Okay foodies, you have been waiting for it and now it is finally here. Epcot is presenting its 14th annual Food + Wine festival September 25th through November 8th. For six food-filled weeks guests of the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World Resort will be able to enjoy tapas-sized portions of foods from around the world. 25 international marketplaces will be set up representing countries from across the globe. Thailand and Brazil are new to the festival this year. They will be joining countries like Japan, India, Italy, Germany, Canada, the US and the UK in presenting incredible foods for guests to enjoy.

You can access most of the activities with your admission to Epcot, so make sure you check out the deals OrlandoFunTickets.com has to save some cash for the delicious food you’re going to want to test out! The Food and Wine Festival also has a number of special events for the crowd to enjoy. Some of these may require a reservation or carry an extra charge, so make sure you check out the Food and Wine guide you can pick up throughout the park for special events, prices and locations.

Over at the American Adventure Pavilion, you can participate in the Walk-Abouts Beer Hop. The name of the event explains it all. You’ll get to sample some of the best beers the US has to offer. If you love cheese, you’ll love The Mouse Catch over at the Showcase Plaza. This section of the festival will feature various cheese samples including Dutch Dorotha, Italian Plave and Spanish Mahon. You will also have the choice of drinking various beers and wines.

Don’t forget this is a celebration. What better way to celebrate awesome food than by pairing it with awesome music? As a special treat at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Epcot will be featuring the Eat to the Beat concert series. Free concerts will be going on throughout the food festival from some of the biggest names in music from the past and the present. You can expect to see acts like Better than Ezra, Vanessa Carlton, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, En Vogue, Kool & The Gang, Jon Secada, Boyz II Men and Los Lobos. This is a great event that’s not to be missed, so get your Epcot tickets today!

In the Walt Disney World Resort, EPCOT is famous with older crowds for being one of the few parks where alcohol is easier to access. It is easy to do a “drinking tour” across the World Showcase Pavillion as you sample beer from Germany, wine from France and sake from Japan. Now with La Cava del Tequila in the Mexican pavilion, tequila lovers will get to enjoy a few shots of the desert drink as well.

Opening up just in time for the 2009 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, La Cava del Tequila, located inside the Mexican pavilion, will be offering educational seminars about tequila and the process behind making the alcohol favorite. La Cava del Tequila will also have a Tequila Master on hand to answer any questions visitors may have. If you need some food to accompany your drinks, the lounge serves appetizers like ceviche and tostadas. This lounge holds around 46 people and also serves up premium margaritas. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the beautiful Mexico pavilion as you enjoy some of the finest tequila you will ever taste—La Cava del Tequila has 70 varieties!

If you’re really hungry you can leave the “pyramid” and head out to the Cantina de San Angel where you will find heavier fare like burritos and tacos. Mexican beer is also available and they make fabulous margaritas! If you happen to make it to the 14th annual food event at the EPCOT theme park, this new tequila bar isn’t the only treat you will get to experience.

This 45 day festival will feature cuisine from all over the world. The park has set up 25 International Marketplaces to fulfill every culinary wish you would like to experience. Every week the festival offers new entertainment and tasting events, so make sure you pick up a schedule when entering the theme park. Other events include book signings, meet and greets with authors and other “food celebrities” and a variety of lectures and cooking demonstrations. There is also the great “Eat to the Beat” series of concerts where music groups like En Vogue, Boyz II Men, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will be stopping by to perform their best songs and turn EPCOT into a giant festival. So make sure to stop by the brand new La Cava Del Tequila during the Food and Wine festival or the next time you head over to the Disney theme park.

Currently ongoing at Walt Disney World Epcot is the ever popular International Food and Wine Festival. We have written about the event and brought you information about all the sounds to be experienced at the festival, but now it is time to feature some of the food – Louisiana food, that is.

Last year, the International Food & Wine Festival, which usually features food from foreign countries in its exhibitions, broke with the tradition and included an American state, Oklahoma. This year, the festival includes one of the states with perhaps the best-known and richest cuisine, Louisiana. Hosted by the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the exhibit will include sights, sounds and flavors from the seven regions of the state via a food and beverage kiosk, an artisan area, cooking demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and a merchandise and artisan shop. It has all been custom-built by Walt Disney Imagineering to offer visitors an authentic sampling of Louisiana’s unique culture and heritage.

"We are excited to give travelers just a small taste of what our state has to offer and invite them to Louisiana to get the full cultural experience," said Chuck Morse, Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

Whether it’s spicy Louisiana seafood gumbo or sweet praline bread pudding, you’ll love all the classic Louisiana offerings from the regional chefs. For a satisfying accompaniment, we recommend Purple Haze, a Louisiana beer from Abita Brewery. And when you’re not drinking or munching on tasty Cajun dishes, you can learn to “fais-do-do,” Cajun street dance, or head down to the Riverboat dock and listen to cultural ambassadors share the history and stories of their home state. Families will especially enjoy the Cajun Creole inspired house that features activities for both young and old. When you’ve finished sampling all that Louisiana in Orlando has to offer, you can take some of the state home at the shop, which is modeled after the French Market and offers a selection of regional products, including native Louisiana plants.

The Louisiana exhibit will highlight food and culture from a different region of the state each week of the festival. The first week was “Creole Fusion,” focusing on the New Orleans area, and the second was “Delta Delights,” highlighting northeast Louisiana. Currently underway is the “Seafood Sensations” week, centering on the Lake Charles area. In the weeks to come, there’ll be “Red River Riches” of northwest Louisiana, including Shreveport and Bossier City; “Cajun/Bayou Bounty” of Acadiana, including Lafayette; and “Capital Cuisine” of southeast Louisiana, including Baton Rouge.

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, now in its 13th year, began on September 26th and continues through November 9th. Don’t miss all the tasty, educational, and cultural fun! Once you get your discount Disney tickets here at OrlandoFunTickets.com, you’ll have what’s essentially the next best thing to a plane ticket to Louisiana. So enjoy your trip and Bon Appétit.