We’re still about 3 months away from the 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, but we’re already starting to get ready!

This July, we’ll be eating some delicious food, jamming out to lively music, and hunting for our favorite little rat all around the World Showcase. We’ve been doing this for a long time, so we’ve gotten the hang of how to best tackle the festival. Today, we’re taking a look at some of our biggest projections for this year’s fest, so let’s dive in!

The 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival takes place from July 27th to November 18th. Here’s what we expect to see.

1. Best of the Fest Items will Return

So far, we do know a few of the festival booths that are returning this year — but no menus have been released yet!

We know that The Fry Basket, Flavors from Fire, the Canada Booth, the India Booth, the Shimmering Sips Booth, and the Spain Booth will all be returning this year. From that, there are a few items that we expect to see back that we loved in the past! At Flavors From Fire, we have seen the Smoked Corned Beef a few years in a row — and it made the Best of the Fest multiple times.

At Shimmering Sips, the Mimosa Flight also made the Best of the Fest on multiple occasions, and we think this might be back this year as well.

And who can forget the Canada Booth? It consistently brings us solid food options every year. Both the Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup and the “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon have made appearances multiple times, and usually make our Best of the Fest list.

Finally, at the Fry Basket, the Adobo Yuca Fries were new last year (along with the whole booth), so they might not come back.

But, they impressed us — they made the Best of the Fest! So we’re hoping they return as well.

2. Food Will RUN OUT

Last year, on opening day, a few booths had some complications. The Fry Basket even ran out of fries!

The only ones they didn’t have were those amazing Yuca fries, and eventually, they did get a shipment in. But keep in mind that sometimes an opening day isn’t the smoothest. We would hope that this booth wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, but you never know!

Some Eat to the Beat Performers Will Return

Some artists have performed at the Eat to the Beat Concerts multiple times now, so they’ve basically become staples. We are thinking (and hoping!) that a few of them will return to the Food and Wine Festival again this year. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Sugar Ray, and Baha Men have performed a few years in a row.

38 Special, 98°, Hanson, and Boyz II Men are all repeat performers, so we might be able to catch them again, too!

Click here to see last year’s full Eat to the Beat lineup

These Will Be the Busiest Days

This might go without saying, but the first day of the festival, July 17th, will be BUSY.

Last year, guests lined up early to get into the park, and crowd levels stayed consistent around the World Showcase throughout the day. The first weekend of the festival also tends to get busy, because it’s a popular time for locals to check out the new eats or grab returning favorites.

Three-day weekends also tend to be pretty busy. Expect Labor Day Weekend (September 2-4th) and Columbus Day Weekend (October 7th-9th) to have a lot of crowds, as well as Veterans Day on November 11th. And we also need to remind you that the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend (November 2nd-5th) will draw a huge crowd!

You’ll Run Into Problems

The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is a LOT of fun, but it isn’t always pretty. Especially if you’re going on the first weekend, you should expect some complications! We already mentioned that sometimes booths can run out of food, but have you prepared for the weather?

It is Florida after all, so you should always be prepared for rain. The festival continues rain or shine, so make sure you check the forecast (and pack a poncho so you’re not shelling out $12 for one in the parks!)

The Food and Wine Festival is kind of known as EPCOT’s “Fall” festival, but it actually starts in July. It will be HOT. Have your eye on a menu item that you think you’ll HAVE to get? That Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup might not look as good when you’re sweating in the 95° heat.

This year’s festival is already looking like it’ll be a good one, and we’ll be there on opening day to bring you ALL the food reviews, so stay tuned. And don’t forget, DFB has you covered with new Food and Wine TANKS! As we said, July is HOT in Florida, so make sure you are prepared with our latest merch. The Food and Wine Vibes tank is the perfect way to get ready for the festival

Click here to read about EVERYTHING confirmed for the 2023 Food and Wine Festival

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What are YOUR projections for this year’s festival? Let us know in the comments below!

The post We’ve Covered the EPCOT Food and Wine Fest for 15 Years. Here Are Our Predictions for 2023 first appeared on the disney food blog.