EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is coming up and we are SO excited.

The upcoming festival runs from January 14th through February 21st and celebrates visual, culinary, and performing art. Our main priority might be all the delicious eats, but you don’t have to spend money on snacks to have a great time at the fest. There’s a lot of FREE stuff you can do at the Festival of the Arts too!

Live Shows

First up, Festival of the Arts offers some amazing live shows — all free once you’re in the park!

Disney on Broadway

The Disney on Broadway Concert Series is a festival-long series that offers performances from Broadway performers singing popular and iconic Disney songs. You can find the show at the America Gardens Theater!

While these shows are completely FREE for festival guests, you can also purchase a Disney on Broadway Concert Series Dining Package to pair lunch or dinner with guaranteed priority seating.

Click here to learn more about Disney on Broadway!

Visual Art in Performance

Visual Art in Performance is a unique set of shows that lets guests watch a high-energy artist paint Disney characters live — in just a few minutes. These are super impressive displays to watch and they don’t take too much time out of your festival day.

Art Defying Gravity

Finally, you can also spot Art Defying Gravity for free with your park admission. The show features accomplished acrobats creating art in the air with their bodies. It’s super cool to watch! Stay tuned to see where this group will be performing.

Animation Academy

Disney has confirmed the return of Animation Academy to this year’s festival and this is a GREAT free offering.

Like The Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Conservation Station, an actual Disney artist will teach you how to draw a Disney character! Pencil and paper will be provided and you get to keep your drawing as a souvenir!

To see last year’s Animation Academy, click here!

Photo Ops

Festival of the Arts also features a lot of very fun and creative photo ops! Step into a storybook or a famous painting and take your own photo or have a photo taken by a Disney PhotoPass photographer.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to have Memory Maker to receive your downloads from Photopass, but taking your own photo at these spots is free!

Click here to see some the photo ops from last year!

Visual Arts

You can spot a lot of visual art for free too!

Walking Chalk Gallery

Our team absolutely LOVES the Walking Chalk Gallery at Festival of the Arts! Artists create GORGEOUS art pieces in chalk on the sidewalk and they change throughout the fest. So, don’t forget to look down to check out this awesome piece of the festivities!

Bonus! For free this year, families can create chalk art together at the Kids’ Chalk Art area.

Chalk Full of Character

You can also keep your eyes peeled for art featuring beloved Disney characters around the pavilions. This is a super fun free perk.

Festival Markets

You’ll also find Festival Markets where you can purchase art from local artists, but these spots also act as galleries! Without pulling out your wallet, you can take a look at HUNDREDS of art pieces!

Drawing on Inspiration: Celebrating 50 Years of Magic

And, there’s a NEW gallery this year — also completely FREE! Drawing on Inspiration: Celebrating 50 Years of Magic will be an exhibit located near Creations Shop that shows “dazzling depictions of Walt Disney World attractions illustrated by Disney Imagineers from around the world.” This new showcase will be presented in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World.

Interactive Mural

One of the most fun free pieces of the festival is the Interactive Mural. For the duration of the fest, guests are invited to paint a small piece of a GIANT paint-by-number mural.

In the end, it looks like an awesome work of art, painted by YOU!

To see more of last year’s mural, click here!

KidCOT Fun Stops

KidCOT Fun Stops are a free offering year-round at EPCOT where kids can learn about the pavilions through fun activities. Typically, these stops also offer a fun Festival of the Arts activity!

As you can see there is a LOT of fun stuff included in your park admission during Festival of the Arts. You can have a lot of fun whether you’re feeling spendy or not! Stay tuned to DFB for more Festival of the Arts tips and for ALLLLL the festival coverage when it kicks off!

Want to learn more about Festival of the Arts? Click here!

Are you headed to Festival of the Arts? Tell us in the comments!