Last year, before Covid-19 spread across the country and Disney World temporarily closed, we visited the Epcot Festival of the Arts with our whole family. Epcot is one of my favorite parks, and their seasonal festivals add so much extra fun to the experience! I didn’t have a chance to post about our Disney trip much last year, but this year I want to share all the best photos and tips that park guests can use as we get closer and closer to a more normal world.

If you’re planning a trip during the Epcot Festival of the Arts, it helps to know what to expect and how much time to allow for the extra activities. Here’s your visitor’s guide to all of the art and entertainment you can find at Epcot during January and February.

 

6 Tips for the Epcot Festival of the Arts

1. Make a list of everything you want to see at the beginning of your day in Epcot.

Use the park map and the festival guide book to figure out when and where all of the special exhibits are happening before you start riding rides or exploring the World Showcase. Some of the performances have specific times, so make sure you don’t find yourself stuck in a long line when the show is about to start.

2. Keep your eyes peeled for extra performances.

While the guide book covers all of the major shows, there lots of smaller performances and visual pieces spread throughout the park too. Stay on the lookout for them as you explore.

3. Contribute to the giant interactive mural.

If there’s one thing you should definitely do at the Epcot Festival of the Arts, it’s to add a paint square to the daily mural! It only takes a couple minutes, and it’s so cool to see the entire piece come together. More details and pictures below.

4. Don’t miss the live entertainment. 

The live entertainment at this festival is always seriously impressive! Typically Disney brings in performers from actual Broadway shows for evening concerts. More details below.

5. Check out unique souvenirs.

In addition to the extra food stalls you’ll see around Epcot this time of year, there are also unique souvenir vendors Disney permits in the park during the dates of the festival. When we visited, we bought a limited release Festival of the Arts t-shirt from one of the vendors and got to watch the screen printing process for creating the shirt in person.

6. Plan your dates to visit carefully. 

Some the available performances differ depending on the dates of the festival, so do a little googling before you decide which day you want to visit. Last year we went on the last day of the Festival of the Arts and were able to see many of the topiaries for the upcoming Flower and Garden Festival while we were there too!

 

What to Expect at the Epcot Festival of the Arts

Epcot always has some of the most beautiful sights in Disney World, but during the Festival of the Ats it becomes even more spectacular. Here are a few of the coolest things you’ll see at the festival.

 

Chalk Artists

Chalk sketches of your favorite characters and amazing 3D scenes will appear all over the pavement near the Showcase Plaza. 

 

Living Statues

You’ll be greeted by talented living statues over in Future World East.

 

Photo Spots

Epcot is very instagrammable year-round, but during the festival you’ll find even more places to snap beautiful photos. We had a lot of fun with these butterfly murals.

 

Interactive Mosaic Mural

Like I mentioned earlier, I think one of the coolest things at the Epcot Festival of the Arts is the enormous interactive mural near the center of the park. If you’ve ever tried paint by numbers at home, the concept Disney uses to bring this creation to life will make perfect sense to you.

Guests who want to participate in the mural are offered a cup of paint and a disposable sponge brush. Then you are assigned a number and instructed on where to paint. You simply fill in a few squares with their corresponding number inside them, and discard your painting tools.

At the end of the day, when everyone has finished contributing, a clear picture emerges from all of the painted tiles. The beautiful mural sits just in front of the Mission Space golf ball, temporarily connecting everyone in the park together.

Disney on Broadway Concerts

Frequent visitors to the Disney World will tell you: this festival is probably the best opportunity for live entertainment inside the parks all year. Epcot hosts world class performers from real Broadway productions, like The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, and more at the Disney on Broadway Concert series.

When we visited on the final day of the Epcot Festival of the Arts last year, we were lucky enough to see four performers all in one show: Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”), Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”), Syndee Winters (“The Lion King”) and Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”).

The concerts always take place in the evening after the park gets dark, before the fireworks show on the lake. The Broadway performances are on hold during 2021 due to Covid-19 safety precautions, but it’s very likely that they will return next year because of their overwhelming popularity.

The Epcot Festival of the Arts in 2021

The Epcot Festival of the Arts looks a little bit different this year since Disney is still dealing with the impacts of Covid-19. 

You will still be able to contribute to the interactive mural, see painters and chalk artists in action around the park, strike a pose at extra photo spots, and watch live performers. The biggest changes are the absence of the Broadway concert series and the reduced number of exhibits. January and February are typically some of the lowest crowd months to visit Disney World, so I still think taking a trip to experience The Epcot Festival of the Arts will be worth your time.

To get a sneak peek of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival in the spring, check this out. 

For a guide to all the best places to snap the perfect Instagram photo around Disney World, check this out.

For more Disney travel tips to help you plan a perfect vacation, click here.