Wine and Dine

Wine and Dine is one of the smallest race weekends at Disney, but don’t let that fool you. There are a lot of things that make Wine and Dine a unique race weekend worth considering.

Dates and Details

WHEN: First weekend of November

DISTANCES AND PARKS COVERED :

  • 5k - EPCOT

  • 10k - Hollywood Studios + EPCOT.

  • Half Marathon - HS with Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land+ EPOCT

CHALLENGES:

  • Two Course Challenge (10k + Half Marathon)

SPECIAL NOTE:

  • This is the only weekend that includes an after party for athletes

Price

Wine and Dine is hands down the best runDisney deal. It’s not the cost of the bibs that make it such a good deal. The bibs for the race are about the same price as other race weekends. The real value comes from the after-party. All athletes who participate in the half marathon (either stand-alone or as part of the challenge) receive a ticket to a special after-party in Epcot. This ticket will grant you access into EPCOT around 5 pm. From 9pm-10pm, the rides/booths close down as CMs usher those without park tickets out of the park (so grab a snack and beverage before hand if you’re in EPCOT!). The official party begins at 10pm where there are DJs, dance floors, most of the rides are open, and most of the festival booths are open. It’s an all-out celebration, and yes, there are characters out and about as well. The party goes on until 1am. Because the party is an exclusive event, the rides are generally walk-on or have low wait times. Wine and Dine is the only race weekend to include any sort of park entry.

Not running the half? That’s ok. Anyone can purchase the after-party ticket from runDisney.com and join the event.

THEMING

Wine and Dine theming is pretty flexible and broad.

The Wine and Dine race weekend takes place during the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT. However, the nod to the festival can be very subtle and include any Disney intellectual property. To give you an idea, in 2021, each race distance was a villain. Previous years have included sidekicks such as Sven and Olaf. In 2024, we will have a park character, Figmet, as the challenge.

The on-course entertainment is equally diverse. In addition to characters that match the theme, on-course character stops also include characters from across the full Disney library.

Wine and Dine Weekend Pros

1

AFTER PARTY

It’s hard to top the after-party. There’s nothing like celebrating with all of your fellow athletes in World Showcase, with walk-on rides, all the food and drink from the festivals (participants get a 15 dollar gift card to get them started), characters, and a DJ hosting it all.

2

LAID BACK ATMOSPHERE

Wine and Dine is one of the smallest race weekends and tends to have a more casual party vibe.

3

HALLOWEEN AND CHRISTMAS

The race weekend takes place right at the transition of Halloween to Christmas. Depending on the year, you may start the weekend with all of the Halloween decor and end the weekend with a Christmas Tree on Main Street. This applies to seasonal events as well: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and if the dream lights come back, you may be able to see Elsa lighting up the castle. All of these seasonal events have the potential to overlap this race weekend. Because the dates vary slightly every year, you may get more Christmas than Halloween options (or vice versa), so check ahead.

4

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

The Daylight Savings time change usually happens over Wine and Dine weekend, giving you an extra hour of sleep before the half. This may not sound significant, but when you’re waking up at 2 am, that extra hour makes a difference.

WINE AND DINE WEEKEND CONS

1

WEATHER

November can still be humid and hot in Florida. While Florida weather is always a dice roll, Marathon and Princess have better odds for favorable race weather.

2

NO CASTLE

Wine and Dine weekend does not have a course that runs through Magic Kingdom. As a result, you do not get the iconic running through the castle moment. Historically, the half marathon course has gone through EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. However, this past year (2023) the half marathon course was altered. Animal Kingdom was removed from the half marathon course and the portion in Hollywood studios was extended to include Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. We will have to wait and see what future courses will look like. Most people did not like the “new” half marathon course due to a large highway out-and-back.

3

TRAINING

Training starts the first week of July. Due to the summer heat, you may end up doing a lot of miles early in the morning before the sun comes up, or getting really friendly with your treadmill.

4

SPECTATING IS LIMITED

The only spectating options (outside of hotels on the course) are the start and finish line. This is pretty limited compared the weekends that have courses through Magic Kingdom. Disney opens up mainstream to spectators, and because the monorail must run to do so, there are also spectating spots at the TTC.