Epcot's New International Festival of the Arts for 2017

At a recent Disney event, I happened to be seated at a large table of ten guests, and was very surprised when I asked the group... "who is going to Epcot's new Festival of the Arts in a few weeks"… no one had the slightest idea what I was talking about.



There were no Floridians in the bunch. It was an equal mix of guests from the United States and the United Kingdom. I always smile when something like that happens… it makes me remember just how big the world is (the real world, not Disney World).

If you follow along here on Mealtrip.com, you know that I don't post much in the way of Disney rumors or even breaking news. Everyone copying the same press release into 100 different blogs doesn't seem all that useful to me, especially if you follow the actual, official Disney Parks Blog… which is where most of the information comes from anyway.

When talking to my amazing table mates the other night, I never once attempted to pontificate the press release word for word, I just hit the highlights of what we already know about the new annual festival. So I'm starting a new series called "Distilled", where I'm going to attempt to cut away the marketing hype, and breakdown just the facts. If you want more metaphors and adjectives, I'll post links to any actual, authentic information that I've found at the bottom of the article.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• "Epcot International Festival of the Arts" is the official name of the event. I have also seen the word "annual" show up here and there, which means it will be around at least two years (2017 and 2018).
• Activities will take place on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Mondays only, between the festival's start and end dates. Nobody is sure at this point, if things like food and merchandise will be available on Tuesday through Thursday. We'll just have to wait and see.
• The festival runs from Friday, January 13th, 2017 until Monday, February 20th, 2017. As I mentioned though... only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Mondays on and between those dates… from park open, until park close.

ENTERTAINMENT

• The biggest entertainment item is something (tentatively) called the "Disney on Broadway Concert Series" (Tentative, because there are already a couple other series/events in the US and abroad that are named that, so I don't think that will end up being the official name.)

• The "Disney on Broadway Concert Series" will have three shows a night (Friday through Monday) at 5:30pm, 6:45pm and 8pm... and feature at least two professional vocalists singing a collection of Disney music from Broadway shows. Fairly cryptic right? That's the "facts". It's probably going to be a little more grand than that. The shows take place on the American Garden Theater, which is in the American Pavilion at Epcot.
  
  
• Jan 13-16 : Ashley Brown & Josh Strickland // Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid
• Jan 20-23 : Ashley Brown & Josh Strickland // Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid
• Jan 27-30 : Kerry Butler & Kevin Massey // Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Newsies and Aladdin
• Feb 3-6 : Kerry Butler & Kevin Massey // Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Newsies and Aladdin
• Feb 10-13 : Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White // Disney’s The Lion King, Aida, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid
• Feb 17-20 : Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White // Disney’s The Lion King, Aida, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid
  
  

DINING PACKAGES

• Dining Packages are available (similar to most other shows that happen at the American Garden Theater), where for one set price, you get to dine at a restaurant, and then also have reserved seating at that night's 8pm "Disney on Broadway Concert Series" show.
  
  

• Breakfast Pricing (excludes tax & gratuity)
• Akershus – Adult $54; Child $32
• Garden Grill – Adult $39; Child $28

• Lunch Pricing (excludes tax & gratuity)
• Akershus – Adult $69; Child $41
• Biergarten – Adult $39; Child $22
• Coral Reef – Adult $69; Child $24
• Garden Grill – Adult $57; Child $34
• Rose & Crown – Adult $58; Child $23

• Dinner Pricing (excludes tax & gratuity)
• Akershus – Adult $69; Child $41
• Biergarten – Adult $53; Child $29
• Coral Reef – Adult $69; Child $24
• Garden Grill – Adult $57; Child $34
• Rose & Crown – Adult $58; Child $23
  
  

• The locations listed, are the only ones taking part in the dining package program this year. Booking has already started. For more information and/or to book a dining package, you should call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 as soon as possible.

MORE ENTERTAINMENT

There will be more entertainment in the park on festival days which can include anything from marching bands to street-level based performance and pop fine art demonstrations (sidewalk chalk art and such).

FOOD & BEVERAGE

There will be food booths, much like the Food & Wine Festival. I could guess how many booths (six maybe) and how many food items, but that would just be speculation. There will be fewer than what is available at the Food & Wine Festival though. We're not sure on pricing, or even what items will be available. A few official photos have been released, but you can't really read too much into those. I hope there's going to be one of those cool little menu booklets again.

MERCHANDISE

Oh yeah… you can bet there will be merchandise. I hope we'll also get to see a few art-festival type co-op stands here and there as well. Locations where photographers, painters, and artists can show and sell some of their Disney related creations.

COOL SIDE ACTIVITY

It sounds like there's going to be a "Figment" based scavenger hunt, that (and I have to take a guess at this one), is going to be similar to the "Find the Little Ratatouille Statues" game that was available during Food & Wine, or Easter's "Find the Disney Eggs" games. Basically, you purchase a map and some stickers… find the various statues in the countries around World Showcase, and then go back to a "home base", to check to see if you got them all correct. There is usually another "prize" type of item to collect at the end of the hunt.

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS

There is a new series (again, tentatively and simply) called "Interactive Workshops". The $39 +tax events take place in the Odyssey building and are very hands-on craft or food based demos. These will be very similar to the Food & Wine Festival's "Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It!" series.

The workshops all start at 11am (who gets up that early?), and again, only take place on Friday through Monday. (Everything about this schedule is subject to change.)

• Friday, Jan 13
  "Magical" Mixed Media Art, Rachelle Eason, BoiLedBooks
• Saturday, Jan 14
  Gesture Drawing Class, Todd Bright, Disney Animator
• Sunday, Jan 15
  Floral Arranging with a Disney Floral & Gifts Designer
• Monday, Jan 16
  Modern Macramé, Sara Stoff, Fiber
• Friday, Jan 20
  Floral Arranging with a Disney Floral & Gifts Designer
• Saturday, Jan 21
  Watercolor Love, Rachelle Eason, BoiLedBooks
• Sunday, Jan 22 :: *** FOOD ***
  Become an Artisan Spice Blend Mix-Master, Pam Smith, P.S. Flavor
• Monday, Jan 23 :: *** FOOD ***
  The Artistry of Amorette's Patisserie, Jade Bowser, Amorette's Patisserie, Disney Springs
• Friday, Jan 27 :: *** FOOD ***
  Truffle Making, Amy Holmes & Kathleen Dunn, The Ganachery, Disney Springs
• Saturday, Jan 28
  Ink & Paint Animation, Lynn Rippberger, Disney Animation Ink And Paint Artist
• Sunday, Jan 29 :: *** BEVERAGE ***
  The Art of Mixology, Eric Foster, Stacole Fine Wines & Spirits
• Monday, Jan 30
  Animation 101, Todd Bright, Disney Animator
• Friday, Feb 3
  Ink & Paint Animation, Lynn Rippberger, Disney Animation Ink And PaintArtist
• Saturday, Feb 4
  Valentine Card Making, Tona Bell, The Paper Seahorse
• Sunday, Feb 5
  Intro to Modern Calligraphy, Singling Lee, CalligraLee
• Monday, Feb 6 :: *** BEVERAGE ***
  Artfully Blending Tea, Karon Cannon, Tea Craze
• Friday, Feb 10
  Handwritten Typography, Simone Miranda, Creative Services Manager, Walt Disney World
• Saturday, Feb 11 :: *** FOOD ***
  Become an Artisan Spice Blend Mix-Master, Pam Smith, P.S. Flavor
• Sunday, Feb 12 :: *** FOOD ***
  Olive Oil 101, Marcy Elias, The Olive Pantry
• Monday, Feb 13
  Jewelry Making: Crystal Light Cuff Bracelet, Lymarie Suarez-Rivera, Arie Jewelry, Artegon Marketplace
• Friday, Feb 17
  Ink & Paint Animation, Lynn Rippberger, Disney Animation Ink And PaintArtist
• Saturday, Feb 18
  Floral Arranging with a Disney Floral & Gifts Designer
• Sunday, Feb 19
  Abstract Painting : Crystal Dombrowsky, Crystal Dombrowksy Art Work
• Monday, Feb 20
  Animation 101, Todd Bright, Disney Animator

There are more things going on, but those are the big items. For an official rundown of all the events, check out Disney's official page (click here) for the new Epcot International Festival of the Arts.