The 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival sign has been placed at the front flowerbeds of the park for all guests to see when they enter, and more decor installed throughout the park.

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Sign

The sign and decorations are in the planter right after the entrance “tapstiles.”

This year, the main sign resembles a scoop of ice cream atop a slice of cake. Remy stands atop the cake, holding a strawberry. The only change from last year’s display is the festival year from 2023 to 2024. In 2022, there was a plate design at the main entrance.

Next to the cake slice are two blocks of cheese. Remy’s brother, Emile, sits on one with a couple of olives in hand.

Behind the cake and cheese are returning weathervane-like decorations featuring wine bottles, utensils, and food items like cheese, avocados, and ice cream.

They sit on circular bases decorated with a chevron pattern.

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Decor

At the start of the World Showcase there is more Food & Wine Decor. Between Disney Traders and Port of Entry, there is an installation that compliments the front entrance sign. There is the same weathervane-like decoration with a chevron bottom in the center.

There are two platforms on either side one showcasing utensils and the other a melting donut.

The main event is the same Remy we saw in the front holding a cherry to top the ice cream sundae.

Food & Wine banners have been installed throughout EPCOT – these were spotted at the beginning of the showcase. The first banner shows the EPCOT geosphere with a few showcase countries represented with food and a Corkcicle bottle, as they are the sponsor of the festival.

The next banner depicts Remy and Emile cooking together in a kitchen. Emile is holding the pan as Remy salts the dish while on standing on a jar.

Another banner shows Remy enjoying some delicious food while Colette cooks below. The final banner is none other than Alfredo Linguini stirring a giant pot as Remy helps him, just above them is Emile holding food while running happily away.

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Odyssey Exterior Decor

The Odyssey exterior has also been decorated for Food & Wine Festival. There are now decals on the windows featuring Dr. Bunsen and Beaker’s scientific food lab, the Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey.

Upon closer inspection, the center window features the main sign, Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey. The surrounding windows are adorned with EPCOT-style designs and strange food combinations in testing, like the pickle milkshake.

Before the World Showcase bridge to the Odyssey, there is a directional sign pointing you to the Brew-Wing Lab. This three-dimensional sign has bright lime green and purple details. There are pickles, Brussel sprouts, and chicken wings sitting among scientific tools.

Below the sign are pickles, Brussels sprouts, and chicken wings sitting among scientific tools. The Brew-Wing is a nice air-conditioned spot for the festival, and it is likely the most adventurous menu offered.

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Details

The 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival began on August 29 and runs through November 23. Full menus for Global Marketplaces are available. New booths include Macatizers, Festival Favorites, and Bramblewood Bites.

Disney also announced the lineup for the Eat. to the Beat Concert Series in the American Garden Theatre. Check out the full lineup for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series, including the latest performers that have been added.

What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing at this year’s Food & Wine Festival? Let us know in the comments!

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Sign and More Decor appeared first on WDW News Today.

Police responded to an incident in Magic Kingdom at Disney World as the park was closing this evening.

Multiple posts on social media starting at about 10:15PM  on August 29th indicated that Magic Kingdom visitors were being guided through stores to backstage areas and in some instances being held backstage before they could exit the park. Those traveling to the Ticket and Transportation Center were being led to buses — the monorail and ferry boats are apparently closed at the time of this post.

Donna Vivino, who was visiting Magic Kingdom at the time of the incident, told us she was escorted through a backstage exit, and there were “tons of cops” on the scene.

BREAKING: Police respond at Magic Kingdom. Guests were sent out through backstage exits. pic.twitter.com/Ku2BbtnFHD

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) August 30, 2024

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said there was a fight at the Magic Kingdom, as well as a “popping sound” that caused guests to start running, believing there was potentially a shooting incident. The Sheriff’s Office said in a Tweet that “there is no active shooter” at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

ALERT: There is NO active shooter at @WaltDisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. A fight occurred, and a “popping” sound was heard that we believe was a balloon. Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter. pic.twitter.com/TRKLs3NglC

— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) August 30, 2024

Vivino said that Disney World Cast Members were keeping people away from an area in front of the Main Street Confectionery, and that some people were “very shaken up” because they believed they heard gunshots. Again, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has said this was not a shooting incident.

Vivino went to the Contemporary Resort to wait for an Uber, and she said that all the music was turned off in the park and is turned off at the resort — making the whole scene more eerie feeling.

Another DFB reader in the park tonight said they were walking near Tomorrowland Terrace when they encountered “a herd of people running for their life.” They said that many people did not know what they were running from — they just started running because others were.

Keep following DFB for more.

The post BREAKING: Large Police Presence Reported at Magic Kingdom, Park Locked Down While Guests Evacuated Backstage first appeared on the disney food blog.

If you’re a big fan of poutine, you’ll need to stop by the Refreshment Port booth! A fan-favorite poutine is back again for 2024 along with some new drinks!

It’s officially time for the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, which means lots of food booths, merchandise, and more. We’re checking it all out, and now we’re heading to Refreshment Port to let you know whether or not it’s worth a visit!

Menu

Over at the Refreshment Port booth, you’ll a returning poutine along with a couple of new drinks and some returning drinks too.

Now that we’ve taken a look at the menu, let’s dive into the food itself!

Eats

First up, we grabbed the Braised Beef Poutine. This one is made of French fries with braised beef, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese sauce, cheese curds, and gherkin relish. This item cost $10.00. This is a returning item for the festival from years past and we’ve really enjoyed it before.

Last year we really liked how big the portion size was and the savory taste was a welcomed change to all the sweet and sugary treats we’d had through the day. This year, we think it was the best thing we tried at Refreshment Port.

The dish was very hearty, the mushroom flavor was incredibly earthy, and the snack was perfectly creamy and delicious. The cheese was plentiful but the curds were a bit tough to navigate through. Still, the texture was wonderful and all the flavors were very present.

The relish adds a nice acidity to the dish that helps cut through how buttery and rich the rest of this poutine is. We’d eat this 100 times over! However, we recommend eating this later in the day and not when the park is at its hottest — this snack is best eaten when the weather is slightly cooler.

Drinks

The first new drink for this year is the Boulevard Beverage Company Quirk Ginger Grape Fizz Hard Seltzer for $12.00.

This drink was rough. It was way too tart with too much zing. When you think of seltzer you think of something bubbly and light, but this had almost too much overpowering flavor to the point it offended our tastebuds. In our opinion, you’ve got to passionately love tart grape to dig this drink.

Next up is the second new drink at the booth — the Boyd & Blair Pumpkin Spice Mule. You can get this for $12.00.

This drink was another misstep. It tasted like a can of pumpkin spice seasoning and was way too much in our faces — and this is coming from fans of pumpkin spice season! The theme of these drinks is that they didn’t know when to pull back, to their own detriment. The ideas were there, but the execution was flawed. If you like more over, in-your-face drinks, you might enjoy these more than we did.

The final drink on the menu is the returning Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkling Peach for $11.00. This drink was so refreshing when we’ve had it in the past! It’s incredibly delicate and light, which makes for a nice change from the poutine. It’s not too heavy and would make for a nice beverage to sip on a hot EPCOT day.

Lastly, this booth offers the CORKCICLE Stemless Flute.

OVERALL

Stop by Refreshment Port if you love poutine and sparkling peach wine! Avoid if you’re looking for more subtle snacks and drinks. While the poutine is something we highly recommend, we’d be lying if we didn’t say the new drinks at Refreshment Port didn’t put us off. Overall, we found these offerings to be as average as it gets. Still, taste is subjective and if you think these offerings are something you and your family would be into, you should give them a chance! 

That’s all that’s offered at this booth this year but there’s still so much to explore around the other festival booths, for the latest in Disney news, stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog as we bring you the rest of the booth offerings!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus
• One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

What items from this booth would you most want to try? Tell us in the comments!

The post REVIEW: This EPCOT Food and Wine Booth Was BOTH Delicious and Massively Disappointing first appeared on the disney food blog.

WHAT A DAY! It’s the very first day of our favorite time of year at Disney Food Blog: ’tis the season for the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, which is running now through November 23rd, 2024!

But even as we’ve spent the entire day bringing you full reviews of ALL of the Festival’s Global Marketplace Food Booths, checked out the scene at this year’s Eat to the Beat Concert Series, ate ALL. THE.CHEESE. and more, the day is not over yet, my friends. It’s time to cap off this terrific day with a special show that takes place nightly at Spaceship Earth throughout the Festival!

You see, when Walt Disney World celebrated its 50th Anniversary in October 2021, Spaceship Earth was enhanced with nighttime lighting that ended up as a permanent addition to the park. What isn’t permanent, however, is that the nighttime shows change right along with EPCOT’s seasonal Festivals!

Here’s a peek at the nightly show on Spaceship Earth! This version will run throughout the Food & Wine Festival! pic.twitter.com/hJ3XdjyGSo

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) August 30, 2024

Over the past few years, Spaceship Earth’s Food & Wine Festival show has been inspired by Beauty and the Beast, featuring the beloved song “Be Our Guest.” It’s EPCOT’s way of inviting you to partake in all of the flavorful fun that the Food and Wine Festival brings. This year, the show is filled with fun designs and plenty of bright colors! And yes, that iconic “Be Our Guest” song is BACK for 2024.

During our visit, “Be Our Guest” played as Spaceship Earth lit up in different colors and patterns in sync with the memorable tune.

To catch the show during your Festival visit, you don’t have to worry about being in World Celebration at a specific time. The show begins when it gets dark outside and plays several times throughout the evening through park close.

We hope you’ve had a blast with us as we’ve covered EVERYTHING in EPCOT on the first day of the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! If you’re planning a trip of your own to enjoy everything the Festival has to offer, you can click any of links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus
• Find ALL of our Food and Wine Festival Food Booth REVIEWS here!

And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about our Guide below.

The post Check Out Spaceship Earth’s LIMITED-TIME Look for the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival first appeared on the disney food blog.

There are SO MANY dishes to eat at the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival — it might be hard to decide what you really NEED to eat.

So how do you know where to start and what to get when there are TONS of booths and menu items to pick from? We’re here to help!

We have eaten and drank our way through the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival (all in the name of research, of course ), to share our picks for the VERY best of the best (or, as we like to say, best of the fest!). What is worth your hard-earned cash and calories? We did the work for you and now we’re spilling ALL the details.

So, without any further delay, let’s dive into our picks for the BEST eats and drinks at the 2023 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival!

NEW BESTS

Tostada de Camarones at Mexico

We found this dish to have an amazing explosion of flavors! The tostada is made with tempura battered shrimp atop a fried corn tortilla with guacamole, cabbage, chipotle aïoli, diced mango, and chile-lime powder. Every time we took a bite we got to taste different flavors, which made it all come together for an amazing bite.

We would say this is like shrimp tacos but 10 times better. It came with three huge pieces of fried shrimp that were fried perfectly. The shell on the bottom even stayed crispy even with all the toppings. This was SO GOOD.

Flauta de Barbacoa at Mexico

The Flauta de Barbacoa is fried tortillas filled with barbacoa beef topped with salsa verde, crema Mexicana, and queso fresco. Our reporter who tried this normally does not like flautas, but they said that this dish was amazing! The corn fry was light and airy and not greasy at all. It is stuffed with juicy and delicious marinated meat.

The salsa was our favorite part. It had a little kick to it, and when combined with the cheese, this whole dish just melts in your mouth.

Pan de Elote at Mexico

Pan de Elote is a traditional Mexican cornbread topped with chocolate sauce and queso fresco. This was UNBELIEVABLE! The cornbread was super moist and was similar to the texture of a tres leches cake.

The chocolate combined with the raspberry on top gave it a fruity tartness. This honestly might be one of the best desserts we have ever had at the Food and Wine Festival.

See Even MORE of Our Mexico Review

Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin at Bramblewood Bites

Bramblewood Bites is a new booth to the festival, and it debuted with a BANG! The Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin with fennel apple slaw and apple cider gastrique easily made this list.

The pork tenderloin is so juicy and the char from the grill gives it a nice textural thing that just works beautifully — a hint of crunch, if you will. Then you’ve got that sweetness from the apple cider, which pairs perfectly with the savoriness of the pork tenderloin. This is seriously going to be one of our favorite things at this year’s festival. No, really!

Read More About Bramblewood Bites Here

Moelleux aux Oignons Caramélisés et au Fromage de Chèvre at France

The new Moelleux aux Oignons Caramélisés et au Fromage de Chèvre is an egg moelleux with goat cheese and caramelized onions. The egg was very fluffy, cloudy, and pillowy (yes we just described eggs as pillowy and we’re sticking with it!).

The onions could have been a bit more caramelized, but honestly, the dish was great. There was just enough cheese sprinkled through it that we got some with each bite.

Brioche aux Escargots at France

The France Booth has presented Escargots in a croissant at more recent Festivals, so this is something of a new take on a previous dish but that doesn’t mean we weren’t impressed by it!

The escargot was fantastic. It was garlicky and soft. Someone else had described them as “slimy yet satisfying” like Timon on The Lion King, and honestly, that’s a great way to describe them.

See Our Full Review of the France Booth Here

Hawaiian Rice Bowl at Hawai’i

The NEW Hawaiian Rice Bowl features eggs, SPAM, spicy mayonnaise, eel sauce, and furikake. We were super intrigued by this dish! We did NOT expect this to be SO GOOD. The SPAM is cooked perfectly and pairs so well with the other flavors. We ate EVERY LAST BITE of this one and we have NO regrets.

It’s essentially a deconstructed version of the SPAM Musubi roll we’ve had at past festivals which we also loved! It’s a fun take on a traditional dish that we really enjoyed and would absolutely get again for lunch!

Read Our Full Hawai’i Review HERE

Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli at Forest and Field

Over at the new Forest and Field booth, you’ll find the Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli, made with sage-brown butter, pecorino cheese, and hazelnut praline. The pumpkin ravioli itself was so tasty, with a solid amount of sweet pumpkin and mascarpone filling that was pleasant but mild. But, the hazelnut praline just elevated this dish into something else entirely.

The little crunchy bits on top were so interesting both texture and flavor-wise. Pumpkin + sage-brown butter = a classic fall combination and this was executed perfectly. Plus, it’s part of the cheese crawl! It could also be a Best of the Fest contender for us this year.

Check Out Our Full Review of Forest and Field

Freshly-baked Chocolate Pudding Cake at Flavors of America

This $5 Freshly-baked Chocolate Pudding Cake was our favorite dish from the booth! It’s slathered in a bourbon caramel sauce and we mean SLATHERED.

The cake was super-moist and gooey, and the chocolate was very light and airy. The Flavors of America booth got a menu overhaul this year — read our full review below to see our thoughts!

You Can Find Our FULL Flavors from Florida Review Here

Vanilla Cheesecake at Italy

The Vanilla Cheesecake is topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberry sauce — it sounds simple but it was SO GOOD. We were so surprised by how fantastic this dessert was! It’s so creamy and melts in your mouth.

It tastes like fresh vanilla, not artificial vanilla syrup. The strawberry sauce was a really nice touch. We will definitely be stopping by this booth again just for this cheesecake!

Read Our Full Italy Booth Review Here

Burrata at Forest and Field

The Burrata features seasonal fall fruit, spiced pecans, apple purée, and fig vinaigrette. It doesn’t sound like much, but we were really surprised by how well this worked! If fall could be taken and transformed into a dish, it would be this. We enjoyed how light and refreshing it was while also being the perfect combination of fall flavors.

There was a nice spice and nuttiness thanks to the pecans, plus plenty of apple puree and fig vinaigrette. When combined with the Burrata, it was spicy and creamy with a hint of sweetness.

Check Out Our Full Review of Forest and Field

Paella Negra at Spain

The Paella Negra is made with Squid ink rice with shrimp, Bay scallops, and octopus served with garlic aïoli. It comes with two big shrimp and scallops and it is SO fresh. It’s also topped with a garlic aioli that we found to be a nice addition, and overall this was so good!

The dish has elevated flavors and is a fun twist on an original paella because of the garlic aioli and squid ink rice. We appreciate just how many pieces of seafood we got — two large shrimp, a few scallops, and plenty of squid.

Read More of Our Spain Review Here

Chocolate Amarula Mousse Dome at Refreshment Outpost

The Chocolate Amarula Mousse Dome with white chocolate is essentially a giant Zebra Dome and yes, it’s exactly as incredible as it sounds. You really can’t go wrong with this. There’s a reason Zebra Domes are so popular and this giant one is no exception. The mousse is fluffy and creamy without being overly sweet.

The chocolate on the inside is rich while the cookie on the bottom is buttery and gives a nice crunch to this otherwise soft dessert. We think it could be shareable, but don’t be surprised if you catch us eating the whole thing — and maybe even one more.

See Our Full Review of Refreshment Outpost Here

Returning Bests

These items are ones we’ve had in the past and they’ve thankfully returned in 2024, bringing a whole lot of deliciousness with them.

Adobo Yuca Fries at The Fry Basket

We cannot express how thrilled we are to see the Adobo Yuca Fries with Garlic-Cilantro Aïoli back on the menu at The Fry Basket in 2024. These things seriously impressed us in 2022 and were our FAVORITE things at the booth that year.

In 2023, their texture was fantastic (perfectly crunchy), their flavor was spot-on (like Texas toast garlic bread in French fry form), and the sauce served with them offered a delicious tangy flavor.

The fries did NOT disappoint this year. They were once again the BEST thing at this booth. The flavor of the aïoli was fantastic (light on the cilantro), the breading on the fries was dreamy (delightfully crispy!), and the fries were incredibly garlicky in the BEST way possible. Imagine the most amazing garlic bread you’ve ever had in your life but in a wedge/fry form. Trust us when we say you do NOT want to miss these. Get them for $5.75.

See our full review of The Fry Basket here!

Smoked Corned Beef at Flavors from Fire

The Smoked Corned Beef is BACK people and it is something you do NOT want to skip. This deliciousness is served with house-made potato chips, cheese curds, pickled onions, and beer-cheese fondue. And no, we don’t blame you for drooling all over your screens at the sight of that cheese.

In 2023, we felt the balance of flavors and textures was fantastic — there was the salty beef, creamy cheese, a little tang from the pickled onions, and the crunchiness of the chips. This year, we loved the dish just as much! The mix of textures added such great dimension to the dish, the cheese was AMAZING (we couldn’t get enough of it), and it was a warm, comforting WIN. Try it for $6.50.

Learn all about Flavors from Fire here!

Swine Brine at Flavors from Fire

We know what you’re thinking — a drink made with Jim Beam Bourbon, apple cinnamon cider, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard can’t be good. But, it was! It was really different and unique, like nothing we’ve had before thanks to the mustard. It reminded us of fall and pickles all at the same time.

We didn’t taste much of the Bourbon, which is probably a good thing. It tasted like a briny pickle juice with a splash of meat in there. We know — but try it for yourself!

Steakhouse Blended Burger at Flavors from Fire

The Steakhouse Blended Burger is a beef and wild mushroom slider with truffle brie cheese fondue, arugula, and truffle potato chips on a sesame seed bun. It sounds rich — and it is, in the best way possible. There’s a charred flavor that really compliments the mushroom and truffle flavors.

The brie gets so melty and it really holds this whole burger together. The patty is the perfect combination of meat and mushrooms, and it’s easy to see why this has made our Best of the Fest list yet again!

Freshly Baked Carrot Cake at Milled & Mulled

In the past, this delicious dessert has been at the Hops and Barley booth, but this year it has appeared at the NEW Milled and Mulled booth and we’re soooooo glad it has returned. The Freshly Baked Carrot Cake comes with Cream Cheese Icing and it is a sticky sensation.

Once again, this cake delivered! It tasted more like a nutty spice cake than a carrot cake, but we didn’t mind! It was dense (but not dry), and the icing (though it can harden a little) melts on your mouth, has a hint of a tang to it, and isn’t overly sweet. If you want something that just screams autumn, we think you’ll love this. Grab a friend and a fork and dive into this snack for $4.75.

See all about Milled & Mulled here!

Mango Lassi at India

The Mango Lassi is not a new drink, but it has made a special appearance on our Best of the Fest list this year because it really impressed us! We got the non-alcoholic version for $5, but you can get it with Sōmrus Chai Cream Liqueur for $11.50. In the past, we’ve felt like this drink had a lot of mango flavor and was pretty milky in consistency (sort of like a milkshake but a little lighter).

This year it was one of our favorites! It was very light for being a milk-based drink, and it had a great, fruity flavor.

We found it to be really fresh. It can be great if you need something to cool you down from the Florida heat or cool you down after eating some of the more spicy dishes at the Festival. If you want something fun and non-alcoholic (or alcoholic should you so choose), this is a great pick!

Click here to read more about the India booth!

Frozen Pineapple Chipotle Lemonade at Block & Hans

The combination of pineapple and lemonade in this drink was something we don’t see often, and having it in a slush form was a treat on top of a treat. It was, of course, refreshing on a hot day and wasn’t too tart despite the pineapple and the lemon — but it wasn’t too sweet either.

The chili-lime rim was delicious but did get pretty spicy after a while! This isn’t one we’d recommend for kiddos just because of that, but overall we will definitely be getting this again. Maybe next time with vodka!

Read More About Block & Hans at the Festival Here

Braised Beef Poutine at Refreshment Port

The Braised Beef Poutine is made of French fries with braised beef, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese sauce, cheese curds, and gherkin relish and it’s hit with us every year! This time is no different. The french fries are salty and crispy, and the Boursin cheese gets so melty and just smothers the whole thing.

The cheese curds are nice and squeaky and the vinegar from the gherkin relish is exactly what the dish needs!

See Our FULL Refreshment Port Review Here

Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup at Canada

The famous Le Cellier Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup is once again a returning best, of course. It’s hot cheese soup — what’s not to love? It does get a little hard to eat in the hot Florida sun, but it’s the only soup we’d willingly sweat bullets for.

It’s thick and cheesy without being too thick and cheese, if you catch our drift. The bacon adds a nice saltiness and crunch that’s absolutely necessary — because when is bacon NOT necessary?!

Find Out What’s Happening Over at Canada Here

Roasted Lamb Chop at Australia

This is one that’s just a hit for us year after year. The mint pesto and crushed salt and vinegar potato chips on top are such a unique combination, and when eaten with the tender lamb really just make the whole dish come together. Our reporter who tried this dish doesn’t even particularly like lamb, but they love this!

The mint is pretty pronounced, and if you’re not used to that sort of flavor with meat it can be off-putting but it’s a rather popular flavor to combine with lamb especially. Try this one — you might find a new favorite!

See more about the Australia booth right here!

Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham at The Alps

Oh look, it’s…another dish with lots of cheese!! Can you blame us though?! The Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese is an ICONIC dish at the Festival and one we can’t stop recommending! We particularly enjoy the version with Alpine Ham, Baby Potatoes, Cornichons, and Baguette.

This year it once again was a hot, savory snack that felt like a warm, comforting hug. It was also a great portion size, which can really leave you feeling full (in a good way). Grab the Raclette cheese for $5.75 — you can thank us later!

See our review of The Alps here!

Mimosa Flight at Shimmering Sips Hosted by CORKCICLE

If you’re looking for an incredible set of drinks to pick up at the Food & Wine Festival, the Mimosa Flight at Shimmering Sips is one of our picks. We couldn’t go more than 5 minutes without someone asking us where we got this — so just be prepared to make some people jealous around you! This year, you can get a Tropical Mimosa, a Berry Mimosa, and a Blood Orange Mimosa.

And you can get it all for $14!

See more about Shimmering Sips here

Boeuf Bourguignon at France

The Boeuf Bourguignon, Pommes de terre roties is braised short ribs in cabernet with roasted potatoes. It’s one of our favorites every year — though in 2023 it was served with “puffed potatoes” that ended up being tater tots.

This dish was wonderful. It’s really flavorful and melts in your mouth. There was nothing dry about the meat at all. It was very robust and hearty, and we absolutely loved it.

Find our complete review of the France Booth HERE

BEST Plant-Based Dishes of the Fest

IMPOSSIBLE Montreal Style Burger Slider at Flavors from Fire

A new dish over at Flavors from Fire — the IMPOSSIBLE Montreal Style Burger Slider — is served with cheddar cheese and tomato jam on a sesame seed bun. We literally did a happy dance when we tried this! The “burger” was tender and not rubbery which you can sometimes find with plant-based burgers.

The combination of the tomato jam with the salty meat and cheese was a nice addition — it gave the burger a vinegary, pickle-like kick that made us want to get a whole other slider to eat!

IMPOSSIBLE Moussaka at Greece

One of the returning dishes to arrive at the Festival this year is the IMPOSSIBLE Moussaka at the Greece Booth and it was a HIT for us once again. This is sort of like a lasagna/casserole dish with eggplant, the IMPOSSIBLE meat, and more items. The dish was heavy, rich, and felt like its very own mini-meal.

It might not be great on a super hot day (because it is very filling), but it’s hearty, comforting, and the ingredients blend together really well. Plus, we loved the bechamel sauce on top, which was sweet and creamy. It might not slam you with a ton of flavor, but this dish does a great job of being that comforting little casserole you want to tuck into after a long day (and it’ll fill you up!). Get it for $5.50.

Read more about the Greece booth here

Potato and Pea Samosa at India

The Potato and Pea Samosa with Coriander-Lime Cream is a returning dish that has seen some great improvements this year! In the past, we’ve found the dish to be soggy and very spicy. This year, we were surprised by the spice, but the pastry dough was wonderfully crispy and flaky (while the inside was nice and soft). Alright! We have a win!

The coriander lime cream was also a nice touch since it added a sense of freshness to the dish. The peas on the inside added a lot of flavor, but they were on the mushy side so just be aware of that if you don’t love mushy textures. Also, this was a touch salty, but we didn’t mind that all too much. If you’re looking for a flavorful and fun plant-based dish, give this one a try!  You can get it for $5.50.

See more about the India booth here!

CONTROVERSIAL Best of the Fest

These next eats are controversial picks — some of our team LOVES them, others absolutely DETEST them. Where will you stand? You’ll have to read our notes and decide whether they’re worth a buy for yourself. If you do taste them, be sure to come back to this post and drop us a comment with your thoughts!

Griddled Cheese at Greece

At the Greece booth, you’ll find the divisive Griddled Cheese with pistachios and honey. It has made our Best of the Fest list in the past. One time we tried it, we found that it had a great mix of savory and sweet flavors — creamy cheese, sweet honey, and salty pistachios — a nice combo. But 2022 changed things.

In 2022, a different reporter tried the dish and was…not impressed. To them, the flavor was strangely pungent and the honey didn’t mix well, though the pistachios and cheese textures were nice.

Our reporter found the cheese (goat cheese) to be quite rich. Plus, they liked how the honey paired with the cheese, and thought the pistachios added a great crunch and nutty flavor that helped to bring out the cheese flavor even more. Where will you stand on this cheesy treat? You’ll have to try it and find out! Get this dish for $5.

See more about the Greece booth here

STRANGEST Item at the Fest

Pickle Milkshake at Brew-Wing

Y’all, you know we couldn’t make this list without at least mentioning the Pickle Milkshake(!!!) at the Festival! This is a non-alcoholic treat — returning for its second year — and it is…something else.

One of our reporters who tried this said that it was extremely dill-heavy, tangy, and creamy. It had a smooth texture without any chunks, which we think is a good thing? But they noted that as someone who loves pickles, the shake was more of a dill milkshake to them.

On another visit, a separate reporter tried the shake and said that in their opinion the shake tasted like you were drinking from a pickle jar, but with the consistency of ice cream. They described it as “better than you think” and explained that it tasted salty, sour, and briney.

So…yeah…it’s…a pickle shake. Will you love it? Will you hate it? Will you get a batch that has a stronger dill flavor or a stronger pickle flavor? You’ll have to taste it to find out. If you are brave enough to taste it, be sure to drop us a comment with your thoughts ’cause we would love to know how you feel about this!

See more about Brew-Wing here!

Most Surprising Item at the Fest

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake at Earth Eats

We were seriously shocked by how much we enjoyed this! It was light and airy with the perfect amount of lemon icing on top — it wasn’t too sweet and didn’t weight the cake down. It was a great balance between keeping the cake moist without being overpowering.

The lemon wasn’t too strong either, which you can sometimes find with lemon-heavy desserts. We’d definitely recommend this as a nice sweet treat after scarfing down some braised beef.

Read More About Earth Eats Here

BEST Booth of the FEST

Mexico

We loved this both and found every item on here to be Best of the Fest-worthy, which can only mean one thing — it’s our BEST Booth of the Fest this year! We will 100% be returning to the Mexico booth multiple times throughout the festival because the food is just that good. We think the Mexico booth is always good, but this year, it was truly, shockingly good.

We loved the Tostada de Camarones — it was fresh and full of flavor, the Flauta de Barbacoa was rich without being heavy, and the Pan de Elote really surprised us — each was an explosion of flavors that we weren’t expecting but all paired SO well together.

See Our FULL Mexico Booth Review Here

Flavors from Fire — Runner-Up

This booth really has it all — something for the carnivores, something for the plant-based folks, and something for those who like pork in their cocktails. KIDDING, but not really. The Steakhouse Blended Burger here is BOMB and super unique, while the IMPOSSIBLE Montreal-style Slider was delicious no matter what kind of diet you follow.

The Smoked Corned Beef is always a hit, of course, and the Swine Brine cocktail is super fun to prank your friends and family with — and it’s pretty darn delicious, too!

See More of Flavors from Fire by Clicking Here

Bramblewood Bites — Runner-Up

This NEW booth really impressed us! We enjoyed everything we had here. The Grilled Cider-Brined Pork Tenderloin is so juicy and the char from the grill gives it a nice textural thing that just works beautifully. The Grilled Bison tasted like fall, and those Cast Iron-Roasted Brussels Sprouts will be dancing around in our dreams for a while.

We also really enjoyed the Spiced Apple Old Fashioned-inspired cocktail with Boyd & Blair Rum. Typically, old-fashioned cocktails are made with bourbon or whiskey, so this was a new take on a classic drink. We liked the rum because it made the drink a bit sweeter, although we couldn’t really taste the rum. Instead, it just brought out the sweet apple flavor.

Check Out More About Bramblewood Bites!

France — Runner-Up

The France booth is always a hit, which is why it deserves to be a runner-up for Best Booth of the Festival. The new Moelleux aux Oignons Caramélisés et au Fromage de Chèvre is an egg moelleux with goat cheese and caramelized onions. The egg was very fluffy, cloudy, and pillowy (yes we just described eggs as pillowy and we’re sticking with it!).

The escargot was fantastic. It was garlicky and soft. Someone else had described them as “slimy yet satisfying” like Timon on The Lion King, and honestly, that’s a great way to describe them. You also can’t go wrong with the Boeuf Bourguignon! 

Read the FULL Snail Review and More from France Here

The Fry Basket — Runner-Up

Not all of the items at The Fry Basket are necessarily exceptional stand-out dishes, but we do feel like the booth as a whole is one of those you absolutely MUST visit, even if it’s just to get one or two items. The Adobo Yuca Fries are by far our favorites here and are WELL worth your time.

But we can’t deny that the Fry Flight is ICONIC. It comes with Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Fries, BBQ Bacon Fries with smoked aïoli, and Sweet Potato Casserole Fries with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream, and maple bourbon glaze. (Note that you can also order the individual flavors here by request.)

The Sweet Potato Casserole Fries were our favorite fries in the flight, and they really captured the flavors of sweet potato pie in the BEST way possible. Think of them like bite-sized sweet potato casseroles, complete with marshmallow fluff and everything!

The Salt & Vinegar fries were not our favorite here — they were just boring, but probably a “safe” choice for those who don’t want anything too adventurous.

And then there were the BBQ Bacon Fries, which tasted like Lay’s BBQ chips in a great way. They had a nice smoky chipotle flavor going on, which elevated them beyond your basic BBQ taste.

All in all, each individual item at the booth might not blow you away on its own (save for those Yuca Fries), but it’s the kind of booth you just gotta go to because…well…it’s a booth full of FRIES!!! And several of them are quite tasty!

See more about the Fry Basket booth here

Best of the Fest for Kids

Looking for a few dishes the kiddos will love? Here are a few dishes we think little ones will really like trying.

Frozen S’mores at Festival Favorites

Kids will definitely LOVE the Frozen S’mores — it’s a chocolate milkshake with marshmallow syrup topped with mini marshmallows and a graham cracker.

Seriously, what’s not to love here?! It’s sweet, and creamy, and reminds us of sitting by the campfire.

Read Our Full Festival Favorites Review Here

Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce at Germany

First up, we have the classic Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce from Germany. This has been a favorite of ours for years and it did NOT disappoint this year.

The flavors are simple enough that picky eaters won’t be deterred and when mixed with the vanilla sauce it makes for an extra delicious experience. This year, we felt like it really captured that apple pie flavor and the pastry was wonderfully flaky. That all paired with the vanilla sauce well (that sauce was INCREDIBLE by the way). If you have a little one who enjoys apple pie, vanilla sauce, and pastries, this is an easy pick.

Also, note that our reporter fully recommended this one for the main Best of the Fest list. In other words, don’t overlook this just ’cause we put it in the kiddo category. Adults — we think you’ll love this too! Get it for $4.50.

See more about the Germany booth here

Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream at Belgium

Another easy pick for the little ones is the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream. Seriously, a waffle and berries — what’s NOT to love?!

The Berry Compote really carried the team in this dessert this year, and the strawberries were divine! We felt like they were actually some of the freshest berries we’d had at the Festival this year. The waffle was a little plain, but that can actually be a bonus for the kiddos. Overall, for $5, we think it’s a snack little ones will likely gobble up with ease!

Click here for more on the Belgium booth

WOWZERS. That was a LOT of food. Be sure to bring those stretchy pants when visiting EPCOT during this Festival — you’ll need them!

Don’t forget that you’ll have until November 23rd to give these items a try! And as always, check back with us for all the Disney food news you need.

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus
• One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

Click here for a FULL LOOK at the menus for the Food & Wine Festival

Which of these dishes are you most excited to try? Tell us in the comments!

The post EVERYTHING You Need to Eat and Drink at the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival first appeared on the disney food blog.

Wait, so we can eat a bunch of cheese-filled dishes AND win a prize at the end of the cheesy food crawl at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? SIGN US UP!

The 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival has officially started, and there’s so much to do! There are tons of tasty eats to try, souvenirs to purchase and even concerts to watch. But one of our favorite parts about this festival is Emile’s Fromage Montage, or — as we call it –the cheese crawl. Come check it out!

Emile’s Fromage Montage is an EPCOT challenge that only comes around during Food & Wine time. To participate, you’ll buy any 5 of the featured dishes in the “crawl,” and then once you’ve collected the 5 corresponding stamps, you’ll get a special prize. There are lots of items to pick from, but you only need to buy 5 in order to get your prize.

First, pick up a Festival Passport. These are free, and you can grab one at either entrance to EPCOT. (If you don’t see them, ask a Cast Member or stop by guest relations.) Make sure that you get your Festival Passport stamped each time you buy a qualifying item.

The 2024 menu items and locations for Emile’s Fromage Montage are:

• The Alps Marketplace
  Any Warm Swiss Cheese Raclette
• Brazil Marketplace
  Pão de Queijo
• Festival Favorites
  BBQ Pork Rinds (NEW)
• Forest & Field
  Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli (NEW)
• Greece Marketplace
  Griddled Cheese
• Hawaiʻi Marketplace
  Passion Fruit Cheesecake
• Macatizers
  Any Macaroni & Cheese
• Milled and Mulled
  Boursin® Fig & Balsamic Cheesecake (NEW)
• Spain Marketplace
  Spanish Charcuterie
• Germany Marketplace
  Schinkennudeln

First, we tried the new BBQ Pork Rinds at the new booth Festival favorites for $5. Our pork rinds had a great coating of barbecue flavor that was a little hotter than regular barbecue sauce, but still fairly low heat. The cheese was super creamy, greasy, rich, and DELICIOUS. This was our favorite option at Festival Favorites!

Then, we checked out the new Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli at Forest & Fire for $5.25. It’s made with sage-brown butter, pecorino cheese, and hazelnut praline, and it was AWESOME. The pumpkin ravioli itself was good, with a solid amount of sweet pumpkin and mascarpone filling that was pleasant but mild. But, the hazelnut praline just elevated this dish into something else entirely. It’s easily a Best of the Fest contender this year!

Next up, the new Boursin® Fig & Balsamic Cheesecake for $4.75 at Milled and Mulled. Initially, we were somewhat dubious about how fig and balsamic flavors would work with cheesecake flavors, but they all melded together deliciously. We do suggest eating it quickly and in the shade because it will melt in the sun!

Over at the new booth Macatizers, we tried the Truffle Mac & Cheese for $6.50 There are SEVERAL varieties of mac & cheese at this booth, but the Truffle Mac & Cheese really surprised us! The truffle was subtle but adds an interesting textural element — it’s not too overpowering which you sometimes find with truffle.

You can’t go wrong with a charcuterie board in Spain for $6.50! This is a great adult “lunchable.” It features Jamón, Manchego, and pan con tomate, and we enjoyed it.

We’ve had the Griddled Cheese from the Greece pavilion before and this year it costs $5. The cheese was great and ooey gooey! It went so well with the honey and pistachios that are drizzled on top of it.

We also picked up the Passion Fruit Cheesecake at the Hawaiʻi Marketplace for $5. We had this last year, and we continued to enjoy it again this year! It’s served with toasted Macadamia nuts and is light and fluffy.

You can’t do a cheese tour at the Food & Wine Festival without getting the Warm Swiss Cheese Raclette! This is $5.75, and

The last cheese dish we grabbed was the Schinkennudeln from the Germany booth for $5.25. This is always a favorite of ours! You get tons of delicious flavors in a hearty dish, and it is sure to fill you up, so grab it while you’re hungry.

Our passport is full of stamps, so now let’s go to Shimmering Sips to collect our prize! This year, the prize was blueberry cheesecake soft serve with a piece of cheesecake on top served in a souvenir cup featuring Emile himself. Yes, the prize is CHEESE CAKE! We just won at life!

So what do we think? Is the cheese crawl worth the prize? Well, if you love cheese, the answer is “YES!” Who doesn’t need an excuse to eat a TON of cheese and get cheesecake in a fun souvenir cup as a reward? Isn’t that just #lifegoals? So even though we technically paid over $29 for this prize (if you add up the price of all the items in the cheese crawl), we thought it was 100% worth it, especially since we enjoyed all of the items that were in the crawl.

Remember that you don’t have to pick the items that we chose! You can choose from any of the cheesy snacks listed in your Festival Passport that are marked “Emile’s Fromage Montage.”

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus
• One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival!

And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

Are you going to take part in the cheese crawl? Let us know in the comments!

The post We Paid for DESSERT in EPCOT…Was It Worth It? first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disney has released a statement after a false active shooter report at Magic Kingdom on Thursday night led guests to stampede down Main Street in fear and hide in stores and backstage areas.

Disney Releases Statement After Panic at Magic Kingdom

In a statement, a Disney spokesperson said, “We appreciate the immediate response of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to quickly assess and clear the situation. Normal operations have resumed and the park is now closed for the evening.”

Magic Kingdom closed at 10 p.m. on August 29, 2024, and the incident occurred around that time on Main Street or near the Monorail station. After guests shared eyewitness accounts on social media, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office posted on X (formerly Twitter) that a “popping” sound was heard during a fight at the park, which caused guests to panic and spread the rumor of an active shooter. Read the original post below:

ALERT: There is NO active shooter at @WaltDisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. A fight occurred, and a “popping” sound was heard that we believe was a balloon. Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter. pic.twitter.com/TRKLs3NglC

— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) August 30, 2024

We are glad that the situation was handled swiftly and everyone visiting the park this evening is safe.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Disney Releases Statement After False Active Shooter Report at Magic Kingdom appeared first on WDW News Today.