Throughout the year there are a few different seasons that bring some extra magic to Disney parks. One of those times happens to be in the winter when Epcot hosts the International Festival of the Arts. This was the one festival we had never attended before this year (can you believe it?) We couldn’t wait to see an artistic spin on the park and see all of the offerings available. While we are sad to say yesterday was the last official day, we still wanted to provide an overview of our thoughts and all of the reasons this is our new favorite festival that we can’t wait for again next year…
About the Festival
When: Festival of the Arts is one of the shortest festivals. It takes place in the winter and in 2020 it was January 17 to February 24.
Where: the festival takes place mainly around the World Showcase at Epcot.
Who: we find the offerings are great for adults, but we know many parents enjoy bringing children as well.
How much: admission to the festival is included with a normal park entry to Epcot. Things like food, drinks, and merchandise offerings will of course be an extra cost. Most entertainment is free with the exception of special add on experiences such as dining packages and workshops.
TIP: make sure to grab a Festival Passport and Times Guide at the front of the park. These have plenty of info to plan your day and see what activities are available. Plus the passport is fun to mark with the included stickers as you explore around the World Showcase.
This little passport comes in handy during the festival.
The signage made for a great photo spot!
Colorful signage can be found throughout the park.
Figment was the main mascot for the festival this year.
Art Vendors
One of the biggest reasons to visit this festival is to peruse and purchase — you guessed it — ART! There were numerous tents set up all around the World Showcase. Some areas had clusters while other countries didn’t seem to have much. Most of the art available was Disney themed but there were some artists with other subjects as well. We found the majority of art available to be prints and paintings. But there were also booths with different mediums such as paper cutting, jewelry, photography, fabric marbling, and more. Some booths offered create your own art experiences (such as candle making) but seemed to be geared more towards kids. Another cool aspect to this festival was a selection of booths had opportunities to meet the artist as well. It was cool to chat with them, and they were happy to sign artwork for guests. In addition to art there was also merchandise available too.
TIP: Next time I think we would check the schedules in advance to make sure to catch our favorite artists as some were only there certain days or times.
A close up of a painting featuring Figment.
A peek at one of the art tents.
There was plenty of Disney art to be had.
There was a lot of colorful merchandise featuring Figment and paint cans this year.
Live Art
One of the coolest things to see was the inclusion of live art at the festival. Whether by professional artists or guests themselves seeing art come to life was pretty exciting. Here were a couple opportunities we witnessed…
Chalk Art Galleries
Down the main path that connects the front and back of Epcot lived an area dedicated to chalk art. On one side were 2D flat paintings. There were several squares that featured both Disney art and non Disney art. We captured an artist painting this cat painting live. There was an area with really cool 3D art too that featured illusion for the eyes. We witnesses a painting featuring Remy in progress. It was designed in a way that you could stand in front and appear to be holding Remy. It was neat to know that all of these spots were limited run and constantly changing as the weather could wash away these beauties at any time.
Expression Section: A Paint-by-Number Mural
This group art initiative is a really cool concept. A large canvas features paint by number squares. Anyone that wants to participate receives a small cup of paint and brush and paints the particular color on coordinating number squares. Over time the mural fills in to reveal cool Epcot themed designs. It seems that the crowds fill this pretty quickly as new canvases continued to be put up. We liked the idea of being a little part of something so big. Anyone that participates also receives a souvenir postcard too.
This mural featured the Epcot logo and lots of color.
Guests receive a bit of paint and foam brush.
Andrew diligently painting his squares.
Artful Food
With any Epcot festival marks the return of those fun little food booths. While this isn’t as grand of a scale as a food focused festival (with shorter lines thank goodness!) there still was plenty of offerings. The one thing we found with Festival of the Arts is most of the food was meant to look very artful. Whether being colorful or nicely plated, everything was a treat to look at. Here are a few things that we tried…
Paintbrush Churros: Cinnamon-Sugar Churros Dipped in Colorful White Chocolate
$6.50 at Refreshment Outpost (African Outpost)
You can’t go wrong with a churro at Disney. These mini churros were super cute and yummy. The colorful white chocolate was a fun addition and the price point was spot on.
Mediterranean Flatbread with Zaatar, Olive Oil Artichoke, Olives, Mozzarella and Feta Cheese
$9.00 at Mosaic Canteen (Morocco)
This was Julie’s favorite dish. The flatbread was loaded with cheese and olives. It was a large size and a great portion for the price.
Beef Wellington with Mushroom Bordelaise, Fennel Cream, and Roasted Baby Vegetables (KA)
$8.25 at The Artist’s Table (American Pavilion)
While this wasn’t the best beef wellington ever we were still really impressed for a food booth meal. The meat and pastry were good and the veggie additions were colorful. A fairly priced item we would probably order again.
Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm Creamy Brie in a House-made Bread Bowl
$7.75 at L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise (France)
Is there anything better than cheese and bread? While this tasted great, it was a little hard to eat. We guess it was a fair price for cheese but we think next time we would choose something with protein instead.
Lemon and Blood Orange Tart
$6.50 at Decadent Delights (Showcase Plaza, near Port of Entry)
This dessert was delicious. The tart was tangy and not overly sweet and the toppings were pretty to look at and fun to try.
Pollo ala Pirandello: Golden Chicken Drumstick stuffed with Ricotta Cheese and Pomodoro Sauce
$10.00 at L’Arte di Mangiare (Italy)
This was our disappointing purchase of the festival. The description sounded great, but for $10 we were expecting way more than just one little chicken drumstick. Pass.
TIP: Most festivals have a “passport challenge”. This year’s Festival of the Arts featured the “Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine”. When you purchase 5 particular items eligible for a stamp, you can show your passport to receive a complimentary culinary treat. If you like the items anyway, you might as well get a free one too!
Fun Photo Opps
Throughout the park you can find lots of cool photo set ups featuring art that you can “step into”. From famous paintings like “The Scream” to a fun Disney illustration, these oversized masterpieces have cutouts to let you pose inside. Most spots had a Photopass photographer during the day but it is good to note they were not manned later in the day. The park itself offers some fun photo backgrounds too from pretty signage to additions of things like butterfly walls (found between the Land and Imagination pavilions.) There are also some special magic shots with Spaceship Earth in the background. (not sure if these are just during the festival or all the time now to be honest).
TIP: Make sure to take a look at the light when taking your picture. We took a couple where the harsh sun was coming in from the side and ruined the effect of the picture with weird shadows. Diffused light or being lit from the front would be better.
Julie with friends Callie and Lizzie posing near the UK.
These butterfly walls were so pretty!
Check out the cool colorful lines in this one!
Fun Scavenger Hunts
Chalk Full of Character
A new addition this year was Chalk art of characters throughout the park. In different World Showcase spots we found little characters added on to walls and such. This could be a fun thing to keep kids busy, but even as adults we loved spotting these little guys. Check out a couple below!
Pascal in Germany.
Robin Hood & friends in the UK.
Abu in Morocco.
Figment’s Brush with the Masters
This scavenger hunt activity does come with a fee of $7.99 (but some discounts are available). You receive a cute art palette that features a map and stickers. Around the world showcase you will find paintings in special gold Figment frames. (These were seriously harder to find than we anticipated.) Once you have a completed palette you can go to a redemption center for a prize. This year the bounty was a little paint can with a puzzle inside. We found this a fun little way to enjoy the day.
Entertainment
Performing Artists
Throughout the day you can find a lot of live performances. Many are on the Showcase Plaza stage while others may be in different areas (Make sure to check the Passport for show times and locations.) We saw some performances while walking by such as living statues and acrobats. We also really enjoyed seeing an artist on stage that speed painted to some upbeat music.
Animation Academy
Join a real Disney artist and learn to draw a character! Set in the America Gardens theater guests can take a seat for this class. Note that it is only offered twice a day.
Disney on Broadway
During the night you will find real Broadway actors coming together to sing award-winning songs from Broadway roles. There are three performances a night at 5:30, 6:45, and 8:00. Make sure to check the schedule to see who is performing.
Extra Experiences
While we didn’t do any extra experiences this year, we would look into in the future. To guarantee a seat at a Broadway performance you can pair with a dining package. There were also special workshops available to learn artistic tips and tricks. This year these were available on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00am for a fee of $45. Make sure to reserve in advance.
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed the Festival of the Arts! We found that there were so many offerings of different things to do. The food was good, the activities fun, and seeing so much creativity was really cool. We were however bummed it was such a short festival, as we didn’t get the chance to go enough and explore everything we wanted to do. But that means we will definitely be back next year for more artful fun!
If we had to choose our favorite Epcot festival, it would be the International Festival of the Arts (presented by AT&T). While all of the festivals have food, this one has food that looks beautiful. There are so many opportunities to interactive with art and it is the best way to buy a memorable piece for your home. This week we were invited by Disney Parks to a Media Event to get a sneak peek at new additions to this year’s event. Let’s dive in and explore all the fun new artful offerings…