Five Reasons Festival of the Arts is Epcot’s Best Event

In the ever-revolving door of Epcot festivals (Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, and Festival of the Holidays), it may come as a surprise that the newest of the festival offerings is the best. But Festival of the Arts stands head and shoulders above other Epcot festivals. Here’s five reasons that this festival is the best one at Epcot.

Something for Everyone

The broad scope of “art”, from visual arts to performing arts and beyond has such wide appeal that there always will be aspects to appeal to everyone. From the youngest child who is just amazed by all the colors to the kids (of all ages) who love Figment’s Brush with the Masters scavenger hunt, and to seminars, displays, and demonstrations for adults, the festival is one that you can take your whole family to and find things to enjoy. Special events change throughout the festival, and so even if you’ve been for one day, another day will bring a completely new experience to enjoy.

Stand-out Performances

Festival of the Arts is not the only festival that offers performances. Food and Wine has Eat to the Beat, with a wide assortment of popular acts. Flower and Garden has “throwback special performances” with the Garden Rocks series. Festival of the Holidays has storytellers and Candlelight Processional. But Festival of the Arts has a wide range of performances to appeal to a broad audience. The Disney on Broadway concert series may attract a lot of attention, but “smaller” acts, like the Living Statues and the acrobatic performances are appealing for all ages as well. Every time you turn around, there is a performance to see, hear, and experience.

Amazing Food

Food kiosks are an integral part of Epcot festivals, and every festival has dishes that are hits or misses. What makes Festival of the Arts foods different is the focus on artistry in presentation and design. Each plate is created to be its own work of art. Even something like a chocolate chip cookie becomes magical as an artist palate with frosting to paint on. You can see our reviews of this year’s food here to see the beauty yourself.

Beautiful Merchandise — And of Course, Art!

Festival of the Arts offers your typical assortment of Disney festival merchandise, including pins, t-shirts, water bottles, bags, and so on. Because of the emphasis on artistic merits, many of the items for sale tend to be visually more appealing than at other festivals. But then you add to it the large amounts of vendors selling artwork, and it is the festival that I find most dangerous to the wallet–it’s hard to walk around and not start compiling a wish list of ways to create your own art gallery at home.

Uniquely Epcot Experiences

Festival of the Arts offers a variety of activities that bring a unique twist to a day at Epcot. Different events throughout the festival mean that there’s always something new to see. The giant paint-by-number mural is always a crowd pleaser, and every time you walk by, you get to see more of the work revealed. The photo ops for Festival of the Arts are amazing, whether you’re stepping into a classic work of art or you’re having a magical light background painted behind you at night. The variety of workshops available are impressive–these are well worth your time if you can grab a slot. And even just wandering around to look at the different artists, especially watching them create their works of art right in front of you, is such a treat. It puts the edu-tainment back into Epcot.

What do you think? Does Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts make your top choice for best Epcot festival, or does another festival (or festivals) sneak above it in your list? Are you planning to go this year, or have you been in the past? What’s your favorite part? Let us know in the comments.