Each year Epcot hosts 4 different festivals that take place around the same times each year. They are the Food and Wine Festival (late September to mid-November and will be celebrating its 25th year in 2020), the Festival of the Holidays (mid-November through December) and the Flower and Garden Festival (March through late May/early June). And finally, the shortest and newest festival, but our personal favorite is the Festival of the Arts.
The Festival of the Arts begins later this month and is a celebration of entertainment, food and all things art, especially Disney art! This year will be only its 4th year in existence and our second time visiting the Festival. Our first visit in 2019 was a couple’s only trip and we had so much fun!
The Culinary Arts
No festival at Epcot would be complete without that magical four letter word….FOOD! That’s right, like its counterparts, the Festival of the Arts will give you the chance to try popular food and beverages around the world with an artistic twist.
For example, you may have had a Ruben Sandwich, but have you had a Deconstructed Ruben? The Deconstructed Ruben was a personal favorite last year and featured shredded corned beef, pickled red cabbage, Thousand Island dressing and a rye curl.
Molten Chocolate Cake and Frosé 
Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake
And as always, no festival is complete without a great selection of adult beverages to try as you make your way around the world. This Festival also offers additional food related seminar opportunities at an additional cost if food is your thing!
Featured Artists
The Festival of the Arts also gives you a chance to meet some of your favorite Disney artists and to purchase their work so you can take some of the Disney magic home with you! Our personal favorite is Greg McCullough. We had a chance to meet Greg at Disney Springs back in 2015 when we first bought a print of his. He was a very down to earth person who took the time to sign the print and have a brief conversation.
Greg McCullough – Hitchin’
At the 2019 Festival of the Arts we had a chance to meet Greg again. We bought his print entitled “Dream It Do It” and again got to have it signed by this wonderful artist. Again, we had the honor of having a brief conversation with Greg about his work as a Disney artist and to express our admiration for his work. This piece is really amazing and the picture below does not do it justice (if you were able to look really closely there are 52 hidden Disney characters and 30 hidden Mickey’s in the leaves of the Golden Oak tree).
Greg McCullough – Dream It Do It
Performing Arts
There are several performing arts offerings throughout the day including an acrobatic show, EPCOT Living Statues, a Visual Art performance and the Disney on Broadway Concert Series. During the Visual Art performance, we enjoyed watching the artist Trevor Carlton paint Mickey Mouse in less than 20 minutes as he interacted with the audience while upbeat music played. After each performance, these paintings were available for guest purchase.
Our absolute favorite of the performing arts offerings was the EPCOT Living Statues. We enjoyed this so much that we viewed them a couple of different times throughout our visit. The living statues interacted with guests and would change their poses as guests posed for pictures in front of them. It is a must experience as words can not truly describe this amazing experience.
The Disney on Broadway series was held in the America Gardens Theatre and it featured a rotation of live concert performances from Disney on Broadway stars throughout the Festival. While we were there, Meredith Inglesby from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid on Broadway and Steve Blanchard from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Newsies performed.
The above are only the highlights of this Festival. There was so much more to do and it really is a great time for the whole family including the kids. Fun photo opps abound as well as character meet and greets and of course, your favorite Epcot rides! If you have never been to this Festival it is a must! If you have ever visited this Festival leave your favorite thing about it the comments below. Also follow us @adventure4more on Instagram to follow us on our next adventure: the 2020 Festival of the Arts, January 16-20, 2020!
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