2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts: Your Guide | Roadsleeper.com
Wondering where to start as you dive into this year’s festival festivities? Here’s your comprehensive guide to the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, with information on activities, live entertainment, schedules, food booths, and more.
The 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is back for a brand-new year! This year, the jam-packed festival runs from January 13 through February 20. We’ve broken down everything you can expect to do, see, and eat at the festival in our comprehensive guide to the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.
What is the EPCOT Festival of the Arts? It’s your chance to celebrate creativity! This festival brings together creative culinary concoctions with imaginative visual and performing arts. Now headed into its seventh year, the 2023 Festival of the Arts offers plenty of delicious eats to try, performances to catch, and activities to participate in as you visit EPCOT in January and February.
Keep scrolling to find everything you need to know about EPCOT’s newest festival.
2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is the EPCOT Festival of the Arts?
The 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts kicks off on January 13, 2023 and ends on February 20, 2023.
How long does the EPCOT Festival of the Arts run for?
It lasts for five weeks, giving you just over a month to experience this art-filled fest.
What are the park hours for EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts?
During the festival, EPCOT is open from 9 AM to 9 PM every day.
However, festival booth and activity times will vary. Each day, the food booths (or “food studios”) open at 11 AM. Make sure you grab a Festival Passport upon entering EPCOT for the 2023 Festival of the Arts. This is your guide to the day’s activities (and all the Festival of the Arts food booths).
How much is the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts?
All EPCOT festivals, including the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, are included with the cost of admission to EPCOT.
- If you’re an Annual Passholder, attending the 2023 Festival of the Arts costs nothing.
- If you’re purchasing a ticket, a standard single-day ticket to EPCOT costs $109.
However, there are other Festival of the Arts costs to factor in before you head to the park. For example, one of the main draws of the festival is the collection of food booths (“food studios”), where you can purchase artistic renditions of classic food, snacks, and drinks. These vary in cost; the cheapest items are typically in the $2 to $3 range. However, the fanciest cocktails may hit $13 to $15.
While the Festival of the Arts has held free demonstrations and classes in the past, there have also been paid classes you can take (as little as $25 per person).
One activity – the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine – requires the purchase of select food items to complete and earn the prize. Another – the Figment scavenger hunt (“Figment’s Brush with the Masters”) – costs $9.99 to participate.
And of course, there’s plenty of special festival merch to go around. If you’ve gotta have the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts merch (I mean, Figment is pretty darn cute), be ready to spend a pretty penny. You’ll also find beautiful art for sale during the festival.
What’s free at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts?
If you’re hoping to do the Festival of the Arts on a budget, you’ll want to skip the food booths, merch stops, scavenger hunts, food strolls, and special classes. However, one of the most exciting aspects of the Festival of the Arts is the slew of live performances you can catch throughout the day – and each one of these performances is completely free! While the 2023 entertainment schedule is still yet to be released, you can expect the following live entertainment to be free once you’re inside EPCOT for the festival:
- Disney on Broadway, a series of Broadway performers singing Disney hits at the America Gardens Theater.
- Visual Art in Performance, where you can watch artists paint Disney characters live in only a few minutes.
- Art Defying Gravity, an acrobat show that literally creates art in the air.
- Animation Academy, a chance to learn how to draw some of your favorite Disney faces.
In addition to these free daily performances, there’s plenty to see around EPCOT during the Festival of the Arts. And it’s all free! You’ll be able to find photo opportunities where you can step into famous paintings and snap shots with a Disney PhotoPass Photographer (or take your own photos), check out visual art like the Walking Chalk Gallery, and browse the work of artists at the Festival Markets.
Make sure you grab a Festival Passport upon entering EPCOT for the 2023 Festival of the Arts. This is your guide to the day’s activities, food booths, and free entertainment you can enjoy without spending a cent.
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What’s New at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts
Right now, we’re eagerly awaiting the official word on what will be new at this year’s EPCOT Festival of the Arts. Each year, many fan-favorite food booths, activities, and entertainment return – but the festival always brings something new and fresh for a brand-new year. Check back here before the festival kicks off in January to find out what can’t-miss new fun you’ll want to make sure to catch!
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2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts Food Booths
The Goshiki booth. Photo by Tina ChiuOne of the big draws of the annual EPCOT Festival of the Arts is the food booths. Unlike the other three festivals, this is one where more thought seems to be put into the presentation of the food rather than the flavor. That’s not to say the food isn’t great; you just need to be more selective of what you spend your festival dollars on if you want a taste to enjoy over a nice Instagram photo.
While we’re still eagerly awaiting the announcement of which deliciously creative dishes will be available during the 2023 Festival of the Arts, you can always take a peek at last year’s festival booth menus to get a general idea of what will be served. Often, returning favorites appear – and you can start making your plans of which you’ll want to visit first based on last year’s hits!
Not sure what to order? That’s why we offer dedicated reviews of each food booth (called “food studios” for this festival) once the festival launches. We try to sample as much food as early in the festival as possible so we can steer you in the right direction.
In the list below, tap on a food booth name to be whisked away to a review of the 2022 menu items with photos.
Here’s the full list of 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts food booth list:
We’ll update the list above with all of the exciting 2023 festival offerings as soon as they’re available!
Activities at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts
In addition to eating your way around World Showcase (and don’t forget to head to Test Track for The Donut Box), the Festival of the Arts has so much to do, from photo ops to shopping experiences to scavenger hunts to actual learning opportunities.
Here’s a full list of things to do at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts:
Animation Academy
This year, head to America Gardens Theatre, where you can catch a real animation artists giving lessons on how to draw a Disney character.
Animation Academy is a free experience that runs daily from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM.
Artful Photo Ops
One of the artful photo ops. Photo by Trisha DaabStroll around World Showcase during the festival to take unique photos inside your favorite art pieces. For 2022, these are pieces and locations you can pose for pictures inside of:
- “Café Terrace at Night and Sunflowers” by Vincent van Gogh (Bridge to World Showcase)
- “Peter Pan Storybook” (Bridge to World Showcase)
- An homage to Frida Kahlo (Mexico Pavilion)
- “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci (Between Italy and Germany Pavilions)
- “The Scream” by Edvard Munch (Between Italy and Germany Pavilions)
- “Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli (Italy Pavilion Courtyard)
- “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (The American Adventure Pavilion)
- “Luncheon of the Boating Party” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (International Gateway)
Figment’s Brush with the Masters (Figment Scavenger Hunt)
Figment’s Brush with the Masters scavenger hunt is one of our favorite EPCOT Festival of the Arts pastimes. Photo by Rain BlankenIf you’ve got little ones with your during the EPCOT Festival of the Arts (or if you’re a big kid yourself!), you can hunt for Figment around World Showcase and receive a special prize upon completion. The Figment scavenger hunt cost $9.99 in 2022.
Each year, we go on the hunt to find Figment in every location and provide a spoiler-filled guide to finding the imaginative dragon. Tap for our full guide to finding Figment in the scavenger hunt.
Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine
Each EPCOT festival traditionally has some kind of activity to guide you through eating around the world. For the Festival of the Arts, it’s the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, which tasks you with purchasing five specific menu items at various booths that correspond with a color.
The Artist Palette Cookie is the prize for the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine at the 2022 EPCOT Festival of the Arts. Photo courtesy of Disney Parks BlogYou’ll receive a stamp in your Festival Passport for each purchased item. Once you have all five stamps, you can take the Festival Passport to the Deco Delights food studio to claim a prize (it’s the Artist Palette Cookie!).
This year, the featured foods on the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine include:
- Red: Blood Orange-braised Beet Carpaccio with Mustard Vinaigrette, Pickled Clamshell Mushrooms, Golden Beets and Crostini from the Canada booth (Gourmet Landscapes)
- Green: Deconstructed Key Lime Pie featuring flexible Key Lime Curd, “Key Lime” Mousse, Graham Cracker Cake and Meringues from The Deconstructed Dish
- Yellow: House-made Chorizo and Potato Empanada with Turmeric Aïoli and Annatto Aïoli from the Encanto booth (Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina)
- Orange: Pan-seared Scallops with Vanilla-Butternut Squash Purée, Brown Butter Cauliflower Purée and Lime Foam from the America booth (The Artist’s Table)
- Pink: Vanilla Donut with Strawberry Sugar, Strawberry Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberries and Strawberry Gelée from The Donut Box
Tap here for our strategy guide to the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine.
Expression Selection: A Paint by Numbers Mural
Don’t miss out on the Paint by Numbers experience at EPCOT Festival of the Arts. Photo by Rain BlankenOne of the coolest experiences at the 2022 EPCOT Festival of the Arts is the massive group endeavor of the Paint by Numbers mural. Each week, you can help create a masterpiece along with all the other festival guests.
And in case you’re a newcomer, we’ve got a full guide on how to paint by numbers at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts.
Each day during the festival, you can take part in the Expression Section: A Paint by Numbers Mural at World Nature from 11 AM to 5 PM.
Art Defying Gravity
Performance art is one of the most fun parts of the Festival of the Arts. For 2023, Art Defying Gravity returns. We don’t want to give too much away, but Disney teases that it features “thrilling acts of strength.”
Art Defying Gravity performance times and days vary so always check My Disney Experience during your visit.
Chalk Art
One of our favorite chalk art pieces from the a past Festival of the Arts. Photo by Julie de la FeLet’s face it: Chalk art at the Festival of the Arts truly is the chalk of the town. (I’ll see myself out.)
Everywhere you look at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, you’re bound to see chalk art. Strolling through World Showcase, you’ll encounter chalk drawings of your favorite Disney characters. This experience is called Chalk Full of Character.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Families can enjoy the interactive Kid’s Chalk Art at World Nature near The Land Pavilion. Each day from 11 AM to 4 PM, families can work together to draw chalk art masterpieces.
At the 2022 Festival of the Arts, to mark the ongoing 50th Anniversary Celebration of Walt Disney World, EPCOT hosted special 50 Years of Magic chalk drawings over near the new Creations Shop in World Celebration. With the celebration’s grand finale upon us in 2023, it’s likely that a similar series of chalk drawings will appear at this year’s festival.
Festival Marketplaces
Shopping during the EPCOT Festival of the Arts is something that sets this apart from the other three festivals, as you can buy beautiful artwork from actual artists. If you’re lucky, you might even spot artists working on a new piece before your very eyes.
Galleries are spread out throughout EPCOT during the festival. We’re still waiting to hear which galleries will appear throughout the 2023 festival. In the meantime, you can find the artist galleries present at the 2022 EPCOT Festival of the Arts below:
- ACME Archives
- Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions
- Disney Art Festival Market
- James Coleman Studios
- POP Gallery
- Thomas Kinkade Studios
- WonderGround Gallery
- Wyland Galleries
Wondering which famous artists will be at each gallery during the festival? Visit this site, select the week you’re visiting, and discover whom you might run into.
DISNEY ON BROADWAY
Disney on Broadway returns for 2023. Photo courtesy of DisneyBroadway is back, baby! For 2023, Disney is bringing back this live performance series daily throughout the festival. The full list of performers and the schedule for the DISNEY ON BROADWAY concert series at EPCOT Festival of the Arts has yet to be released for 2023. Check back before you head to the park for a full list ahead of the January 13th festival opening!
Check the My Disney Experience app for up-to-date showtimes while at the festival.
Visual Art in Performance
This is one of the coolest experiences at Festival of the Arts. You’ll be able to watch as a guest visual artist paints your favorite Disney characters to life, in real time. Check MDE for showtimes; this is one festival experience you do not want to miss.
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2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts Merch
How cool is this! Merch from the inaugural Festival of the Arts in 2017. Photo by Laurie SappWhen the festival commences, we’ll bring you photos and videos of the hottest merch. As always, expect a fair amount of Figment merch, including apparel, accessories, and special pins.
Disney will also announce some of the artwork you’ll be able to purchase at the festival. Keep an eye here to find out which artists’ work will be featured at the Festival Markets!
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