If you know anything about us, you know that The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is our JAM! This year Disney is bringing back more offerings than we saw at last year’s modified Taste of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, and we seriously cannot wait!

There are many things to love about the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, but there are some things in particular that we are especially excited about. So, here is the BEST news that you can look forward to if you visit the festival this year!

New Booths Galore!

We typically see some booth additions every year, but this year we are getting EIGHT new booths that will bring some tasty new eats! The first and, in our opinion, most exciting booth this year is The Noodle Exchange. We have our eyes on the two pho dishes being served here! If you know anything about us, you know that we LOVE some noodles (shout out to ‘Ohana), and this is one we cannot wait to try out.

Disney is also introducing the Tangerine Café: Flavors of the Medina booth and the Rotunda Bistro. At the Tangerine Café booth, you will be able to pick up some new Mediterranean dishes including Falafel, and we’re excited about this unique option! Rotunda Bistro will be located in the American Pavilion, and will feature some new seafood dishes like a Chilled Smoked Shrimp Salad. 

The next two booths are The Swanky Saucy Swine, and Brew-Wing at the EPCOT Experience. The Swanky Saucy Swine booth is going to feature different dishes and iterations on how to enjoy pork! One of the dishes featured at this booth is the Crispy Pig Ear Salad, and we are intrigued to see what that is all about! Brew-Wing is exactly what it sounds like! It will feature chicken wings tossed in different sauces as well as a myriad of beers and hard ciders to enjoy.

The last two new booths making their debut this year are Lobster Landing and Mac & Eats — both are located near Mission: SPACE and do not open until October 1st.  Lobster Landing is going to feature three (you guessed it) lobster dishes with the Baked Lobster Dip making us salivate pretty hard. Mac and Eats is going to feature four Mac and Cheese dishes, and if you know us at all you know we are looking forward to this booth. Noodles and cheese — what more could you want?

The Kenya booth is also new, however it is the renamed Africa booth from previous years. There are plenty of new booths coming to the festival, and we can’t wait for opening day on July 15th to try the new dishes!

Get More Information on the 8 New Booths Coming to the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

The Return of The Cheese Crawl!

Speaking of cheese, Emile’s Fromage Montage is returning this year and this is some exciting news for cheese-lovers! The menu items for the crawl have been released, and there are some fan-favorites making a return this year!

One of the fan favorites making a return that we are excited to try is the Griddled Cheese with Pistachios and Honey in Greece. This one was super popular when it was around before the pandemic and we hope it is just as good as we remember.

If you’re a big fan of cheese, then you’ll certainly want to take a look at Emile’s Fromage Montage when the festival begins! When you complete the cheese crawl, you win a bonus edible prize. A free prize for eating 5 cheesy snacks? Yes, please!

Click here to learn more about the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Cheese Crawl

Drinking Even MORE Around the World

A term that some folks like to use when visiting EPCOT is “Drinking Around the World”. This is where you make your way around the World Showcase and enjoy an adult beverage from every pavilion you pass.

For new festival-goers and long-time fans alike, the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival makes this even better! You will find a much larger selection of local and smaller micro-breweries as well as specialty cocktails to enjoy during this year’s festival. Take a look at all of the drinks you can grab during the festival HERE.

Check out the FULL menus for this year’s EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!

Allergy-Friendly Options Aplenty!

Disney World has been very good about providing allergy-friendly menu items as well as making accommodations to dishes for guests with certain dietary restrictions. In the past, we have seen the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival be a place where fewer accommodations can be made, but this year it appears there is an abundance of allergy-friendly food items. Specifically, we have seen an increase in Gluten-Free menu items on all released menus for the festival.

In 2019, we saw 13 gluten-free items, and last year we only saw 7 gluten-free items. However, this year, there are OVER 25 gluten-free dishes at the festival! If you are a gluten-free eater, you’ll have plenty of dishes to choose from at this year’s festival!

Here is a FULL List of the Gluten-Free Menu Items at the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Live Music is BACK!

While the fan-favorite Eat to the Beat Concert Series seems to not be returning this year, we do have something coming in its place! The America Gardens Bandstand Concert Series has been announced alongside the list of performers for the festival.

• July 16 to 19: Epic! Live
• July 23 to 26: Champagne Orchestra
• July 30 to August 2: Element
• August 6 to 9: Sound Society
• August 13 to 16: The Hooligans
• August 20 to 23: The Vybe
• August 27 to 30: The M-80s
• September 3 to 6: Latin Ambition
• September 10 to 13: Audio Exchange
• September 17 to 20: The Hooligans
• September 24 to 27: Epic! Live

While most people think of food when they think about the festival we are VERY excited about this live entertainment returning!

Not only are local bands making appearances on the stage, but some fan-favorite EPCOT entertainment will be performing during the festival! We’re looking at you Voices of Liberty, Mariachi El Cobre, and the Jammin’ Chefs!

Get more details on the America Gardens Bandstand Concert Series

The Return of Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak!

With the opening of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure just around the corner, there is another exciting activity that is returning and it’s perfect for the WHOLE family! Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak is a scavenger hunt where you look for little statuettes of Remy located all over EPCOT.

This is a fun and inexpensive way to keep those kiddos entertained while the parents CHOW DOWN! In the past, you have been able to purchase the map from Port of Entry, Mouse Gear, or World Traveler (located at International Gateway) for 7.99.

We’ve seen a variety of prizes for finishing this scavenger hunt, so we’re looking forward to checking out this year’s prizes!

Click here for more details on Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak

We are SO excited to see what else the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival has to offer, and we cannot wait to bring you updates on every single aspect of it! Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on The 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! 

Check Out Our FREE DFB Printable for All the Food Booths at the 2021 Food and Wine Festival!

 

What are you MOST excited about for the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The BEST NEWS About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival This Year! first appeared on the disney food blog.