Be A Savvy Traveler: What to Know About The Epcot Festivals
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Festival Time in Epcot
Epcot (currently) has four festivals throughout the calendar year. Here is your quick intro to know about the Epcot International festivals in Disney World, Florida.
The Similarities:
* Additional kiosks are usually to the 11 permanent country pavilions that are represented in the World Showcase
* There are special food, drink, snack and dessert offerings, including Joffrey's Coffee and Tea Company seasonal specialties
* Look for great performances, including concerts in the American Garden Theater in the American Adventure pavilion
* Check the passport booklet for each festival for events, seminars, and classes, such as the Animation Academy at the Arts Festival
* Search Epcot and do the scavenger hunt and Kidcot activities (purchase a scavenger hunt card, get a free redemption prize). You search for the festival mascot around the festival throughout the park, including the World Showcase.
*There will be special photo ops featuring the festival decor
*Themed merchandise for sale, including passholder specials, limited edition collector pins
*Possible free passholder gift
*Do a food stroll/crawl: purchase certain items listed in the passport booklet and then get a prize
*Meet and greets with special guests, such as artists (and Disney characters)
*All attractions operate normally. Living with the Land usually changes its decor for the festival, so it's worth riding every time.
So, what do you do?
* First of all, make sure you have a ticket. Check the Disney website for the latest information, including information about park hopping.
* When you get there, get the Passport, the festival guide booklet and check the My Disney Experience App. This way, you can plan your day (or days).
* You can enter at the main entrance of the park, near Spaceship Earth: there will be the regular and festival attractions . Regular attractions here will be Spaceship Earth, Nemo and Friends (and the aquarium), Soarin', Living With the Land, Test Track, Mission Space, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
* If you enter at the International Gateway, from the Boardwalk area (via the Skyliner, the Friendship launch [ferry] or walking), you will be in between the UK and France pavilions in the World Showcase.
* Most events are first come, first served and you'll have to queue up, such as the popular drawing animation academies at the Arts Festival. Check out the Odyssey Center for special events, food, merchandise and other features.
* The concerts are free, but sometimes they sell special seating in conjunction with a dining reservation. Do this only if you want to be up front. This option is very popular for the Candlelight Processional during the Holidays Festival.
* There are special food, snack, dessert and beverage offerings created just for the festival. Some items are popular, therefore they are often repeated or re-imagined for another year or another festival. Of course, Disney says to taste your way around the world but drinks are for sale as well.
* The festivals are very popular. Earlier in the day has less people (but it can be hot, especially for the Garden and Flower Festival and the Food and Wine Festival). For me, the magic time is between 3PM-6PM. There seems to be a gap between peak times (families leaving, night time people arriving). Most of the nighttime spectaculars begin between 9PM and 9:30PM.
THE FESTIVALS
Date began: the granddaddy of them all, first bloomed in 1994
Time: Spring, usually March through May-June.
Concert Series: Garden Rocks
Past special events: Royal Tea Garden Tour
Mascot: Spike the Bee
What's Different: special gardens planted throughout the park, butterfly pavilion, extra topiaries, unusual food and drink offerings with edible flowers and plants
Date began: 1995
Time: Late summer-fall, usually July/August to late November, early December
Concert Series: Eat to the Beat
Past special events: cooking seminars, wine tastings
Mascot: Remy
What's Different: this festival has the most kiosks; chef presentations, cooking
International Festival of the Holidays
(formerly Holidays Around the World)
Date began: @1996
Time: usually Thanksgiving week until December 30
Concert Series: Candlelight Processional, featuring a celebrity narrator
Past special events: entertainment from around the world in each pavilion
Mascot(s): Chip and Dale, Olaf (2020)
What's Different: the festival closes precisely December 30 to prepare for the New Year's Eve festivities
Date began: the baby of the bunch, 2017
Time: Winter, January - mid to late February
Concert series: Disney's Broadway Concert
Past special events: Art seminars for a fee
Mascot: Figment
What's Different: sidewalk chalk art, performance art, more interactive activities
So, get your passport, and get ready to travel around the world, well, at least around the Epcot World Showcase as you celebrate the International Festivals.
Happy Travels!
The NYC Traveler Presents Tips for Your Trips
Subscribe to our blog!
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All photos and videos created and copyrighted by Marcia Crayton, unless otherwise noted.
Comments