanks for any info!

 

[Love2663]

This will be our first time @ the Food & Wine Fest... are the concerts seperately ticketed events? Or open to whoever happens by?

Thanks for any info!

The concerts are included with Epcot admission, although some can be very crowded and it may be difficult to get into America Gardens Theater.

 

[Seattle]

Good to know -- thank you so much!

 

[TDC Nala]

You also do not need to actually get into the theater to hear the concert - only if you want to sit down. You can watch from standing room outside the theater. You can also hear the concert perfectly well if you are standing anywhere in the American pavilion, like right next to the Sam Adams beer stand

 

[Seattle]

EXTRA good to know!!

 

[webray]

You also do not need to actually get into the theater to hear the concert - only if you want to sit down. You can watch from standing room outside the theater. You can also hear the concert perfectly well if you are standing anywhere in the American pavilion, like right next to the Sam Adams beer stand

Exactly...lol. More room for dancing!

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

I'll be there to see the first 3. I think the first 2 should be pretty good. I don't really care to see Starship but would love to be there to see Better Than Ezra. Unfortunately my husband has business that can't be postponed.

Go without him.

In all seriousness, the second I heard about BTE at F&W, I was on the phone with Member Services booking my BCV!! I'm so excited.

 

[dizneykid]

You also do not need to actually get into the theater to hear the concert - only if you want to sit down. You can watch from standing room outside the theater. You can also hear the concert perfectly well if you are standing anywhere in the American pavilion, like right next to the Sam Adams beer stand

Nala,

I like your thinking!

 

[oybolshoi]

Nala,

I like your thinking!

I agree!

But I will also say depending on your musical taste that having a Sam Adams or other adult beverage is the only way to endure some of these performances until you're out of earshot.

 

[LydiaAch]

DH and I are going sans kids for F&WF...can't wait!

 

[lisapezz]

Thanks for starting this thread. This will be my first year attending (after many years of wanting to go!) and this will be a great way for me to plan our girls only trip

 

[hoosiermike]

My wife pointed out to me a few weeks ago that the F&WF will be going on when we are down there the last week of October. I always thought that F&WF ended in early to mid-October, so this has been a nice surprise. I was already excited about MNSSHP, but this is the cherry on top.

We start our week off with MNSSHP and will end our stay with John Waite and F&WF. It's going to kill me having to wait over 4 months before we get there. I guess I will live vicariously through others via the DISboards until then.

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

Thank you for posting the schedule Belle! This will be my first time at the F&WF! My husband and I always go on a cruise for our anniversary so we miss it, but this year we are doing both! I can't believe we will be there for En Vogue, Better than Ezra, and Kool and the Gang. That is the best grouping I could have hoped for. October can't get here soon enough!
I have a stupid question... How does the food work? Are there just vendors around the WS to purchase from, or do you buy a special pass? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Thank you for posting the schedule Belle! This will be my first time at the F&WF! My husband and I always go on a cruise for our anniversary so we miss it, but this year we are doing both! I can't believe we will be there for En Vogue, Better than Ezra, and Kool and the Gang. That is the best grouping I could have hoped for. October can't get here soon enough!
I have a stupid question... How does the food work? Are there just vendors around the WS to purchase from, or do you buy a special pass? Any help would be appreciated!

Yay, another BTE fan. Do you have the new album yet? It's awesome!

Ok, your question... there are kiosks set up all around WS, and you purchase tapas-sized portions of food and drinkies. There are also special events, and you need to book those ahead of time. That's the schedule of events Nala was talking about in the first post - it's not out yet.

This trip will be our first time at F&W, so we're really looking forward to it! *pokes my counter to make it move faster*

 

[enchantingodin]

We will be there for the opening weekend of F&WF and I'm having a bit of a dilemma on which day to go.

I've heard crowds are crazy with the locals on the weekends, especially the first and last ones of the fest. So our choices are to go opening day Friday 9/25 (hubs birthday) which is also 'typically' the busiest day of the week for Epcot. Or go Monday 9/28, which in my area is also a school 'holiday' – read most likely busy. Additionally my mom is coming up with us for the weekend – but driving home Monday night after being in the parks. So I was hoping to give her an 'easier' park (like AK since it usually closes at 5) to go to on her last day.

I know I'm probably thinking about this WAY too much. Any suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

We will be there for the opening weekend of F&WF and I'm having a bit of a dilemma on which day to go.

I've heard crowds are crazy with the locals on the weekends, especially the first and last ones of the fest. So our choices are to go opening day Friday 9/25 (hubs birthday) which is also 'typically' the busiest day of the week for Epcot. Or go Monday 9/28, which in my area is also a school 'holiday' – read most likely busy. Additionally my mom is coming up with us for the weekend – but driving home Monday night after being in the parks. So I was hoping to give her an 'easier' park (like AK since it usually closes at 5) to go to on her last day.

I know I'm probably thinking about this WAY too much. Any suggestions? Thoughts?

I would stick with your plan of going Friday to Epcot and Monday to AK. I found last year when I went in the middle of Oct. to be busier than in 07 when we went the first weekend it started. It's busier than the prior weekend but I don't think it's crazy and unmanageable.

Good luck deciding!

 

[kabuki]

I am in .. happy to see this is up and running! It means we are getting closer!