Painting, Entertainment, and Food! The EPCOT Festival of the Arts Returns

Let’s get ready to splash some paint on a brand new year, because the EPCOT Festival of the Arts will be returning (in “Taste” format) in 2021!

This is, hands down, I think my favorite festival that EPCOT does and for 2021 it will run from January 8 through February 22. It is a celebration of all things artistic – whether that be in the visual, performing, or even culinary arts.

During this festival, more than 100 Disney and visiting artists will display their work that you can take home with you. These artists are amazing and their works of art are truly incredible.

You can even show off your own talents too! (Thank goodness one of the ways is by paint by number, because I am NOT artistic! I can barely draw a stick figure!) In addition, Guests will be able to get in on the artistic fun by learning to draw some of your favorite Disney characters! Also, one of the other unique things that Guests can do is step into artwork that you know and love (like pretending to be the Mona Lisa) courtesy of fun photo ops!

Of course a big part of the festival is food and when I tell you that these dishes really are works of art, I mean it. Food Studios will be located around World Showcase and there will be 15 in all.  New for 2021 will be the Vibrante & Vívido Food Studio, found between France and Morocco, and it will feature a mouthwatering chilled seafood cocktail with octopus, scallops, shrimp, black garlic aïoli, tomato coconut sauce and serrano lime oil. There will also be Blue Corn Pupusa stuffed with cheese and topped with shredded pork, guajillo and árbol chile sauce, cabbage slaw and aji amarillo crema. Menus will be coming soon and we’ll make sure to share them when they do!

New for 2021, Guests will find the Voices of Liberty at the America Gardens Theatre with a brand-new showcase – The Disney Songbook. They group will perform favorite Disney songs like “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Let It Go,” celebrating the artistry of Disney composers and lyricists.

World Showplace (which can be found in between the Canada and United Kingdom Pavilions) will also be offering unique acts, as you can catch live performances by “Art Defying Gravity,” a spectacle of thrilling strength acts, and “Visual Art in Performance,” a high-energy, onstage visual artist who paints favorite Disney characters in just a matter of minutes.

Guests can also take part in the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, where you’ll use the Festival Passport as a guide to purchase five vibrant food items and receive a complimentary, tasty treat. Also, Figment’s Brush with the Masters scavenger hunt returns this year, as well, inviting you to help Figment learn about art around World Showcase. Guests will need to purchase a map and stickers for the hunt at a variety of merchandise locations. And yes, there will be specific merchandise for the event that you can pick up too!

Keep in mind that this Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will run for 46 days and Guests can experience it with both valid theme park admission and a park reservation for the same date.