Disney on Broadway Concert Series

The popular Disney on BroadwayConcert Series returns to America Gardens Theatre with three daily performances headlined by Broadway stars who reprise favorite songs from past performances in award-winning shows. This year’s talent-rich lineup includes Kissy Simmons, who starred as Nala in “The Lion King,” and Kevin Massey of “Tarzan.” The show-stopping schedule currently features:

• 17, 20, 21, 24 and 25 – Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (“The Lion King”)
• 18, 19, 22, 23 and 25 – Heidi Blickenstaff (“The Little Mermaid”; “Freaky Friday”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”)
• 25 – Special performance featuring Simmons, White, Blickenstaff and Lee
• 26, 28, 29; Feb. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 – Kara Lindsay (“Newsies”) and Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)
• 10, 12, 13, 18, 19, 22, 23 and 24 – Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”; “Beauty and the Beast”) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan)
• Additional January and February performances still to be announced.

All shows are included with theme park admission. The best way to experience a performance is by reserving aDisney on BroadwayDining Package, which guarantees seating for one show on the day of the dining experience. Packages are available to book starting Nov. 14, 2019, at participating Epcot restaurants; guests can visit ArtfulEpcot.com or contact their certified Disney travel agent (me) to handle the planning for them.

Food Studios at Epcot International Festival of the Arts

Twelve festival Food Studios plus additional food and beverage locations will take culinary arts to the next level with scrumptious, imaginative dishes – artistically sculpted and ready for camera closeups.

Yes, this may be my favorite festival because I am all about the arts. I’ve been on stage since I was 5 acting in plays and musicals, dancing in recitals, singing wherever I can, playing in bands and now teaching and directing whenever I have the opportunity as well. The Arts are integral to the lives of every human being and the Epcot International Festival of the Arts celebrates it all.

Still not sure about visiting? Check out my Top 5 Must-Dos at the festival. Now is the time to plan your Disney vacation, Email me, my services are FREE to you!

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5. Watch Art

I love this festival because it focuses on visual arts, performing arts, and culinary arts so there is something for everyone to enjoy. At the Fountain View Plaza in Future World you can watch art in several forms from 9:50am-5:00pm. The week we visited you could see “Art Defying Gravity”, “Disney Performing Arts Showcase”, Visual Art in Performance”, and “Living Statues” on this stage.

In Future World East you can watch the chalk artists create masterpieces on the walkways. There are 4 new chalk art pieces created each day Friday-Thursday, if you visit on Thursday you can see all 28 pieces for the week before they are washed away!

4. Create Art

There is a community art wall aka Expression Section in World Showcase Plaza where everyone in the family can get involved and help paint part of a wall mural. We were given a color and a number and asked to paint any 3 squares of that number, I was #7 yellow and Ron was #11 which was a red-orange. It was fun to be a part of that project, no real painting skills required.

In the Odyssey Festival Showplace there is a free Animation Academy held intermittently daily between 2pm-8:30pm. Daily seminars are offered at 1:30pm and 4:30pm where guests can discover tricks of the trade and find out more about the basics of art. Topics for these seminars include From Animated Films to Theme Parks, Food as Art, Photography 101:Take Better Photos with your Cellphone, The Art of Disney Topiary, and many more. There is also a daily workshop for $39 + tax per person. The topics vary by day but include topics like Animation, Cartoon Portraits, and Calligraphy. These workshops can be booked onsite or by calling 407-WDW-TOUR

The easiest way for guests to create art is to step into the famous paintings that are a part of the Artful Photo Ops! We had very short waits to take part in George Washington Crossing the Delaware, The Scream, and Mona Lisa. Artful Photo OPs are listed in your park map.

3. Eat Art

No Epcot Festival would be complete without creative food choices. Food studios including The Deconstructed Dish, Decadent Delights, The Painter’s Palate and Pop Eats! showcase the beautiful and delectable culinary arts and prove, yet again, that we eat with our eyes first.

2. Buy Art

I’ve already made a note to bring more money to next year’s Epcot International Festival of the Arts. Throughout the park there are artist tents where you can view and purchase not only Disney themed art, though there is a lot of that but there is other art as well. I picked up some small pieces by Jerrod Maruyama, and I am still haunted by one I had to leave behind. I also fell in love with pieces from Karin Arruda and Michelle St Laurent. Most of the pieces I loved were reasonably priced, between $40-300, with some going into the tens of thousands. I would say there is something for every budget though.

1. Listen to Art

The highlight of the festival is the Disney on Broadway Concert Series in the American Gardens Theater. I wish I could travel from Florida to NYC to see a Broadway musical a few times a year but that just isn’t a reality. I do get to be transported to Broadway, albeit way too briefly, when I attend the Disney on Broadway Concert Series. This visit we got to hear the husband-wife duo of Kara Lindsay (Newsies) and Kevin Massey (Tarzan). They sang songs from Disney on Broadway’s Tarzan, Newsies, and Frozen. They were wonderful! I am hoping to return the first weekend in February to catch Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White, both of The Lion King. The concert series is only offered Friday-Monday with shows at 5:30pm, 6:45pm, and 8:00pm nightly.

The Epcot International Festival of the Arts is included in park admission, there are some premium activities that have additional fees. The 2018 festival runs from January 12-February 19. I hope you make plans to attend. If you need help with those plans, I am a Disney travel agent so please “Email Me and we will get started.

Other Posts in the Must-Dos Series

• Top 10 Must-Dos at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
• Mom Maven’s Must-Dos at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
• Top 10 Must-Dos for your First Trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Top 10 Must-Dos for your First Visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Top 10 Must-Dos for your First Visit to Epcot
• Top 10 Must-Dos for your First Visit to the Magic Kingdom

The post The Top 5 Must-Dos at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Guests can kick off 2018 with world-class cuisine, remarkable visual art and an extraordinary lineup of live entertainment. Festival highlights:

• Seminars and workshops from top Disney, local and nationally-renowned artists including classes on drawing animation, photography and the art of making topiaries
• More than a half a dozen specially-created food studios offering a wealth of “artistic” culinary delights
• A host of performing artists that build on the already stellar lineup of authentic Epcot performers
• An encore performance of the Disney on Broadway series featuring Disney on Broadway stars singing favorite songs from award-winning Broadway shows.
• Another returning favorite is Disney on Broadway dining packages, where guests can pair a meal at one of the participating Epcot restaurants with priority seating for the Disney on Broadway concert series.

Last year I only got to spend a few hours at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, this year I’ll be spending at least one full day! Last year’s festival was weekends only, I am so glad it has expanded for 2018. My absolute favorite part was the Disney on Broadway series. I cannot wait for it again this year.

Disney on Broadway Series at Epcot International Festival of the Arts

Last year I was delighted to see Ashley Brown and Josh Strickland perform, they were amazing! This year I’ll be seeing Kara Lindsay and Kevin Massey.
January 12-15 and 19-22 Kara Lindsay, Newsies and Kevin Massey, Tarzan
January 26-29 and February 2-5 Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White, both of The Lion King
February 9-12 and 16-19 Ashley Brown, Mary Poppins and Josh Strickland, Tarzan
The concerts are included in the price of admission, arrive early seating is limited. If you would like a guaranteed seat you can purchase a Disney on Broadway Dining Package.

Do you have plans to attend the 2018 Epcot International Festival of the Arts? It’s not too late to book your trip. Just Email Me to get started.

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