So just how drunken does F&W get?

[JaimeK]

I've seen a few posts about how Saturday evenings during F&W Epcot is full of drunk people. And I can see that, with people trying to drink around the world - that's a ton of drinks!

I'll be there for the my first time at F&W for the last 2 days of it (Sun & Mon) - so how are the non-Saturday evenings? And will the last days be any worse with people trying to get in a final round?

Thanks!

 

[HappyHaunts999]

When we have been it is much better earlier in the day. Monday should be no problem. Enjoy.

 

[pixie08]

The weekends are packed and towards the evenings a lot of people start getting a little tipsy. I have never had a "problem" though. Most people go about their business and I have yet to see people acting like it is a frat house. Of course that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but I haven't seen it.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I saw these groups too, I can't imagine it'll get like Saturday night in your local town. WDW Security is pretty hot, I had one guy watch me closely at Osbourne Lights once when I was rummaging through my bag on the ground looking for my spare camera battery as soon as he saw I wasn't a naughty person he soon scooted off.

 

[BrianL]

I have never noticed anything really bad, though on my last trip there was a group of young ladies and their mother who were pretty drunk, but in a fun kinda way. I got to ride Maelstrom with them in the boat, and they were hillariously freaked out by it all! The mother did fall into me in the line queue though, so they were more than a little tipsy.

I have not witnessed anything like some people describe here, not that I don't beleive it happens. I will agree with others that I think Disney Security is right on top of most of that stuff, so unless you are right there to witness something ugly, it'll be swept away by security before you ever know about it.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I think it's hit or miss. We've always gone on Mondays. We've had years where by 6:00, we felt like the environment was turning too much into a party scene and we decided to leave because we had our kids with us, but then we've had years where we didn't see anything that bothered us. BTW, we like to drink, just choose not to get drunk in front of our kids. So it isn't like people drinking and having a good time are generally offensive to us, but we also don't feel like it's something we want to expose our young children to.

 

[DisneyFive]

We've never really seen any bad behavior in the past 3 years that we've been to F&W.

Dan

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I have been to the last 3 and have yet to see an intoxicated person. I do take care to avoid the weekends so I've only been during the week, so that might be why I haven't witnessed some of the things I've seen described here by others in the past. I think you will be fine.

 

[annej]

I love F&W and I have always thought F&W goers were pretty tame until last October on a Saturday night. It WAS like a frat party. Even my college age DD and her BFF - who have been known to get a little rowdy - were shocked. Mostly because they did not expect that kind of atmosphere at WDW. We ate our dinner and left. The only time we have seen that but it was bad. ANd the crowds were huge. Even without the drunkenness the crowds would have been unbearable. Avoid a Saturday night and you should be fine. That was our first and last Saturday night.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

As others have said, earlier in the day, it's mostly like a normal park day. It's really only the evenings where things can tend to get a little more rowdy.

Generally, even then it's not THAT bad, just that one doesn't usually see obvious intoxication anywhere at WDW.

The one time we saw where Epcot got a bit crazy- more bar scene than theme park- was the year where it was the FIRST weekend of F&W and ALSO the LAST weekend old Pleasure Island was open.

It felt like one minute Epcot was normal, then half an hour later WS was full of folks in crazy nightclub attire: skin tight pleather leggings, extreme low cut halter tops, short-shorts, leopard print, extreme hair/makeup, very obvious PDA, etc.

Later we went to FW, and the park was nearly normal.

Other times we've been to F&W have been have been more tame. It's more that F&W is almost the only time we've seen clear signs of intoxication in the WDW parks. (Unlike Universal and other amusement parks, where drinking is more common.) It's not a frat party, it's just slightly less WDW-"family friendly"-bubble.

 

[2012DisneyWorldBride]

We usually go early on a Saturday morning and hit the rides we want to do that way when world showcase opens up we can head on back there. We usually finish up around 4:00 pm. We have been for a few years now in a row... We have seen some drunk people and some negative experiences with it. We have seen people puking in the bushes. We have also seen a group of people that we sitting on a railing while eating/drinking and the girl was so drunk that she fell backwards into rose bushes and had thorns all over her. It was pretty amusing. With that being said, we enjoy going for the food, but I would not go there on a Saturday evening because we do not like dealing with drunks.

 

[Mac4life30]

I have been going for 7 years now and have never had a negative encounter with anyone who had to much to drink.

 

[mare1203]

Saturday afternoons/evenings are the worst for crowds and people getting tipsier than normal, but they are by no means a drunken mess. I have seen a number of groups get rowdy and loud, but I haven't seen anyone be served who clearly shouldn't be served. Disney has plenty of security guards and extra cast working those times to take care of that.

I think people go in not knowing what to expect and then are caught off-guard. If you don't like thick crowds or waiting 25-30 mins for food then just don't go on Friday or Saturday because I think the continuous waiting and heavy crowds exacerbates it more than anything else. You will not make it around the showcase nor will you get a ton done in a short period of time. Think of it similar to going to Epcot on New Years Eve or MK during a holiday. You have to have patience. Going in with reasonable expectations can often make for a great time and the opportunity to meet some cool new groups. People love it when you compliment their shirts and costumes (and there are some good ones...the people watching is fantastic on Saturdays).

It's worse in the early weeks because Central Florida can still be quite humid and that sun combined with Food & Wine and the lack of shade in the showcase can catch up to anyone quickly regardless of drinking. Only once did I notice anything out of the norm but at the same time I was also hot, tired, and not in the mood to deal with crowds in general. If I hadn't been miserable already I probably wouldn't have noticed because the groups weren't sloppy drunk, just having a good time together (albeit a bit louder than normal). No one was falling over each other or being belligerent.

 

[heidijanesmith]

I haven't seen any bad behavior regarding drunkenness at any of the FW nights we were there.

FW was so much fun!

 

[DizneyNutz]

We were there last year and we will not go back on a weekend during the F&W festival. It was hot that day and the whole world showcase smelled like a brewery due to all of the spilled alcohol on the hot pavement. Yes we did see the rowdy drunks in fact there was a group of probably 25 year olds that were pretty well hammered by early evening. One VERY loud guy in the group was dropping the F Bomb about every third word. It wasn't sporadically either, he was one of those that never shut up. I would love to have taped him making a spectacle of himself and broadcast it all over the news the next morning. We didn't even have children with us but it was very distasteful to listen to him and his vulgar mouth. We decided it was more of a Food and Drunk festival. And yes we do drink but we don't lose our ability to use the English Language.

 

[Polydweller]

We've been going since the first year the festival began and it's never been as bad as people try to portray it. Sure, there will be a few people who indulge but as a pp said it's not a drunken mess and it doesn't smell like a brewery.

 

[DizneyNutz]

We've been going since the first year the festival began and it's never been as bad as people try to portray it. Sure, there will be a few people who indulge but as a pp said it's not a drunken mess and it doesn't smell like a brewery.

Beer specifically poured onto very hot pavement eludes a pungent smell that I will describe as a brewery. I also never said it was a drunken mess as YOU are calling it, I said there was ONE GROUP that was extremely rowdy. Don't put words into something you are misreading. You can call it whatever you wish since you apparently are there for the entire festival every year if you are going to say we did not see or smell what we described on OUR trip. Our little term of the Food and drunk festival is just our nickname for it. No not everyone is a drunken mess but try going there at other times of the year that we are most accustomed to (December) and then you compare.

 

[allymouse]

You can drink around the world any time at Epcot, not just during F&W.

We go every year and avoid the weekends for the crowd factor, not so much the drunk factor. It can be wall to wall people in the WS, lines at each kiosk. Does not smell like a brewery. Sure there might be a spill or two that smell but it's no different than any of the other fun smells you can pick up at a theme park.

TIP: Go get the Greek griddled cheese as soon as you get there, regardless of the day. It sells out every year. My husband has a great picture of me pouting next to a sign that says "No cheese."

We've never had any issues with rowdiness or drunkenness. People are having a great time, but nothing too crazy. It's our favorite time to visit Epcot.

 

[CaptainEO71]

We've been to F&W every year since it's beginning. About 3 years ago we vowed never to go back on a Friday or Saturday night again. We have seen the drunken mess groups, saw a guy pass out into the bushes, a group of intoxicated girls vomiting on the bus, more rowdy & foul language than I'd like to see in WDW. We actually reported a group to security that we saw not once, but twice steal merchandise, while running around yelling "Snow White was a ****" over & over. They thought it was hysterical. And they had 2 small children with them!

That being said, however, weekend days, and weeknights are very pleasant & enjoyable. F&W is a great time to be had. If we go to a concert on a Friday or Saturday we just make plans to head out after.

 

[JimmyV]

We decided it was more of a Food and Drunk festival.

We've been going since the first year the festival began and it's never been as bad as people try to portray it.

Keep in mind that most people go to the F&W Festival on a very limited basis, for a very limited number of days/nights eadh year. Even if one goes every year, the total number of days attended is still a mere fraction of the overall total number of days. The average guest probably heads in to Epcot two or three time during their vacation, and maybe one of those is on a weekend night. So everyone's observations are limited, and statistically insignificant in trying to evalute the entire event. If you go once and see some drunks, you might think that the entire event is a farce. If you go once and see no bad behavior, you might think that everyone else is over exaggerating. But these personal observations tell us little about the event itself, and only tell us about the day in question, which, absent a time machine, cannot be replicated. Taken together, the reports on this thread are about 50-50. Have people seen drunken behavior? Yes. Is drunken behavior possible? Yes. Can you attend and see no drunken behavior? Yes. Will drunken behavior happen on your day in question? Impossible to predict. Sort of like predicting when a ride will break down based on past performance.