EPCOT is basically in festival mode year-round these days, with each year starting off with the Festival of the Arts. The “youngest” of the four festivals, this celebration of all things colorful and creative will take place in 2022 from January 14th through February 21st!

If you’re thinking about making a trip to EPCOT this winter to check out the Festival of the Arts for yourself, don’t leave home without reviewing these seven tips!

Simply put: don’t skip it!

Festival of the Arts only runs for a few weeks in comparison to the more “behemoth” festivals like Flower and Garden and Food and Wine, which run for months! But if you haven’t taken the time to check this festival out, you may want to plan your next Disney World vacation around this one-of-a-kind festival.

It’s frankly one of the least talked about EPCOT festivals, and that breaks our hearts a little! It has some GREAT food picks that you won’t find anywhere else in Disney World, or at any of the other EPCOT festivals for that matter!

Not to mention you’re totally immersed in art everywhere you turn, which is a real treat if you’re into art history, musical theatre, or frankly this:

We’ll get into the specifics of this festival’s unique dishes in a little bit, but if you take home ANY of these tips today, let it be that EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts is not one to skip!

Click here to read about several things confirmed to be returning to the 2022 Festival of the Arts!

There are tons of FREE interactive elements that you don’t want to miss.

Each EPCOT festival has some sort of interactive element on top of the many food and drink items available for purchase. The Festival of the Arts, in particular, has several activities that you’ll want to make time to see.

The best part is that many of these activities are available to all guests at no additional cost! Be sure to check out the Paint By Numbers mural…

…stop and see the beautiful chalk art…

…and have a fun little scavenger hunt to find your favorite Disney characters in murals around World Showcase!

There’s entertainment around every corner, too! Trevor Carlton is a must-see if you have the time to do so!

The Festival of the Arts is one of those times where you are absolutely encouraged to “stop and smell the roses,” so to speak! If you’re only going for the food, then you’re doing the Festival of the Arts wrong!

Click here to check out some eye-popping chalk art from a previous Festival of the Arts!

Don’t sleep on their Disney on Broadway Concert Series!

Broadway fans: this next one is for you. When else (aside from Broadway itself) can you combine your love for all things Disney AND musical theatre than at EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts? If you’re visiting this year, make it a point to check out their Disney on Broadway Concert Series!

Located at the American Gardens Theater in the American Adventure Pavilion, this concert series brings together Broadway stars to perform some iconic show tunes and Disney hits! There are dining packages available as well so you can pair your concert with a meal!

Click here to check out the full lineup of the Disney on Broadway Concert Series at the 2022 Festival of the Arts.

Shop wisely at the merchandise booths.

The theme for the Festival of the Arts is definitely “unique.” Not only are there food and drink items you won’t find anywhere else in Disney World, but you’ll also find one-of-a-kind souvenirs, including original works of art!

Keep in mind that you won’t see the same art at every merchandise location in EPCOT, so if you see something that you’re truly in love with, don’t assume you’ll find it at another booth or gift shop! Also, be on the lookout for artists as they make special appearances throughout the festival and may even be signing pieces of art and taking photographs!

Can’t quite justify the cost of an original work of art? See if there are any 5″x7″ postcard sizes available! They’ll cost a fraction of the price, and you’ll still be able to go home with a unique piece of Disney merchandise to hang on your wall.

Click here to find out the dates you may want to plan to visit the EPCOT Festival of the Arts if you want some signed pieces of art!

The “Food Studios” are filled with visually stunning dishes!

Remember when we mentioned that the Festival of the Arts is filled with unique dishes and drinks? We aren’t just talking about taste!

There are plenty of Insta-worthy treats around the food booths, and they truly go all-out with presentation on some of them!

Some standouts that you’ll want to have your camera ready for include the Sushi Donut in the Japan Pavilion…

…and the Tomato Soup Can Bloody Mary from Pop Eats!

We were all told not to play with our food as kids, but at Festival of the Arts, that rule is totally thrown out the window.

Click here to look back at our TOP food and beverage picks from last year’s Festival of the Arts!

Don’t forget to bring (or buy) your festival tray!

With more than a dozen food booths to choose from, it may be overwhelming to decide what to eat and drink! When you’re enjoying multiple items at once, it can be hard to carry all of those little plates — especially when there’s limited seating available.

That’s when your trusty festival food tray comes in! Trust us on this one. These trays have saved us (and our food) on multiple occasions. You can either bring your own or see if they’re selling them at the merchandise booths around EPCOT.

Click here to learn more about how to bring your own food tray!

Even YOU can be an artist — for free!

Finally, EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts is a celebration about the inner artists in all of us — and that’s why you’ll want to take advantage of every opportunity you come across to let that inner artist shine!

You may have heard about the animation experience over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Well, during Festival of the Arts, there’s a SECOND pop-up Animation Academy where you can learn to draw your favorite Disney characters.

Best of all? It’s FREE. And you get to keep your original work of art — a FREE souvenir from Disney World? That doesn’t happen every day!

Click here for a full list of the booths at the 2022 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts!

If you’ve been to the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival more times than you can count, why not give Festival of the Arts a try this year, too? With unique food and beverages along with tons of free, interactive activities for the whole family, you may find yourself with a new FAVORITE EPCOT festival. Be sure to follow along when the festival officially kicks off for reviews of each of the food booths, not to mention our coverage of EVERYTHING there is to see and do!

Are you planning on attending this year’s Festival of the Arts? Let us know in the comments!

The post We’ve Been to the EPCOT Festival of the Arts Countless Times and These Are Our BEST Tips first appeared on the disney food blog.