Everything to Know About Epcot Festivals in 2022

Most people have heard of about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, but did you know there are three other annual festivals that take place at this theme park? September through June, there is almost always one of the Epcot festivals happening. This means unique food offerings, entertainment and more!

This guide explains everything you need to know about the Festival of Arts, the Flower and Garden Festival, the Food and Wine Festival and the Festival of Holidays. I’ve included all the dates for when these Epcot festivals take place in 2022. One thing to know, is that you can experience these fests with just a park ticket. This means no up charge required! However, I recommend spending a little on the food booths to fully experience the event.

International Festival of Arts: January 14th- February 21st

The International Festival of Arts is the newest of the Epcot festivals, as it was started back in 2017. In that short time, it has quickly become a favorite among Disney World fans. This is in large part due to the quality and interactive nature of the abundant art exhibits around this park.

One highlight is the Disney on Broadway shows that take place daily. These performances include actors from different Disney Broadway shows, singing famous Disney songs. Last time we went, we saw a breathtaking performance by Ashley Brown and Josh Strickland singing Beauty and the Beasts songs. This is one of the most impressive shows at Disney World!

Theatrical art aside, you will find beautiful displays all over the park. I especially love the chalk art on the sidewalk, but looking through the galleries is fun too. On multiple occasions we have purchased a piece that we could not resist! Interactive art like the paint by numbers mural is a hit for those old and young and I find it thrilling to see the progress throughout the day.

Another guest favorite are the famous works of art that you can insert yourself into! Even more hilarious are the living sculptures. Good luck not laughing when the seemingly still actors mess with you when you look at the camera!

As for the food studios, you will find fifteen spread throughout the countries. All the food and drink are designed to be a miniature work of art and because of this, they can be more expensive than other festival food. My favorites are the Japanese Taiyaki, the Deconstructed BLT and the Pop Eats Almond Frangipane Cake. The beers even have an artsy theme and I highly recommend getting the Neapolitan beer flight or the chocolate and beer pairing flight.

Checking out all these experiences can easily fill a day at Epcot. However, if you have ample time and a special interest, there are some interesting workshops for a fee as well. No matter how you spend your day at this Epcot festival, you are sure to have an enlightening time at the International Festival of Arts!

International Flower & Garden Festival: March 2nd – July 4th

About a week after the Festival of Arts ends, the next of the Epcot festivals begins. The Flower & Garden Festival is typically the longest running throughout the year and fills the park with gorgeous flowers and topiaries until the beginning of July. This festival is fun for those with and without green thumbs and offers all sorts of opportunities to learn about and appreciate nature.

Entertainment during the Flower & Garden Festival takes many forms. My favorite is the butterfly garden where you can see dozens of butterflies and caterpillars. However, for those wanting a little more excitement, there are Garden Rocks concerts happening daily. These include all sorts of bands from Christopher Cross and Daughtry to A Flock of Seagulls. My parents love checking out the throwback concerts and I have to say it was so fun seeing Simple Plan almost fifteen years later then when I saw them play in middle school.

The topiaries in each country are another highlight for me. It can be so fun to see scenes from different movies reenacted in plant form. I also appreciated penguin sculpture last year made entirely out of pollution from the ocean. Stay on the lookout for Spike in each country. You can search for him in each garden in a different country.

Food is a big part of the Flower and Garden festival and there are eighteen outdoor kitchens to try from. The Florida Fresh booth always highlights local produce, such as Clover Honey on a Chicken Flatbread at the Honey Bee-stro. Other favorites of mine include the Shrimp and Grits with a Corn Relish from Florida Fresh and the Fried Green Tomatoes at the Arbor. There are also some fruity drinks like the Orange Cream Slushy and the Violet Lemonade.

To learn a little more about the gardens, you can attend a free 20 minute tour of the English Tea Garden. However, they also have paid tours that are even more in depth like the Gardens of the World tour for $85. Most guests will find plenty to do for free, though. There are just so many beautiful and intricate things to see during this Epcot festival!

International Food & Wine Festival: Mid-August – Mid-November

Starting in August, the crowds arrive for the famous International Food & Wine Festival. At least 30 global marketplaces pop up all over the park giving guests the opportunity to try exotic dishes and drink heavily around the world.

It would be a challenge to try all the booths even with a few days in Epcot. I recommend looking into the menus in advance and prioritizing the ones that sound most appealing. EasyWDW is my favorite resource for this and you can really dig into his (often sarcastic) reviews to figure out what to eat.

My favorite booths year after year are Flavors from Fire, Hawaii (especially the Spam Hash), and Africa. I also love the beer flights at Hops and Barley, and the new Appleseed Orchard. The offerings vary from year to year, but you can count on old favorites like the Cheddar Cheese Soup in Canada, the Escargot in France and the Pork Belly in Brazil.

It is easy to get carried away with eating and drinking. Believe it or not, most people spend at least $100 per person because those food and drinks add up fast! We usually just get a gift card at the beginning of the day and try not to think about the absurd prices. You can do it for a lot cheaper, but you will have to be strategic because a lot of the food isn’t very filling.

There are things to do at the Food & Wine Festival that don’t cost extra though! Most notable is the Eat to the Beat concerts. These occur daily and have bands like Sugar Ray and Boyz II Men. Make sure to get in line half an hour early if you are going on the weekend. You can also entertain yourself by looking for Remy in each country. Like Spike and Figment, you can search for Remy all over the World Showcase.

For foodies who like to cook, the culinary demonstrations are fun to watch. There are a couple of free ones that are first come first serve, including one for kids where they can make candy sushi! However, they also have culinary and pairing demonstrations that start at $19 per person. We went to one of the paid demos in the past and found it to be a worthwhile experience. It honestly ends up being a much better value than the food at the booths and is a nice chance to get to sit down and eat. It gets exhausting eating at the standing tables all day in the sun!

My favorite thing I have done during the Epcot Food and Wine Festival mostly takes place outside of the park. That was the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Andrew and I did this for our first half marathon with my dad and had so much fun! The races take you through three of the theme parks and you get a beautiful medal for finishing! Then you get free entry to Epcot that night for a post-race party! I wrote a whole blog post about it here, if you want to learn more.

The Food and Wine Festival has a big reputation and it gets very crowded at Epcot on weekends during it. I have met some people who are disappointed by it, but as long as you go in with the right expectations about prices and crowds, you can have an amazing time!

International Festival of the Holidays: November 25th – December 30th

The last of the Epcot festivals for the year is the International Festival of Holidays. This is the shortest, starting every year on Black Friday and going until the day before New Year’s Eve. Even though it’s such a busy time of year, I love taking a day to go to Epcot for the holiday experiences.

The highlight of this festival is that every country is celebrating the holidays in their traditional way. A storyteller performs every hour to explain some of the holiday rituals. This includes a barn Santa in Norway, Lion Dancers for Chinese New Year in China and a Hanukkah storyteller. There is also plenty of festive music with a fun performance by JOY! and Christmas carols at the American Adventure.

One of the favorite performances here is the Candlelight Processional. Each night, a celebrity narrator tells the biblical story of Christmas. You can even see Neil Patrick Harris or Whoopie Goldberg some nights! The show also features music played by a live orchestra and songs from a choir.

As with all Epcot festivals, there are 13 holiday kitchens, serving up different seasonal food. The portions are a bit bigger than the other festivals, so you can definitely make a full meal out of a few stops. In the past, I have loved the Pastrami on Rye from L’Chaim, the Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl from Bavaria, and the Bûche de Noël au Chocolat from France. Of course, there’s plenty of eggnog and other festive drinks all over, and even a holiday cookie stroll!

For this Epcot festival, you can hunt for Olaf hiding in each country. This is fun for kids, but they might be even more excited about the prospect of meeting Santa Claus! However, this doesn’t even scratch the surface as it really is a festival full of free things to do.

If you get the chance to end the year with a visit to the Epcot International Festival of Holidays, I urge you to take it for a festive experience.

Know Before You Go: Epcot Festivals in 2022

The four Epcot Festivals really add a lot to the park throughout the year. During the few times I have been in the summer, the countries just don’t feel the same without the festival liveliness. I covered most of what to expect above, but here are a few generic tips for when you go!

• Regular theme park admission includes attendance to these Epcot festivals. All of the offerings are included in your admission with the exception of food, drinks and seminars.
• The World Showcase does not open until 11 AM each day, so that is when most of the festival offerings start.
• Locals flock to Epcot on the weekend to experience the festivals. Try and go during weekdays if you can to avoid crowds!
• There are free passports for each Epcot Festival with a list of all the food and entertainment at the park entrances. I highly recommend picking one up!
• Epcot hosts concerts with a live band at the America Gardens theater during both the Flower & Garden and Food & Wine Festival. During the Festival of Arts, there is a Broadway performance and during the Holiday festival, there is the Candlelight Processional performed there. This was temporarily suspended due to covid, but they will most likely be back for 2022.
• Each festival has its own scavenger hunt, where you can search for a character. You can purchase a $10 map to mark off which ones you find and get a small prize. The prizes vary, so I recommend googling it in advance, and if you don’t want it, then just search on your own for free!
• Remember to wear sunscreen and bring water, because these Epcot festivals are almost completely outside in the Florida sun!

I have so many good memories attending Epcot Festivals. From trying sushi for the first time during the Food and Wine Festival, to posing for pictures with topiaries, there are so many ways to have an unforgettable experience here. Let me know which festival is your favorite in the comments and for more ideas of things to do on your Florida vacation, check out my guide to 101 Things To Do In Florida.