If you have not yet been to the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, you should consider adding this to your “must do” list this fall. Offering an impressive array of enticing cuisine inspired by specific regions around the world, the event will feature more than 30 unique global marketplace tasting booths positioned around Epcot’s picturesque World Showcase Lagoon. In addition, the Festival will offer fun and informative culinary demonstrations, beverage seminars, celebrity chefs, mixology seminars, and refreshments crafted by master wine makers and brewers. Those in attendance also will have the opportunity to enjoy the Eat to the Beat Concert Series, with entertainment by a variety of popular artists, including Wilson Phillips, Christopher Cross, STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas, Smash Mouth, 38 Special, and Air Supply. The Festival is September 25-November 16, 2015, and is included with Epcot admission, with food and beverage samples from individual marketplaces requiring a separate purchase.

A great way to experience the Festival is by taking advantage of special room rates that are being offered by the seven Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels. In addition to the hotels having an ideal location within an easy walk to more than 75 themed and immersive shopping, dining and entertainment venues at the Downtown Disney area, the seven Official Walt Disney World Hotels also provide complimentary shuttle transportation every 30 minutes to all four Walt Disney World Theme Parks, two water parks, and to the Downtown Disney area. What’s more, the Downtown Disney area is transitioning this fall into the one-of-a-kind reimagined Disney Springs with new shopping, dining and entertainment venues for your enjoyment.

Available from September 25-November 16, 2015, the special hotel rates during the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival are:

• B Resort & Spa – rates from $89 per room, per night
• Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel – rates from $69 per room, per night
• Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa – rates from $79 per room, per night
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton – rates from $129 per suite, per night
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – rates from $159 per room, per night
• Holiday Inn Orlando – Downtown Disney® Area – rates from $89 per room, per night
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort – rates from $75 per room, per night.

As a bonus, guests at these hotels also receive the “Downtown Disney Deals” booklet that features exclusive discounts and special offers from over 30 merchants in the Downtown Disney area for dining, entertainment and shopping. Among the many coupons featured in the booklet are discounts at Rainforest Café, T-Rex CaféTM, Wolfgang Puck Express, Steve Baker Caricatures, The LEGO® Store, Planet Hollywood, House of Blues Restaurant, Splitsville Luxury LanesTM, Bongo’s Cuban CaféTM, and Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop.

For more information on the special hotel rates, or to make a reservation, visit DowntownDisneyHotels.com. The special rates are available September 25-November 16, 2015, based on availability. Some blackout dates may apply, and availability may be limited. The rates do not include the Resort Services Fee or daily parking fee (if applicable), taxes or gratuities. The offer is not valid with any other special offers, promotions, existing reservations, or for groups.

To make it very convenient, you also can purchase your theme park admission to Epcot, and the other Walt Disney World theme parks, online through the DowntownDisneyHotels.com website, in the “Disney Advantage” section of the site. Then you can visit StartYourDisneyExperience.com or download the MyDisneyExperience app on your mobile device or tablet to begin reserving your “must do” attractions. With valid park admission and online registration, you will be able to choose from more than double the previous number of experiences and skip the standby queue at the attractions that you selected in advance, and – for the first time ever – Fastpass+ service includes select Character Greetings, shows, parades and fireworks. You also have the ability to make changes anytime so that you can lock-in some of your must-do attractions and entertainment experiences, and relax and enjoy the moment with your family.

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will feature delicious cuisine inspired by the countries of the African continent, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Patagonia, Poland, Scotland, South Korea, and the U.S.A. Plus, there will be a Cheese Studio, Wine Studio, Brewer’s Collection, Craft Beers, Farm Fresh options, and delectable Desserts & Champagne.

Also scheduled to perform during the Eat to the Beat Concert Series are: David Cook, The Pointer Sisters, Rick Springfield, Sugar Ray, SOS Band, Fuel, Tiffany, Dennis DeYoung (original member of Styx), Jo Dee Messina, Everclear, Boyz II Men, Sister Hazel, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Hanson, Maxi Priest, and Chaka Khan. Concerts are nightly during the Festival.

Taking advantage of the special hotel rates also will enable you to enjoy such other benefits of staying at one of the seven Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels as:

• Disney tickets available to purchase at each hotel
• Advance tee times and discounts at all Walt Disney World® golf courses
• Disney Merchandise store located in each hotel
• The ability to book advance dining and dinner show reservations for all restaurants across the Walt Disney World® Resort.

Well underway in the transformation to Disney Springs, the Downtown Disney area already has many enticing new offerings that are already open, which includes the upscale waterfront restaurant The Boathouse (from the creator of T-Rex CaféTM and Rainforest Café), a dozen new shops, Exposition Park (the permanent home to four Disney-owned food trucks), and a new parking garage with 4,000 spaces.

In addition you also could take in such new offerings in the Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks as: the Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party at Magic Kingdom Park, with new music, new characters, and more audience interaction; a new Canadian Lumberjack Show at the Canada pavilion at Epcot; and For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

“The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is a wonderful event that everyone should experience,” said Doug Smith, chairperson of the Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels’ marketing committee. “The food is outstanding, the atmosphere is terrific, and Epcot is extraordinary. The special rates at the seven Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels simply provide even more reason to visit.”

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Maria