Picture this: you’re in EPCOT in late November, the air is crisp, and the Festival of the Holidays event is happening all around. Seasonal EPCOT festivals are a blast! Who doesn’t love an excuse to stroll around the World Showcase and eat small plates of delicious food?

OK, so clearly, we enjoy the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays (and all the other festivals in EPCOT). But that doesn’t mean we walk around the park with rose-colored glasses. Unfortunately, we’ve gotta share some bad news about the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. 

Before we begin, we feel that we need to clarify that there’s a lot to love about the Festival of the Holidays event in EPCOT. This event is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit, and there are TONS of great eats and fun drinks to try. But even EPCOT isn’t perfect, so let’s talk about some of the downsides to this event.

Cost

While we were able to find several small plates that were a great value during the festival, there are some festival foods and drinks that are WAY overpriced. For example, over at the Tuscany food booth in the Italy Pavilion, EPCOT is serving Montanara. It’s fried house-made pizza dough with Pomodoro sauce, parmesan, and fresh basil for $9. But the thing is, you only get four little balls of dough! Does that look like a $9 meal to you?

After you order a few drinks and a handful of small plates, suddenly, you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on a relatively small amount of food! Plus, if you’re sharing with others, that’s even less food going in your belly and even more money coming out of your pocket.

If you’re working on a budget, it may take a LOT of self-control and careful planning not to overspend at the festival food booths.

Food Lines

Problem #2? The LINES! Depending on the time of day, you may end up waiting in loooong lines just to order food at the Festival of the Holidays!

As you can probably guess, those peak wait times usually hit around lunch and dinnertime. But really, you’re likely to see crowds around the World Showcase anytime from lunch all the way to the end of the night during a festival.

Plus, you may have to wait for a while as Cast Members prepare your food, especially if EPCOT is busy or crowded. Budget more time than you think to make it all around the World Showcase — it takes a while to order all the foods and drinks you want. Trust us.

Food Booth Hours

Don’t let this problem trip you up! The Festival of the Holidays food booths do NOT open at the same time as the rest of the park. For example, on the opening day of the festival, EPCOT opened at 9AM. Most of the food booths didn’t open until 11AM that same day!

If your plan is to “rope drop” the food booths, don’t bother. The booths have funky operating hours, and those hours aren’t posted on any obvious signs, either. Most days, the food booths are open between 11AM and 9:30PM, though those hours are subject to change. 

Don’t forget that even if EPCOT is open past 9:30PM, the booths may close earlier than the rest of the park. 

Despite these minor issues, there is still a LOT of fun to be had at the Festival of the Holidays! We love this event and can’t wait to share more tips and tricks for this year’s event. In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more. If you’re looking for additional updates, make sure you’re following us on Instagram.

Planning a visit to the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays? We’ve got you covered! Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Candlelight Processional and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2023 Festival of the Holidays booth Menus
• See the merchandise, crowds, and food available at the festival!

And don’t forget to pick up our 2023 DFB Guide to the Holidays at Disney World! See more details about the book below.

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Festival of the Holidays!

Are you visiting the festival this year? Tell us in the comments!

The post We’ve Gotta Share Some Bad News About the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays first appeared on the disney food blog.