Disney on Broadway Concert Series

New this year, the Disney on Broadway Concert Series expands to seven days a week during the festival, providing more opportunities than ever before to bask in live Disney magic. Each week, different pairs of Disney on Broadway stars will take the America Gardens Theatre stage to sing favorite songs from award-winning Disney on Broadway productions. The lineup will rotate regularly, featuring music from shows such as “The Lion King,” “Frozen” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Performers this year include:

Kerry Butler (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)
Meredith Inglesby (“The Little Mermaid”) and Steve Blanchard (“Beauty and the Beast”)
Arielle Jacobs and Adam Jacobs (“Aladdin”)
Heidi Blickenstaff (“Freaky Friday”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”)
Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”) and Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”)
Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (“The Lion King”)
The concert series is included with park admission; showtimes are 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m. nightly. The Disney on Broadway Concert Series Dining Package is available at participating Epcot restaurants and guarantees show seating; package bookings open Nov. 8, 2018, at Disneyworld.com. Reservations can also be made by calling (407) WDW-DINE.

Culinary Arts

In addition to the concert series, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts will feature 13 Food Studios, plus additional creative food and beverage offerings around Epcot with an expanded selection of delicious new tastes to savor:

The Artist’s Table will feature beef wellington with mushroom bordelaise, fennel cream and roasted baby vegetables.
Smoked salmon and cream gâteau with egg yolk cream, paddlefish caviar and micro-herbs is sure to be a new favorite at The Painter’s Palate.
Pop Eats! will serve up almond frangipane cake with raspberry and chocolate
Red wine-braised short rib with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes and aged balsamic will be available at Cuisine Classique.
Guests may fan their inspirational flames by bringing a piece of the festival home with them. Art collectors and Disney enthusiasts alike will find artwork for sale throughout the entire park, from the Art of Disney store to Festival Markets. In addition, special merchandise will be available at Mouse Gear and other Epcot locations featuring the festival’s logo adorning shirts, mugs, totes and other charming items.

Create Art

The 2019 event provides fun every day for the whole family, including mesmerizing performance art, complimentary seminars, hands-on activities and much more:

Everyone’s invited to grab a paintbrush and help create a wall mural along World Showcase Plaza.
Guests of all ages will have the opportunity to literally step inside works of art and take fun photos, such as the “Washington Crossing the Delaware” Artful Photo Opportunity.
The Paint with a Disney Artist program invites guests to learn under the tutelage of a professional (offered select Fridays and Sundays, including continental breakfast, for an additional fee).
A variety of workshops led by professionals will teach different artistic techniques, such as floral design, ink and paint, mixed-media art and more (offered Friday-Monday for an additional fee). As a memento of what they learned, guests will take their creations home with them.
Complimentary 30-minute seminars will give guests helpful instruction for producing their own artwork at home.
More than 50 visiting artists participating in the festival will be available to meet with guests and share insights on their work.
Disney artists’ work will be exhibited across Epcot.
Gravity-defying feats of strength, acrobatics and many performing artists are scheduled throughout the festival.
International musical and variety acts will share their talents with guests, including the return of Bodh’aktan to the Canada stage and Delta Q, a new group performing in Germany.
Guests can join in the fun of Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt by purchasing a map at select merchandise locations.
Details on workshop registration will be released soon. For more information on the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts, visit DisneyWorld.com.

Still not sure? Last year I wrote The Top 5 Must-Dos at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, maybe it will get you excited to visit. If you are ready to plan your visit, it’s not too late. Email Me and we will get started. Remember, my services cost you nothing, I am here to serve 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

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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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Combining visual, culinary and performing arts from around the world, the first-ever Epcot International Festival of the Arts will create a global masterpiece for six inspired weekends. Held Fridays through Mondays starting Jan. 13 – Feb. 20, 2017, the Festival will feature new art each week, making each weekend original. The festival is included with regular Epcot admission.

What You’ll See at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts

Visual Arts

From the pieces of Disney historical artist Mary Blair and Herb Ryman art of Epcot, to current Disney artists Joe Kaminski and Costa Alavezos, guests won’t only be surrounded by incredible visions, they’ll watch the creative process live.

Performing Arts

In the inaugural year of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, a collaboration with Disney Theatrical will bring an exciting new showcase of favorite music and Broadway talent to the America Gardens Theatre stage.

Over the six weekends of the festival, park Guests will enjoy different pairings of phenomenal Broadway talent in concert, performing songs from some of Disney on Broadway’s award-winning shows, including ‪The Lion King‪, Newsies, and Aladdin, to name a few.

Culinary Arts

New Food Studios will showcase culinary creations so delicious and intricate, guests may not know if the menus are for admiring or eating. Disney chefs will surely encourage guests it’s the latter.

And there’s more: hands-on experiences for the whole family, favorite Disney characters channeling their favorite artists, and seminars. It’s a colorful, whimsical celebration of a new artful Epcot.

There is still time to plan your trip to the 2017 Epcot International Festival of the Arts, just Email Me to get started.

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