Taste of International Festival of the Arts at Epcot
Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts celebrates art in all its forms. Dubbed “Taste of International Festival of the Arts” for 2021, this festival is a supposedly abbreviated version. It didn’t feel lacking, though. Our last visit this festival was two years ago and we were pleased to see that many of our favorite activities and foods returned for 2021.
We watched artists working in several mediums, but over overall favorite was chalk.
No sealant is used on these masterpieces, so the rain, frequent and sudden in Florida, washes them away. Being able to catch a glimpse before they were erased by the weather was a joy and privilege!
Guests are encouraged to contribute to the artwork, too. Just outside The Land, we found a giant paint-by-number mural that guests can paint.
Divided into squares for painting, the mural almost looks like it is made from tiles or stickers. From afar, we could really see the image start to take shape!
There are also several opportunities to be part of the art… literally!
Stepping into framed replicas of classic works of art and painted accessories like butterfly wings provided tons of photo ops!
The butterfly wings were even painted at different heights so that everyone could pose in front of them!
Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine
The Festival Passport, a free guide to the festival, included a list of menu options at every specialty food booth. Our favorite event, The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, was also detailed in the Festival Passport. This scavenger hunt for colorful foods led us throughout the park in search of new tastes!
The five menu items that comprised the scavenger hunt were listed alongside a color wheel. Each time we purchased a dish, a cast member stamped our passport. After five stamps, we earned a complimentary treat!
Red: Remy’s Ratatouille
This beautiful dish was made with eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and red pepper piperade. We’ve all had ratatouille before; the presentation is what made this dish special.
This dish wasn’t a hit with our five-year-old, but the rest of us enjoyed it.
Blue: Blue Corn Pupusa
This pupusa was stuffed with cheese and topped with shredded pork, chile sauce, cabbage slaw, and crema. I expected my family to reject it outright because of the sauces, but everyone loved it! The cheese-stuffed pupusa was particularly good, as was the pork.
This was probably my favorite dish overall!
Green: Pistachio Cake
This cake was presented on a plate of assorted treats, including cherry mousse and Morello cherries. The cherries were delightfully tart! The cake was light, spongy, and flavorful.
This dish was a hit all around.
Pink: Panna Cotta
My daughters thought this vanilla, rose water, and pistachio panna cotta was the most magical dish of the five. Shaped like a rose with a hard white chocolate shell, the interior revealed soft, creamy custard and a bit of raspberry filling. You could definitely taste the rose water in this dish!
For my girls, the main draw of the panna cotta (other than its shape) was the glitter raspberry sauce that decorated the plate. They also ate up all of the green pistachio crumbs!
Orange: Mouskoutchou
Mouskoutchou is a light cake. This one, flavored with cinnamon and orange, was covered in chocolate mousse that had been dusted in orange powder. It was served on a white chocolate mosaic tile.
I love chocolate with a hint of orange. The candied orange peel on top was delicious! This was, in my opinion, the most beautiful of the five dishes on the walk!
Complimentary Treat – Palette Cookie
The Artist Palette Cookie is an iced sugar cookie with dollops of “paint” on top. We purchased two additional cookies ($3.00 each) to ensure each of our children had one.
Our five-year-old ended up with the “paint” all over him, from his nose to his neck, including all over his cheeks. I guess that’s the risk with food coloring!
Figment’s Brush with the Masters
In case it isn’t already clear, we love scavenger hunts! Figment’s Brush with the Masters was another hunt available during Festival of the Arts.
This adorable palette-shaped map was $7.99 and came with the stickers we needed to complete it.
To complete our map, we checked for Figment in the famous artwork at each pavilion as we made our way around World Showcase. We matched the artwork to the pavilion, then placed the corresponding sticker on the map.
When we finished our trek around World Showcase Lagoon, we showed our completed map to the cast member. Then he gave us our choice of papercraft kits featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Chip and Dale, Figment, or Spaceship Earth. We chose Figment. It is his brush with the masters, after all!
We did have the option to take the prize when we bought the map, but we skipped this option. Some Kidcot stations weren’t operating and we really wanted some buy in from our kids for the hunt to help keep them occupied.
Vibrante & Vivido
Many of the Festival of the Arts food booths were appealing, but Vibrante & Vivido really struck a chord with me. The booth celebrates the work of Disney artist Mary Blair, my favorite Disney artist.
We picked up a dish for the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine (the blue corn pupusa) and I couldn’t help but notice the passion fruit mousse with dragon fruit jam.
It was delicious! The base is like a shortbread cookie and while it sort of resembles a fruit popsicle, the flavor is tart and sweet. All of us enjoyed this dish, too.
Plan Your Visit
International Festival of the Arts
200 Epcot Center Drive
Orlando, Florida 32821
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