Disney's Food and Wine Festival - April 11 through May 5

Disney has announced that they will again be holding their Food and Wine Festival this year, from April 11 through May 5. Here is the press release about the Food and Wine Festival.


Here is the website highlighting the signature (i.e., paid) events.


We went to "Taste" last year, and this year's event looks practically identical, with the same restaurants participating (I find it curious that Tortilla Jo's wasn't included last year nor are they included this year), the event being held in the same location and even down to the identical tag line (maybe they're branding?), sponsor and participation by celebrity chef Jamie Gwen. The event is $25 more expensive this year - it was $100 last year and $125 this year, and this year, the event is open to everyone, whereas last year, it was an event exclusively for annual passholders.

I thought last year's event was terrific and definitely worth the money. I don't know what they're restricting ticket sales to this year. One thing I liked was the more intimate nature of the event, and since it's being held in the same place, I'm not sure how that's going to work, though I'm not sure how many people want to go who wouldn't have been able to go last year because they weren't APs. Then again, last year, it was the first year of "Taste", and no one really knew what to expect. I would imagine they got good word-of-mouth so that might generate some interest this year. I'm not sure if the price tag would prove somewhat of a deterrent though.

We're not going to reserve ahead of time like we did last year. If there are still tickets available close to the day of the event, we'll decide then if we want to go again.

Here's my review of "Taste" from last year which includes extensive information on the event itself, descriptions and extensive pictures of all the food and wines that were available, and pictures of Barrage, who provided the musical entertainment for the evening.


The celebrity chef dinner with Guy Fieri sounds interesting even though I have no clue who he is, but the appeal for me is really that it's being held at Napa Rose, one of my favorite restaurants, but the $185 per person price is pretty steep.


At the top left of the second link I provided above, you can also click on the "complimentary events" tab to find out about other things being held as part of the Festival. Curious, though, that the Taste of California Marketplace isn't listed anywhere on either page. This is the description from the press release: "At the 'Taste of California Marketplace,' guests will enjoy festival foods created especially for the event. Delicious tapas-sized tastings, along with expertly paired wines and beers, will be available in the Pacific Wharf area." That's in DCA, btw. We really enjoy that and generally try everything that's available, which makes for a fairly expensive lunch, but usually very tasty all around. Last year, they didn't have any wine that I liked, so I didn't have any. The first year, though, they did, so it was rather interesting to be drinking in the middle of a warm afternoon. The alcohol and the wine sure made for one intoxicating combination.

We'll probably do the Marketplace thing on the first weekend and then bother our friends working MouseAdventure like we normally do.