When it comes to festivals, Epcot has got you covered! A tradition that started with Food and Wine in the fall and Flower and Garden in the spring has continued to blossom into new experiences.

The first of the yearly festivals for 2018 was the Festival of the Arts! Since Festival of the Arts is still fairly new, Disney fans were excited to see it return for the second year in a row. Although it was only running for a little over a month (from January 12 – February 19), Festival of the Arts left a big impact on guests! Between the interactive experiences, live art, and creative food booths, Festival of the Art was the perfect way to start off 2018 at Walt Disney World.

Since the festival is so new and Mardi Gras fell earlier than usual this year, this year was my first time experiencing the Festival of the Arts! If you’re planning to visit Walt Disney World during the first two months of the year, here are some of the things you can expect to see at the Festival of the Arts.

Interactive Experiences

Disney did a great job of adding some fun ways to get guests to interact with art in a new way.

One fan favorite this year was the paint by number walls near the World Showcase. Guests could grab a paint brush, a paint color, and become a part of the gigantic insta-worthy walls that were being created each day! It was fun working together to create something beautiful int the parks.

Have you ever wanted to be a part of famous works of art? At the Festival of the Arts this year, Disney’s PhotoPass gave you that chance. In Italy, America, and France pavilions guests put their own spin of iconic art and it made for some memorable moments! Lastly, Disney gave guests a chance to try their hand at drawing some pretty iconic characters at the Animation Academy in the Odyssey Pavilion. Being that Disney is rooted in animation, this was something exciting for Disney fans big and small to have a chance to try!

Live Artists

Interactive isn’t your thing? No worries! The Festival of the Arts has plenty for the observer to experience while visiting as well.

In Future World near Test Track, guests can observe 2D chalk artists working on their daily inspiration creating masterpieces right before your eyes! Near Fountain View throughout the day there were different artful acts including living statues, and artists that put on a show with their artwork.

Epcot also added a new element of art to the festival this year by adding Broadway performances! Across from the America Pavilion guests could enjoy their favorite Disney songs performed by broadway talent for free. Last but not least, there were some pretty great Disney-inspired artists sharing and selling their works around the World Showcase. During the last few days of the festival this year, guests even had the chance to meet Paige O’Hara, the original Belle from Beauty and the Beast!

Artful Bites

Like any festival in Epcot, food is always a major factor. The Festival of the Arts was no exception to this rule!

This year at the Festival of the Arts, Epcot offered 13 food booth options for guests to try the tasty side of art. With booth names like The Artist’s Table, The Deconstructed Dish, Cuisine Classique, and The Painter’s Palate it’s easy to find something exciting and delicious to try!

We tasted bites from a few of the booths, but our favorite by far was The Deconstructed Dish. I just found the concept to be so fun and with choices like a Deconstructed BLT, Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake, and Pop-Artsicle every option sounded delicious! (And let me tell you they were!) Each country did a great job of offering artsy food and drink options. One of the cutest foods was China’s rice panda! (He was almost too adorable to eat!)

One thing I’ve always loved about visiting Walt Disney World is that the parks are always evolving. Epcot is bringing guests to the parks year-round with different festivals every few months! The Festival of the Arts has been a great edition to the already amazing festival culture that you can find around the World Showcase. With a few changes made from the first to the second year of this festival, I’m really excited to see how Disney decides to grow this event in 2019 and beyond!

What part of the Festival of the Arts sounds most exciting to you?