Walt Disney World has introduced particulars and dates for the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, which can be a world celebration of the visible, culinary, and performing arts. In this put up, we’ll share dates & particulars, why it’s our favourite occasion of the 12 months at Epcot, and our preliminary crowd predictions for January and February 2023 at Walt Disney World.
For these unfamiliar with it, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is the most recent particular occasion of the 12 months, though it’s not likely new anymore (2023 can be its seventh 12 months). After years of flying beneath the radar, EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts lastly got here into its personal this 12 months–fueled largely be Figment.
While the recognition of that popcorn bucket caught us unexpectedly, we have been totally anticipating it to be a busier winter at Walt Disney World. Nevertheless, we have been more than happy that this 12 months’s Festival of the Arts was so busy. In the previous, we implored extra vacationers to plan journeys for it, as a result of it was far superior to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.
As might be clear from our effusive reward over time, Festival of the Arts is our favourite occasion of the 12 months at EPCOT. It’s not even an in depth name, both. It cherrypicks the perfect components of Flower & Garden and Food & Wine, whereas additionally including components which can be way more attention-grabbing and substantive. Most importantly, Festival of the Arts is imbued with the spirit of the unique EPCOT Center, and affords an environment, sense of life, and is permeated with the attribute creativity and curiosity of EPCOT Center.
Before we get carried away with hyping up the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, you must in all probability be cognizant of crowds. Not to take an excessive amount of of a victory lap, however our predictions about crowd ranges for every of the final two winters have been correct. So both 2023 will see that sizzling streak finish–very properly attainable as crowd calendars grow to be an increasing number of troublesome to get proper–or proceed. Either manner, it was (or can be) an excellent run!
Let’s begin with a fast refresher. It may appear to be an eternity in the past now, however attendance was astronomical for the primary three months of 2020 at first fell aside and Walt Disney World closed. (See Peak Crowds in Winter “Off-Season” at Walt Disney World.)
The following 12 months, we predicted that these crowds wouldn’t materialize because of the probability of a winter wave of COVID retaining folks away. That could be coupled with an absence of worldwide journey, conventions, youth occasions on the ESPN Wide World of Sports, and runDisney choices. That prediction ended up being correct.
Last 12 months, we predicted the other for a similar causes: worldwide journey, runDisney, conventions, and youth sporting occasions would all be again. On prime of that, there have been home visitors who delayed visits from the primary three months of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary because of the Delta variant or face masks guidelines.
Again, that was correct. After a surprisingly gradual October by mid-November (and even a vacation season that wasn’t as busy in regular when it comes to attendance, even when ‘feels like’ crowds begged to vary), January and February caught lots of people unexpectedly with how dangerous they have been.
For January and February 2023, we’re anticipating one thing between the 2 extremes. That may appear to be a cop out, however that’s my trustworthy evaluation. With that stated, if you’d like a “sexier” prediction, and I have been pressured to wager on crowds being dangerous or good at this level–with no “in between” possibility or extra nuance–I’d select good.
At least, I’d select good for the majority of the dates of the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. To that time, our expectation is that January 9, 2023 by February 17, 2023 can be among the many least busy dates of the 12 months (minus the MLK vacation weekend).
To be certain, it received’t be “dead” or low season by historic requirements, but it surely must be the perfect time to go to since mid-August by September of this 12 months. Just take into account that modern crowds are worse than historic ones–so if you happen to’re one of many individuals who discovered this early fall to be “too crowded,” you’ll undoubtedly really feel the identical manner about these Winter 2023 dates.
There are a number of causes for this, from the energy of the greenback dampening worldwide journey to demand dropping off on the tail finish of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary Celebration and an exhaustion of “revenge travel.” There are additionally underlying financial circumstances, and better costs lastly taking their toll.
Conversely, conventions, particular occasions, runDisney occasions, and snowbirds fleeing to Florida will nonetheless be components that forestall crowds from really bottoming out and there being a pronounced winter low season. Finally, COVID waves not have a fabric impression on crowds, so no matter occurs this vacation season will seemingly be a non-factor.
In brief, January 9, 2023 by February 17, 2023 must be good dates to go to by present requirements–however if you happen to’re evaluating them to Winter 2017 or earlier, you’re in for a impolite awakening.
In brief, we nonetheless advocate planning a winter Walt Disney World journey throughout that date vary and round Festival of the Arts. While February has fallen on our 2022-2023 Best and Worst Months to Visit Walt Disney World, that’s pushed largely by Presidents’ Day. That weekend and the week that comply with are nonetheless very a lot to be averted (they are going to be dangerous once more!), however the dates between Marathon Weekend and that ought to largely be fairly good.
The climate tends to be implausible, there’s a extra laid again vibe to the parks, and it may be satisfying even when attendance is elevated. There are so many good causes to go to in January and February that we’d advocate strategically choosing one of many higher weeks (see our January 2023 Crowd Calendar or February 2023 Crowd Calendar) and going. Regardless of what occurs with wait occasions and crowd ranges, it’ll be an excellent time!
Anyway, that’s our regular “pitch” for a go to in January or February to benefit from the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.
Here’s what we find out about what’s returning for subsequent 12 months’s Festival of the Arts at Epcot, which is ready to start on January 13, 2023 and run till February 20, 2023:
- Culinary delights from 16 Food Studios round World Showcase
- The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine — a enjoyable meals stroll that includes 5 scrumptious candy and savory treats
- Chalk artists turning walkways into beautiful landscapes and portraits
- Disney on Broadway Concert Series – carried out nightly
- Photo ops the place you’ll be able to step into well-known art work
- A paint-by-number mural
- Figment’s Brush with the Masters scavenger hunt
- Performance and visible artists
- Special competition merchandise
In different information, the EPCOT Festival culinary crew is placing the ending touches on two new Food Studios:
- Moderne Food Studio – Located close to Test Track offered by Chevrolet, will characteristic new mouthwatering avant-garde menu objects.
- Figment’s Inspiration Station on the Odyssey: Art, Food, and Little Sparks of Magic – This new meals studio guarantees to ship treats and drinks bursting with vibrant colours and flavors. It additionally units the desk for an additional vastly common Figment meals & beverage merchandise launch in a bigger venue. My guess is that Disney will do a sipper this time, however possibly they’ll rehash the popcorn bucket. “You can’t top pigs with pigs” …until the pig is joined by Dreamfinder! (Can you think about the Dreamcatcher as a popcorn bucket? Fans would lose our collective minds.)
These are simply preliminary, partial particulars. Walt Disney World has indicated it’s going to launch extra data on the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts within the weeks and months to come back.
Ultimately, we’re fairly happy with the tentative lineup for the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. This 12 months’s occasion was actually good, identical to the 12 months earlier than it, the 12 months earlier than that, and so forth. It looks as if the crew behind the occasion is admittedly going to leverage the “Figment Factor” much more, which can hopefully have some enjoyable and creativeness outcomes.
Ongoing building on the entrance of the park nonetheless throws a monkey wrench into among the leisure, and there’s nonetheless inadequate occasion house so the interactive panels are unlikely to return, but it surely nonetheless must be a strong occasion with a major slate of stuff to do, eat, purchase, and observe. As all the time, we’re actually excited for EPCOT’s 2023 Festival of the Arts!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Did you attend EPCOT International Festival of the Arts in any of its first few years? Stand in a multi-hour line this 12 months for a Figment popcorn bucket? Are you excited to expertise the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts or will you be sitting this one out? Excited that there’s going to be a devoted Figment Food Studio and (in all probability) one other piece of highly-hyped merchandise? Think any of the opposite demonstrations or seminars will return? Any suggestions you need to share to benefit from the expertise? Any questions we will help you reply? Hearing suggestions about your experiences is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!