It’s almost time for the 2022 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival at Disney World, and there is a LOT to prepare for! It kicks off on July 14th and runs alllll the way until November 19th this year.

First off, you’re going to want to take a look at those food booth menus so you can map out which items you want to grab while in the parks. You should also probably check out the line up for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series to see which artist will be performing while you’re at the festival, or even to schedule your trip around a certain artist! We’re getting you ready with our guidebook to the festival, our free printable for all of the food booths, and some sound advice, but there is one major thing we need to talk about — BUDGET! So, let’s break down what an actual realistic budget looks like for EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival.

Park Tickets

To go to the festival, you gotta buy a ticket to get into EPCOT — duh! The festival is accessible to everyone who has admission into the park, so there’s no paying extra to attend or anything like that. Now, park ticket prices vary on when you visit, with busier times typically being more expensive.

There are a lot of dates to look at since the festival is about 4 months long! Keep in mind that weekend tickets are usually more expensive than weekday tickets, so that could affect your budget when you’re planning.

Luckily for you, we’ve already figured out which days are the CHEAPEST to visit the festival! The majority of them are in August and September, with October and November prices being higher. Throughout the 4 months, ticket prices for a single day, single park admission range from $109-$159 for each ticket.

When you’re planning, keep in mind that this cost will change according to when you visit the festival, so make sure to look at the dates you want to go to get an accurate estimate for your budget!

Click here to see the CHEAPEST days to visit EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival in 2022!

Food

Now for the main event: FOOD! Well, it’s the main event for us, at least. And, it’s typically the thing you’re going to spend the most money on at the festival, unless you’re buying a BUNCH of merchandise (you do you!). At Food and Wine, like the other EPCOT Festivals, there are food booths with different themes scattered around the park.

Food items tend to cost between $4-$8, and drinks tend cost be between $5-$9 (with some outliers). So, the average cost for each food or drink item at the festival is around $7. These are almost all small plates or portions, so don’t be expecting a full sized steak to come out on a plate. But, that’s a good thing in this case, because it means you get to try more things! And, it won’t be a total loss if you end up absolutely hating something.

There are 25 booths and this year’s festival, along with some additional locations. Realistically, you probably won’t be able to get something from every single booth, just because that is a lot of eating and/or drinking! You could probably do it if you really pushed yourself and shared items with other people. And, if you did do this, you would spend around $175 using the average price of the items, and that’s only if you stick to one thing at each booth.

But, we know a lot of people only have so much stomach space and time while in the parks, so realistically, let’s say you get a total of 15 items over the entire course of the day. This would have you spending between $100 to $150 per person, and it leaves room for some of those pricier drink options or if you want to get more than one thing at a booth.

But remember, you can also share items with people in your group to cut costs and to try more things. It all depends on how hungry you are!

If you want to make SURE you stay on budget while you’re at the Food and Wine Festival, you can use one of our favorite tricks — get a gift card! No, not like a gift card that someone else gives you (although that would definitely help with costs!), but one that you pay for yourself, loading the exact amount of money you want to spend onto it, that way you can’t go over budget!

Now, we’re not going to include this into the realistic budget, but if you want to get an Eat to the Beat Dining Package while you’re at the festival, remember that costs extra cash! You can take a look at the pricing right here.

Click here to see our 3 budget plans for EPCOT festivals!

Merchandise

Let’s talk about merchandise. This definitely isn’t a necessity at the festival, but we’re sure a lot of you will want some kind of keepsake from Food and Wine to take home with you! So, if you do want some merch from the festival, make sure to leave some wiggle room in your budget for it.

Keep in mind that Disney merchandise is usually more expensive than the same kinds of items you would find in stores at home (wouldn’t it be great if there were Target prices at Disney, though?!). There are a LOT of different items that Disney releases for the festival, so we’re just going to talk about some of the more popular things.

Spirit Jerseys at Disney World are usually between $70 to $80, while regular short-sleeved T-shirts are between $30 to $40. Cups like Tervis Tumblers or Corkcicle items run between $25-$35. And, Minnie and Mickey ears can usually be found between $30-$40.

So, let’s say you get 2 reasonably priced merchandise items while you’re at the festival. Including your food budget, this will probably put you around $200 total for the day, plus the cost of your park ticket. Now, this does NOT mean that you’re for sure going to spend $200 for each person while you’re at the festival — it completely depends on how much you eat, drink, share, and buy. Everyone will have different preferences, which will add up to different costs.

But, this should help you get a general idea of what eating a decent amount of items and buying some merch will look like during the festival!

Want to prepare even more for EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival? We’ve got you! You can check out our full guide to the festival, all of the food menus, all of the NEW food items this year, the entertainment lineup, and more.

And remember, even with buying a park ticket, you DO still have to make a Park Pass Reservation for EPCOT in order to get inside the park, just like you have to do at the other parks! We would recommend buying your ticket and making your reservation as soon as you can, because days can sell out and book up.

We’ll be checking out EVERYTHING at the festival, from the food booths to the entertainment, so stay tuned to DFB for MORE coverage of the 2022 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival!

4 Things You Must Do Before the 2022 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Begins!

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Will you be going to EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival this year? Tell us in the comments!

The post A Realistic Budget for the 2022 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival first appeared on the disney food blog.