2020 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival - Has Now Ended.

O.K. everyone, I am going between September 16th and October 5th...my husband and I LOVE the Food and Wine festival so that's about the time we go every time we can. Do you think that the festival will go on as planned this year? how would they work the crowds and food stations? I gotta say, I'm a little worried.
 
I think a lot will depend on what happens this summer.
I'd hate to see it get scaled back alot, but could see that happen.
Even wondered about the concerts and the food and wine pairing meals.
We can just hope for the best.
 
My concern is if all are required to wear masks while in the park, that won't lend itself well to eating, drinking and strolling through EPCOT. I'm scheduled near the end of the festival in November. My fingers and toes are crossed.
 
BTW, I just noticed on the food blog that .38 Special has been added to the Eat to the Beat concert series in the last few days, I check almost daily, so the planning goes on.

Bill From PA

I have seen them a couple of times at the F&WF. They are one of my favorites. They still sound amazing and I love their songs.
 


My concern is if all are required to wear masks while in the park, that won't lend itself well to eating, drinking and strolling through EPCOT. I'm scheduled near the end of the festival in November. My fingers and toes are crossed.

If it is still at the point where we HAVE to wear masks, then the parks are not going to be open.
 
Not necessarily. Iger proposed that they may require guests to wear masks when the parks reopen.

Wearing masks is a great way to protect a person. But until all of the hospitals are stocked with what they need, using a mask just to go to an amusement park is frivolous. If it is still bad enough that we need to wear a mask, then the parks should not be open.
 


Wearing masks is a great way to protect a person. But until all of the hospitals are stocked with what they need, using a mask just to go to an amusement park is frivolous. If it is still bad enough that we need to wear a mask, then the parks should not be open.

I don't think they're going to require medical grade masks. Cotton cloth masks are effective for the average person and can be made at home. And they don't protect you from other people, their intent is to protect other people from YOUR germs. This virus spreads when people don't even realize they have it and show no symptoms. So the masks keep your germs in to protect the people you come in contact with.

Asian cities have completely normalized mask wearing in public. I can totally see that making its way into American culture. Feel sick? Wear a mask to prevent you from spreading your germs to someone else. High flu season? Wear a mask just in case you're a silent carrier to protect your community. Hubby and I were actually talking about fabric masks becoming the next big wave of fast fashion.
 
I don't think they're going to require medical grade masks. Cotton cloth masks are effective for the average person and can be made at home. And they don't protect you from other people, their intent is to protect other people from YOUR germs. This virus spreads when people don't even realize they have it and show no symptoms. So the masks keep your germs in to protect the people you come in contact with.

Asian cities have completely normalized mask wearing in public. I can totally see that making its way into American culture. Feel sick? Wear a mask to prevent you from spreading your germs to someone else. High flu season? Wear a mask just in case you're a silent carrier to protect your community. Hubby and I were actually talking about fabric masks becoming the next big wave of fast fashion.

I completely understand why it is important to wear masks, and that it is to mostly keep others safe from you. I am saying that people in this culture are not willing to sacrifice their comfort to maybe protect others. Especially someplace where it is extremely hot and you are out in the heat for hours on end. I went to see my grandmother in the facility that she lives in and had to wear a mask. They keep the whole building a 82 degrees and by the time I walked from the main door, down the hallway and into her room, my face was already sweating under the mask and I felt like I was just breathing in my own hot breath. It is miserable. I can see more people wearing them out and about during cold and flu seasons. But there is no way that everyone is going to be wearing masks for 12 hour days at WDW in the summer time. People will be passing out.
 
I completely understand why it is important to wear masks, and that it is to mostly keep others safe from you. I am saying that people in this culture are not willing to sacrifice their comfort to maybe protect others. Especially someplace where it is extremely hot and you are out in the heat for hours on end. I went to see my grandmother in the facility that she lives in and had to wear a mask. They keep the whole building a 82 degrees and by the time I walked from the main door, down the hallway and into her room, my face was already sweating under the mask and I felt like I was just breathing in my own hot breath. It is miserable. I can see more people wearing them out and about during cold and flu seasons. But there is no way that everyone is going to be wearing masks for 12 hour days at WDW in the summer time. People will be passing out.

While I know your statement that people aren't willing to sacrifice their comfort is true, that really saddens me. It says a lot of bad things about the culture of this country and how far it has fallen.

As far as requiring masks in the parks - there is already talk about that being the requirement in Shanghai when it reopens, and Shanghai experiences very similar muggy, hot summers. If it can happen there without people passing out, then there is precedent for it happening here. But it DOES mean people would have to adjust their expectations against what is best for the greater good, which goes back around to your first, disappointing truth.
 
[...] And they don't protect you from other people, their intent is to protect other people from YOUR germs. [...]

Asian cities have completely normalized mask wearing in public. I can totally see that making its way into American culture. Feel sick? Wear a mask to prevent you from spreading your germs to someone else. High flu season? Wear a mask just in case you're a silent carrier to protect your community.

This is what I've tried to explain to people for years. True also now: masks are to keep you from getting others sick, not to keep you from getting sick.

I got into the practice of wearing a mask when I didn't feel well about a decade ago. My husband and I were in talks of spending a few years in Japan, where wearing a mask when unwell in public is not only normalized, but expected - it is your responsibility as a sick person to be courteous of those around you. It made good sense to me. This was also around the time my dad's health began failing, so if I visited my parents when I was sick, I wore a mask. People looked at me very strangely, like who is this weirdo wearing a mask in public?

That is one thing I hope really is normalized - and by normalized, I don't mean any time someone sees someone wearing a mask they freak out. I mean genuinely normalized, where it is accepted that sometimes you have to go out when you're ill, but you can at least be courteous of others in the process. A mask should say "don't be afraid, but also maintain a healthy distance right now because I am not well."
 
We are hoping to go for the first time this year! We too are anxiously waiting for the dates to be announced! We are going the end of August into September.
Is one day at the festival enough? We are thinking of adding on another epcot day.
I think you need two days at the festival if a lot of the food & wine offerings appeal to you! Even though we were splitting a dish between two adults, we got full pretty quick and didn't get to try everything on our list!
 
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I have seen them a couple of times at the F&WF. They are one of my favorites. They still sound amazing and I love their songs.
We saw them last year and really enjoyed their set enough to watch the second show as well. Saw them years ago in concert and they haven't lost anything.
 
When does detailed info usually come out? I'm sure "usual" is more difficult this year...
Usually details come out in April. They publish the full list of booths and events in June-ish.

This year is going to be tough to call - until we know when a phased reopening of the parks and resorts are happening for regular guests, it'll be impossible to know if/when they'll be able to start announcing big crowd events like F&W.
 
When does detailed info usually come out? I'm sure "usual" is more difficult this year...

The first post in this thread has the dates various things were announced or released last year. But as you point out, there’s nothing typical about this year so who knows.
 
I think you need two days at the festival if a lot of the food & wine offerings appeal to you! Even though we were splitting a dish between two adults, we got full pretty quick and didn't get to try everything on our list!
Would agree, it would be very difficult to do the festival in one day.
We are there for 3 days. But we also do 1-2 noon Food and Wine pairing meals which take up several hours on those days.
 
I think you need two days at the festival if a lot of the food & wine offerings appeal to you! Even though we were splitting a dish between two adults, we got full pretty quick and didn't get to try everything on our list!
Agreed with this. I went with my husband, who is used to eating 2000 calories in one meal, and even with him we couldn't get through more than 9-10 booths.
 

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