Great news for fellow fans of Walt Disney World and the arts…The 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts is returning to Epcot in 2020! If you are an artist or just wish you were, this is the ultimate celebration for you. The uplifting music, exquisite works, and deliciously crafted culinary delights, will truly inspire you. Here are the latest details about this captivating event courtesy of Disney!
Epcot International Festival of the Arts at Walt Disney World Resort will unveil its annual global celebration of visual, culinary and performing arts January 17 and continue for 39 days through February 24, 2020. The event features visiting artists, an array of foodie delights and opportunities for guests to embrace their own inner artists.
Disney on Broadway Concert Series Returns with New Performers
The popular Disney on Broadway Concert Series returns to America Gardens Theatre with three daily performances headlined by Broadway stars who reprise favorite songs from past performances in award-winning shows. This year’s talent-rich lineup includes Kissy Simmons, who starred as Nala in “The Lion King,” and Kevin Massey of “Tarzan.” The show-stopping schedule currently features:
- January 17, 20, 21, 24 and 25 – Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (“The Lion King”)
- January 18, 19, 22, 23 and 25 – Heidi Blickenstaff (“The Little Mermaid”; “Freaky Friday”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”)
- January 25 – Special performance featuring Simmons, White, Blickenstaff and Lee
- January 26, 28, 29; February 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 – Kara Lindsay (“Newsies”) and Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)
- January 10, 12, 13, 18, 19, 22, 23 and 24 – Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”; “Beauty and the Beast”) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan)
- Additional January and February performances still to be announced.
All shows are included with theme park admission. The best way to experience a performance is by reserving a Disney on Broadway Dining Package, which guarantees seating for one show on the day of the dining experience. Packages are available to book starting November 14, 2019, at participating Epcot restaurants; guests may click here or call 407-WDW-FEST to make a reservation.
Food Studios Serve Up the Culinary Arts
Twelve festival Food Studios plus additional food and beverage locations will take culinary arts to the next level with scrumptious, imaginative dishes – artistically sculpted and ready for camera closeups.
Festival guests will discover seven-days-a-week fun including a colorful new interactive mural, that everyone in the family can help paint, workshops, artful photo ops, art galleries and mesmerizing performance art like the daily Epcot Living Statues and Art Defying Gravity shows.
More to See, Do and Eat During the Festival
Indulge in new culinary fun at the Le Cellier Brunch in the Canada pavilion, a leisurely prix fixe bounty each Saturday and Sunday in the relaxing Canadian chateau. Reservations required.- Explore the Green Landing Family Play Zone where Wall-E and Eve invite the entire family to enjoy a lush, green environment built for exploring.
- Jump into photo-ops located throughout Epcot, such as the Peter Pan Storybook installation by the United Kingdom pavilion where guests can flap their fins in Mermaid Lagoon or get their pirate on at Skull Rock.
Grab a paintbrush and add color to a wall mural along World Showcase Plaza.- Join Figment’s Brush with the Masters, a scavenger hunt where the friendly dragon has painted himself into famous pieces of art in each World Showcase pavilion.
- Marvel at and purchase works by Disney’s iconic artists in displays throughout World Showcase.
- Watch visiting artists as they create new pieces, from Disney-inspired works to creative art across diverse mediums.
- Create festival-inspired t-shirts and candles.
Premium festival experiences that include Paint with a Disney Artist and the World Showcase: Destinations Discovered guided tour are available to guests for a fee. To book a workshop, guests may call 407-WDW-TOUR or sign up for openings still available the day of their festival visit.
Heading to Disney World soon?
If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:
- Check out my book UPDATED for 2020 501 Ways to Make the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation for secret insider tips and tricks that you won’t find anywhere else!
- View the latest Disney World discounts currently available!
This holiday season, ABC and Disney Channel will transport the magic of Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line during the holidays to viewers with three magical specials featuring star-studded performances, merry entertainment and more. During the specials, viewers will get exclusive looks at upcoming Disney Parks attractions, including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, opening soon at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.
“The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” kicks off the holiday season Thursday, November 28, from 8:00-10:00pm EST, on ABC and on the ABC app. Join hosts artist Matthew Morrison, singer-songwriter and TV host Emma Bunton, and TV host Jesse Palmer as they present the two-hour prime-time special on Thanksgiving night from Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort in California. This magical celebration will feature celebrity musical performances among a flurry of Disney holiday entertainment. During the prime-time special, viewers will be treated to several Disney Parks sneak peeks, including a behind-the-scenes look into Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, opening in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on December 5, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and January 17, 2020, at Disneyland Park in California.
“Disney Channel Holiday Party @ Walt Disney World“ airs Friday, December 13, from 8:00-8:30pm EST/PST, on Disney Channel and in the DisneyNOW app. Disney Channel’s “ZOMBIES 2” stars Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim will co-host this holiday party with artist Matthew Morrison, treating fans to a magical holiday celebration featuring performances from Shaggy, Pentatonix and Disney Channel stars Issac Ryan Brown (“Raven’s Home“), Ruby Rose Turner (“Coop & Cami Ask the World”) and Kylie Cantrall (“Gabby Duran & The Unsittables”) broadcast from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and aboard the majestic Disney Fantasy – part of the Disney Cruise Line fleet. During the special, viewers will enjoy exclusive Disney Parks sneak peeks, including a first look at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in spring 2020 and Disneyland Park in California in the future. Viewers will also get an exclusive look at the Disney Channel Original Movie sequel “ZOMBIES 2,” premiering on Disney Channel in 2020. Additionally, “BUNK’D” stars Scarlett Estevez and Israel Johnson will host a special family segment highlighting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program.
“Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” airs Wednesday, December 25, from 10:00am–12:00pm EST, 9:00-11:00am. CST/MST/PST; airtimes vary, check listings, on ABC and on the ABC app. Disney’s annual Christmas celebration airs Christmas morning on ABC hosted by artist Matthew Morrison, singer-songwriter and TV host Emma Bunton, and TV host Jesse Palmer. Joining as co-hosts are ABC’s “black-ish” star Marsai Martinwith Hollywood Records Artist and Disney’s “The Lion King” star JD McCrary, who voiced young Simba in the live-action film. Presented from Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort in California, the show features the Christmas Day Parade down Main Street U.S.A., heartwarming stories and amazing celebrity performances. Among the exclusive Disney Parks sneak peeks planned for this special are Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in spring 2020 and Disneyland Park in California in the future, plus Avengers Campus coming to Disney California Adventure Park in California in 2020. Viewers will also get a special look at “the most magical flight on earth”: the newly opened Disney Skyliner gondola system, connecting Walt Disney World Resort guests to two Disney theme parks and four resorts, including the new Disney’s Riviera Resort, opening December 16.
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With glittery Cinderella Castle as its centerpiece, Magic Kingdom shines its brightest during the holidays. Guests will be swept into a magical scene of seasonal music, characters in their festive finery and fireworks bursting above. During 
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