Food and Wine Festival "Ruins" Disney World Experience, Drunks Take Over

Walt Disney World Resort guests are fed up with drunkenness at EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival.

EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival

This cuisine-focused annual event is the most popular of EPCOT’s limited-time festivals, far outperforming the International Flower and Garden Festival, Festival of the Holidays, and Festival of the Arts. Participate in the Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak or Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit scavenger hunts, enjoy an Eat to the Beat concert, and purchase merchandise inspired by Figment and other Disney/Pixar favorites.

Around EPCOT World Showcase, World Discovery, and World Celebration, try alcoholic beverages and culinary innovations from the following booths: The Alps, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brew-Wing, Bubbles & Brine, Canada, Char & Chop, China, Coastal Eats, Flavors of America, Flavors From Fire, France, The Fry Basket, Germany, Greece, Hawai’i, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, The Noodle Exchange, Refreshment Outpost, Refreshment Port, Shimmering Sips, Spain, Swirled Showcase, Tangerine Cafe: Flavors of Medina, and Wine & Wedge.

Drunk Antics

Despite Food and Wine’s immense popularity, some Walt Disney World Resort guests dislike its focus on alcohol consumption. Amid widespread complaints about a “drinking culture” at Disney Parks, drinking around the World Showcase during food and wine is the latest cause of fan frustration.

“Food and Wine festival ruins the EPCOT experience,” said Reddit user u/lil_chef77. “It draws the absolute worst demographic of people into the world showcase.”

“The other day I stood in line to get Egg Rolls and a beer in China,” they continued. “The entire time I was standing there the group behind me was just atrocious. ‘Beer from China sucks! Why do people bring their kids to EPCOT! I’ll never understand it. Yo, look at those h*es dressed like princesses…’ it felt like the longest wait in history.”

“I wish I could say that was an isolated incident, but it was far from it,” the guest said. “I would talk to the cast members and joke about it and they would roll their eyes and laugh, but generally they all looked pretty miserable with having to deal with the sort of thing on a daily basis.”

Hundreds of Disney Parks fans agreed and recalled similar experiences at EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival.

“I think people need to remember that while being drunk isn’t illegal, being drunk and disorderly is,” u/galrafloof agreed. “I watched a large group in Reflections of China that were obviously very drunk and shouting at everything. After a bit, EPCOT security stepped in and took them away.”

“I personally think alcohol [shouldn’t] even be allowed at Disney,” u/romantanon said.

“As a [cast member] I feel that it needs to be shorter but unfortunately it only seems to be getting longer,” u/billiedee_benoit replied. “A lot of the bad apples only come for Food & Wine… Literally got cussed out by drunk guest today around closing time.”

“Do not go to EPCOT during fall on weekends,” u/thatdudenute warned. “Friday and Saturday typically have [out-of-control] local drunks vomiting, being belligerent. There’s a reason that park closes at 9… I saw people falling over wasted. I try my absolute best now to never be there on Saturday. This year on Friday wasn’t that bad until after 7pm. It’s a good event, but yes it can attract some total clowns who think they are at their local bar carrying on with all adults when they are surrounded by families with kids.”

Have you attended the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.

Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.