Epcot Food & Wine Festival = Booze Fest

[Sundown]

I was excited to go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. I like my local festivals where I can grab a beer & some food, like town-day celebration or Oktoberfest. I read about the different opinions of the F&W experience here, but wanted to make my own opinion.

And sadly it was not a good experience. The realization came upon me slowly as I did a normal journey through the World Showcase. It dawned on me how many people were there just to drink. I laughed a bit and told myself they should just call it the "People Walking Around With Drinks In Their Hands Festival".
And it was apparent they were not there to enjoy the park, it's design, it's showcases, and rides vs. drinking. That is what hit me the most...seeing this at a Disney park where you are usually among other guest who have the same agenda to experience the park.

And there were the drunks...

1.) Couldn't quite believe this one. There was a large/macho guy in the Japanese pavilion...I kid you not, wearing a bluetooth speaker on his belt and blasting Spanish rap music, while his group of friends (girls & guys) were having a great time drinking on the steps. Oh, and they were all Americans, not foreigners where "perhaps" it could be a not-knowing-it's-bad-form-thing. They showed no respect for the showcase, it's atmosphere, and the Japanese music and most importantly....other guest's experiences. Was really sad to see. And it was also sad to see that no cast-member asked them to stop.

2.) At the end of the night an intoxicated woman kept speaking to a Vietnamese woman, who spoke limited English. The intoxicated woman was telling her how much she loved Vietnamese food and culture and continued to mention all the food, etc...none of which was Vietnamese. And it continued the entire bus ride.

So I'm glad I experienced it once, so I know not to ever go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival again. Just wanted to type out my thoughts about my experience. I think if you are on vacation as a break from normal life, you may be annoyed to see so many people there that aren't there for same reasons you are.

 

[epcotisbest]

I was excited to go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. I like my local festivals where I can grab a beer & some food, like town-day celebration or Oktoberfest. I read about the different opinions of the F&W experience here, but wanted to make my own opinion.

And sadly it was not a good experience. The realization came upon me slowly as I did a normal journey through the World Showcase. It dawned on me how many people were there just to drink. I laughed a bit and told myself they should just call it the "People Walking Around With Drinks In Their Hands Festival".
And it was apparent they were not there to enjoy the park, it's design, it's showcases, and rides vs. drinking. That is what hit me the most...seeing this at a Disney park where you are usually among other guest who have the same agenda to experience the park.

And there were the drunks...

1.) Couldn't quite believe this one. There was a large/macho guy in the Japanese pavilion...I kid you not, wearing a bluetooth speaker on his belt and blasting Spanish rap music, while his group of friends (girls & guys) were having a great time drinking on the steps. They showed no respect for the showcase, it's atmosphere, and the Japanese music and most importantly....other guest's experiences. Was really sad to see.

2.) At the end of the night an intoxicated woman kept speaking to a Vietnamese woman, who spoke limited English. The intoxicated woman was telling her how much she loved Vietnamese food and culture and continued to mention all the food, etc...none of which was Vietnamese. And it continued the entire bus ride.

So I'm glad I experienced it once, so I know not to ever go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival again. Just wanted to type out my thoughts about my experience. I think if you are on vacation as a break from normal life, you may be annoyed to see so many people there that aren't there for same reasons you are.

The defenders of drunken Epcot excess will be along soon enough to tell you to lighten up and that stuff like this does not happen at Epcot.
We quit going to F&W years ago after witnessing behavior that belongs nowhere near a theme park.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I was excited to go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. I like my local festivals where I can grab a beer & some food, like town-day celebration or Oktoberfest. I read about the different opinions of the F&W experience here, but wanted to make my own opinion.

And sadly it was not a good experience. The realization came upon me slowly as I did a normal journey through the World Showcase. It dawned on me how many people were there just to drink. I laughed a bit and told myself they should just call it the "People Walking Around With Drinks In Their Hands Festival".
And it was apparent they were not there to enjoy the park, it's design, it's showcases, and rides vs. drinking. That is what hit me the most...seeing this at a Disney park where you are usually among other guest who have the same agenda to experience the park.

And there were the drunks...

1.) Couldn't quite believe this one. There was a large/macho guy in the Japanese pavilion...I kid you not, wearing a bluetooth speaker on his belt and blasting Spanish rap music, while his group of friends (girls & guys) were having a great time drinking on the steps. They showed no respect for the showcase, it's atmosphere, and the Japanese music and most importantly....other guest's experiences. Was really sad to see.

2.) At the end of the night an intoxicated woman kept speaking to a Vietnamese woman, who spoke limited English. The intoxicated woman was telling her how much she loved Vietnamese food and culture and continued to mention all the food, etc...none of which was Vietnamese. And it continued the entire bus ride.

So I'm glad I experienced it once, so I know not to ever go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival again. Just wanted to type out my thoughts about my experience. I think if you are on vacation as a break from normal life, you may be annoyed to see so many people there that aren't there for same reasons you are.

Unfortunately we kinda have moved in this direction as an American Society. For years studies have indicated the binge drinking is on the rise with older people, and I feel like alchohol, and I mean hard alchohol appears at more places from ballgames to now MK. I would not care as much but you need to police it.

 

[baskinthemagic]

Come on everyone...You know the tune!! Sing along with me!!

E.P.C.O.T.
(To the tune of Village People's YMCA)

Young man, there's no need to feel down
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground
I said, young man, 'cause you're in Drunky- town
There's no need to be unhappy

Young man, there's a place you can go
I said, young man, where you’ll spend lots of dough
You can stay there, at least until 9
By then you’ll sure feel so fine!

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

They have every drink so all imbibers enjoy
Parents hide all your good girls and boys

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

You can drink yourself sick, you can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel

Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, come go drinkin’ with me
I said, young man, you can drink ‘round the world
But you got to know this one thing

No man should do it all by himself
I said, young man, no fun in pride of yourself
And just go there, to E.P.C.O.T.
Start now and drink all day with me

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

They have every drink so all imbibers enjoy
So parents hide your good girls and boys

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

You can drink yourself sick, you can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel

I said Young man, is that puke on your shoes?
I said, I see, that you’re all black-n-blue
And I sure see, scooter tracks across you
and a black eye. What. Did. You. Do?

That's when someone came up to me
And said, young man, can I buy you a drink?
Such a great place, called E.P.C.O.T
The next drink’s just 10 feet from me

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

They have every drink so all imbibers enjoy
So parents hide your good girls and boys

E.P.C.O.T you’ll find me at E.P.C.O.T

Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down
Young man, young man, pick yourself off the ground

E.P.C.O.T. It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

Young man, young man, are you listening to me
Young man, young man, what do you wanna drink?

E.P.C.O.T., you'll find it E.P.C.O.T.

No man should do it all by himself
I said, young man, no fun in pride of yourself
E.P.C.O.T. and just go drink at E.P.C.O.T.

Young man, young man go mop off your shoes
Young man, young man yak in one bush or two, E.P.C.O.T.

 

[Sundown]

Pretty funny, baskinthemagic.

 

[ppete1975]

The problem is its not policed enough. I dont mean cast members either. A few off duty but still uniformed police (who are much more polite and professional than most security officers) walking around would do alot. Just walking around not hasslimg people, but people ing, puking, etc should be approached and quietly escorted out. Not everyone hsving fun but your Bluetooth friends, need to go.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

Reason #45 why the magic is waning.

You can find this type of behavior at any food related festival. I don't sympathize with it and think it's disgusting, but I don't struggle ignoring it and enjoying the things I care to enjoy.

 

[BoardWalkin']

Great, now I have the Village People stuck in my head.
The OP even mentions a "macho guy", maybe he should have said "Macho Man"

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

May I ask what day of the week you went? This behavior is supposedly worst on Friday and Saturday nights, and least bad on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but I've never tested it...

 

[Mickey5150]

I'm not going to defend the behavior but I was there for 8 days in October and never saw any bad drunken behavior. Does it happen? Yes, but sometimes people like to think every person in Epcot is hammered and that's not the case.

 

[pax_65]

I love the F&W festival and have gone for many years. But I'm also astonished at how drunk some people get. People, this is not a place to get hammered. First and foremost because it's a theme park and families are present. But also... it is a really, really expensive place to get drunk. I mean even if you have a pass already so you're not paying the $99 entrance fee, the cost of alcohol is comparable to a major league sporting event (also a bad place to get drunk, but many people do).

To build on the OP point, the food and beverages are a nice way to add to your appreciation of each pavilion. Getting drunk shouldn't be the primary focus.

 

[networkpro]

I was excited to go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. I like my local festivals where I can grab a beer & some food, like town-day celebration or Oktoberfest. I read about the different opinions of the F&W experience here, but wanted to make my own opinion.
.

Mein Freund, du hast wirklich kein Oktoberfest in München erlebt, wenn du nicht viele betrunkene Leute gesehen hast. Es ist die Hauptattraktion, die Epcot nicht zusammenbringen kann. Jedes der 14 Hauptzelte fasst 1 bis 1000 Personen. Typische Übertreibung und falsche Äquivalenz. Diese Art von dummem Argument bekommt meine Ziege.

 

[epcotisbest]

I'm not going to defend the behavior but I was there for 8 days in October and never saw any bad drunken behavior. Does it happen? Yes, but sometimes people like to think every person in Epcot is hammered and that's not the case.

Don't think I have ever read anywhere that people like to think every person in Epcot is hammered. Mostly what I have read and experienced myself is there are some whose behavior makes the experience less enjoyable for others.

 

[epcotisbest]

I've personally felt this year's festival has been policed much better than previous. Frequenting the park every week for the event, I've noticed fewer instances of idiots who can't hold their booze. Sorry you had an unpleaseant experience.

That is good to hear.

 

[larryz]

If every booth made their drinks like Mexico's, you wouldn't see crowds of people "staggering about"...




They'd be laid out on the walkways, floating face-down in the waterways, and being carted off in ambulances. The "Ay Caramba" is appropriately named.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

View attachment 324332

Come on everyone...You know the tune!! Sing along with me!!

E.P.C.O.T.
(To the tune of Village People's YMCA)

Young man, there's no need to feel down
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground
I said, young man, 'cause you're in Drunky- town
There's no need to be unhappy

Young man, there's a place you can go
I said, young man, where you’ll spend lots of dough
You can stay there, at least until 9
By then you’ll sure feel so fine!

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

They have every drink so all imbibers enjoy
Parents hide all your good girls and boys

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

You can drink yourself sick, you can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel

Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, come go drinkin’ with me
I said, young man, you can drink ‘round the world
But you got to know this one thing

No man should do it all by himself
I said, young man, no fun in pride of yourself
And just go there, to E.P.C.O.T.
Start now and drink all day with me

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

They have every drink so all imbibers enjoy
So parents hide your good girls and boys

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

You can drink yourself sick, you can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel

I said Young man, is that puke on your shoes?
I said, I see, that you’re all black-n-blue
And I sure see, scooter tracks across you
and a black eye. What. Did. You. Do?

That's when someone came up to me
And said, young man, can I buy you a drink?
Such a great place, called E.P.C.O.T
The next drink’s just 10 feet from me

It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.
It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

They have every drink so all imbibers enjoy
So parents hide your good girls and boys

E.P.C.O.T you’ll find me at E.P.C.O.T

Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down
Young man, young man, pick yourself off the ground

E.P.C.O.T. It's fun to drink at E.P.C.O.T.

Young man, young man, are you listening to me
Young man, young man, what do you wanna drink?

E.P.C.O.T., you'll find it E.P.C.O.T.

No man should do it all by himself
I said, young man, no fun in pride of yourself
E.P.C.O.T. and just go drink at E.P.C.O.T.

Young man, young man go mop off your shoes
Young man, young man yak in one bush or two, E.P.C.O.T.

THAT was the post of the YEAR!!! Thanks!!! LMAO

 

[Horizons '83]

The Arts Festival is much more tolerable in my mind if you can swing going January or February I'd recommend it.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

We learned a very important lesson about the F & W festival about 4 years ago (and WE LOVE the festival), if you're there for the week, it's best to stay out of Epcot on the weekends...i.e. Friday thru Sunday. When we were there, there were SCORES of large groups 10 or more/group with matching t-shirts that said things like "drinking my way thru Disney in the Disney font, making total A***S out of themselves. And we're not talking about twenty somethings, we're talking about noodnicks in their 40's & 50's. After that, we made it a point to avoid world showcase at ALL costs during the weekends.

 

[Minthorne]

How does one afford to get drunk at F&W? With the prices I'd have to take a 2nd mortgage!

 

[jloucks]

I was excited to go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. I like my local festivals where I can grab a beer & some food, like town-day celebration or Oktoberfest. I read about the different opinions of the F&W experience here, but wanted to make my own opinion.

And sadly it was not a good experience. The realization came upon me slowly as I did a normal journey through the World Showcase. It dawned on me how many people were there just to drink. I laughed a bit and told myself they should just call it the "People Walking Around With Drinks In Their Hands Festival".
And it was apparent they were not there to enjoy the park, it's design, it's showcases, and rides vs. drinking. That is what hit me the most...seeing this at a Disney park where you are usually among other guest who have the same agenda to experience the park.

And there were the drunks...

1.) Couldn't quite believe this one. There was a large/macho guy in the Japanese pavilion...I kid you not, wearing a bluetooth speaker on his belt and blasting Spanish rap music, while his group of friends (girls & guys) were having a great time drinking on the steps. Oh, and they were all Americans, not foreigners where "perhaps" it could be a not-knowing-it's-bad-form-thing. They showed no respect for the showcase, it's atmosphere, and the Japanese music and most importantly....other guest's experiences. Was really sad to see. And it was also sad to see that no cast-member asked them to stop.

2.) At the end of the night an intoxicated woman kept speaking to a Vietnamese woman, who spoke limited English. The intoxicated woman was telling her how much she loved Vietnamese food and culture and continued to mention all the food, etc...none of which was Vietnamese. And it continued the entire bus ride.

So I'm glad I experienced it once, so I know not to ever go to Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival again. Just wanted to type out my thoughts about my experience. I think if you are on vacation as a break from normal life, you may be annoyed to see so many people there that aren't there for same reasons you are.

That's it?!? Those are your public intox stories. Wow, you aint seen nothing yet.

For full credit, stories must contain one or more of the following..

• Nudity
• Crying
• Groping
• Vomiting
• Profanity
• Blood
• Urine

One stroll down the Strip at Vegas at 1am you can rack up 5 of those easy.

I had 3 of the above at my last Food & Wine festival. Sure, I did them all myself, but still.