Making its return is a fan favorite: the Ocean Spray Cranberry bog.
The bog helps guests understand how cranberries are harvested. With over 900 pounds of the tart red fruit floating in the water, it gives a chance to speak to some of the bog workers and ask questions. Right next door are some free samples of Craisins 
As we approach World Showcase Lagoon and the first of Marketplace booths, there are some great displays.
Now heading into the heart of the Food & Wine Festival, there are over 25 marketplaces serving 32 new dishes and 75 new cocktails, beers, wines and ciders along with lots of returning favorites. Be ready to spend a full day just sampling it all!
Returning this year is the Chase Lounge in the American Adventure. This area open to guest with a Chase Visa card (don’t worry: there are lots of chances to sign up for one if you don’t have one) is a great place to cool off and relax before heading to the next half of the World Showcase. It offers a pay bar with many of the beers and wines from the festival along with Coca-Cola Freestyle machines to sample your own creation (I’m partial to Cherry Sprite). New this year is a chance for kids to play Disney Infinity 3.0 or take a Animation Academy class and learn to draw a Disney or Pixar character.
Just outside of the American Adventure is another returning favorite: the Eat to the Beat concert series.
This series brings many top names in music history to the America Gardens Theatre stage during concerts at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m. daily. The lineup (subject to change and included in Epcot admission) includes:
Sept. 28-29 — Wilson Phillips (“Hold On”(
Sept. 30-Oct. 1 — Christopher Cross (“Sailing”)
Oct. 2-4 — STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas (“We Built This City”)
Oct. 5-7 — Smash Mouth (“Walkin’ On the Sun”0
Oct. 8-9 — The Pointer Sisters (“I’m So Excited”)
Oct. 10-11 — 38 Special (“Caught Up in You”)
Oct. 12-13 — Rick Springfield (“Jessie’s Girl”)
Oct. 14-16 — Sugar Ray (“Fly”)
Oct. 17-18 — S.O.S. Band (“Take Your Time (Do It Right)”)
Oct. 19-21 — Air Supply (“All Out of Love”)
Oct. 22-23 — Fuel (“Shimmer”)
Oct. 24-25 —Tiffany (“I Think We’re Alone Now”)
Oct. 26-28 — Dennis DeYoung, original member of the group STYX (“Come Sail Away”)
Oct. 29-30 — Jo Dee Messina (“Lesson in Leavin’”)
Oct. 31-Nov. 1 — Everclear (“Santa Monica”)
Nov. 2-4 — Boyz II Men (“End of the Road”)
Nov. 5-6 — Sister Hazel (“All For You”)
Nov. 7-9 — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (“Go Daddy-O”)
Nov. 10-12 — Hanson (“I Will Come to You”)
Nov. 13-14 — Maxi Priest (“Close to You”)
Nov. 15-16 — Chaka Khan (“I Feel for You”)
David Cook of American Idol fame kicked off this year’s series with a great fun concert.
Having never heard of him, I went into the concert just to pass the time, but i was very surprised at not only his talent but also his showmanship. Cook engaged the audience at multiple times during the show and made jokes about buying his new cd Digital Vein, “Cause his bass player doesn’t come cheap.”
One thing to always remember about the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival presented by Chase, is it’s the busiest time of the year for Epcot, with weekends often reaching the point of lines connecting to other lines,
So make sure you load up your wearable Disney Gift Card, grab your Figment Chef plush and get ready to eat and drink around the world!
This year has many premium events including three Rockin’ Burger Block Parties and five Party for the Senses grand tastings that will take place at World Showplace during the festival run. In all, the festival will feature 193 premium events ranging from Signature Dinners and Food & Wine Pairings to Beverage Boot Camps and Festival Events in World Showcase pavilions. For more information and to book the premium events head here!