Epcot hosts four festivals a year:
This means that most of the year, Epcot will have a festival going on. International Festival of the Holidays ended on December 30th of 2018 and International Festival of the Arts starts on January 18th and ends on February 25th. Nine days later, we welcome Flower and Garden festival on March 6th and that will run through June 3rd, the longest festival of the year. While the dates for Food and Wine and International Festival of the Holidays have not been announced for 2019, last year they ran August 30th-November 12th and then November 18th-December 30th. The longest time that Epcot goes without a festival is between early June and the end of August, the summer months. (Drinking around the world during the hottest months of the year does not sound like an ideal time). If these dates were to stay correct, that means that only 118 days of the year are festival free at Epcot, with 247 festival days.
Unless you spend most of your time at Disney during the Summer, you most likely will visit Epcot during a festival. So what is the differences in Epcot when there is no festival?
I just recently experienced what many Disney fans call “Diet Epcot” for the first time. This is just Epcot in its natural form with no festivals, extra food and drink booths, no performers or extras. Obviously, not much looks different, there are just fewer booths, crowds, and the front of Epcot does not have festival-themed bushes, plants, and decor. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Epcot festivals a lot.
Experiencing Epcot without the festivals was a super weird feeling, I did not think it would be a big deal.. but, it was! I enjoyed it, I felt the park was less crowded. It also gave me more time to explore the actual pavilions, stores, shows, etc., because I was not just focused on the yummy food and drinks. It was a good experience, the only thing is.. I noticed that my husband and I finished the lap around the World Showcase fairly quickly. I think that having those 118 days of festival-less Epcot is a nice break, it is fun, it is Epcot in its finest and most natural form, just the way it was created, built and designed. But, the festivals bring us performances, tasty food, and amazing drinks from across the world. Epcot has grown to be my favorite park as I have grown up, and I love it in it’s truest form and think everyone should take the time to experience it, at least once. However, if I had to choose, I would have to say that festivals at Epcot are my favorite. Food and Wine is my number one choice, with Flower & Garden coming in second.
So, the question is.. Epcot with or without festivals? What is your pick? Let me know in the comments below as I would love to hear your thoughts or on Twitter, you can tweet us at @BoardwalkTimes.
Tori Walters is a Columnist for the Boardwalk Times
