Today is the day many food lovers have been waiting for: The first day of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World.

  • Festival dates: Sept. 14-Nov. 14
  • More than 30 international marketplaces
  • Wine tasting, cooking demonstrations and seminars

In the past few weeks, the park has transformed as dozens of booths have been constructed around the World Showcase.

In addition to new food and beverage items, visitors can look forward to the "Eat to the Beat" Concert series, new merchandise and culinary experiences.

Festival hightlights:

  • ABC's "The Chew" will tape episodes of the show at Epcot Oct. 5-7
  • Celebrity chefs Andrew Zimmern, Buddy Valastro, Cat Cora to appear at tastings
  • The new Chocolate Studio

If you’ve never experienced the festival, here are a few tips to help you get around:

Review the menus before you go

Knowing what you want to try before you get to the festival will keep you from wandering around, wasting time. There’s very little shade around the World Showcase. The last thing you want to do is waste time on a hot day.

Full menu, click here.

Go during the week, arrive early

The best time to experience the festival is on a weekday. The park is less crowded, and lines tend to be shorter at the marketplaces. Also, the weekends are usually the busiest with locals and tourist taking part in the festivities.

The World Showcase opens at 11 a.m. every day (even during the festival). Arriving earlier in the day prevents you from having to stand in long lines. You don’t want to wait 30 minutes in the hot sun for a glass of wine. You just don’t.

Pace yourself

If it’s a hot day at the park, make sure you take a break or two. After visiting a few countries, find a place with air conditioning.

Drink water. You can get a free cup at any of the counter service restaurants.

Grab a passport

Is it necessary? No, but it’s a good resource. Not only does it contain all the menus, but also where the food items can be found. Makes for a nice memento.

Have fun

Navigating the festival can seem overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. However the only way to enjoy it is to have fun. Don’t be too strict with your schedule. There’s more to the festival than just marketplaces. Attend a seminar or two: cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and celebrity guest speakers.

If you enjoy music, stick around for the Eat to the Beat concert series. The musical guests perform three times a night starting at 5:30 p.m.

Full concert schedule, click here.

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival runs through Nov. 14.