Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts Highlights

Intro

Welcome back to the journey! If you caught my last post, you know I kicked off my birthday weekend with a chilly but jam-packed morning at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, from “giraffe traffic jams” on the safari to a bittersweet final goodbye to Dinoland U.S.A.

But the day was far from over. With a Park Hopper in hand and the temperature continuing to drop, I traded the savanna for the World Showcase. In this next leg of the trip, I’m heading over to Epcot to see if I can squeeze in a few more favorites, brave the cold for some festival eats, and maybe even find time for a third park. Let’s head to the bus stop and keep this birthday adventure moving!

Getting to Epcot

From Animal Kingdom, the only public transportation are the buses, so I took one to Epcot, where I would spend the rest of the day. I had some plans and some goals, and was hopeful I would be able to accomplish most or all of them. Also, I was still hopeful that I could maybe use the monorail to park hop to a third park: Magic Kingdom. But let’s see, Let’s start our day at Epcot, although it was already 3:00 PM when I arrived here. It was also the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, so I was also excited about it.

I had a Single Pass Lighting Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and I had accumulated a couple of Multi Pass Lighting Lanes that I was going to use, but first, I went to Club Cool to try some of the sodas in there, for free. These are the drinks:

Beverly (Italy): A legendary non-alcoholic aperitif known for its intense, bitter botanical flavor.

Bon Bon Anglais (Madagascar): A sweet, sparkling drink featuring a blend of tropical fruit flavors.

Country Club Merengue (Dominican Republic): A smooth, creamy soda with a taste similar to a tropical fruit creamsicle.

Minute Maid Joy Apple Lychee (Korea): A non-carbonated, still beverage that balances the flavors of ripe apple and lychee.

Royal Wattamelon (Philippines): A refreshing sparkling soda with a distinct sour watermelon profile.

Smart Sour Plum (China): A traditional-style “Suan Mei Tang” tea soda with a savory, sweet, and tart flavor (often compared to BBQ sauce by first-timers).

Sprite Cucumber (Russia): A crisp, refreshing twist on the classic lemon-lime Sprite with a cool cucumber finish.

Viva Raspberry (Moldova): A sweet and slightly tart sparkling juice drink flavored with raspberry

Lighting Lanes

Like I mentioned before, I had the Single Pass Lighting Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind scheduled for 2:45-3:45 PM and it was already 3:30 PM. So I rushed there to ride. Definitely a never miss in this park.

After that I had a Lighting Lane for Test Track, which had just been reopened with the new layover Test Track 3.0. I think I liked it better than the previous one. The use of screens is better IMO.

And the last ride of the day was Soarin’ which is a classic, and also one of my favorites. After this one, I kept booking LL for later in Magic Kingdom, but I had a feeling I would not be using them.

Enjoying the park in the cold

The temperature was quickly dropping to 30 F (0 C), so I was seeing cast members covering some of the vegetation with these tarps to keep some of the heat and prevent them from freezing and dying. It was very odd. Also, first time I was in Orlando in such a cold temperature.

Despite the freezing temperatures, some live entertainment was happening by Communicore Hall. Sometimes I see here the Celebration of Encanto, but today it was the band La Calle, also showing some Latin classics.

After I did Soarin’ I headed down and saw Chip meeting and greeting in Garden Grill Restaurant.

SeaBase Aquarium

In all the times I had been to Epcot, I had never been to SeaBase Aquarium, located next to the Sea with Nemo and Friends. I guess I did not really have the need to go see it, but I was curious, and also it was a good excuse to get out of the cold.

SeaBase Aquarium is is one of the largest man-made ocean environments in the world. This massive 5.7-million-gallon saltwater tank serves as both a public attraction and a dedicated marine research facility.

Unique Tours: For those looking for a deeper dive, the pavilion offers specialized experiences like the EPCOT Seas Adventures – Marine Life Guided Tour or scuba diving opportunities for certified divers.

Diverse Marine Life: The aquarium is home to over 4,000 sea creatures, including sea turtles, sharks, stingrays, and manatees.

Observation Decks: Circular viewing areas allow you to look into the massive tank from multiple levels, offering a panoramic view of the coral reef and its inhabitants.

Educational Exhibits: The facility features interactive displays focused on marine conservation, including the “SeaBase Alpha” research station theme and a nursery for rehabilitated manatees.

I was surprised by the amount of species in this aquarium.

Very nice pass of time if you need to chill and learn more about sea animals.

Later that day I passed by the Canada Mill Stage in the Canada Pavillion, and stayed to see a little bit of the concert there. But I needed to continue enjoying the Festival of the Arts.

EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is an annual celebration that transforms Epcot into a massive open-air gallery, blending visual, performing, and culinary arts.

Culinary Arts & Food Studios

The festival features over 15 “Food Studios” where the chefs treat every plate like a canvas. These booths offer dishes designed for visual appeal as much as flavor, with many items following the “Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine” food crawl.

Performing Arts & Entertainment

Live performance is a cornerstone of the event, with the headline attraction being a nightly celebration of musical theater.

• Disney on Broadway Concert Series: Hosted at the America Gardens Theatre, this series brings actual Broadway performers to the stage to sing hits from Disney’s stage musicals.
• Visual Art in Performance: At the World Showcase Plaza, you can watch high-energy artists paint iconic Disney characters from scratch in a matter of minutes, set to an upbeat soundtrack.
• Chalk Gallery: Professional artists take over the walkways leading to World Showcase, creating intricate 2D and 3D chalk masterpieces right under your feet.

Interactive Experiences

One of the most popular aspects of the festival is how it invites guests to become part of the art through hands-on activities.

• Expression Section: A giant paint-by-number mural where guests are given a small cup of paint and a brush to fill in a few squares, contributing to a massive community artwork that changes every few days.
• Animation Academy: Held at the America Gardens Theatre, these classes are led by real Disney artists who teach you how to draw beloved characters like Mickey, Olaf, or Figment.
• Figment’s Brush with the Masters: A park-wide scavenger hunt where you search for Figment hidden inside famous works of art throughout the World Showcase pavilions.
• Artful Photo Ops: Step “inside” famous paintings like the Mona Lisa or Washington Crossing the Delaware for unique, life-sized photo opportunities.

But of course I had to try the food from some of the booths, and the first thing I tried during this long day was Pop Art Latte from Joffrey’s, the one located by Guardians of the Galaxy. There was a lot happening in my coffee, but I liked the sweetness, and the crunchiness of the little poppy balls.

Not so far from there, I got a festival favorite: Deconstructed BLT from The Deconstructed Dish booth. Crispy pork belly, a soft-poached egg, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma (foam), and tomato jam. It was actually very good lol. The pork was crispy and savory, very delicious.

After that, I got the Popcorn Popcorn Chicken and Waffles from Figment’s Inspiration Station: crunchy popcorn chicken and a bubble waffle, topped with rainbow-colored popcorn, mini mozzarella balls, and maple syrup. I do not know who came up with this idea, but actually worked very well. Savory and sweet was a very good combination, although, because of all I had been eating, I had to save some of it in a Ziploc bag for later.

While I was seeing the La Calle show, I went to Opening Bites to get Enchanted Rose (Dark Chocolate Mousse), and it was actually not bad. I needed a little dessert after all the walking.

The next thing I did for the Festival, was to go to the Disney on Broadway Exhibit located in Communicore Hall. This is a museum-style walkthrough in CommuniCore Hall (World Celebration). It showcases costumes, props, and set models from over 30 years of Disney musicals, including The Lion King, Aladdin, and Frozen.

From these plays, I was only able to see Aladdin and The Lion King in Broadway.

One of the last things I did in the freezing cold was to see the Disney on Broadway Concert Series, as part of the Festival of the Arts. On January 31, this night, I saw Mandy Gonzalez (Aida) and Kissy Simmons (The Lion King). The show was amazing. I was freezing but seeing the live show was worth it.

Keith Eats Everything

I try sometimes to eat whatever Keith from the Try Guys considers the Best at his videos. For Epcot, I had already a couple of the things he liked before, but I was ready to try more. For a 30 F evening, I did not think it was a good idea to go to the France Pavilion and get ice cream but I did it anyways. I got the Croque Glace from L’Artisan de Glaces. The flakiness and warmth of the bread combined with the sweetness and coldness of the ice cream, makes this one of the best treats in this park for sure.

Next up, for the first time once again, I was going to Regal Eagle Smokehouse in the America Pavilion. I do not know why, but I never came here.

But it seemed coming here to protect myself from the cold was a good idea, also to get one of the Keith’s favorites in Epcot: Pulled BBQ Pork. I got it with some salad. Definitely a healthy option and the space is very big to find a table in Epcot when sometimes it gets very busy specially with all the festivals.

Another place I had not eaten yet was Tangerine Cafe at the Morocco Pavilion, and I had to try the Baked Moroccan Bread, Zhoug, Hummus, Chermoula and Lamb Kebab. I saved some of these on a Ziploc bags for later, but the taste of all them were amazing.

The last spot following Keith’s recommendations, was also a place I have never been. I’m starting to think that maybe it’s because when I come to Epcot I mostly focus at the booths of the festivals, and not on the restaurants they have all year long. Regardless, I came to La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico Pavilion and got a Dos Hombres Avocado Margarita. It was very creamy but no taste of avocado whatsoever. Would definitely try it again.

The place was also packed given people were getting away of the cold front.

Luminous: The Symphony of Us

At this point of the night, but specially with this windchill, it was pretty clear that I was not going to park hop again to Magic Kingdom. So I decided to stay for the Nighttime Spectacular here in Epcot: Luminous: The Symphony of Us. I think they mentioned on the speakers that it would be a modified version with no fireworks, but I still stayed and saw part of it. I could not stand there in the cold for that long anymore.

I walked out and everything seemed super eerie with this cold front. Tomorrow I had the Busch Gardens Tampa, and I was afraid it would be a disaster, but for now, I was leaving the Festival of the Arts happy, I think I had a good time despite of everything.

Conclusion of my day at Disney World

Despite an unexpected Florida cold front that saw temperatures plummeting to 30°F, the day proved that a little windchill couldn’t dampen the Disney magic.

The transition from the savanna to the World Showcase brought a completely different pace. Spending the afternoon and evening at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts provided a beautiful opportunity to see the park transformed into a living gallery, from the Broadway stars performing under the stars to the culinary masterpieces served at the Food Studios. While the plan to hit a third park was eventually sidelined by the freezing weather, the deep dive into EPCOT’s often-overlooked corners and the chance to follow some expert food recommendations made for a fulfilling conclusion to the trip.

Here is a breakdown of the highlights from this jam-packed day:

First-Time Visits & Experiences

• SeaBase Aquarium: Surprisingly, a first-time visit to this massive 5.7-million-gallon saltwater environment to see manatees, sharks, and rays.
• Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Visited this American Pavilion staple for the first time to hide from the cold and grab some BBQ.
• Tangerine Café: Tried the Moroccan specialties here for the first time.
• La Cava del Tequila: Finally stepped inside this popular Mexico Pavilion spot for a specialty margarita.
• Test Track 3.0: Experienced the brand-new reimagining of the high-speed attraction.
• Weather Phenomenon: Witnessed a rare Orlando freeze, including seeing Cast Members tarping plants to protect them from the frost.

Rides & Attractions

• Kilimanjaro Safaris (Animal Kingdom)
• Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom)
• Dinosaur (Animal Kingdom – a final farewell to Dinoland U.S.A.)
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Test Track 3.0
• Soarin’ Around the World

Shows & Entertainment

• La Calle: Latin band performance at CommuniCore Hall.
• Disney on Broadway Concert Series: Featuring Mandy Gonzalez and Kissy Simmons.
• Disney on Broadway Exhibit: A walkthrough of costumes and props from Disney’s theatrical history.
• Canada Mill Stage: Live musical performance in the Canada Pavilion.
• Luminous: The Symphony of Us (Nighttime spectacular)

Food & Drinks

• Tiffins Signature Bread Service (Animal Kingdom): Pão de Queijo with guava sauce, Onion Kulcha Naan with coriander chutney, and Thai Curry Milk Bread with coconut-curry sauce.
• Whole-fried Catch of the Day (Animal Kingdom): Served with coconut fried rice, Thai green papaya slaw, and red and green curry sauce.
• Club Cool Soda Flight (EPCOT): Including Beverly (Italy), Sprite Cucumber (Russia), and Royal Wattamelon (Philippines).
• Pop Art Latte (EPCOT): A sweet and crunchy Joffrey’s festival specialty.
• Deconstructed BLT (EPCOT): Crispy pork belly, soft-poached egg, and onion bread pudding.
• Popcorn Popcorn Chicken and Waffles (EPCOT): A sweet and savory combo topped with rainbow popcorn.
• Enchanted Rose (EPCOT): Dark chocolate mousse from Opening Bites.
• Croque Glacé (EPCOT): Warm pressed brioche ice cream sandwich from France.
• Pulled BBQ Pork (EPCOT): A hearty dinner at Regal Eagle Smokehouse.
• Baked Moroccan Bread & Lamb Kebab (EPCOT): Mediterranean flavors from Tangerine Café.
• Dos Hombres Avocado Margarita (EPCOT): A creamy specialty drink from La Cava del Tequila.