EPCOT International Festivals: How to Maximize Your Visit

Guests traveling to Disney World are promised a vacation full of magic and memories. For those planning on visiting EPCOT, they will be pleased to discover that EPCOT hosts a variety of International Festivals throughout the year. Whether you are visiting during Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, or the International Festival of the Holidays, guests will have fun exploring EPCOT’s many International Festivals. When visiting the park during this time, guests might feel pressured or rushed to make the most of their visit. But you don’t have to worry. There are plenty of ways to maximize your time during an International Festival. Continue reading to learn how.

Explore the Rest of the Park Early

The bulk of EPCOT’s International Festivals takes place within World Showcase. World Showcase typically doesn’t fully open until 11am, therefore guests should arrive at the park early and utilize the morning hours to explore the rest of the park. This is a great time to do attractions that aren’t part of the festival like Spaceship Earth or The Seas With Nemo and Friends. Don’t forget to grab a festival map upon entering the park so you can check out special areas exclusive to the festival.

Focus on Festival-Specific Activities

When you are visiting during a festival and wish to make the most of your time, it’s important to focus on festival-specific activities that you can’t experience during normal park operating hours. Things like the Butterfly House during Flower and Garden, or the paint-by-numbers during the Festival of the Arts. This is especially important for guests who are only visiting EPCOT for the festival, or guests who have visited EPCOT before on a normal day. Other festival-specific activities include food stands, and special booths that might be set up throughout the park selling merch and other festival-specific things. Don’t forget to check out Communicore Hall, which should be full of special activities for whichever festival you are attending.

Avoid Dining Reservations

When attending EPCOT for a festival you’ll want to avoid sit-down dining reservations. Not only will a table-service meal take up more of your time, but it will also prevent you from being able to snack your way around the festival. This is especially important for the more food-based festivals like Food and Wine, but each festival will have its own set of snacks and exclusive drinks and treats. You won’t want to miss out on this, so make sure you arrive hungry.

Stay Late

Staying at the park until closing is a great way to maximize your time. By using every moment of your time within the park you can have the chance to experience everything you wish. This is also a great way to see Luminous: The Symphony of Us, which is EPCOT’s nightly fireworks show at World Showcase.

Do you enjoy visiting EPCOT during International Festivals? Which festival is your favorite to experience? We want to hear from you in the comments below!

Featured Photo: Emily Murray