Flower and Garden in the spring, Food and Wine in the fall. The menus change every year, but the way we tackle an Epcot festival day barely changes at all. These are the tricks that keep us happy, fed, and still standing by the time the park closes.
Know When the Booths Actually Open
The park opening and the booths opening are two different things. On our spring trip, the festival booths didn’t start serving until 11:30, and we were hungry well before then. Look up the booth hours before you go so you aren’t wandering World Showcase with an empty stomach. If you get there early anyway, use the time for a ride, a walk through the displays, or a treat from one of the regular Epcot spots that are already open, like Swirled Showcase. Keep an eye out, too, because a booth or two may open a little ahead of the others.
Share Everything
This is the big one. Festival portions are small on purpose, so order one dish and pass it around the table instead of everybody getting their own. You taste twice as much, you spend less, and you end the day pleasantly full instead of groaning. It also keeps you comfortable enough to ride things in between, which matters if you have a Lightning Lane coming up. Give your food a few minutes to settle first. Trust me.
Find a Seat With Air Conditioning
Standing at a booth and eating off a tiny plate in the Florida sun gets old fast. If you’re in the front of the park, grab your food and carry it inside. The three places where we always find room are Communicore Hall, The Odyssey, and Connections. Eating in the air conditioning is the best festival hack we’ve found. You sit down, you cool off, and you can plan your next booth in comfort.
Pace Yourself
Festival food is rich, and it sneaks up on you. There was a moment on one of our trips when I took a bite of flatbread and just couldn’t go one more. Everything I had eaten that day hit me at once. Mix in something light, like a fresh salad or a fruity drink, drink way more water than you think you need, and take a break before you hit the wall. If you have leftovers you want to save, a couple of resealable bags in your park bag will handle it. We wrote a whole post on how we store snacks in our park bag.
Split Up If You Need To
Not everyone in your group has to do every booth together. One Labor Day at Food and Wine, our friends and daughter wanted to ride Guardians again, and my husband and I didn’t. So we went off on our own. He waited in one booth line, I waited in another, and we met up at a picnic table to share. It was fun, it was fast, and nobody spent the afternoon doing something they didn’t want to do.
Plan the Menu, Then Forgive Yourself
Here’s my most honest tip. Before every festival, I study the booth menus like there’s going to be a test. I know exactly what I want to try. Then we get to the park and suddenly the only thing I’m craving is a plate of chicken tenders and fries. It happens more than I’d like to admit. Disney chicken tenders really are that good, and sometimes comfort wins. So make your list, but don’t beat yourself up when you end up at a counter ordering chicken tenders. That’s part of the fun too.
One thing that helps: bring a list buddy. My daughter and I each made a list of what we wanted to try, and they mostly overlapped, so we could keep each other on track. Mostly.
And while you’re eating, take a minute to actually look around. The topiaries and flower displays are some of the most creative things in the whole park, and they’re free.
never miss the magic
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