Ask It: Best Special Event at Epcot

Last week, we presented this #AskIt —

My favorite special event at Epcot is…

Without a doubt, people are passionate about special events at Epcot. For many, it was difficult to choose just one. For others, there was one that drew large amounts of vitriol. With more than 800 votes in, here’s the results (in order from least to greatest).

Festival of the Arts (6%)

Holidays Around the World (19%)

Flower and Garden (32%)

Food and Wine (43%)

Festival of the Arts

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, in the likely event that Festival of the Arts returns for many more years, Festival of the Arts will be giving Flower and Garden a run for its money, if not nipping at the heels of Food and Wine. It has the best of so many festivals–spectacular food booths, engaging entertainment, informative workshops, unique displays, and then adds Broadway musical performances, interactive art experiences (like the paint-by-number mural), and artists throughout the park making works of art as you watch and willing to answer questions about their technique. I truly believe that the only reason this didn’t score higher in the poll is that the festival is so new that many people haven’t had a chance to experience it. When they do, however, it will quickly become a favorite festival.

Holidays Around the World

Anyone else think that the main reason for Holidays Around the World to score near the bottom is because they got rid of Lights of Winter? Anyone? Just me? Okay then. Moving on.

There’s a lot to love about Holidays Around the World. Although the food offerings don’t wow people much, especially coming right after Food and Wine, there are special holiday foods available. The Holiday Tag at the end of Illuminations is a glorious way to make sure that any dental fillings you have are securely affixed in your mouth (or provide easy removal for loose ones) as the show celebrates Peace on Earth with a massive amount of peace-disrupting fireworks. The Holiday Storytellers are always favorites, and the overall décor throughout the park really helps build the holiday spirit. The big down side–the event ends with the highest crowd levels of the year.

Flower and Garden

Flower and Garden is known in my house as Epcot’s Celebration of Plenty of Pollen (sponsored by Claritin). Everything is in bloom all around Epcot. Beautiful, yes. Even seen through the misty glaze of itchy eyes.

In all seriousness, however, Epcot never looks finer than it does during Flower and Garden. The color everywhere brings oohs and aahs around every turn. Kids love the outdoor playgrounds, people of all ages love the Garden Rocks concert series, photographers love the pops of color throughout the park, and I personally think many of the food offerings at Flower and Garden are better than comparable foods at Food and Wine. From the educational side, there are a variety of presentations on everything you can think of relating to plants, farming, and backyard gardening. It was also noted by several people that there are fewer drunks at Flower and Garden than at Food and Wine–a huge plus in many people’s books.

Food and Wine

But the winner is Food and Wine, which has two very popular aspects–food and wine (and beer and other potent potables). Certainly, there’s more to Food and Wine, like the Party for the Senses evenings, many food and beverage seminars, the Hide and Squeak scavenger hunt, and the popular Eat to the Beat concert series. Overall, the food and drinks are the major draws. Over the years, Food and Wine has become a victim of its own success. Saturday nights especially have become slammed, and it is very common to see groups of people wearing shirts extolling the joys of drinking to excess. If you frequent Food and Wine in the evenings, you are likely at some point to witness someone falling down drunk, urinating in public, or vomiting. And although people do rightly point out that things like that do happen at other times, among many parent groups, the whispered word is don’t take your kids to Epcot on Saturday nights in the fall. Food and Wine was the only event that people specifically mentioned that they now loathe because of the actions of a few out-of-control guests. Nevertheless, it is an event worth attending and still ranks as the most popular one in Epcot’s festival calendar. No surprise it won the poll here, too.

And now it is time for a change of pace. I just got off my first trip on the Disney Wonder (which I’ll be sharing details about in tomorrow’s Best Week Ever). Because my mind is still thinking back to my cruise, this week’s #AskIt is:

Which Disney Cruise Line ship is your favorite?

Disney Magic

Disney Wonder

Disney Dream

Disney Fantasy

The poll is open on Twitter, or you can leave your comments here or on Facebook. For me, I think I need more personal experience on each ship to truly be able to decide. Off to peruse for an upcoming cruise I go…did someone say 2018 summer itineraries are out?