How to Fit the Epcot Festival of the Arts in One Day

EPCOT Festival Strategy

Okay! If you’re hoping to tackle the Epcot Festival of the Arts in one day you need to know a few tips to maximize your time. While we do like to spend at least two days exploring this festival if you’re limited by time, no worries. We’ve got you covered from the moment you step foot into the park. Here’s our best path around the festival. 

How to Start your Disney EPCOT Day

Walt Disney World Epcot generally opens at 9 am, with the World Showcase opening at 11 am. Most of our Disney vacation advice usually involves the words “get there early”. This festival is no exception. Here’s the general morning prep itinerary.

1. Arrive at 8:45 am, assuming some security and park entrance time you should enter Epcot a little after 9 am as long as you’re not visiting on a weekend.
2. Once inside Epcot, you can take in everything in Future World. Joffrey’s kiosks, merchandise stands, and other pop-up spaces will showcase Festival of the Arts things to check out.
3. Next, head straight to the Showcase Plaza section anchored by the two-port gift shops
4. Be sure to grab pictures of the Chalk Art that lines the midway between World Celebration and the World Showcase on the way.
5. Check out the Festival Center. This is the hub of the festival and will house some merchandise, galleries and host the art classes happening that day. If you’re hoping to take part in a drawing class later. Pop in to register for the day’s class.

Grab your Festival Passport and Gift Card

Then head to the Disney Traders gift shop in Showplace Plaza

• Grab your Festival Passport
• Oogle the Merchandise
• Grab a gift card wristlet and load it with some funds for the day
• Purchase a Figment Brush with the Master’s Scavenger Hunt Game

Since you have until 11am when the booths open take the morning to get your passport, grab pics, and breakfast. You could even use that early time of time to ride Soarin’ or any favorite rides.  Once 11 am strikes you can set your course to visit the booths you’ve chosen from the EPCOT Festival of the Arts Menu 2024 list. 

Festival of the Arts Booths Open at 11 am

All countries from the Canada side to France will be “open”. As in you’ll be able to see and grab pictures of the art on the buildings, or anything not in a food studio or gallery. The actual shops and kitchens however won’t open until 11 am. Depending on when you arrive you may be able to see some art galleries early.

We always try to be in the middle of the magic by the time 11 am arrives. Our strategy for this is to settle in and have breakfast at Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in France. This quick-service restaurant is open at 9 am and a great place to grab a croissant, coffee, or mimosa while you wait for the countries to open.  It also gives you the opportunity to check out your times’ guide, and passport and makes a plan on what shows, or food studios you want to visit. 

Festival of the Arts Planning 

The festival will be the emptiest right at 11 am so if you can get the majority of the countries done early, you’ll be ahead of the game by the time the hoards arrive. Walking from France through Mexico back at the front of the World Showcase you would have gone through several countries, tried foods at the food studios, searched for Figment in the giftshops and near kidcot locations, and maybe have seen the character artwork on some of the buildings. 

As you’re leaving Mexico you’ll see a few food studios near the bridge to the Odyssey Festival Center in Showcase Plaza.  Grab food here if anything strikes your fancy. Your next stop is the festival center. Turn right down the bridge and check out a class, galleries, and food studios in the building. 

Once you’ve had your fill of the Odyssey continue down the bridge to EPCOT Discovery, near Mission space. Here you’ll find the Taste Track area with additional food studios. From here head back towards the center of Future World near the fountains. This would be a great time to take a break and watch the performances happening on stage. Check the times’ guide below for what you want to make sure you see. Starbucks is close by if you need a pick me up or the Creations Shop if shopping is more your fancy.

From Showcase Plaza turn right towards Canada. On the way, you’ll pass several really great food studios and the Community Mural. Participating by painting a few squares on the mural is FREE, so we definitely recommend taking 10 minutes to take part.  Canada and the U.K are easy countries to navigate. In these countries be sure to find Figment and complete your scavenger hunt. The UK doesn’t have a food studio, so at this point you’re wrapping up your day. 

Take a Break on the Boardwalk 

At this point, you may have eaten enough. But you may also still need lunch. If that’s the case, head over to the Boardwalk through the International Gateway between The UK and France. It will be less crowded than the festival and you can grab something as simple as a pizza at the Pizza Window of Trattoria al Forno.

Wrapping up your Evening at the Festival of the Arts

Once you’ve covered the countries, played your Figment game, taken pics at the pop-up photo op stations, and tried all the food you wanted it may be 5pm or it may be 8 pm… It really all depends on what pace you took throughout the day. Either way, we recommend finishing the evening at the American Gardens Theatre. Grab a seat for one of the Broadway performances. 

To finish your evening don’t forget to: 

• Grab something from the Werther’s store on the way out ( yes, not Festival of the Arts related. But there is nothing like Werther’s popcorn as a nighttime snack).
• Turn in your Figment game to get stamped and collect your prize.

Check out all our Epcot Festival of the Arts posts!

Whether you’re looking for the best photo spots at the Festival of the Arts, a list of the BEST foods at the festival, or your next artistic coffee from Joffreys, you can find it all on our Festival of the Arts page.