Ah, Disney. The happiest place on Earth. Where you can take your kids to do nothing but ride rides, see an occasional (VERY occasional) show, and eat a burger and apple slices for $10.
Not this time of year.
Since 1995, Epcot has held the annual Food And Wine Festival, a fall event with kiosks around the world showcase. Each kiosk is labeled by country, and will serve small portions of three or four meals from that country. They also have celebrity chefs, special events, and concerts that you can attend for free.
The Food
Food being served during this festival are not but limited to innovative and amazing. Some of the meals being served belong to a certain country, while others belong to themed cuisine. Not all of it is necessarily American, but regardless of its nationality, this is not a year to be forgotten.
With Epcot’s brand new Light Lab, which made its debut this year, you can order alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including vanilla tonic water and cotton candy, all under blue lights. There is also, for a limited time, the Glownut, which is, you guessed it, a donut that glows in the lab.
I think the highlights of this whole festival, however, was the Sausage Wrapped Scotch Eggs, (you heard me) and the Chocolate Picante, which is literally spicy dark chocolate mousse.
The Music
Epcot has its famed World Showcase with pavilions of various countries worldwide. One of them just so happens to be the United States, which involves a mini amphitheater. Usually, the American Music Machine, which is literally Disney’s edition of Pentatonix, comes out to do a show on the stage. But not always.
Since the 90s, the theater has had 35 minute long free concerts of many big names (to an extent) during their festivals. 9.9 times out of 10, you won’t see any Hall Of Famers, and if you do, they will more times than not, be on an Art Garfunkel level there. However, Little Richard (one of the few Hall of Famers to play), Simple Plan, Howard Jones, and a Monkees reunion featuring Micky Dolenz and the late Davy Jones (who was a regular at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival) in 2011 have been on the stage at one point or another. Then there are regulars who have been coming to the festivals since the beginning, such as Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, Dennis DeYoung of Styx, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
But last year, they added some new acts. One of them was alternative 90s rock band, Toad The Wet Sprocket.
The All I Want performers have been on the road all year, and rocked Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre on Thursday night. “I can’t wait to get outta here so I can go ride Pirates of the Caribbean again, make up some lost time.” frontman Glen Phillips joked during their third set Saturday night.
The group flew right through six or seven hits per set, as their time was limited. But the entire lineup wasn’t present. Randy Guss, their longtime drummer, has been home with a few cracked ribs for awhile. Due to this, Josh Daubin from Beta Play, one of Toad’s many opening acts, is filling in for him this tour.
The third and final set did not involve the “grand fireworks finale” that Phillips promised, but it did feature the recent Architect Of The Ruin, and their hit Walk On The Ocean to cap it off.
Celebrity Chefs
I’ve met Restaurant: Impossible‘s Robert Irvine twice now, thanks to this festival. Nuff said.
Josh Bradley Live 