2024 EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts
From the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine to 16 unique food kiosks, Disney on Broadway, and larger-than-life art exhibits, here are the 10 can’t miss highlights at the 2024 EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts.
Calling all art enthusiasts, foodies, and Disney lovers to the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts! Running through February 19, 2024, the annual festival celebrates three artistic disciplines: culinary, visual, and performing arts. With innovative and globally inspired cuisine, magical performances, and interactive and immersive art exhibits, the first EPCOT® festival of the year is always a fan favorite.
10 highlights you can’t miss at the 2024 EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts
With so much to see, do, and taste at the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts, we’ve made a list of the top 10 attractions you can’t miss at this year’s festival. However, for more information about events, you can pick up free maps and Festival Passports at any food kiosk. Or, you can find each day’s schedule updated in real-time on the My Disney Experience app.
1. The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine
Sip, savor, and stroll as you embark on a culinary journey through EPCOT®. The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine is a foodie scavenger hunt that “challenges” you to eat at least five of the seven dishes, with each dish coinciding to a color of the rainbow. For each dish you purchase, you receive a colored stamp in your Festival Passport. Once you’ve collected five stamps you can redeem your Festival Passport for a prize, an Artist Palette Cookie.
2. Disney on Broadway Concert Series
A main event at the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts is the Disney on Broadway Concert Series. Occurring daily with three shows per night (5:30 PM, 6:45 PM, and 8:00 PM), the Disney on Broadway Concert Series features Broadway and Disney stars who perform show-stopping tunes and musical acts from some of Disney’s most iconic movies, including Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Mary Poppins, and The Lion King.
Best of all, the concert series is included with your regular admission ticket. However, you can upgrade your experience by purchasing the Disney on Broadway Concert Series Dining Package. Enjoy a multi-course lunch or dinner at one of eight restaurants in the World Showcase before attending a concert performance later that evening. The dining package includes one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert, or one full buffet admission, a non-alcoholic beverage, and one guaranteed seat per guest at the Disney on Broadway concert held on the same day.
3. Food Studios
EPCOT® is renowned for innovative and globally influenced cuisine and libations; but, during the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts, the theme park really elevates the culinary experience with vibrant and art-inspired dishes. This year, the festival will feature 16 specialty food studios under the theme “food is art,” where the EPCOT® chefs create visual masterpieces that are a feast for the eyes and stomach!
Here are some of the most popular Food Studio dishes to try this year:
- The Artist’s Table – Duck and Dumplings (smoked duck breast, ricotta dumplings, baby vegetables, and duck jus) and Hummingbird Cake (banana-and-pecan cake dipped in cream cheese icing with caramel sauce and warm pineapple compote).
- Pastoral Palate - Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib (tender beef short rib with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes, and balsamic glaze) and Black Forest Cake (chocolate mousse with morello cherries and Chantilly cream).
- The Deconstructed Dish - Deconstructed BLT (pork belly, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, and tomato jam) and Deconstructed Key Lime Pie (key lime curd and mousse, graham cracker cake, and meringues - also a featured item on The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item).
4. Animation Academy
Another popular attraction at the festival is the Animation Academy, a show where you can draw Disney characters with step-by-step guidance from a real animation artist at the America Gardens Theatre. The Animation Academy runs daily with showtimes at 12:30 and 1:30 PM. These mini workshops tend to be fast paced, so may not be ideal for small children. However, all guests who participate can take home their drawings as a souvenir.
5. Expression Section: A Paint by Numbers Mural
Over the course of the festival, EPCOT® sets up large paint-by-numbers murals that invite guests to work together to create beautiful works of art. Known as Expression Section, the experience is free and available daily from 11 AM to 5 PM. Guests wanting to participate are given brushes and labeled cups of paint and are directed to a section of the paint-by-numbers mural by cast members. Typically, guests are permitted to only paint up to six squares at a time; however, you can return to the mural multiple times throughout your day.
6. Figment’s Brush With the Masters
Embark on a fun and art-filled scavenger hunt with Figment, the purple imagination dragon and mascot of EPCOT®. Figment’s Brush with the Masters is a paid scavenger hunt that takes guests on a quest around the World Showcase in search of paintings with a hidden picture of Figment. At each painting, once you spot Figment, you’ll place a sticker of the painting on the corresponding map location. When you complete the scavenger hunt, you can return to collect a prize. This year, prizes include your choice of one of three Disney figurines to paint.
7. Art Defying Gravity
Throughout the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts, you can enjoy several street performances, including Art Defying Gravity. A dazzling acrobatic display of grace, strength, and agility. Art Defying Gravity takes place at the World Showcase Plaza, Saturday through Wednesday. Check the My Disney Experience app for showtimes.
8. Step into Life-sized Paintings
While there are hundreds of photo opportunities during the festival, some of the coolest Instagram-worthy moments are the dozens of life-sized paintings you can step “inside.” Around the park, you’ll find large replicas of famous paintings and iconic scenes from classic movies with a tip sheet to tell you how to pose.
Here are some of the most popular life-sized paintings for 2024:
- The American Adventure: Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanual Leutze
- Between Italy and Germany Pavilion: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
- Between Italy and Germany Pavilion: The Scream by Edvard Munch
- Bridge to World Showcase: Wish Storybook
- Bridge to World Showcase: Forest Scene from Sleeping Beauty
9. Art in Performance
During the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts, you can watch artists create art live. The captivating and immersive experience provides a first-hand look at the creative process. Daily, you can catch artists showcasing their skills in various mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpting, and more. However, one of the coolest aspects of the live artist sessions is that they often result in ever-changing artwork throughout the festival. You can return to the same artist's station on different days to witness the evolution of his or her creation.
10. Chalk Art Galleries
For artsy fun that’s great for smaller children, the festival has epic chalk art creations from renowned artists. You can tour through the Chalk Art Galleries located along the bridge to the World Showcase Plaza and even catch some of the artists at work. There is also a section near the Chalk Art Galleries where kids can create their very own chalk-art masterpiece.
Going to the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts? Stay at Caribe Royale Orlando.
For an epic Orlando getaway filled with art, food, music, and unforgettable memories, there’s no better place to stay than Caribe Royale Orlando. With sparkling pools and a water slide, eight unique dining experiences, luxury spa, and on-site biking, fishing, plus a newly opened Sport Court with state-of-the-art Padel Tennis and Pickleball courts, Caribe Royale Orlando is the perfect backdrop for your trip to the EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts.
Plus, as a Walt Disney Good Neighbor® Hotel, Caribe Royale Orlando is conveniently located just 1.5 miles from the main entrance to Walt Disney World® Resort and offers shuttle transportation to all Walt Disney World Theme Parks and Disney Springs® included in your stay.
Plan your getaway at Caribe Royale Orlando now. Book your stay here.