Experiencing EPCOT's Annual Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World During COVID-19

When Walt Disney World's reopening was announced with the caveat that some experiences, like fireworks, parades, character dining and meet and greets, would be temporarily suspended, many assumed that EPCOT's annual food and wine festival would also be on the chopping block. Instead, when the park reopened on July 15, EPCOT unveiled a new take on the festival for 2020: the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival brings old favorites, new offerings, and some highlights from the 2020 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, which was abruptly cut short when the parks closed in March. An EPCOT festival regular, I visited this year's Taste of EPCOT to see what a visit is like in 2020.

Hosting a successful food and drink festival during a pandemic means taking a non-negotiable approach to health and safety. From stringent face-covering guidelines to ubiquitous hand sanitizer and distancing markers, safety protocols are readily apparent but don't take away from the experience.

Masks are required for all cast members (Disney speak for employees) and guests over the age of 2 except when actively eating or drinking. Guests must also be stationary and 6 feet away from other parties in order to remove masks. Guests' compliance has been very good and cast members quickly address rule-breakers.

With capacity reduced and additional tables added throughout EPCOT, guests are able to quickly find a table to stop to eat or drink. I found that I never had to walk more than a few paces to find a place to stop at a safe distance from other guests.

Guests can access hand sanitizer dispensers at all kiosks and outdoor hand-washing stations are positioned throughout the parks as well.

In addition to lots of tables where guests can stop to eat and drink with masks removed, Relaxation Stations provide additional space for guests to stop and remove masks while safely distanced from other parties. EPCOT has both indoor (hello, AC!) and outdoor Relaxation Stations.

With more than 20 global marketplaces, choosing what to eat and drink is no easy task. Read on for a few of our favorite foods and drinks from the fest!

New to the festival this year is a booth devoted to everyone's favorite comfort food. Mac & Cheese Hosted by Boursin Cheese is dishing out four mouthwatering types of macaroni and cheese: Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese, Lobster Macaroni & Cheese, and an almost too-good-to-be-vegan plant-based Macaroni & Cheese topped with Italian sausage made with Impossible™ "meat."

Overheated fest-goers flock to the France Marketplace to cool down with this refreshing slushy made with Grey Goose L'Orange vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, and white and red cranberry juice.

This was a new item at the 2020 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival that most people never got the chance to try before the fest was cut short. Boiled fresh all day, try your own little bowl of shrimp, mussels, crawfish, potatoes, corn, and andouille sausage.

It's not a food and wine festival without some wine, and the Shimmering Sips kiosk is a celebration of the sparkling varieties. Try fizzy concoctions like this Blood Orange Mimosa made with sparkling wine and blood orange juice.

If you haven't tried Impossible™ plant-based meats yet, you're in for a pleasant surprise, even if you're not a vegetarian. An ongoing partnership between Disney and Impossible™ continues to bring innovative plant-based "meat" dishes to Walt Disney World menus. At Earth Eats Hosted by Impossible™, try the Impossible™ Farmhouse Meatball with lentil bread, spinach, marinated vegetables, and creamy herb dressing or my favorite, the Impossible™ Burger Slider with wasabi cream and spicy Asian Slaw on a Sesame Seed Bun.

Beer also gets its time to shine during the festival, with a huge variety of brews to sample, like this Violet Lemonade Ale from Playalinda Brewing Company, available in a 6-ounce sampler portion or a full 12 ounces, also at the Earth Eats kiosk.

Even if you're not an adventurous eater, Taste of EPCOT is a great opportunity to sample dishes you might not normally expect to find at a theme park, like the Spicy Hummus Fries with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, tzatziki, and chipotle sauce from the Morocco marketplace.

For a dessert that doubles as a show, head to World Showplace for the Liquid Nitro Cake Pops from the Dessert & Champagne marketplace. Watch them finish your cake pop before your eyes.

In some ways, there's even more to keep kids entertained during a day at EPCOT now. Character meet and greets have been temporarily suspended and replaced with periodic character cavalcades, which mean kids can spot characters like Mickey and Minnie, Anna and Elsa, and Winnie the Pooh all day long without ever waiting in a line.

For another great way to keep kids engaged while parents check out the food and wine offerings around World Showcase, pick up a Remy's Ratatouille Hide & Squeak map for $7.99. Kids can hunt for Remy at 15 different locations and even get a souvenir prize.

There's a lot happening at EPCOT as construction progresses on a number of new projects. At the park's entrance, beautiful new prism pylons that will become part of an entrance fountain can be seen over the construction walls.

Get a sneak peek at the sign and some of the progress on Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, a new dark ride coming soon to the France pavilion. See the best views by hopping a ride on the Disney Skyliner.

2020 isn't a year most of us want to remember with a bunch of souvenirs, but the Taste of EPCOT commemorative merchandise is an exception. Remember your visit with souvenir pins, kitchen items and glassware, apparel, and more. There are a number of different collections, but my favorite pieces are the ones featuring that beloved EPCOT icon, Figment.