Visiting EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts With Young Kids: What We Planned vs. Reality
INTRODUCTION
For the past 10 years, EPCOT has hosted the International Festival of the Arts - a celebration of creativity that blends stunning visual art, live performances, immersive storytelling, and beautifully plated dishes, with just a sprinkle of Disney magic, for a truly unique experience. Since its debut, the Festival of the Arts has quickly become a fan favorite and continues to draw large crowds of guests eager to experience all of the Festival offerings.
In this post, I’ll share with you everything that we planned on doing during our most recent trip to EPCOT and what we were actually able to accomplish once we got there. I’ll discuss the importance of remaining flexible when it comes to planning, and provide some helpful tips on how to make the most of your Disney day once those plans change.
THE PLAN
My husband and I have visited the Festival of the Arts before, but this year we were excited to bring our two little ones (ages 5 and 2) along with us. Before visiting any of the Walt Disney World parks, I like to take a few minutes to write down everything that we hope to see and do during our trip. Even a simple, high-level plan can help the day feel less overwhelming and minimize long, unexpected waits - something my kids strongly dislike.
In addition to creating a plan, I also recommend checking the My Disney Experience app for updated information on wait times, ride closures, and show schedules before you go (especially if there is something specific your little one is excited about) so you can let them know ahead of time and avoid meltdowns. Lastly, because Florida weather can be unpredictable, it’s also helpful to check local weather forecasts prior to your visit. Be sure to search Lake Buena Vista, FL or Walt Disney World Resort for a more localized report.
The International Festival of the Arts provides so many opportunities to explore art in a fun, hands-on way. Since we were only planning to visit for a couple of hours, I knew we wouldn’t be able to do everything in one trip. Instead, I focused on choosing a few experiences that I thought our kids would enjoy - and that we could realistically fit into our short visit.
Here’s what we hoped to prioritize:
Ride The Seas with Nemo & Friends and explore the aquarium
Visit the “Once Upon A Stage” exhibit in CommuniCore Hall
Start Figment’s Brush with the Masters scavenger hunt
Grab a snack from one of the festival food booths
Try one of the hands-on art activities (paint-by-number mural or chalk art)
THE REALITY
Sometimes, even the best made plans don’t work out the way you expect them to. When this happens, it’s natural to feel uncertain about how to move forward. One of the first (and most important) lessons that I learned when I started bringing my little ones to Disney, is that it’s okay if you can’t accomplish everything that you initially set out to do. What’s more important is how you react to any changes and your ability to recognize when it’s time to pivot.
We were reminded of this during our most recent visit to the Festival of the Arts. Once we arrived at EPCOT, there was a long line of cars waiting to get through the main entrance leading to the parking lot. My husband and I were surprised at the crowd level, especially since it was only 9:30 in the morning. However, lines for security and the park entry touchpoints (where you scan your MagicBand+ or ticket) went faster than we anticipated, so after parking, we were inside EPCOT in less than 10 minutes.
THE SEAS WITH NEMO & FRIENDS AND AQUARIUM
We headed straight to The Seas with Nemo & Friends so that my older son could spend as much time in the aquarium as he wanted. Both of my kids love this ride, and not everyone realizes that there is a 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium to explore right after you exit the ride. For kids like mine, who love sea creatures, that can easily become the highlight of your trip. If you’re trying to decide whether The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a good fit for your family, I share more details about both the ride and the aquarium in my full review here.
We ultimately waited 20 minutes in line for Nemo, which was not a problem for my preschooler, but was a struggle for my toddler. The queue is quite dark (to simulate being underwater) and with only one minor interactive viewing element, it was challenging to keep my toddler entertained for that length of time. Here’s a great tip: if you’re concerned about the line for the ride, you can skip over it and head straight to the aquarium instead. You’ll find the aquarium doors located just past the entrance for the ride and across from the stroller parking.
COMMUNICORE HALL: “ONCE UPON A STAGE” EXHIBIT
After spending about an hour and a half riding The Seas with Nemo & Friends and exploring the aquarium, we made our way towards CommuniCore Hall to experience the “Once Upon a Stage” exhibit celebrating Disney on Broadway. Inside, you can see beautiful costumes, intricate set pieces and props, and get a behind-the-scenes look at some of Disney's most well-known Broadway productions. I really enjoyed seeing some of the costumes from Beauty and the Beast, while my kids were excited to see props from The Lion King.
WORLD SHOWCASE
As we left CommuniCore Hall and made our way towards World Showcase, we noticed the crowd levels had continued to increase from when we first arrived at the park. Lines for the paint-by-number-mural, festival food booths, and other attractions were very long - longer than my kids would be willing to wait.
Festival crowds can also make navigating with a stroller tricky - especially around high traffic areas like the food booths. We’ve always preferred bringing two single strollers rather than one double for this reason. If you’re considering whether or not to bring a stroller, and would like more information about Disney’s stroller policy and stroller rental options, I share more details here.
After finding a place to sit down, I checked the time and looked ahead at the crowd levels in World Showcase. I realized that continuing forward with our original plan was no longer an option; we needed to pivot. My husband and I discussed what other options we had. My older son expressed interest in riding Spaceship Earth, so we ultimately decided to skip the mural, food booths, and scavenger hunt for today and make our way back towards the front of the park.
SPACESHIP EARTH
Using the My Disney Experience app, we saw the expected wait time for Spaceship Earth was 25 minutes. Rather than asking my toddler to wait in line again, my husband brought him to the Baby Care Center for a quick diaper change, while my older son and I made our way to Spaceship Earth. If you’re not familiar with the Baby Care Centers located inside each of the Walt Disney World theme parks, they’re a quiet, air-conditioned space that makes feeding and changing little ones a lot easier. I explain how they work, where they’re located, and more details on available amenities here.
The queue for Spaceship Earth is entirely outdoors, but most of it is in the shade. Because it’s a continuous, slow-moving ride, the wait went by fairly quickly and was only 15 minutes instead of the posted 25. After the ride was over, we met up with my husband and toddler inside Project Tomorrow, which is an indoor, interactive play area located just after you exit Spaceship Earth. There’s a number of games that both of the kids enjoyed playing for a few minutes.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As our day at EPCOT came to a close, I couldn’t help but think about all of the experiences that we didn’t have an opportunity to try. Just then, my older son turned to us and said what a great day he had, sharing all of his favorite memories with us. It was at that moment I realized he didn’t care about the mural we skipped or the festival food booths we never had a chance to visit. He cared that he rode Nemo, spent as much time as he wanted exploring the aquarium, and was able to play games with his brother inside Project Tomorrow. He was truly happy because he got to have a fun day at EPCOT with his family.
If we had decided to stick to our original plan, and asked the kids to wait in long lines and navigate big crowds, I’m not sure the outcome would have been the same. Walt Disney World is often called the Most Magical Place on Earth for a reason. There is always something else to see or do. Recognizing when it’s time to adjust your plans can truly have a positive impact on the outcome of your entire trip. If you’re looking for help creating realistic, flexible plans for your own Disney trip with young kids, I created a family-focused planning bundle that walks through exactly how we approach our park days.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
We truly had an amazing day at EPCOT, but if I were planning another visit to the International Festival of the Arts with little ones, the first thing that I would consider is trying to avoid going on a weekend. Crowd levels tend to be higher on weekends, especially during a festival. I would also try narrowing our focus even further to either rides or experiences around World Showcase. Attempting to split time between both can be a challenge when you are only visiting the park for a short time.