2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival beginning August 31st

[Luxe]

Other than the scattered remnants of future world do people realize they are essentially paying for admission into a large outdoor mall now?

Yet somehow I still love to visit Epcot. Probably because I just like to reminisce about how great it used to be or how much better X attraction was. Although, I still have hope for Epcot(RIP Epcot Center). The world showcase on it's own is pretty fantastic, even though it needs more attractions and no, I don't mean 360 video. If the rest of the park gets some serious work and they build some worthwhile attractions it will be a fantastic park. For now it's just a glorified shopping mall. Even my local mall has a comparable variety of food cultures(Japanese/Thai/American/Greek/Italian/French/Mediterranean).

 

[JohnD]

Keeps getting longer and longer.

Here is the full lineup for the festivals in 2017
http://www.wdwmagic.com/events.htm

You left out the F&G festival

 

[alissafalco]

Drunkytown strikes again!

 

[aladdin2007]

Drunkytown strikes again!

yep and that issue has been getting worse

 

[sshindel]

Other than the scattered remnants of future world do people realize they are essentially paying for admission into a large outdoor mall now?

It's a highly themed food court with a massive cover charge. And alcohol.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I think it's going to start to effect the characters making the event that long....

 

[jt04]

Let's see.

2017 Festival of the Arts - 24 days
2017 Flower and Garden - 90 days
2017 Food and Wine - 75 days
2017 Holidays around the World - 34 days

223 days of special events.
61% of the year

It's now more of an "event" to be in the park on a non-event day.

Gotta click those turnstiles and ring those registers. Disney knows they've let Epcot rot for so long nobody would show up if they didn't have Special Events.

Think of it as funding for Epcot 2.0. Because that is probably the case.

 

[monothingie]

Think of it as funding for Epcot 2.0. Because that is probably the case.

So all the festivals will net TWDC the hundreds of millions to create Epcot 2.0? Please stop. Don't do this on this thread.

 

[monothingie]

I think it's going to start to effect the characters making the event that long....

TDO is converting one of the Epcot resorts to a rehab and detox center as we speak.

 

[csmat99]

Think of it as funding for Epcot 2.0. Because that is probably the case.

Good to see you still spitting out your nonsense. Disney has killed what used to be a beautiful place. A place you could go and enjoy a nice relaxful time. Now it's so crowded during F&W you just wait in lines and deal with obnoxious people. You pay higher prices for worse food, beer and wine. All the money Disney makes off adding dates to F&W is not going to improve Epcot it's going in their pockets. Disney acts like a person who after years of being good and staying away from drugs got their first hit and can't stop themselves. There will be a time even the pixie dusters won't come anymore.

 

[monothingie]

Good to see you still spitting out your nonsense. Disney has killed what used to be a beautiful place. A place you could go and enjoy a nice relaxful time. Now it's so crowded during F&W you just wait in lines and deal with obnoxious people. You pay higher prices for worse food, beer and wine. All the money Disney makes off adding dates to F&W is not going to improve Epcot it's going in their pockets. Disney acts like a person who after years of being good and staying away from drugs got their first hit and can't stop themselves. There will be a time even the pixie dusters won't come anymore.

The main reason is also to boost attendance numbers, which without the festivals would be terrible. The festivals act as a cheap revenue positive ways of bringing people in. Unfortunately like you said Disney can't control themselves, and by expanding all these festivals they are watering down the impact of them. Expect festival fatigue to set in within the next year or two.

The pixie dusters will probably never get it. Sadly, in some of the threads you can see them post about wearing stretch pants in order to eat all the "yummy" food. They are a hopeless bunch.

 

[ToTBellHop]

The main reason is also to boost attendance numbers, which without the festivals would be terrible. The festivals act as a cheap revenue positive ways of bringing people in. Unfortunately like you said Disney can't control themselves, and by expanding all these festivals they are watering down the impact of them. Expect festival fatigue to set in within the next year or two.

The pixie dusters will probably never get it. Sadly, in some of the threads you can see them post about wearing stretch pants in order to eat all the "yummy" food. They are a hopeless bunch.

I must be hopeless, then, because I still find F&W food to be good, though pricey.

Obviously, Epcot is in a sorry state, but I don't think having lots of festivals at a permanent Worlds Fair is a bad thing. Dare to dream, one day they could have festivals AND world-class attractions.

 

[Musicman20]

I love F&W. I don't have children, so I don't worry so much about the crowds. I just enjoy the food/drink/park/sun and take it easy.

Some GREAT beer in 2016!

 

[monothingie]

I must be hopeless, then, because I still find F&W food to be good, though pricey.

Obviously, Epcot is in a sorry state, but I don't think having lots of festivals at a permanent Worlds Fair is a bad thing. Dare to dream, one day they could have festivals AND world-class attractions.

You don't think they could overdue it, and people get tired of it. Festival fatigue? What was once something unique and limited, is now year round and common.

 

[mouse_luv]

 

[JohnD]

I think it's going to start to effect the characters making the event that long....

That's just wrong in a hilarious sort of way. LOL!

 

[JohnD]

I must be hopeless, then, because I still find F&W food to be good, though pricey.

Obviously, Epcot is in a sorry state, but I don't think having lots of festivals at a permanent Worlds Fair is a bad thing. Dare to dream, one day they could have festivals AND world-class attractions.

I don't mind the festivals. The problem is drawing them out so that they are no longer special events. Now it's just show up and wonder what festival-themed kiosk is open to get food and drink.

At least with Holidays Around the World, you have the different storytellers. I always found that interesting. There is also Joyful and Candlelight Processional.

 

[Otterhead]

I must be hopeless, then, because I still find F&W food to be good, though pricey.

What my friends and I do is to use the meal plan and convert counter-service meals to three snacks at F&W booths. Getting, say, three steaks at Canada for one counter-service credit makes things a lot less pricey

 

[rael ramone]

I guess Chappie was just kidding when he said Epcot was going to be more family friendly...

 

[Pi on my Cake]

I feel like adding the art festival and extending this are to meet demand. It's soooo packed during food and wine. Maybe this will spread the crowds out a bit. And as far as festivals going on constantly, I'm theory I like it. I've always seen Epcot as almost like a world's fair theme park, so festivals make sense. The key is making the different festivals unique and not just all mini food and wines. I'm fine with food booths (I don't use em, but they're well liked and unobtrusive), but good shouldn't be the focus of any other than food and wine. Flower and Garden is about the topiaries. Holidays is about Christmas stories and stuff. Art thing is about art. And food and wine is focused on foodies. If each festival is unique, I like it, as long as their involvement in future world in minimal. AND as long as this is in addition to fixing up epcot and not instead of it.