It seems as though the Epcot International Festival of the Arts will return in January 2018.
No exact dates are available yet, but Disney has confirmed that the event is returning starting in the first month of next year. It is no secret that the Festival exceeded all expectations, proving to be quite popular with guests in 2017, the inaugural season.
It is rumored that the event will take place daily, not just on weekends in 2018, but Disney has made no announcement as of yet.
For an overview of the entire event (so you can start planning for 2018), please check out our exhaustive review and guide.
I like it, but need WAY more art than sales crap or cutesy looking food. Local artists or some they could bring in, free even. Also, Epcot needs some serious new attractions and fun so they don’t have to just rely on alcoholics at special events like food wine, this, spring and garden to support the bottom line.
New attractions are nice, but when something is working, why make radical changes/investments? At the end of the day, it’s a business.
True, but businesses who ignore their base die. WDW has been dyeing, down in attendance and having to discount and cheapen out the place to eek profit, it’s actually the genesis for Art festival. Epcot too slow without drinking and food tasting events. Disney needs to bring a little more value IMO. To this event, and their parks here in the states.
True, but overall, are they really ignoring the base? They’re actively constructing themed lands for two of their biggest and most popular IP’s of all time. They’re taking a chance on an outside property that it appears will have theming and detail that even the most jaded Disney fans will appreciate. They ripped out the poorly conceived Pleasure Island, replacing it with the fully themed and backstoried Disney Springs. These represent several billion dollars worth of investment, most if not all of which is targeted at the base and beyond. Just because Epcot hasn’t gotten its own billion dollar expansion doesn’t mean they’re ignoring their core customers, and if people enjoy the festivals in World Showcase (clearly they do), it’s an easy way to add something new and boost the bottom line. Epcot is due for some upgrades… but based on the current business, I don’t really see the absolute need to do it right now.
I’m not trying to sound like a company hack here, and I’m sure Disney Pete will call me an intern, but these are just facts of the recent and upcoming years.
Festival of the Arts didn’t really break any new ground, but it was a fun little adder, and it makes plenty of sense in Epcot.
Not calling you an intern, but for Christ’s sake, name one attraction they’re adding where none taken away, not talking stores, restaurants, or booze stands. Check out Epcots timeline of improvements, if you take away the Frozen overlay and new movie in Soarin’, it goes back over a decade! They aren’t doing these drink festivals for nothing. They are doing it out of need to bring in a few people to spend some more money. They sure aren’t coming to the parks on their own merits, now are they?
But are we really lamenting the loss of LMA and a decimated Backlot Tour? That’s the loss that will lead to Star Wars and Toy Story Lands. We lost Camp Minnie Mickey for Pandora. I’d have to call all of these monumental upgrades.
Of course they aren’t doing the festivals for nothing. Disney is a business, that happens to involve entertainment, but the goal is still to turn a profit. If they can achieve that with a simple add-on event, why not?
And again, I truly agree that Epcot could use some upgrades. It’s basically just 5th in line. MK got a Fantasyland expansion, DAK is getting Pandora, DHS is getting Star Wars/Toy Story and Downtown Disney got a complete reboot. Logically, Epcot would be next. But with the amount of moaning and groaning over construction already, can you imagine the fervor if walls went up at Epcot right now?
Just my two cents.
I can’t say I’m lamenting loss of rides they took out to put in ‘new things’, but they’ve removed huge capacity attractions that were JUST there for the fun of it. Something to enjoy for your admission price. This was to (in future) put in MUCH lower capacity ones, MANY more sales areas, and the goal is 100% sales and 100% cross promotion. And not even close to monumental upgrades, for what, the past decade? Meanwhile staffing, food quality, service have been cut to sub carnival? I dunno. Any way you look at it, the parks are in need of a lot of value to be added for guests.