It’s almost that time of year. The time Epcot stans love most: The International Food and Wine Festival. Starting in August, you’ll be able to sip wines, try delectable desserts, and savor as many global cuisines as you can possibly fit in one go around the world. Only this year you should be forewarned that you may have a little trouble finding a place to actually consume one of those dishes, and fans aren’t particularly happy about it.
If you’ve never been, I have to just flat out state it’s a time-honored theme park rite of passage to eat on one of those "go away" colored trash can at Epcot. I kid you not. The Food and Wine Festival is one of the great upcoming attractions at Walt Disney World, and with the promise of small plates at varying prices come droves and droves of people.
There’s already not enough shade and seating around the world during non-busy hours, so when stuff gets very crowded, parkgoers tend to get creative. For years, if you weren't eating on the flat top trash cans available in the parks, you weren’t doing Food And Wine right. Now, though, fans who have been in Epcot in recent months have noticed Disney World trying to combat the trend.
As The Lost Bros points out, “Where are we all gonna eat on the first day of Food and Wine, or any other day of the year?” The vlogger is particularly sad his beloved trash cans near the Mexico booth are gone, because he had a “standing reservation” there during previous years. Disney World hasn’t cycled out all of its iconic flat top trash cans, but the video makes it clear that a large number of the ones people typically eat on during the festival are no longer in the World Showcase.
On the one hand, I sort of get it. We know for a fact the trash cans are not the most hygienic things to eat food on. On the other hand, Disney World has been on this joke for years, and as fans are pointing out, for a long time, they leaned into that joke. In the last few weeks, they’ve even been selling candy “bins” mimicking the iconic trash cans at Disney World resort.
- It’s funny that they leaned into the garbage can hype by making their own trash can merch then they do this 👀
- I almost bought the insulated trash can cup at Disneyland last week. Like WTH
- We had one free amenity, and now it’s gone!
Having said this, a slew of other fans made the point that I think is most obvious: The reason people ate on trash cans to begin with had to do with the insane lack of tables near each of the food booths. Sure, there can be bottlenecks in certain areas of the World Showcase (perhaps due to the parks' original plan), but there are also often plenty of wide open spaces. What Epcot really needs are more stand-up tables. Give the people what they need to eat properly.
- The utter lack of tables at EPCOT festivals is absolutely mind-boggling!! And it's only getting worse. 🤯
- They could buy fancy garbage cans with solar power but NOT tables and chairs???
- And you just know they won’t be adding any extra tables.
- It would make sense if they actually added more tables.
If you really want to sit down, Epcot has some great fine dining options, but given the popularity of the International Food and Wine Festival, it would be great if the theme park could figure out a solution that put this trash can debate to rest. We'll find out soon enough. Unlike Disneyland's spring Festival, Disney World's selection will debut on August 27th at Epcot and will run through November 21.
