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EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Report

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Today is my first chance to get out and explore the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. I’m here as an invited media guest, which means I get access to a few places the day guest isn’t allowed. I’ll be sharing those and updating this post throughout the day with highlights of our excursions.

This the 17th annual International Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT and it includes more than 25 ethnic and regional marketplaces with tantalizing new drinks and flavors to explore around the World Showcase. The culinary event has even been named one of the Best Food and Wine Festivals by Travel Channel.

Foodie will celebrate with these new experiences: a new chocolate tasting, fresh Florida Local flavors, and the first marketplace with vegan cuisine. The festival also introduces its first watermelon patch, brings back the popular cranberry bog experience, and continues the nightly “Eat to the Beat” concert series — this year, featuring acts including Smash Mouth, Blues Traveler, Boyz II Men, and the Pointer Sisters.

Photos continue below :

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Magic Kingdom Photo Update – Part 3 – Around the World

It’s time to wrap up this week’s tour of the Magic Kingdom and surrounding area. We’ve so far seen Storybook Circus and New Fantasyland construction, but there’s a ton of other activity going on in the park. Fantasyland is definitely never going to be the… Read More »Magic Kingdom Photo Update – Part 3 – Around the World

Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland Update - Beast's Castle

Magic Kingdom Photo Update – Part 2 – New Fantasyland Progress

Update: Just added part three with a lot more from around the Magic Kingdom.

In part one of this week’s Magic Kingdom Photo Update we covered some of the latest details to show up in Storybook Circus. Now we’re venturing into the rest of the Fantasyland expansion project. It too is racing toward completion. Limited soft openings are already underway at the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction the more of the land could open by late October or early November. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is still on track for sometime in 2014, but they did lay the first track inside the ride this week. So that’s a step in the right direction for sure.

Starting with Beast’s castle they’ve re-installed scaffolding to erect the artificial trees that will go up at the top of that hill.

Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland Update - Beast's Castle

A peek through the wall gives us this great view of the menu podium and entrance sign for the Be Our Guest restaurant.

Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland Update - Be Our Guest

Read More »Magic Kingdom Photo Update – Part 2 – New Fantasyland Progress

2012 Food & Wine Festival Poster

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Launches Tomorrow

The 2012 International Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT officially opens tomorrow, however, the food booths are open today as a soft opening. It will run for 46 days until November 16th and is one of the most popular food festivals in the world. Chefs… Read More »EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Launches Tomorrow

Magic Kingdom Storybook Circus Update - Marquee

Magic Kingdom Photo Update – Part 1 – Storybook Circus Nears Finish

Workers are all over the Magic Kingdom working on projects large and small. Changes are coming at such a rapid pace these days, it’s hard to keep pace with what’s new. Still, I have to try. Some of these pictures are a few days old, but I think they’re exciting anyway, and if you haven’t seen them, they’re new to you, right?. I’ve got almost 50 photos to share in this week’s photo update. We’ll cover New Fantasyland, Rapunzel’s Village, Tinker bell and more!

Today we’re going to get started with some of the final touches coming to Storybook Circus as the land races closer to opening. Make sure you scroll down to the end for a special treat you won’t want to miss. (Note: you can click on the image to see it larger, but you’ll have to click on the link to the full size image on that page to see it in the largest size I uploaded.)

The new Marquee for Storybook Circus is almost done. Looks nice too. Not quite as elaborate as the original concept art showed, but it fits in well with the rest of the area.

Magic Kingdom Storybook Circus Update - Marquee

Magic Kingdom Storybook Circus Update - Marquee

Read More »Magic Kingdom Photo Update – Part 1 – Storybook Circus Nears Finish

Big Thunder Mountain Queue

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to Get Interactive Queue

Back when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad re-opened after its latest refurbishment, there was a lot of speculation about exactly what those nondescript boxes were in the queue. Obviously, they were temporary place holders until something better could be installed, but what is that something. Turns… Read More »Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to Get Interactive Queue

“Frankenweenie Weekend” Takes Over Downtown Disney Sept. 28 – 30, 2012

Downtown Disney in Orlando is getting into the spirit of Frankenweenie as it hosts a weekend of special fun for fans of Tim Burton and his films. Experiences inspired by the new movie, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Alice in Wonderland” will take place at… Read More »“Frankenweenie Weekend” Takes Over Downtown Disney Sept. 28 – 30, 2012

EPCOT Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Small Event, Talks

EPCOT Center, the first Disney theme park to break the Magic Kingdom mold, turns thirty on October 1st. While the mission has shifted from the original vision for the future and the name is now just Epcot, it’s still spectacular in many ways. The 1st… Read More »EPCOT Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Small Event, Talks