I know what you’re thinking. ‘Epcot with littles? Are you sure…? Isn’t that park meant for adults? Drinking around the world, right?’
Yes, Epcot is an AMAZING park if you want to have some “adult fun” {read: drinking and tasting all the food}. I know I have definitely had a great time at Epcot {if you know, you know 😉 }. While those days are behind me {mostly…}, I have come to find that Epcot has so much more to offer, especially for littles and even more so during a festival.
Nowadays, you’re pretty hard-pressed to visit Epcot without a festival. In calendar order, there is Festival of the Arts {Jan 8 – Feb 22}, Flower & Garden {March 3 – July 5}, Food & Wine {TBD for 2021 but usually around fall time}, and Festival of the Holidays {TBD for 2021 but usually around Christmastime}. Kicking off the year and what I am going to talk about today is the Taste of Epcot International Festival of the Arts.
Festival of the Arts is centered around, you guessed it, art! At this festival, you get to appreciate, make, become, enhance, and taste the art. So let’s dive into what you can do and experience with your littles!
Side Note: Epcot is currently not opening until 11AM. I know this is a tricky opening time for littles, but they have been opening parking at 10AM and opening some rides early. I recommend going early and hitting all those fun things while the kids are fresh.
1. The Scavenger Hunt
Our favorite part of the festivals is the scavenger hunt. Lately, each festival has debuted a new, character-themed scavenger hunt that takes you through every country around the World Showcase, and the Festival of the Arts is no different.
Figment’s Brush with the Masters takes you around the World Showcase looking for famous works of arts that Figment has painted himself into. To fully participate, it does require purchasing a scavenger hunt map at one of the festival locations {$8 before any discounts}, which includes a sticker map and a prize upon completion {you can choose to pick out the prize when you purchase, if preferred}. Each pavilion contains a different masterpiece, and once you and your littles have located it, there is a corresponding sticker to place on your artist’s palette. At the end, you get to pick a 3D character puzzle that you get to build yourself.
Our kids absolutely LOVE doing these. They enjoy the exploration, love playing with the stickers, and feel accomplished at the end when they’ve earned their prize. I really appreciate getting to walk around the world showcase {my favorite part of Epcot} and enjoy it with my littles.
Side Note: I get sometimes you want to move a little faster and “guide” towards the pictures. The Disney Food Blog has all the portraits listed in their report on Figment’s Brush with the Masters.
2. “Chalk Full of Character”
This is a new addition this year, and I love it! Each pavilion now showcases little chalk drawings of Disney characters that are hidden throughout the space. The kids and I enjoy searching throughout each pavilion and getting so excited when we find them. I mean, just look at them, how precious are they?!?
Side Note: Again, if you’re trying to save some time {and maybe some toddler frustration}, Disney Food Blog has got you covered with their “Chalk Full of Character” report.
3. Expression Section: Paint by Numbers
This is such a fun way for the kids to help make the art and be apart of something that shows a bigger picture. The Expression Section is a complimentary {yay! free!} experience where you are given a color and told to paint a set number of squares that correspond to its number. At the end, you are given a postcard that shows the finished mural as a fun memento of what you helped create. Every couple of days, a mural is completed and then changed out for a new one.
4. The Food
I CAN’T FORGET ABOUT THE FOOD!!!
Each festival brings it’s own menu of amazing food, and the Festival of the Art is no exception. This festival brings a truly exciting and vibrant palette of food that is as good as it looks. All food is detailed in the Festival Passport, which can be picked up at any festival food location in World Showcase. If you’re like me and want to plan before you go, the Disney Parks Blog’s Foodie Guide outlines all the options, and all menus can be found on the Disney Mobile App, as well.
The downside is that buying all the food can add up really quickly. Wah wah… My preference is to bring lunch for the kids and we get one, maaayyybee two, dessert options that we share. This festival has some really enticing and delicious dessert options, so this option has been perfect for us. See below for some of the dishes we have tried.
Chilled Seafood Cocktail 
Passion Fruit Mousse with Dragon Fruit Jam 
Vanilla, Rose Water, and Pistachio Panna Cotta
5. Become the Art: Photo Spots
This is one of my favorite aspects of the festival – the photo spots! {#doItForTheGram haha} This festival has so many fun photos ops where you can become part of the art. My personal favorite are the butterfly wings. There is a full row of wings along the construction walls at the entrance of the World Showcase, as well as different wings within the pavilions. The Tiana-styled wings in America is at the top of my list.
Next are the Artful Photo Ops. These are photo ops set up throughout the park where you can enter and be part of the masterpiece. It’s such a fun way to see and learn about famous works of art, as well as get some really cool photos.
Lastly, I wanted to mention the Chalk Art. This is also at the entrance to the World Showcase and is an alley of chalk art for you to appreciate and interact with. Each side of the entrance has a row of chalk art, and there is also a larger mural that you can pose with and have it seem that you are part of the work of art. This changes often, and when we went, it was Soul-themed {eep! We love Mr. Mittens in this house and the movie Soul in general 🙂 }.
6. The Old Faithfuls
Last, but certainly not least, are the old faithfuls. Even without a festival, Ecpot has some really great options for kids. Our must-hit is The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Not only is it a ride that both of our kids enjoy, it ends in a HUGE aquarium. I mean, that’s pretty awesome. If we aren’t feeling walking around Epcot, we will spend hours walking around the aquarium and observing all of the fish and marine animals.
Pro Tip: At the end of The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a little scavenger hunt book called Finding Dory’s Friends. It’s free and has a sticker scavenger hunt that will take you all over the aquarium. I like to always grab one or two every time we go, whether we do the hunt in the park, play with them in the stroller, or save the stickers for another day when a distraction is needed, its always a kid-pleaser.
Other rides that we love {and quite frankly usually have a lower wait time} are Journey into Imagination with Figment {Bonus: perfectly themed with the Festival of the Arts}, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Spaceship Earth, and Living with the Land. Of course, Frozen is also a favorite and great for kids, but that wait time is often a deterrent for us. We will occasionally wait if we get to Epcot right at opening and go straight there.
So there you have it. The Festival of the Arts with a focus on littles. I do want to mention that the Festival offers more than what I have discussed above {Festival Markets, Performance Art options, etc.}, but I wanted to share what I have enjoyed most with the kids and what they have been most engaged in when visiting. I hope this helps plan your Festival visit and makes it more magical than ever!
Until next time…
Stay Magical!
Jasmine
*Disclaimer: All opinions shared are in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company. They are completely my own and shared from a Disney guest perspective.
