2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts Guide
EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts runs from mid-January through late February 2024 at Walt Disney World. This guide offers info, tips, food recommendations, and our must-see highlights of this annual winter special event, which is one of the best of the year at WDW! (Updated October 26, 2023.)
Walt Disney World has now released official dates for the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, and it’ll continue its run starting the Friday of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend and ending on Presidents’ Day. Stated more directly, the EPCOT Festival of the Arts runs from January 12 through February 19, 2024!
Those were the previously predicted dates for the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, but we’re honestly a little disappointed that the event won’t be longer. For the reasons discussed below, this is far and away the best fest of the year at EPCOT…and also the shortest! Even as Flower & Garden and Food & Wine have received massive month-plus extensions in the last few years, Festival of the Arts has remained roughly the same duration. The silver lining of that, we suppose, is that at least this event hasn’t been diluted as a result…
For those unfamiliar with it, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is the “newest” special event of the year, which is in its eighth year come 2024. (Time flies when you’re having fun–I still remember when the inaugural event was announced!) Festival of the Arts is also the least-popular of Epcot’s events, and doesn’t draw nearly as many tourists as the long-running Food & Wine Festival. This is partly because it occurs in winter, but it also doesn’t seem to draw quite as many locals, either.
Walt Disney World has dubbed this event the “ultimate celebration of world-class food, amazing visual art, and live entertainment.” We agree. EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts is our favorite event of the year, and we love chatting with artists, watching the performers, and eating our way around the 13 booths, and enjoying some of the art on display. Trying the new food, seeing artists exhibit their work, and participating in the interactive offerings at the event is always a good time.
After being blown away by the inaugural event, and while some of the specifics have changed in the last few years, our impression remains the same: EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts is our #1 seasonal event of the year at Epcot.
In this post, we’ll cover some of the reasons why we love it, and why we recommend experiencing it for yourself from January 12 through February 19, 2024!
Let’s start with what was new for last year’s EPCOT International Festival of the Arts–the big news is that Figment is playing an even bigger in the EPCOT Festival of the Arts…
EPCOT Festival of the Arts is getting more imaginative, with Figment’s Inspiration Station: Art, Food, and Little Sparks of Magic. With this, Figment essentially takes over the Odyssey events center, which was previously the EPCOT Experience preview center (and has also functioned as a festival center for past events.
Figment’s Inspiration Station at the Odyssey includes nods and restored pieces from the original Journey Into Imagination at EPCOT Center, circa 1982. Figment’s Inspiration Station features an original Figment Audio Animatronics figure, mural inspired by the ride’s load area, the original background music, and projections from the attraction. There’s also inspiration drawn from the original upstairs ImageWorks, with original pin tables and a rainbow corridor-esque aesthetic in Figment’s Inspiration Station.
Additionally, the Figment Premium Popcorn Bucket makes its return, but this year with a new EPCOT 40th Anniversary strap. Last year, Festival of the Arts was dominated by headlines that EPCOT’s Longest Line Is For Figment Popcorn Buckets. It took a while, but Walt Disney World eventually solved that problem by streamlining the process with Mobile Order.
Thankfully, Mobile Order is once again the solution to that particular problem. Simply look for EPCOT Souvenir Release and select a return timeslot, starting at 11 am. Limit 2 per person.
Figment’s Inspiration Station doubles as a food and merchandise booth, serving the Pop’t Art, Rainbow Cake, and a variety of other snacks and drinks, including a number of different beers. (Strikes me as sorta odd for Figment’s booth to serve alcohol, but whatever.)
In addition to the popcorn bucket at Figment’s Inspiration Station, you can also bring home the brand-new Fruity Fig Bar Figment Disney Munchling. This limited-edition Disney Munchling features the sweet smell of berries and can be found both at the merchandise locations at the festival and on shopDisney.
The Figment fun continues when the sun goes down at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts.
Over at Spaceship Earth, a new Beacons of Magic light show features Figment. This technicolor tribute features music that’ll bring one little spark your imagination, along with a spectacle of dazzling light. This combines Journey into Imagination and Muppets by also utilizing “Rainbow Connection” in what might be the most inspired and imaginative version of the excellent EPCOT Beacons of Magic yet.
With what’s new out of the way, let’s offer a bit of background on the basics of the event that are consistent from year-to-year. The Epcot International Festival of the Arts is a special event celebrating the visual, culinary, and performing arts from around the world. The event includes Food Studios (naturally!) and an array of entertainment options.
The first thing you need to know is that there’s a lot to see and do at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, but the vast majority of the entertainment is not continuously running. Quite the converse, in fact.
While there is virtually always something occurring throughout the park between park opening and 5 p.m., many of the live performers are only out a few times per day, and some of their sets are fairly short.
Because of this, it’s absolutely essential that you consult a times guide or entertainment schedule for the day your visiting, and plan around the entertainment that is the most “rare.” Alternatively, if you have a surplus of time, you might want to take a slow approach, just meandering around World Showcase and stumbling upon art as you stroll. We really enjoy that sense of “discovery.”
The Food Studios, exhibits, and interactive art opportunities can be slotted in whenever, so fit those into your schedule when you have down time, but plan around the live entertainment.
You won’t be able experience all of Epcot and Festival of the Arts in a single day. Accordingly, we advise spending two days at Epcot during Festival of the Arts: both weekdays.
Weekends at Epcot are busy during Festival of the Arts, primarily due to strong word of mouth about the event among locals, who work during the week. As with every other Epcot festival, weekdays are far less busy.
The last two winters have been a veritable crowd roller coaster at Walt Disney World. Two years ago, attendance was down considerably, making Walt Disney World’s visitor numbers disproportionately locals who visit Friday through Sunday. This year was a totally different story, with pent-up demand playing out in full force and pretty much every day being jam-packed.
As discussed in our Crowd Predictions for EPCOT Festival of the Arts, we are forecasting something in-between last year. Fortunately, the dates encompassed by the EPCOT Festival of the Arts should be among the best of the year. For more info, refer to that–or consult our January 2024 Crowd Calendar and February 2024 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World for specific best and worst dates to visit.
Let’s turn to the Food Studios. For many guests, these will be the highlight of the event, offering marketplace snack options in venues similar to those found during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. We thought the food was generally really presented exceptionally well, and tasted very good at last year’s event.
We sampled most of the menus at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, and were surprised that most portions were relatively hearty and value for money was fairly solid. In both cases, better than the Food & Wine Festival, but not as good of value as a regular counter service meal.
As we note in our Food Studio Guide to the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, the “culinary arts” are the least important component of the event. We have several specific snack recommendations there, but none are essential to enjoying the event.
While the food is very good and some portions are generous, it’s also on the expensive side–even more than Food & Wine Festival. This makes it a tough sell if you’re paying out of pocket–especially since this event does not revolve around food.
If you do opt for the foodie elements of the festival, the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine is a fun way to do it. Set out on a tasty trek around the EPCOT Festival of the Arts and purchase 7 vibrant dishes—and be rewarded with one technicolor treat to enjoy at the end of your journey.
Use your Festival Passport as your guide to look for specially notated menu items, then track your progress by collecting a stamp after each purchase. Once you’ve enjoyed at least 5 of the 7 dishes—and collected the corresponding stamps—bring your stamped Festival Passport to the Deco Delights food studio to receive a complimentary Artist Palette Cookie.
With that said, you could skip the food entirely and still have an awesome time at the event. This is sentiment you might not read elsewhere, but keep in mind that a lot of the interest around Epcot’s festivals revolves around food; this is also how Disney monetizes the events.
So of course it makes sense for Walt Disney World and other blogs to hype up the food…even if it’s far from the highlight of Epcot’s Festival of the Arts. Aside from the snacking, Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts offers Walt Disney World guests the ability to peruse artwork by Disney artists in galleries.
Additionally, there are live artists creating artwork in Epcot. It’s really interesting to watch them; we were so captivated by one of the artists that we watched him complete an entire Mickey Mouse painting, which he did in ‘unison’ with music.
Other artists will be painting landscape scenes throughout World Showcase. Additionally, chalk artists will reproduce classic works on park sidewalks, Epcot Living Statues will do roaming art, and guest performance artists will create live art with the wave of a paintbrush.
Interactive guest art is another one of our favorite aspects of Festival of the Arts. We have had a chance to help complete several different murals, including the one pictured below.
It’s also a really fun experience in the moment, and satisfying once you see the finished product a few days later, knowing I helped make that!
For kids of all ages, one of the highlights is Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt. Mischievous Figment has re-imagined what famous paintings might look like if he were part of the artwork, and hidden one in each country around World Showcase–see if you can find them all. The paintings are cleverly done, and a good way to introduce kids to art history.
It’s also just a lot of fun to search for the Figment-infused art. If you want, you can purchase maps for ~$10 each at the main gift shops (Port of Entry, Creations Shop, World Traveler Shop, etc.) and play the game–being rewarded with a Figment keepsake once you find them all. However, you can also just look for them for a sense of fun and satisfaction–that’s usually what we do!
There’s also more structured entertainment for the Epcot International Festival of the Arts. The Disney on Broadway concert series will once again return. This features three shows each evening headlined by Broadway stars performing beloved songs from more than 25 years of award-winning stage productions.
Here’s the Disney on Broadway concert lineup for last year’s EPCOT Festival of the Arts (we’ll update as soon as the schedule is released for 2024):
Kara Lindsay (Newsies) and Kevin Massey (Tarzan)
- January 13
- January 15-16
- January 19-20
Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin) and Adam Jacobs (Aladdin)
- January 14
- January 17-18
- January 21-22
Patti Murin (Frozen) and Robert Creighton (The Little Mermaid)
- January 23
- January 25-26
- January 29-30
- February 2-3
Mandy Gonzalez (Aida) and L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King)
- January 24
- January 27-28
- January 31 through February 1
- February 4-5
Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) and Michael James Scott (Aladdin)
- February 6
- February 8-9
- February 12-13
- February 16-17
Kissy Simmons (The Lion King) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan)
- February 7
- February 10-11
- February 14-15
- February 18-19
On February 20, the Disney on Broadway Concert Series features an extended finale featuring Ashley Brown, Josh Strickland, Kissy Simmons, and Michael James Scott. In past years, this extended finale has been the highlight–do not miss it if you’re in EPCOT that evening!
Disney on Broadway Dining Packages are also available, but we typically do NOT recommend these (except for maybe the extended finale). We’ve seen Disney on Broadway concerts countless times and never once had an issue getting seats. I guess if you absolutely need a prime view, it’s not a bad option–but it strikes us as a waste of money. To each their own, though.
Ultimately, Epcot International Festival of the Arts has proven itself to be something different. Food and drinks are the lowest priority here, and there is so much “other stuff” that it’s hard to view this as a thinly-veiled way to sell high margin stuff. When you consider how much all of the artists and entertainers likely cost, the cynicism melts away.
To the contrary, the Epcot Festival of the Arts is a true enhancement to Epcot. It cherrypicks the elements of Flower & Garden and Food & Wine that we like best, and enhances the park in an organic way that feels like it recaptures a bit of the original spirit of EPCOT Center. The event’s ambiance makes it even more enjoyable to just wander around Epcot, and there are strong educational and entertainment components.
With several years under the event’s belt, we’re confident that Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts has found its footing. We hope that it continues to evolve and expand, and 2024 could finally be the year for that, as EPCOT will no longer be in the midst of a massive construction project–which means no maze of construction walls for the first time since 2019! Here’s hoping that Figment’s Inspiration Station returns bigger and better, and perhaps in a larger new venue inside CommuniCore Hall.
Disney continues to deliver on the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, which is why it has been our favorite festival since it started several years ago. That might be hard to believe given the barrage of coverage that Food & Wine receives, and given that this is the shortest and newest event, but if we could only choose one to attend, this would be it. Despite the surprise spike in crowds last year, we would highly recommend this event–and this time of year–to anyone considering when to visit Walt Disney World in 2024.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you attended EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts in any of its past years? Are you excited to experience the 2024 Festival of the Arts from January 12 through February 19, 2024? Any tips you want to share to make the most of the experience? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I went there this year and loved it. I saw a painting of Winnie the Pooh sitting on a branch protecting his Hunny as the rains fell down, down, down. Sadly I did not purchase the painting then but would like to now. Does anyone have any information about the artist?
Does anyone know the name of the company that had the essential oil products? They were set up between the Outpost and Germany. I purchased some of their soaps and would love to order more, but can’t seem to find their business card I picked up.
https://rinsesoap.com
We went last year because it happened to fall during our trip dates, and we loved it. I don’t usually buy many souvenirs, but I liked the festival so well that I caved and bought the Tervis-it is my favorite water cup now. Interestingly, we had 2 children under 3 with us, and they both enjoyed themselves at the festival infinitely more than expected. I was worried that wandering around the festival would make for a boring day for them compared to the variety of rides at MK and the animals at AK, but they were into all the looking, listening, and tasting. Maybe they appreciated a calm change of pace from the other attractions. We especially enjoyed the food-we made a lunch of samples from different stands. My little boy and I are both hoping they offer the Belgium drinking chocolate again this go around. All in all we loved the flare the festival brought to navigating the World Showcase. I am happy to be taking another trip that includes FOA.
Thanks so much for this info about young kids — we’ll be taking my just-turned-two-year-old next February and I wasn’t sure if she could handle the festival. But now I’ll definitely plan to spend some time experiencing it, as I know, from Tom’s excellent description, the adults in our group will love it!
Thank you for updating this post with all the great information! This being our third attempt to at a wonderful, relaxing, adventurous trip to WDW, I am beyond stinkin’ excited for this event! We attempted F&W in September, but a cranky lady named Irma kind of ruined the fun. We did go, and got completely spoiled by the near-empty parks, but OMG the heat was utterly unbearable. We did have fun, but in the aftermath of a natural disaster, the joie de vivre was greatly muted. And the heat sucked out any remaining joy.
On the plane home, my husband said, “We should go for a long weekend in December, to catch the things we missed.” We were there last December and loved the holidays, so yeah … once home, I got to looking for a good PH discount on rooms, but ended up cashing in some SPG points for the Dolphin. However, as luck would have it, my husband’s job became super demanding and he couldn’t get away for even a long weekend. But he insisted I go anyway. I did, and had loads of fun doing another solo trip, but he completely missed out. Sending him my silly pictures and videos didn’t quite cut it.
When the December trip was tentative, I hedged my bets and booked a trip for January. The Disney Visa card room offer came out, and the rate I got for 6 nights at the Yacht Club is awesome. Then the APH rates came out, and I got a similarly fantastic deal at Saratoga Springs for 4 nights. So now we’re looking forward to a nice, leisurely (no Disney Death Marchâ„¢ this trip!) time in WDW, with the FotA, low crowds and tolerable weather as the highlight, with Celebration of Harry Potter at USO secondary to that.
The low crowds and tolerable weather are definitely a highlight of this time of year for us. You get one of each of those things in September and December, but having both is truly wonderful.
Does anyone know where I can find a list of the artists?
I realized this question was from 2017 and I hope this site can be referenced here but I saw this recently.
https://wdwnt.com/2019/01/photos-epcot-international-festival-of-the-arts-2019-artist-previews/
Any updates? Feedback from anyone who experienced this yet? We’all be there 2/11-2/18. Would love any reviews! TIA! Thank you for all the above info.
I attended last weekend and absolutely loved the festival! Artists are on hand to show their talents and talk to fans of their art. The photo opportunities are a lot of fun and even the character photo locations are cute with there renderings on easels. I was able to meet many artists – having collected their art for many years.
Hi Tom!
As I’m heading down for a week next Saturday, I called Disney for some more info on the festival, and figured I’d add it here.
Like the Wine and Food Festival, snack credits from the DDP’s can be used to get items from the Food Studios. This should mean most of the items should be priced similarly to the Wine & Food (where somethings are not available for snack credits).
The Figment Scavenger Hunt is a complimentary activity for kids. I did ask, and was assured that all I had to do was tell the cast members that I am in fact a kid, and I could take part.
I’ll give you an update when I get back on any of the events/activities I take part in.
Correction due to bad info from Disney’s call center- the Figment Scavenger Hunt is paid activity- the “prize” is a special edition Figment magnet (there are 4 different designs)
The Figment Scavenger Hunt IS a free activity in that the artwork is on display in each pavilion & you don’t have to pay to look for it or view it. However, if you want the final prize & a souvenir map with stickers highlighting each picture-then you will pay a small fee (usually under $10).
This sounds like a replacement to the Festival of Masters that used to be a Downtown Disney but has happened in the last two years “due to construction”.
This sounds like a replacement to the Festival of Masters that used to be a Downtown Disney but has happened in the last two years “due to construction”. I wish they would release which actual artist would be attending and on what weekend, I would be going for the art not the food.
So glad you did a little preview of the event. I can hardly find anything from Disney related to this event. I booked my vacation without realizing this was going on. It was a nice surprise to find out I planned my EPCOT day on a day the festival is going on. I’ll be there next weekend! Looking forward to attending the inaugural year and hope they have some good special merchandise (I am a sucker for it).
This is really exciting to me. I love the festivals but I love the art of Disney most of all so putting it together sounds amazing! No way I can go this year, but I’m really looking forward to your review so we can plan for next year!
Sorry, but for me the first requirement of food is deliciousness. Decorated pop tarts sound like county fair food, not Epcot.
Hope this is not a Disney botch.
Gourmet pop tarts have started to become ‘a thing’ in the last couple of years, and when well done, they are *nothing* like the boxed treats with which you might be familiar: http://laist.com/2015/04/24/5_delicious_pop_tarts_in_la.php
This actually sounds more interesting to me than the Food and Wine Festival. I like the concept of the in-the-part artists and Broadway musicians.
Thanks Tom for the preview. I am so excited for this event,and my husband and I will be there from 2/6 to 2/16/17, so will have a opportunities to participate. I am not a Food and Wine enthusiast because of the “drink around the world” problems. BUT, I can’t wait for the artistic aspect of this event. My husband and I love the artwork, and artists, you can find around WDW, so this is right down our alley! I hope it is a success, and Disney will extend this artistic side of WDW even more. I agree that there a lot of people who like the artistic events along with the entertainment to be had. I hope it doesn’t turn into a “drink around the world” event, though.
Hey Tom! Thanks for the article. We’ll be there next weekend and I’m excited that we’ll catch this new festival. Where did you find information about the dining package for the concert? I can’t find it on the Disney website anywhere!
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-festival-of-the-arts/
if you look under the have your art and eat it too section it shows the dining packages.
Awesome. Thanks!!
I think this is a great idea for a festival and it couldn’t fit the spirit of the world showcase any more perfectly. I will say though I had been looking forward to the food and wine festival for years and I finally got to go last September, and it was great, however the t crowds weren’t my favorite. I don’t mean the size of the crowds as much as how drunk the crowds got toward the end of the night, it was a bit off-putting for me. I don’t really know what Disney could do about that though.
“and guest performance artists will create live art with the wave of a paintbrush. (We’re not sure what this last one means—I guess we shall see.)”
I’ve got a feeling this is the google Tilt Brush, which is kinda cool, but requires virtual reality goggles, as it’s rendered on a nearby PC and has to be displayed somehow. Of course it’s Disney, and probably calls upon their extensive knowledge of black magic to render it midair with no other discernible tech nearby. =p
Thanks for the info–that does sound (potentially) promising depending upon how they utilize that (or similar) tech!
That Mondrian cake, tho… 🙂
Oh dear. I had planned to come to WDW to see Festival of the Arts, and made arrangements, but the particular artists I now want to see don’t coincide. Darn!
Hopefully the rest of the event is great; thanks for the round up!
EXACTLY!
More festivals! Every city has their “E Ticket” attractions and those are great (or not) but the real flavor is what’s going on along the sidewalks and streets. Play me the songs of your people, let me see and taste something that I can have nowhere else in this world. That’s a serious factor in what makes travel great.