Disney Announces Dates and Details for the 2025 Festival of the Arts

We’ve nearly reached the end of 2024. Halloween is right around the corner, with Disneyland and Walt Disney World transitioning to Yuletide festivities immediately afterward. However, the Disney fun won’t end after New Year’s Day. 

On the contrary, another EPCOT event will debut less than three months from now. Yes, Disney has announced dates and details for the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. Here’s what you need to know. 

EPCOT Is the Place to Be 

In June 2024, EPCOT introduced CommuniCore Hall & Plaza. At that point, management declared it had completed the multi-year park transformation. While EPCOT still has one upcoming attraction in progress, Test Track 3.0, the park largely looks the way it’ll look for the next several years.

There’s one exception, though. Park officials have finally accepted how DVC members and other Disney enthusiasts perceive EPCOT. It’s the hangout park. So, the CommuniCore building serves as a kind of permanent festival area whose appearance changes with each festival.

Well, CommuniCore is about to undergo several quick facelifts. The current event, the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, ends on November 23rd. Then, the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays starts less than a week later on November 29th.

The beloved holiday festival is open through December 30th. Soon afterward, the 2025 fun begins, as the 2025 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival runs from January 17th through February 24th. Here’s the Disney announcement: 

✨DATES ANNOUNCED✨ The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts returns Jan. 17 – Feb. 24, 2025! 🎨 pic.twitter.com/dUgqNibqEB

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) October 21, 2024

I realize that’s a lot of information, and it’ll make your upcoming Disney plans a bit challenging. So, here are the key dates:

• Food & Wine Festival – Now through November 23rd
• Festival of the Holidays – November 29th through December 30th
• Festival of the Arts – January 17th February 24th, 2025

So, anyone visiting Walt Disney World during the next four months will experience plenty of festival goodness. The only dates when a festival is not ongoing are November 24th-November 28th and December 31st through January 16th. 

Let’s Discuss the 2025 Festival of the Arts

Courtesy of WDWNT

A long time ago, I actually wrote a DVC Resale Market article announcing the first Festival of the Arts. Nobody remembers it now, but this event was originally a part-time thing. Disney hosted it on the weekends only.

However, the instantaneous extreme popularity of the 2017 festival quickly led to the Festival of the Arts becoming a daily event. For those who have attended the festival, you totally understand why.

The Festival of the Arts is unlike anything else that Disney does. Cast Members display unique talents like dancing, acrobatics, and mime. As you wander through EPCOT, you’ll encounter countless live performances, many of which are only available during this festival. 

Then, we have the food and drinks, which are works of art. In some instances, I mean that literally. Disney takes an iconic image like Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and turns it into a themed dish. Many of the desserts feature breathtaking splashes of color, including my favorite, a cookie shaped like an artist’s palette. 

You’ll eat with your eyes as you explore the various Food Studios. As an FYI, Pop Eats is an absolute must. That’s where memorable pop culture imagery becomes (cheap) Disney dining.

Finally, we have the seminal event of the Festival of the Arts: the DISNEY ON BROADWAY concert series. Performers who have starred in legendary Disney musicals sing their classic tunes at the World Showcase. 

These events sell out as quickly as anything at Walt Disney World. Their popularity rivals the Candlelight Processional. So, Disney offers dining packages that guarantee you a seat at the show. You should buy one and consider yourself lucky to do so. These same performances cost hundreds of dollars on Broadway. 

In short, the Festival of the Arts is a must-do event. And it starts in less than three months!