Guest Calls EPCOT Festival a “Festival Of Drunks”

A lot has changed at the Walt Disney World Resort since the Magic Kingdom first opened in 1971. Back then, tickets to get into the new theme park were just $3.50 — with inflation, that would be about $21 by today’s standards. There was also no alcohol served at the park. That’s right, Walt Disney did not want alcohol served at any of the Disney Parks. And, for a long time, Walt’s belief held true. However, in 1982, EPCOT opened, and guests could head over to the World Showcase and try alcoholic beverages from around the world.

Magic Kingdom didn’t begin selling alcohol until 2012, with the opening of Be Our Guest restaurant. Disneyland Park — Walt’s original theme park — held out even longer. The park did not begin selling alcohol until 2018 when Oga’s Cantina opened in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Drinking is now a very controversial topic amongst parkgoers.

Reddit user u/D_Anger_Dan recently visited EPCOT for the International Flower & Garden Festival and was shocked by just how drunk he saw Guests get. He said that the Disney experience has definitely gone down since drinking became the main goal of a lot of Guests who visit. D_Anger_Dan even went so far as to call the International Flower & Garden Festival, a “Festival of Drunks.”

Let’s talk about the drunk elephant in the Epcot.
byu/D_Anger_Dan inWaltDisneyWorld

Many of those who commented on Dan’s post agreed, with a lot even saying that they only do EPCOT in the morning for that specific reason — by the time the afternoon and evening roll around, people are too drunk for other guests to enjoy it.

Some asked a very pointed question — why would you want to get that drunk when you are vacationing in Walt Disney World? There are so many amazing things to do at “The Most Magical Place on Earth;” why miss out on some of that because you are sleeping off a hangover? Others joked and said that they were not wealthy enough to afford to be able to drink at Disney.

Of course, some people disagreed with Dan, saying they have never experienced the number of drunks that Dan said he did. They admitted that people would get tipsy, but had never seen people running to the bushes or the bathroom to throw up because they were so drunk. Cast Members do have the right to cut off guests they feel are getting too drunk.

What do you think? Should Disney become stricter when it comes to drinking at the parks? Tell us about it in the comments below!