We are back with another article on our favorite EPCOT festival, the Festival of the Arts. Having spent several days already there, we wanted to give you a report on this fantastic event. You, of course, can check out our preview article here.
Festival of the Arts is quite a unique event versus the other three EPCOT events in that you get a great mix of food, entertainment, theming, and of course, art! To that point, our favorite aspect of this event is interacting with the artists. We could be biased as we have a talented artist in the house, but we really like interacting with people in their crafts and asking questions about pieces they made or their style while creating pieces.
I would be remorse if I forgot to talk about the food in this event as well. The food is exceptional and even artistic in it’s own right as well. The entertainment Disney offers makes this event as a whole perfection in our biased opinion!
Festival of the Arts Food
Let’s dig into the new food we tried this year and some of our old favorites. We will start with the picturesque food booth, “The Deconstructed Dish.” As mentioned in our preview article, we already knew this was a must-stop for us again this year, and we ordered all three of their food items. Pictured below is Deconstructed BLT, French Onion Soup, and Key Lime Pie. The idea of this food is it is all separated, so if you know someone who hates their food touching, this is their booth!
The next stop on our food list is a new booth, Moderne. When we first read about this booth, we knew we had to try it. Our senses gravitated towards the scallops and crab from this booth. The angry crab and pan-seared scallops pictured below are delicious! Both dishes come with many flavors, and while they each have lime mentioned in them, it did not overpower the main courses either.
Onto Italy to grab a staple in life for us, cheese! The two dishes we ordered are standard Italian dishes, Mozzarella Fritta, and Ravioli Al Funghi, Perle Tartufate (what a mouthful). The Mozzarella Fritta is basically a big fried piece of cheese, but as you can see below the presentation is fantastic. You cut up the cheese and have several different dips to try with it, from pesto, marinara, garlic and butter to name a few. The ravioli was your average mushroom ravioli, while good and tasty, nothing special either.
Our last stop happens at Vibrante & Vivido Encanto Cocina, which Disney’s Encanto inspired. The three dishes offered here are all mouthwatering delicious. Chorizo and Potato Empanada, Spicy Ajiaco Soup, and Passion Fruit Mousse, all pictured below, are spicy and savory! We ordered all three dishes, and they put serious competition on, The Deconstructed Dish. Let’s start with the soup, which is the spiciest of the bunch and even comes with a half ear of corn. This one hit the spot on a rare cold Florida evening, and the Empanada left me feeling jealous of everyone I passed, even after I ate mine. The dessert was sweet and tart, which paired nicely with the two spicy dishes.
Art and Imagination
Now that we made you hungry, let’s talk about the art and entertainment Festival of the Arts offers. As mentioned above, we told you our favorite aspect of this event is how much art is around you. Not only are there artists creating art pieces in front of guests, but they are also very accessible. Also, Disney has created interactive spots for guests, whether it’s a massive paint-by-number mural for guests to paint, a display of chalk art, or even simplistic picture frames where you become the art. We even did a Figment art hunt you can read about here.
Emma and I stepped into the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo Da Vinci and “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. I bet you didn’t think we would teach you anything on this blog, but there you go—my attempt at crossing the Delaware River with General Washington as well.
Final Thoughts on Festival of the Arts
As we close out our review of this wonderful festival, I want to acknowledge some artists who took the time to talk with us. Rob Kaz, Ann Shen, Tom Matousek, Christian Masot, and Tim Rogerson. Not only are they engaging, but they allow us to ask them questions about their craft, and it creates excellent conversations and experiences. We have some of their stuff displayed in our home and my work office. Please visit them on their IG accounts and check them out.
In closing not only do we recommend you visit EPCOT in January for this festival, but plan a couple days to even see it all. We didn’t even cover the great concert series lineup they have which is viewable here, but also there are so many artist appearing that you will find someone who paints a subject you like. Their schedule is here.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Will you check out the Festival of the Arts in the future?