I Go to Disney World Every Day and These Are the Biggest Mistakes I’ve Made at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts

I used to go to Disney World almost every single day until very recently when I had to move back home. While I might not be in Orlando every day, I still have a wealth of Disney knowledge that I like to share to help you avoid all of the mistakes I made in the Disney theme parks. Today’s topic of mistakes? Festival of the Arts.

Festival of the Arts is EPCOT’s art-themed festival (shocker I know) that runs from January 17th, 2025 until February 24th, 2025. This festival is a serious contender for my favorite but let’s talk about all of the mistakes I’ve made here so you won’t make them too! First up is skipping the entertainment. 

The concert series for Festival of the Arts is the Disney on Broadway series. This series tends to get overlook compared to other shows EPCOT puts on and I can only assume it’s because people aren’t as excited about Broadway as they are about Boyz II Men. Now do I have scientific evidence for this? Not really but it’s what my gut is telling me.

Skipping this concert series is a huge mistake! Real-life Broadway actors make their way to Disney World to sing some of Disney’s most famous songs and it is incredible! I have always been a Broadway girl and thanks to my own lack of talent, I have to live through others and this concert series is the perfect way to do it.

Even if you don’t know the artist singing (although I’d bet you’ve heard them before), you can still appreciate the amazing talent up on that stage and maybe even sing along to a song or two. My next mistake? Not knowing that the paint wall closes early! 

The Paint By Numbers Mural is in the Expression Section of this festival and it is a super popular attraction. There is something truly beautiful about so many different people coming together to create a mural every day. Plus, you get a bookmark of the mural you help paint so free merch.

I love painting on the mural but what I don’t love is missing it before my EPCOT day is over. The Expression Section is open from 11 AM to 5 PM daily and if you’re hoping to grab your own jar of paint so you can be an artist too, you’d better go before 5!

Now that we’re artists too, you won’t be surprised when I say skipping the art is a mistake! The art is what brings Festival of the ARTS to life so why would you overlook it?

There are so many different kinds of art from the chalk art walkway to the paintings for sale by artists throughout the World Showcase. It’s so exciting and cool to see so many different forms of art and self-expression.

I’m truly in awe of people who manage to have an idea and put it down with a paint brush, pencil, or even crayon so take time to appreciate what people create. It doesn’t need to take too much time but it should be a necessity during this festival.

This next one is something I never, ever skip! When it comes to PhotoPass in Disney World, there are hundreds of amazing pictures to take but my favorites are in EPCOT during this festival!

There are so many different photo opportunities scattered around EPCOT that let you literally step into the artwork. There are scenes from classic Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty and even famous works of art.

I find it so fun to make yourself into art and these photo spots are they perfect way to do it. Plus, in my humble opinion, I don’t think any of the other festivals have pictures as fun as these. If you’re passing through the America pavilion and see George Washington crossing the Delaware, just know that’s my favorite one.

We’re finally getting to the food discussion of this fest! Did you know that a lot of people get a bit more nervous when it comes to this festival food because of how it looks visually?

If you’re anything like me I like to “eat with my eyes” as they say. That just means if something looks a bit wonky to me, I can’t enjoy it as much. I’ve heard from several people that this festival food just looks a bit too out there for them to try but I’m here to say fight against that feeling!

It’s a mistake to not try out this food just because it looks a bit different. The chefs tend to get pretty creative for this festival because food is an art form too and I think that leads to some pretty exciting snacks to try.

I know what it means to have picky eating tendencies (shout out to my Myranda — our favorite selective eater) but if you can, I highly encourage you to try out some new bites and snacks. This festival has so many bright, colorful foods that you need to try just once.

Finally, it’s a huge mistake to not hop in the popcorn bucket virtual queue. You might be thinking, “It’s a popcorn bucket, how long could the line be?” The answer to that is hours. It could be literal hours for a popcorn bucket in EPCOT.

In 2022, this Figment Popcorn bucket was causing quite the commotion with lines up to 6 hours long. People were fighting for their lives trying to get this purple dragon popcorn bucket and it was really the first time I thought to myself.. is this too much when it comes to Disney?

It was really a sight and something we couldn’t believe was happening but it did happen and, thankfully, Disney learned. In the years since, they new renditions of this bucket have been purchased through the My Disney Experience app and a virtual queue.

This seemed to be a much safer and timelier way for everyone to get their buckets full of popped corn but those times were filling up quickly.