EPCOT’s Worldwide Competition of the Arts runs from January 13 till February 20, 2023 at Walt Disney World. This information gives data, ideas, meals suggestions, and our must-see highlights of this annual winter particular occasion. (Up to date January 13, 2023.)
For these unfamiliar with it, the Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts is the “latest” particular occasion of the yr, which is in its seventh yr come 2023. (Time flies while you’re having enjoyable–I nonetheless bear in mind when the inaugural occasion was introduced!) Competition of the Arts can be the least-popular of Epcot’s occasions, and doesn’t draw almost as many vacationers because the long-running Meals & Wine Competition. That is partly as a result of it happens in winter, but it surely additionally doesn’t appear to attract fairly as many locals, both.
Walt Disney World has dubbed this occasion the “final celebration of world-class meals, superb visible artwork, and stay leisure.” We agree. EPCOT’s Competition of the Arts is our favourite occasion of the yr, and we love chatting with artists, watching the performers, and consuming our means across the 13 cubicles, and having fun with among the artwork on show. Making an attempt the brand new meals, seeing artists exhibit their work, and collaborating within the interactive choices on the occasion is all the time a superb time.
After being blown away by the inaugural occasion, and whereas among the specifics have modified in the previous few years, our impression stays the identical: Epcot’s Competition of the Arts is our #1 seasonal occasion of the yr at Epcot.
On this submit, we’ll cowl among the the explanation why we like it, and why we suggest experiencing it for your self in January or February! Let’s begin with what’s new for the 2023 Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts–the massive information is that Figment is enjoying an excellent greater within the 2023 EPCOT Competition of the Arts…
The 2023 EPCOT Competition of the Arts is getting extra imaginative, with Figment’s Inspiration Station: Artwork, Meals, and Little Sparks of Magic. With this, Figment primarily takes over the Odyssey occasions heart, which was beforehand the EPCOT Expertise preview heart (and has additionally functioned as a competition heart for previous occasions.
Figment’s Inspiration Station on the Odyssey contains nods and restored items from the unique Journey Into Creativeness at EPCOT Heart, circa 1982. Figment’s Inspiration Station options an unique Figment Audio Animatronics determine, mural impressed by the experience’s load space, the unique background music, and projections from the attraction. There’s additionally inspiration drawn from the unique upstairs ImageWorks, with unique pin tables and a rainbow corridor-esque aesthetic in Figment’s Inspiration Station.
Moreover, the Figment Premium Popcorn Bucket makes its return, however this yr with a brand new EPCOT fortieth Anniversary strap. Final yr, Competition of the Arts was dominated by headlines that EPCOT’s Longest Line Is For Figment Popcorn Buckets. It took some time, however Walt Disney World ultimately solved that downside by streamlining the method with Cellular Order.
Fortunately, Cellular Order is as soon as once more the answer to that specific downside. Merely search for EPCOT Memento Launch and choose a return timeslot, beginning at 11 am. Restrict 2 per individual.
Figment’s Inspiration Station doubles as a meals and merchandise sales space, serving the Pop’t Artwork, Rainbow Cake, and quite a lot of different snacks and drinks, together with quite a few completely different beers. (Strikes me as sorta odd for Figment’s sales space to serve alcohol, however no matter.)
Along with the popcorn bucket at Figment’s Inspiration Station, you can even convey house the brand-new Fruity Fig Bar Figment Disney Munchling. This limited-edition Disney Munchling options the candy scent of berries and may be discovered each on the merchandise areas on the competition and on shopDisney.
The Figment enjoyable continues when the solar goes down on the 2023 EPCOT Competition of the Arts.
Over at Spaceship Earth, a brand new Beacons of Magic mild present options Figment. This technicolor tribute options music that’ll convey one little spark your creativeness, together with a spectacle of dazzling mild. This combines Journey into Creativeness and Muppets by additionally using “Rainbow Connection” in what could be essentially the most impressed and imaginative model of the wonderful EPCOT Beacons of Magic but.
With what’s new for 2023 out of the best way, let’s supply a little bit of background on the fundamentals of the occasion which might be constant from year-to-year. The Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts is a particular occasion celebrating the visible, culinary, and performing arts from around the globe. The occasion contains Meals Studios (naturally!) and an array of leisure choices.
The very first thing you must know is that there’s so much to see and do on the Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts, however the overwhelming majority of the leisure is not constantly operating. Fairly the converse, in truth.
Whereas there may be just about all the time one thing occurring all through the park between park opening and 5 p.m., lots of the stay performers are solely out just a few occasions per day, and a few of their units are pretty quick.
Due to this, it’s completely important that you simply seek the advice of a occasions information or leisure schedule for the day your visiting, and plan across the leisure that’s the most “uncommon.” Alternatively, if in case you have a surplus of time, you may wish to take a sluggish method, simply meandering round World Showcase and stumbling upon artwork as you stroll. We actually take pleasure in that sense of “discovery.”
The Meals Studios, displays, and interactive artwork alternatives may be slotted in each time, so match these into your schedule when you might have down time, however plan across the stay leisure.
You received’t find a way expertise all of Epcot and Competition of the Arts in a single day. Accordingly, we advise spending two days at Epcot throughout Competition of the Arts: each weekdays.
Weekends at Epcot are busy throughout Competition of the Arts, primarily resulting from robust phrase of mouth in regards to the occasion amongst locals, who work throughout the week. As with each different Epcot competition, weekdays are far much less busy.
The final two winters have been a veritable crowd curler coaster at Walt Disney World. Two years in the past, attendance was down significantly, making Walt Disney World’s customer numbers disproportionately locals who go to Friday by way of Sunday. This yr was a completely completely different story, with pent-up demand enjoying out in full power and just about day-after-day being jam-packed.
As mentioned in our Crowd Predictions for 2023 Epcot Competition of the Arts, we’re forecasting one thing in-between for Winter 2023. Fortuitously, the dates encompassed by the 2023 EPCOT Competition of the Arts ought to be among the many better of the yr. For more information, consult with that–or seek the advice of our January 2023 Crowd Calendar and February 2023 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World for particular greatest and worst dates to go to.
Let’s flip to the Meals Studios. For a lot of visitors, these would be the spotlight of the occasion, providing market snack choices in venues just like these discovered throughout the Epcot Meals & Wine Competition. We thought the meals was typically actually introduced exceptionally effectively, and tasted superb ultimately yr’s occasion.
We sampled many of the menus on the Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts, and had been shocked that almost all parts had been comparatively hearty and worth for cash was pretty stable. In each instances, higher than the Meals & Wine Competition, however not nearly as good of worth as a daily counter service meal.
As we observe in our Meals Studio Information to the 2023 Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts, the “culinary arts” are the least vital element of the occasion. Now we have a number of particular snack suggestions there, however none are important to having fun with the occasion.
Whereas the meals is excellent and a few parts are beneficiant, it’s additionally on the costly facet–much more than Meals & Wine Competition. This makes it a tricky promote in the event you’re paying out of pocket–particularly since this occasion doesn’t revolve round meals.
When you do go for the foodie parts of the competition, the Fantastic Stroll of Colourful Delicacies is a enjoyable option to do it. Set out on a tasty trek across the 2023 EPCOT Competition of the Arts and buy 7 vibrant dishes—and be rewarded with one technicolor deal with to take pleasure in on the finish of your journey.
Use your Competition Passport as your information to search for specifically notated menu objects, then monitor your progress by accumulating a stamp after every buy. When you’ve loved a minimum of 5 of the 7 dishes—and picked up the corresponding stamps—convey your stamped Competition Passport to the Deco Delights meals studio to obtain a complimentary Artist Palette Cookie.
With that mentioned, you could possibly skip the meals solely and nonetheless have an superior time on the occasion. That is sentiment you may not learn elsewhere, however understand that a lot of the curiosity round Epcot’s festivals revolves round meals; that is additionally how Disney monetizes the occasions.
So after all it is smart for Walt Disney World and different blogs to hype up the meals…even when it’s far from the spotlight of Epcot’s Competition of the Arts. Except for the snacking, Epcot’s Worldwide Competition of the Arts gives Walt Disney World visitors the power to peruse art work by Disney artists in galleries.
Moreover, there are stay artists creating art work in Epcot. It’s actually fascinating to observe them; we had been so captivated by one of many artists that we watched him full a complete Mickey Mouse portray, which he did in ‘unison’ with music.
Different artists can be portray panorama scenes all through World Showcase. Moreover, chalk artists will reproduce basic works on park sidewalks, Epcot Residing Statues will do roaming artwork, and visitor efficiency artists will create stay artwork with the wave of a paintbrush.
Interactive visitor artwork is one other one in all our favourite points of Competition of the Arts. Now we have had an opportunity to assist full a number of completely different murals, together with the one pictured beneath.
It’s additionally a very enjoyable expertise within the second, and satisfying when you see the completed product just a few days later, realizing I helped make that!
For teenagers of all ages, one of many highlights is Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt. Mischievous Figment has re-imagined what well-known work may appear to be if he had been a part of the art work, and hidden one in every nation round World Showcase–see if yow will discover all of them. The work are cleverly accomplished, and a great way to introduce children to artwork historical past.
It’s additionally simply numerous enjoyable to seek for the Figment-infused artwork. If you’d like, you should purchase maps for ~$10 every on the major reward outlets (Port of Entry, Creations Store, World Traveler Store, and so on.) and play the sport–being rewarded with a Figment souvenir as soon as you discover all of them. Nonetheless, you can even simply search for them for a way of enjoyable and satisfaction–that’s often what we do!
There’s additionally extra structured leisure for the Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts. For 2023, the Disney on Broadway live performance sequence will as soon as once more return. This options three reveals every night headlined by Broadway stars performing beloved songs from greater than 25 years of award-winning stage productions.
Right here’s the Disney on Broadway live performance lineup for the 2023 EPCOT Competition of the Arts:
Kara Lindsay (Newsies) and Kevin Massey (Tarzan)
- January 13, 2023
- January 15-16, 2023
- January 19-20, 2023
Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin) and Adam Jacobs (Aladdin)
- January 14, 2023
- January 17-18, 2023
- January 21-22, 2023
Patti Murin (Frozen) and Robert Creighton (The Little Mermaid)
- January 23, 2023
- January 25-26, 2023
- January 29-30, 2023
- February 2-3, 2023
Mandy Gonzalez (Aida) and L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King)
- January 24, 2023
- January 27-28, 2023
- January 31 by way of February 1, 2023
- February 4-5, 2023
Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) and Michael James Scott (Aladdin)
- February 6, 2023
- February 8-9, 2023
- February 12-13, 2023
- February 16-17, 2023
Kissy Simmons (The Lion King) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan)
- February 7, 2023
- February 10-11, 2023
- February 14-15, 2023
- February 18-19, 2023
On February 20, 2023 the Disney on Broadway Live performance Sequence options an prolonged finale that includes Ashley Brown, Josh Strickland, Kissy Simmons, and Michael James Scott. In previous years, this prolonged finale has been the spotlight–don’t miss it in the event you’re in EPCOT that night!
Disney on Broadway Eating Packages are additionally out there, however we sometimes do NOT suggest these (aside from possibly the prolonged finale on February 20, 2023). We’ve seen Disney on Broadway concert events numerous occasions and by no means as soon as had a difficulty getting seats. I assume in the event you completely want a chief view, it’s not a nasty choice–but it surely strikes us as a waste of cash. To every their very own, although.
Finally, Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts has confirmed itself to be one thing completely different. Meals and drinks are the bottom precedence right here, and there may be a lot “different stuff” that it’s arduous to view this as a thinly-veiled option to promote excessive margin stuff. When you think about how a lot all the artists and entertainers seemingly price, the cynicism melts away.
On the contrary, the Epcot Competition of the Arts is a real enhancement to Epcot. It cherrypicks the weather of Flower & Backyard and Meals & Wine that we like greatest, and enhances the park in an natural means that feels prefer it recaptures a little bit of the unique spirit of EPCOT Heart. The occasion’s ambiance makes it much more pleasant to simply wander round Epcot, and there are robust academic and leisure parts.
With 6 years beneath the occasion’s belt, we’re assured that Epcot’s Worldwide Competition of the Arts has discovered its footing. Whereas we hope that it continues to evolve and increase, 2023 received’t be the yr for that, as EPCOT is (nonetheless!) within the midst of an enormous building venture to rework Future World into three new neighborhoods (technically, this transformation already occurred–however you may’t inform from the maze of building partitions!). Nonetheless, Figment’s Inspiration Station ought to be a superb addition for which followers will go loopy.
Disney continues to ship on the Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Arts, which is why it has been our favourite competition because it began a number of years in the past. That could be arduous to consider given the barrage of protection that Meals & Wine receives, and provided that that is the shortest and latest occasion, but when we may solely select one to attend, this may be it. Regardless of the shock spike in crowds final yr, we’d extremely suggest this occasion–and this time of yr–to anybody contemplating when to go to Walt Disney World in 2023.
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Your Ideas
Have you ever attended EPCOT’s Worldwide Competition of the Arts in any of its previous years? Are you excited to expertise the 2023 Competition of the Arts? Any ideas you wish to share to profit from the expertise? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!