Halloween party....
Food & Drunk festival....
I agree. MNSSHP is pretty cool. If you go to this, go for the parade, fireworks, decorations, etc. Don't go just because you think the lines for the rides will be shorter. You're there for the party. Enjoy it.
F&W? I've geen to it a few times and I don't get it. It has a huge following and I'm just one man.
My thoughts:
Wine tasting: I found it kind of interesting. I thought that the presentation was good. I found that there were a number of people in the audience who were there for the snobbish aspect. It felt like, "Look at me! I can detect a hint of seaweed in this California Merlot - Napa Valley, if I'm detecting the trace amount of minerals correctly." Granted, it's not my thing. It just seemed like the folks doing that sort of thing were more into it for the attention it got them than the appreciation of what they were into. I've seen the same thing with people and beer. I don't need to dissect beer or wine or a soda to know "I like this" or "I don't like that." When I've seen people who's job it is to quality control the drink that their company is producing, they don't get nearly as into it as these audience members. They'll tell you what they're looking for and whether it meets the spec or not and that's about it.
Chef demonstrations: These are cool and tasty. The thing is, it's like watching the food channel with nearly any show except Good Eats. Good Eats described what was happening and you learned something. I've made things from Good Eats. With these chef demonstrations I don't feel like I'm learning anything or will ever make that dish at home. It's like watching the cooking shows on the Food network where you're really just watching someone cook with some lighthearted talk. You'll never make this when you get home.
Food, wine, and beer kiosks: These generally struck me as expensive fast-food like samples. This is the problem with these food festivals to me. You're buying odd samples and never really enjoying a meal. Further, a lot of it really isn't that good. The wine and beer is mostly what you'll find at your local grocery store. So none of this adds up to some exotic new flavor, food or drink, that you're experiencing. It's just odd little fast-food like samples.
So, for me, I don't get it and I avoid Epcot when I'm there and it's happening. I don't fault anyone who enjoys it, or the wine tastings, or any of the rest of it. You have a good time. It's just not my thing.