It’s January in Disney World! The holiday season is wrapping up, the crowds are hopefully thinning out, and we might even see some of that rare “winter” weather.
If you’re planning to be in Disney World this month, you might think that January is a relatively quiet time in the parks. And, while that does have some truth to it, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on! So, we’re here to tell you about the best things to do in Disney World in January!
Festival of the Arts
The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts kicks off this month! From January 14th through February 21st, you can celebrate the Culinary, Visual, and Performing Arts during this festival at EPCOT.
There will be over a dozen food studios scattered around World Showcase with food that usually have a pretty unique presentation compared to the other EPCOT festivals — this is about the arts, after all!
This year two NEW booths will be debuting at the festival — The Craftsman’s Courtyard and Deco Delights. And, some booths from previous years have been renamed!
Click here to see the FULL list of food booths that will be available during the 2022 Festival of the Arts!
Also returning to the festival is the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, which is a food crawl that lets you try several items from different booths around the festival. Once you’ve tried each dish, you can turn in your Festival Passport for a prize!
But, the festival isn’t just about food. This year, we’ll see the return of the Disney on Broadway Concert Series! The series features performances from some of Broadway’s most accomplished actresses and actors, who will be singing some of Disney’s most famous songs at the America Garden’s Theater in the American Adventure pavilion.
Festival of the Arts also heavily focuses on visual art as well. You’ll see chalk artists, an interactive mural wall, the animation academy, and work from artists featured at the galleries around World Showcase!
And, don’t forget about Figment, because he has a scavenger hunt at the festival! With Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt, you can purchase a map from Port of Entry, Creations Shop, or World Traveler for $9.99 and search for Figment hiding in works of art around the park! Once you find all of the Figments, you’ll get a prize!
It’s one of the shorter festivals at EPCOT, so take advantage of Festival of the Arts while you can!
Click here to learn more about Festival of the Arts
Typhoon Lagoon
We recently found out that Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will be reopening in Disney World in January! Today, January 2nd, the water park will reopen after being closed for almost 2 years. But, be aware that while Typhoon Lagoon is opening, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park is closing for refurbishment.
Typhoon Lagoon is reopening with some fun new things, too! New food will be available at some places inside the park, like at Snack Shack, where there will be new Dole Whip offerings. Mango, pineapple, raspberry, and lime Dole Whips will all be available and you can even add alcohol to them if you’re 21 or older!
There will also be 2 Moana-inspired Dole Whip creations at Snack Shack, including the return of the Hei Hei Cone!!! We can’t WAIT to get our hands on this treat again since it was taken away in Magic Kingdom.
And, there’s a new cocktail on the menu called the Habanero Lime Galley Shack Swirl, which will have spicy habanero, sweet mango, and tangy lime flavors!
There are some special snacks coming for the 50th anniversary as well, like Walt’s Chili Nachos at Snack Shack and EARidescent Ice Dream Cone at Happy Landings.
But, be aware that there will also be some menu price increases and changes around the water park, too!
Read more about the new food coming to Typhoon Lagoon here!
Typhoon Lagoon is also home to North America’s largest wave pool and some pretty intense water slides, or you can just float along the lazy river if that’s more your style.
While it might seem odd to visit a water park in January, remember that this is Florida we’re talking about, and the weather can be pretty warm even in the winter. So, put on your swim trunks and get ready to hang 10, because Typhoon Lagoon is BACK!
Click here to learn more about Typhoon Lagoon’s reopening!
Say Goodbye to 50th Anniversary Snacks, And Welcome in New Ones
The 50th anniversary has brought along with it a lot of new food, like over 100 new items! We’ve tried treats in every park as well as Disney Springs and the hotels. Magic Kingdom received the most new food items out of the 4 parks, but now some of them are going away!
Disney recently announced that several snacks that debuted on October 1st of 2021 will be leaving after January 9th, 2022. This includes the Mickey Mouse Dome Cake from Gaston’s Tavern…
…the Seven Dwarfs Specialty Cone from Storybook Treats…
…the Showtime With Jose Dole Whip float from Aloha Isle…
…the Not-Too-Late Tea from Cheshire Cafe…
…the Pecos Bill Widowmaker Sandwich from Golden Oak Outpost…
…and the Black Forest Cheesecake from Pinocchio Village Haus. Yep, these foods will be gone at the beginning of the month, so go and try them while you can! But, they will be replaced with NEW foods, so we’re excited to see what’s coming next for the 50th anniversary!
Click here to read about the 5 must-try 50th anniversary foods in Disney World!
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
The runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is back this year! It takes place from January 5-9, 2022, and is completely sold out, so it’s making a very triumphant return!
The event includes the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, the Walt Disney World 10K, and the Walt Disney World 5K. You can also participate in Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, which is doing both the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday AND the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. Or, you can really really challenge yourself and complete the Dopey Challenge, which is ALL FOUR RACES! That’s a total of 48.6 miles, y’all!
If you don’t know, the races are all themed to the Mickey and friends character as well. The 5K is themed to Pluto, the 10K is Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the Half Marathon is Donald and Daisy Duck, and the Marathon is Mickey and Minnie Mouse!
If you’re signed up to do the race, it’s sure to be a good time! But, make sure you go to the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo at least one day prior to your first event to pick up your race bib, participant shirt, and pre-purchased merchandise. Find out more about the Health & Fitness Expo dates and times here.
During the races, there will be some exciting things scattered along the course, like character sightings and fun entertainment! And, once you’ve completed your race(s), you’ll get your commemorative medal(s).
While the race is sold out, you can usually still go and watch to cheer on the runners! If you know someone running, you can even track them during the 10K, Half Marathon, or Marathon so you know how they’re doing during the race. Details on how to watch the race will be released closed to the Marathon Weekend.
Click here to read more about the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend!
Those are the best things to do in Disney World in January! We hope you have a great time on your trip and get to enjoy some of the things on the list. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news, info, and updates.
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