When thinking about Disney World most people imagine Cinderella’s gorgeous castle, light saber fights in Galaxy’s Edge, or Dole Whip (all the dole whip!). While all these things are amazing and undeniably Disney, there is so much going on in EPCOT throughout the year that we highly suggest you check out. While it may not be the “main park” at Disney, EPCOT truly comes alive during Festival seasons offering great food, amazon drinks, top notch shopping and show stopping entertainment. You are truly missing out if you sleep on all the incredible happenings EPCOT has to offer. Don’t believe us? Take a deep dive with us into the wonderful world of EPCOT festivals and see for yourself.
EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Each year in January EPCOT kicks off the year of festivals with the Festival of the Arts. The dates for this festival changes year to year but typically runs from mid January to Mid February. In 2022 the dates were January 14-February 21. This festival covers and highlights a wide variety of artistic talents from painting to culinary and everything in between. start exploring all the amazing things this famous festival is known for. From interactive exhibits to great food – there is something for everyone. Here is a list of all the fun activities and experiences that were offered this year at EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts:
Animation Academy: Grab your artistic talent and head to America Gardens Theater to watch real live animators giving lessons on how to draw a favorite Disney friend. This is such a fun and unique keepsake to have as a reminder of your Disney vacation.
Artful Photo Ops: Take a stroll throughout World Showcase and have fun stepping into some of your favorite pieces of Disney art. Make sure your phone is fully charged; you and your Instagram feed are not going to want to miss these.
Figment’s Brush with the Masters (Figment Scavenger Hunt): While park days can get long, especially for little ones, having something fun to keep your eyes peeled for always helps the time by with fewer potential meltdowns. Have fun with the whole family spotting as many Figments as you can scattered around the World Showcase. Make it a fun game for all of you to enjoy. Maybe, winner gets ice cream from L’Artisan des Glaces? You are welcome.
Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine: Traditionally each EPCOT festival has a guided activity to help you eat around the world. At Festival of the Arts you are tasked with purchasing (and trying) five different, unique menu items throughout
World Showcase that are associated with color. Complete this crawl and receive a colorful (and yummy of course) reward.
Expression Selection: A Paint by Numbers Mural: If you ask us, this is our favorite thing to do at the Festival of the Arts. Each week, EPCOT puts up a brand new paint by number mural and encourages guests to each pick up a brush and contribute to this one of a kind mural. Make sure to stop by a few different times during your stay to see the murals come to life; it is pretty awesome.
Art Defying Gravity: Performance art is one of the most exciting and entertaining forms of art you will see at the festival. Disney never likes to give much away but they said that it will feature “thrilling acts of strength”. Umm…yes please!
Chalk Art: Who knew a fun, children’s summer pastime could be so beautiful? Walk around the park and chances are you will see multiple bright and colorful chalk masterpieces of your favorite Disney characters. Once your kids spot these – they are going to want to join in the fun, and they can! Head towards the Land Pavilion and work as a family to create a Disney sidewalk masterpiece of your own.
Festival Marketplaces: While there is never a lack of places to shop around EPCOT, shopping during Festival of the Arts truly is one of a kind. You will have the opportunity to purchase original pieces directly from the artist. And what’s even better? You may see an artist working on a brand new piece right before your eyes.
DISNEY ON BROADWAY: Broadway is back (can we get a Praise Jesus?)! Each day of the festival you can catch LIVE performances from some of Disney’s best Broadway shows performed by the real actors/actresses who play these characters on the New York stage. It is pretty much the best thing ever.
Visual Art in Performance: Watch as a guest visual artist paints your favorite characters to life in real time. If you are a fan of painting or let’s face it, seeing magic right before your eyes…you are not going to want to miss this one!
Whether you are an art buff or just like to do and see fun things, this festival will not disappoint. Talk about a great way to start the year!
EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL
Spring is in full bloom (see what we did there?) at EPCOT’s International Flower and Garden Festival. This year, the festival will run from March 2nd – July 4th so there is no shortage of time to visit and smell the roses (okay…we’re done now). With fresh foods, and beautiful flowers at the forefront, this festival is a garden lover’s dream. The entire park is taken over by life size topiaries, blooming flowers and outdoor kitchens. While the second half of this festival is indeed during some of Orlando’s hottest months, if you go earlier in the season you are sure to see flowers in their peak and have a lovely Disney day. While this festival has not kicked off yet for 2022, we can share some of the fun events and happenings that have occurred in years past. Some of our staff’s favorites include:
Flower and Garden Festival Tours: attend amazing and educational garden tours to learn all about the different flower arrangements and topiaries. Bonus, you may even get to talk with some of the topiary presenters in a more relaxed environment. What’s even better? These tours are normally very budget friendly so everyone has the chance to enjoy this behind the scenes peek.
EPCOT Egg hunt: Little ones and the young at heart will all enjoy this Egg-stravaganza egg hunt around the festival. The goal of this fun game is to find different themed eggs around the World Showcase. Purchase an egg “treasure map” at Disney Traders, Pin Central, and World Traveler shops to kick off the most EggPIC family fun!
EPCOT Garden Rock Concert Series: No matter how you feel about flowers we know you love rock(s)! You will be able to see some of your favorite musicians putting on once in a lifetime shows throughout the festival. Grab a drink and your favorite tasty treat and enjoy LIVE music extravaganzas. Some musical artists for this year’s lineup include: The Pointer Sisters, Simple Plan, Starship, Toby Mac, The Guess Who, Plain White T’s, Berlin, and so much more! Make sure to peek at Disney’s website for a full list and dates to make sure you don’t miss your favorite!
Limited Edition Merchandise: Disney does not play around when it comes to festival merch. The Flower and Garden Festival has some of our favorite pieces to pick up each year as it is typically bright and colorful. You are not going to want to miss out on the Minnie Ears or Spirit Jersey’s this time of year, believe us.
With so many things to do, eat and see, this festival really is a foodie’s paradise and a florist’s dream.
EPCOT FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
EPCOT’s biggest and most popular festival is easily Food and Wine. And for good reason! It combines many of our favorite things; food, wine and Disney; how can one go wrong? With over 25 outdoor kitchens each with a unique theme – there is something for even those with the pickiest palate to love. The dates for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival have not been released at the time of writing but it typically runs from Mid July- Late November, making it the longest running festival in the parks. The Food and Wine Festival is a great place to learn tips and tricks about the kitchen and even learn from celebrity chefs appearing on some of the festival panels! Similar to other festivals, each night you will be able to enjoy LIVE music in the World Showcase from some of today’s and yesterdays most well known bands. When visiting Food and Wine we recommend you do not make any dining reservations as you will be more than filled up from trying all the unique food kitchens. Plus, no reservations means more time to meander and do all the things you would like to check off that Disney bucket list. While there is a LOT to do this time of year in regards to food, don’t think Disney skimped on fun activities. Some of our favorite things to do with our families in years past include:
Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt: Are you sensing a pattern here? Similar to the Figment and Egg scavenger hunt at the above two festivals Remy’s Hide and Squeak is along the same lines. Embark on a Ratatouille-inspired scavenger hunt around the park and win a special prize. Make sure to be on the lookout for statuettes of Remy hidden high and low throughout the World Showcase. You can grab your map from select merchandise locations.
Candy Sushi: Adults and kids with a sweet tooth will enjoy this fun and interactive experience at the Land Pavilion. Learn how to roll your own sushi sweet treats with a trained chef and let the taste testing commence!
Disney du Jour Dance Party: Who doesn’t love a good dance party? If you raise your hand you can see yourself out. But seriously, what is more fun than moving and grooving with your little ones while listening to some of today’s best family friendly tunes spun by a real Radio Disney DJ?! Some Radio Disney favorite artists have even been known to make appearances on the weekends; so make sure to keep your ears open!
While this festival is hands down amazing – it seems to be more tradition than anything. If you are a Disney fan you are going to want to make sure to visit EPCOT during this time of year at least once. We personally recommend multiple times as there is always way too much to try in one go around. If you have been able to make that happen…we need your secret sauce ASAP. EPCOT Food and Wine Festival really is great for foodie families and those who are looking for fun, new things to try.
EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE HOLIDAYS
And just like that, it’s time for the holidays! EPCOT’s most festive festival debuts just in time for the holidays each year. This festival typically runs from Late November- December. While this is the shortest festival of the year, it doesn’t lack the true Disney magic of it’s other festival counterparts. The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays highlights different holiday traditions from around the world; with Disney showcasing these traditions in the forms of food, decorations and entertainment (sign us up). Throughout World Showcase you can find quite a few holiday kitchens featuring unique dishes from around the world that go with each countries’ holiday traditions. Your little ones will also be able to meet and talk with each countries Santa and learn all about his Christmas Eve routine as well as snap some photos with him and the Mrs. In some of the other countries visitors can learn about other winter holidays including:
Three Kings Day, Kwanzaa and Hanukah to name a few. Here are some other festive favorites to enjoy with your loved ones this holiday season: Candlelight Processional: This is without a doubt the most popular entertainment at Festival of the Holidays. With nightly performances at America Gardens Theatre, a celebrity narrator retells the biblical tale of Christmas while a live orchestra and the Walt Disney Cast Choir perform inspirational songs of hope and joy. This is truly a beautiful reminder of the reason for the season and adults and children of all ages will watch in awe of it’s beauty and magic.
Living with the Land Holiday Overlay: This popular EPCOT attraction receives a holiday makeover each year to include sparkling lights and Christmas decor. Climb aboard and see all this unique winter wonderland has to offer. While the lights are on all day, we recommend leaving this attraction for the evening when you can truly see all the twinkles.
Seasonal Character Meet and Greets: Disney is known for its many character meet and greets however, you will never see them like this. Catch Winnie the Pooh sporting his Santa Hat, Joy rocking a festive scarf and so much more. These characters can change and evolve each year so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for some new, fun character sightings.
Gingerbread Houses: Visit different locations in the World Showcase to spot some unique and historically impressive Gingerbread houses. In the American Adventure Pavilion you can see Gingerbread replicas of The Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as well as the Pavilion itself.
Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition: For those who love Frozen, you are not going to want to miss this fun little nugget. Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition is the scavenger hunt style “I Spy” of the winter festival. Olaf has been sledding around the World Showcase to collect traditions for Elsa and Ana, and some have been misplaced along the way. Help Olaf find the misplaced traditions and return the map to a cast member at select merchandise shops in exchange for a gift worth melting for.
Holiday Cookie Stroll: It wouldn’t be a holiday festival without cookies. Would it? The Festival of the Holidays has an assortment of different cookies at various locations around the park. Purchase all five cookies from the Holiday Cookie Stroll locations to collect a stamp for each one in your Festival Passport. Once you have collected all five, bring the stamped passport to the Holiday Sweets & Treats Holiday Kitchen for yet another surprise.
As you can see, there is so much more Disney has to offer than simply riding rides and attractions (although those are great too!). With four uniquely themed and equally amazing festivals hosted in EPCOT throughout the year, there is something for everyone! Have you been to any of the festivals before? If so, let us know your favorite thing to do below; we love to add things to our own Disney To-Do Lists! Which festival are YOU wanting to explore next? Drop what festival you are wanting to visit in the comments and a “Disnerd” from our team will contact you to get your vacation countdown started!
Until next time adventurers, we’ll “See Ya Real Soon!”