By Ask any EPCOT fan and they’ll tell you the same thing.
EPCOT visits provide exponentially more fun during festivals.
During the early days of these events, they were somewhat rare, but it’s the opposite today.
EPCOT hosts festivals on more dates than it doesn’t.
So, we’re happy to inform you that your odds are good of experiencing an EPCOT festival.
If you’ve scheduled a visit for a non-festival date, you may want to reconsider.
EPCOT festivals are that good.
What Is an EPCOT Festival?
An EPCOT festival works similarly to any local festival in your area, just on a much grander scale.
We’re talking about the difference between you watching your friend play bass as a street busker versus catching U2 at the Vegas Sphere.
EPCOT festivals transform the entirety of the park into a living, breathing vibe.
Everywhere you go, you’ll find something that’s new and different compared to non-festival dates.
For example, you’ll notice regular shrubberies at EPCOT nine or ten months out of the year.
During the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, Disney somehow alters the appearance of that same topiary to make it look like a scene from Fantasia.
Saying that Groot looks like Groot won’t impress you since he’s a tree anyway, but informing you that there is a shrubbery you’ll mistake for Lightning McQueen?
That should get your attention.
Since Disney hosts four festivals annually, EPCOT will change every time you visit.
So, let’s discuss each individual festival along with an editorial comment.
You will want to experience all four festivals at some point in your lifetime.
They’re dramatically different and each one will dazzle you.
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
Each January, Disney brings back this festival, which generally lasts about five weeks.
As the name implies, the Festival of the Arts celebrates creative endeavors.
When you explore the park, you’ll discover tributes to the culinary, performing, and visual arts.
So, this park runs the gamut with regard to unique festival amenities.
You’ll notice cast members performing acrobatic and dance routines and then turn a corner and see some exclusive Disney art for sale.
Disney artists create exclusive pieces for the Festival of the Arts, and you can buy them to take home to decorate your walls.
You may be wondering what the “culinary” arts are. Well, Disney sells unique festival foods for each event.
The dining at the Festival of the Arts stands apart because “culinary” artists add a splash of color to every meal.
Have you ever eaten an Andy Warhol painting? We swear to you that this is possible at this festival… as long as you like tomato soup.
The most iconic part of the Festival of the Arts is the DISNEY ON BROADWAY series.
Artists who have performed in Disney Broadway plays travel to Orlando to sing show tunes in EPCOT’s World Showcase.
We should stress that these shows WILL sell out. They always do, which speaks to the demand for these events.
Disney hosts all of its EPCOT performances at America Gardens Theatre at the American Adventure pavilion.
Thus, there is limited space despite the fact that these Broadway musicians perform three sets per evening.
Disney encourages you to book festival concert dining packages.
These reservations aren’t cheap, but they guarantee you a seat at a sold out show, making them a pretty good deal.
International Flower & Garden Festival
The second big festival of the year is the aforementioned Flower & Garden Festival.
You can probably guess that this one involves topiaries.
Some of Disney’s most impressive artists reshape plants into vibrant recreations of beloved Disney characters.
We weren’t joking earlier. There is a full scene from Fantasia at one spot in the park.
You’ll also find festival blooms with Disney bragging that it plants over 30 million blooms for the event.
There are also 700 distinct gardens, along with almost 100 character topiaries and a butterfly tent.
It’s a circle of life thing, folks.
Disney transitions the same kiosks from the Festival of the Arts into Outdoor Kitchens for the Flower & Garden Festival.
This event champions the changing of the seasons as it’s about Spring renewal.
The event starts at the end of February or beginning of March and then lasts until the end of May or start of June.
You’ll also enjoy music at this festival, with this event proving to be less about show tunes and more about ROCK!
Welcome to the Garden Rocks Concert Series, with “rock” in air quotes, because bands like Air Supply often appear.
Disney hires bands you know to play four or five of their greatest hits, presuming they have that many, across three nightly sets.
As with DISNEY ON BROADWAY, the list of performers changes every couple of days.
So, unless you specifically target a band for your visitation date, it can be a bit of potluck.
For whatever reason, Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas has proven a mortal lock to play during each and every one of our Disney vacations.
At least it feels that way.
You can also buy a dining package for these shows, and we’ll go ahead and tell you that it’s true for the next festival as well.
While another festival earns more annual hype, the Flower & Garden Festival is EPCOT’s oldest.
International Food & Wine Festival
Next, we have THE EPCOT festival.
Fans spend the rest of the year wondering, “When will the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival begin?”
There’s also a Food & Wine Festival in Aspen that is world-renowned, but Disney has somehow surpassed in terms of recognition.
The Food & Wine Festival doesn’t need much description. It’s a festival that celebrates food and wine.
Not everything at Disney is complicated, my friends.
Disney’s stated goal is to take guests on a “culinary adventure across six different continents,” which means you’ll need loose-fitting pants.
Seriously, we don’t know why Disney keeps any of its restaurants open during Food & Wine, because budget-conscious guests head straight to Global Marketplaces.
These kiosks will happily serve you all the food and especially alcohol that you can take.
This seems like a good time to mention that if you’re sober at night, you might want to avoid the World Showcase.
We’re mostly joking… mostly.
Seriously, the phrase “a good time was had by all” is thrown around a lot, but it applies to the Food & Wine Festival.
You can keep the party going at the EAT TO THE BEAT CONCERT SERIES, which is pretty much exactly like Garden Rocks with all the same jokes applying.
Again, you’ll find this show at American Gardens Theatre, with nightly performances typically taking place at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m.
It’s a fun way to watch your favorite band and play the “Alive or Dead?” game.
Disney has delayed the Food & Wine Festival the last couple of years.
The current timeline calls for a late August start, with the event ending just before Thanksgiving.
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
The previous festival ends because it’s Christmas season at Disney, which is its own thing.
So, fans travel for the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, which is probably the most distinctive of the various events.
We feel this way because of the Storytellers at the various pavilions.
When you roam around the World Showcase, you’ll encounter Cast Members who happily explain their home country’s holiday traditions.
You can visit Father Christmas, listen to Las Posadas, or learn about the gift-giving practices on Epiphany.
These experiences are joyous, and every EPCOT pavilion participates.
As for the food, YUM.
Disney converts the kiosks into holiday kitchens, which means you can find a ton of delectable holiday treats.
As an aside, EPCOT also hosts the Candlelight Processional at the same time as the Festival of the Holidays, but it’s technically not part of the event.
We’ll discuss it in the events section.
Otherwise, the main thing you need to know is that the Festival of the Holidays starts right after Thanksgiving and lasts until December 30th.