Credit: DisneyThis year’s Epcot International Festival of the Arts kicks off in just about one month! From January 17-February 24, 2020, Epcot will come alive with a festival celebration of nearly all forms of art, including uniquely crafted menu items at outdoor kitchens, a Broadway concert series, painting and drawing seminars, interactive art making opportunities around the park, and so much more. If you’re in the middle of planning your trip during the most artistic season at Epcot, don’t miss these new additions to the festival.
New performers announced for the Disney on Broadway Concert Series
The Disney on Broadway Concert series began during the first Festival of the Arts as an event that took place only on select dates, but it’s since expanded to performances that run three times daily throughout the event. Dining packages are available at various restaurants around the park if you’re hoping to score the best seats, and all of the performers scheduled for this year are listed below:
- January 17, 20, 21 and 24 – Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King)
- January 18, 19, 22 and 23 – Heidi Blickenstaff (The Little Mermaid) and Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins)
- January 25 – Special performance featuring Simmons, White, Blickenstaff, and Lee
- January 26, 28, 29; Feb. 1, 2, 5 and 6 – Kara Lindsay (Newsies) and Kevin Massey (Tarzan)
- January 27, 30, 31, Feb. 3, 4, 7 and 8 – Liana Hunt (Newsies) and Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) (New!)
- February 9 – Special performance featuring Lindsay, Massey, Hunt, and Jacobs (New!)
- February 10, 12, 13, 18, 19, 22 and 23 – Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan)
- February 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20 and 21 – Syndee Winters (The Lion King) and Michael James Scott (Aladdin) (New!)
- February 24 – Special performance featuring Brown, Strickland, Winters, and Scott
Performances are included with theme park admission and reservations for dining packages may be made in advance on Disney’s website.
Enhanced foodie experiences
Taking inspiration from the popularity of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, every Epcot festival now offers creative outdoor kitchens geared around the themes for each event. New for 2020, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts will feature the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, which shares artful treats throughout the festival to entice each of your senses. Dishes at the ‘Food Studios’ this year will be more colorful and designed than ever before, offering new and interesting ways to taste your way through a world of art. Guests who complete the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine (similar to the cheese trail that was a hit at this year’s Food & Wine Festival) will also receive a delightfully artistic culinary prize.
Menus are available in advance for the festival’s outdoor kitchens, and we recommend taking a look ahead of time so you know which booths to prioritize (or how to best use your Disney Dining Plan snack credits). Select fan favorite booths are returning for the 2020 festival as well, including Decadent Delights, the perfect way to indulge your sweet tooth, and one of the most creative takes on Epcot’s foodie scene with Deconstructed Dish.
Can’t miss family fun
It’s no surprise that every special event at the Walt Disney World Resort offers something special for families with kids, and the Epcot International Festival of the Arts is no different. The younger artists in the family will be able to experience the Green Landing Family Play Zone, and the whole family can get in on the fun with Artful Photo Ops, PhotoPass locations where Guests can become a part of famous works of art. Interactive art making opportunities can also be found at this year’s festival, including the popular Paint by Number Mural in World Showcase Plaza.
The new films set to debut in Epcot where will opening on the first day of the festival, January 17, 2020. So if you’ve been anxiously awaiting the launch of “Awesome Planet” in The Land pavilion, the new “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along” in France, or the “Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” film in Canada, be sure to spend some time exploring the film-fan side of World Showcase during this year’s festival.
Lastly, a new family-friendly musical experience is coming to the Germany pavilion with performances by Lebendig, a four-piece pop/rock band which blends traditional German music with covers and contemporary genres.
For more information and assistance planning your visit to the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, contact our preferred Disney vacation specialists at Academy Travel. As experts in all of Epcot’s annual festivals, Academy Travel can help you save on accommodations and vacation packages and make sure you’re all set to experience all there is to see and do around Epcot. Click here for a free, no obligation quote and start planning your trip during the most creative season of them all today.
Are you attending this year’s Epcot International Festival of the Arts? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Disney