Food/Wine Festival - Weekend crowd level questions

[madalex]

I have been to the Food and Wine Festival thread, but have not found the answer to the questions set forth below (although admittedly, I have not read the entire 140+ page thread).

Specifically, I have read that the weekend crowd levels are much higher than during the week, but how do these crowd levels vary during the course of the weekend? For example, are the large crowds just on Friday and Saturday, or also on Sunday as well? Are the weekend crowd levels bad during the day (e.g., around lunch time) or is this primarily an evening (dinner time) phenomenon?

 

[TDC Nala]

Saturday night is the primary crowd night. But I'd avoid Friday and Sunday as well. And if you've got something else to do, I'd suggest not even trying to go there in the evening on weekends. If you can get there when they open, you might do better.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We were there last Oct for a week, Mon - Thur the place was empty, no lines for anything. Fri - Sun it was a nightmare...loaded with people and the food stands were over 25 people deep.

We are going for 9 days and will avoid Epcot on the weekend!

 

[Robert P]

We were there last Oct for a week, Mon - Thur the place was empty, no lines for anything. Fri - Sun it was a nightmare...loaded with people and the food stands were over 25 people deep.

We are going for 9 days and will avoid Epcot on the weekend!

ITA. During the week was no problem, maybe 3 people in a line. Weekends, Sat. and Sun. that we noticed, were horribly mobbed, especially from 2:00 til closing.

 

[AmyBWV99]

Agreed. But the crowds can be part of the fun - just be prepared to wait.

 

[daisy112878]

We went 2 different weekends last year - once in Oct and once in Nov. We avoided epcot on saturday night but we went friday night and sunday all day. The lines were not that bad the fridays we were there. Sunday was really nice esp early on in the day.

 

[allisonswonderland]

Is opening weekedn usually really busy for F&W

 

[DisTeach1]

We have our Epcot day planned for a Sunday. I'm hoping it won't be that bad on a Sunday!

 

[Hopefully]

DisTeach1 I would plan my Epcot day for a day other than Sunday during Food & Wine Festival. It is a very popular event with locals and we have found Sunday afternoons and evenings to be very crowded with folks strolloing through World Showcase.
Have a Great Trip.

 

[ntsammy5]

The crowds are part of the fun for me - it's more festive and it's amazing the conversations you can strike up in line. In addition if there are enough people there they tend to help me stand up!

 

[Bill From PA]

I'll never do a Sat during F&W again, but I found Fri and Sun WS crowds to be less than what we're used on our usual March trips and weekdays and nights were not crowded at all. This is based on the Wed through Tues right after Columbus Day last year.

Bill From PA

 

[Simba's Mom]

How about if you're there right at opening on Sunday and leave around 2:00? Someone said that the food booths get crowded from 2:00 on, so I was hoping to be there right at WS rope drop for an early lunch.

 

[goofygoobers]

F&W here we come!!!!! 18 days

 

[lurkyloo]

I'd also like to know about WS rope-drop during F&W! Do people line up to get in when WS opens at 11? Should I dash straight from Future World to the WS rope at 9:01am on a Friday and just wait for 2 hours?

 

[ntsammy5]

I've never noticed any lines, but I've never seen the rope drop either. Do they even do this for WS? I usually run for Canada to get beer.

 

[TDC Nala]

I've never noticed any lines, but I've never seen the rope drop either. Do they even do this for WS? I usually run for Canada to get beer.

You can walk through Canada and Britain before they're open. That's how the guests at the Epcot resorts who are entering through the IG get to Future World. I'd start there.

 

[davinakb]

We usually do the P4TS on Saturday nights, but from what I have seen, the WS is packed with people. ITA with doing EPCOT during the week to avoid the larger crowds. FWIW.