Brushstrokes and Beyond: Your Guide to the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
Epcot’s Festival of the Arts is a unique combination of culinary, visual, and performing art that provides a fun-for-everyone experience. And it starts in TODAY!
Of all the EPCOT Festivals, this one is my favorite. Let me take you on a tour of the Festival and show you why!
Savor the Culinary Arts
There is something about EPCOT Festival booths that gets me so excited to try them all, and this Festival does not disappoint! This year’s Festival features 18 Food Studios with a wide variety of flavors to choose from. These food studios are spread throughout the park, mainly through World Showcase.
The dishes at the Food Studios focus heavily on presentation and the use of color to not only create delicious treats for the stomach, but also beautiful food for the eye. These picture-perfect dishes deliver on flavor and look too good to eat!
Pictured: Mozzarella Fritta, L’Arte di Mangiare Food Studio, Italy Pavilion
The Festival of the Arts also features the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, a colorful opportunity to sample different cuisine from the Festival eats! For each of the foods you eat from the walk, a Disney Cast Member will stamp your Festival Passport. After collecting five stamps you can turn in your Passport at Deco Delights for a prize!
Pictured: Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aioli and annatto aioli, Vibrante & Vivido: Encanto Cocina Food Studio, Between Morocco and France Pavilions
You can purchase any combination of 5 items on the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine list, you do not need to purchase one of each. So, if you are like me and are not a fan of beets, but love that Empanada, you can make a swap and still fill your card!
Get a Taste of Broadway from the American Gardens Theatre
I grew up on and am a huge fan of musicals, so this one was very special to me. For three showings each evening, the America Gardens Theatre becomes home to the DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert Series. Each show features two performers from Disney Broadway productions.
As a child of the 90’s, I watched Newsies featuring a young Christian Bale many times, so imagine my excitement when the two performers I saw in my first performance were Dan DeLuca and Kara Lindsay from the Broadway version of Newsies! They were phenomenal and performed songs from Newsies (of course!), Tarzan, and Aida. It was an absolutely amazing night and I can't wait to see more this year!
Pictured: Kara Lindsay
To beat the lines and get the best seats, you can pre-book a DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert Series Dining Package at 7 different eateries: Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Biergarten Restaurant, Coral Reef Restaurant, Garden Grill Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Rose & Crown Dining Room and Spice Road Table. Dining Packages are also available same-day on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue.
Be a Part of the Art
The Festival of the Arts is not only about seeing beautiful works of are, but also about creating your own! My favorite of these activities is the Expression Section: A Paint by Numbers Mural. This FREE activity lets YOU be the artist by painting squares on a large wall mural. Over the course of the day the squares fill in and the mural comes to life! This one is such a fun activity and I make sure I do it every time I am at EPCOT.
Not only can you create the art, you can BE THE ART! Have you ever wanted to be the Mona Lisa or cross the Delaware with George Washington? There are 8 different famous paintings that you can pop into through Artful Photo Ops. Bonus - Many of these locations offer a Photopass photographer to capture the moment!
These are just a couple of my favorites, but there are many more:
Learn to draw your favorite characters at the Animation Academy held at the America Gardens Theatre.
Combine fitness and art to create unique paintings at Spin Art.
Let your child’s imagination take flight at the Kids’ Chalk Art located by the Land Pavilion.
With so many options, you are bound to find what inspires you!
Visit the Chalk Art Galleries
As you stroll down the walkway towards World Showcase, take a moment to appreciate the art that surrounds you. The artists find inspiration in Disney characters, nature and famous works of art. It’s amazing what can be done with a little chalk!
Pictured: Chalk Art of Raya along the walkway to World Showcase
In addition to 2D works of art, the artists also create amazing 3D art that truly pops off the pavement.
Pictured: Chalk Art of Baymax along the walkway to World Showcase. This picture had so much depth and the picture does not do it justice!
As you make your way through World Showcase, keep an eye out for chalk characters hidden in plain sight. Chock Full of Character hides characters, such as Luca and Alberto, Abu and Jiminy Cricket throughout World Showcase. Explore and see how many you can find!
Meet Disney Artists and Take Home the Perfect Souvenir
Festival of the Arts has a magical way of bringing you closer to art in every way and what better way to explore art than to explore the Festival Markets and meet the artists! During this Festival, Epcot becomes home to the Disney Artist Gallery and Wonderground Gallery, as well as galleries from visiting artists and merchants.
Pictured: Festival Market Booth for one of my favorite artists, Rob Kaz. He is a super nice guy and a great artist!
Art tents appear throughout the festival showcasing all types of Disney art including character, nature, and park-based items. In many of these galleries, you can find the artists themselves! Last trip, I bought a few pieces from Rob Kaz, who signed them and took the time to have a great chat with us!
There are options to take home favorite artwork for every budget. Options range from postcards to matted prints to fully framed wall hangings and better yet, artwork can also be shipped directly from the gallery tent to your home.
I could keep going on about all the amazing things at this Festival, but the bottom line is you have to experience it at least once. It brings an entirely different energy to EPCOT and I love every minute!
What are your favorite things to do at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts?
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
