Hello Figment lovers! The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is back at Walt Disney World this year for a colorful extravaganza of food studios, art experiences, and Broadway concerts. It runs from January 17th to February 24th, 2025 giving you plenty of time to enjoy all the eats and entertainment. To get an idea of what to expect (and what to do), check out our complete guide to the EPCOT Festival of the Arts 2025 for a full breakdown here.

This year, the festival features 18 Food Studios and we made our way around the World Showcase to explore all that they have to offer! Were there certain items that stood out more than others? Yes! Here is everything we loved (and a few that we didn’t) to help you eat your way around the 2025 Festival of the Arts!

EPCOT Festival of the Arts Overview

The EPCOT Festival of the Arts focuses on all things arts, including everyday visual art experiences like drawing or painting, theatre, and culinary arts! Guests can participate in a Figment-themed scavenger hunt, help paint a massive art mural, purchase art, meet artists at merchandise booths, enjoy Broadway-style concerts nightly with popular Broadway performers, and more!

As always, the most anticipated part of any EPCOT Festival is the eats and drinks throughout the World Showcase and beyond. And, in 2025, not only does the Festival of the Arts offer 18 food studios (a.k.a food booths full of yummy treats), but what this festival does best is make aesthetically pleasing treats! So, get ready to eat your way around EPCOT, and be sure to check out our festival favorites!

What To Try At The EPCOT Festival of the Arts 2025

Let’s start with everything we loved because…well…there was a lot! This year’s festival features new hits and some favorites from previous years. Here’s what we wouldn’t mind eating again…and again…and again…(you get the picture).

Squid Ink Pasta

Location: Fictional Victuals

Price: $7.75

Starting with a new item—and one of the most unique items of the festival—the Squid Ink Pasta! This squid ink-infused pasta is made with lump crab, truffle cream, and shaved truffle.

The pasta was cooked perfectly and the truffle flavors really came through without being overpowering and balanced nicely with the nuttiness of the parmesan cheese. The crab is finely shredded throughout the pasta and, while I thought there could have been a bit more crab, I was happy to have the crab flavors without the dish being overly fishy.

Croqueta

Location: El Artista Hambriento

Price: $8.00

The Mexico Pavilion always hits it out of the park with its food booths, and this year is no different! The Croqueta is a chipotle chicken and chorizo croquette in chipotle salsa with chipotle aioli, avocado mousse, and truffle oil.

Though the dish itself may be small, the flavor says otherwise. This croqueta is packed with flavors, full of chicken and chorizo, with very little filler. However, if you don’t like spicy foods, this may be one to skip. In the description, “Chipotle” is mentioned frequently, and boy, they weren’t kidding! We loved it, but we enjoy spicy foods. The avocado mousse was a nice, light touch to balance out the spice.

Natilla de Maiz

Location: El Artista Hambriento

Price: $6.50

Sticking around at the Mexico Pavilion booth, we’re having dessert! The Natilla de Maiz is a creamy corn custard with caramelized sugar that has a unique festival twist—it’s topped with popcorn!

The corn custard is similar to the popular creme brulee dessert, though creamier. The corn flavor mixed with the sweetness gives the dish such a unique flavor that it is a perfect addition to the festival!

Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib

Location: Pastoral Palate

Price: $8.75

While the Germany Pavilion food booths are best known for their classic apple strudels and bratwursts, the Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib is a breath of fresh air for this artsy festival. The short rib is served with parsnip puree, broccolini, baby tomatoes, and balsamic glaze.

The short rib was a good portion size and one of the most tender pieces of beef I’ve ever had. The balsamic glaze added a nice bit of acidity, especially when paired with the parsnip puree. This dish was a perfect balance of light yet savory. Don’t skip this!

Chorizo and Potato Empanada

Location: Vibrante & Vivido: Encanto Cocino Menú

Price: $6.75

The beloved Encanto Cocino menu has returned to the festival! This Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric and annatto aiolis is a fan favorite, which is why it keeps coming back!

Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it tastes great, too! The flaky crust tells you that it is handmade, and the filling is full of meat, potatoes, and spices. The aiolis balance out the dish’s spiciness, though it isn’t overly spicy by any means. For the price, this is a filling snack at a great value.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Location: Gourmet Landscapes

Price: $9.75

Located in the Canada Pavilion, Gourmet Landscapes has brought back a repeated festival favorite — the Wild Mushroom Risotto. This wild mushroom risotto with aged parmesan, truffle shavings, and zinfandel reduction is served at their table service restaurant, Le Cellier, so it continuously hits the mark.

One of the best things about this dish is not only its creamy truffle and mushroom flavors but also the fact that it is 100% vegan! This alone makes it a must-try.

Beef Wellington-inspired Croissant Supreme

Location: The Craftsman Courtyard

Price: $8.50

The Beef Wellington-inspired Croissant Supreme was a major standout of the festival for me. While past festivals have featured different take on Beef Wellington, this one might just be my favorite! The Wellington is described as a creamy spinach croissant, mushroom-gorgonzola ragut, mustard-grilled flank steak, red wine sauce, and pickled mustard seeds.

Not only is it packed with flavor, but cast members literally grill the steak right in front of you on a large open-flamed grill. The croissant seemed more like a cinnamon roll with savory flavors instead of sweet. The beef was tender, the gorgonzola was just enough not to take over the dish, and the sauce was the perfect balance. If you are a beef fan, don’t pass this one up!

What To SKIP At The EPCOT Festival of the Arts 2025

Although we thoroughly enjoyed most of the festival food studios, there were a few things we wouldn’t order again. Whether it was due to taste, value, or quality, here are some items you may want to skip if you’re heading to the Festival of the Arts this year.

Hong Kong Style Egg Tart

Location: The Painted Panda

Price: $5.50

As a self-proclaimed creme brulee connoisseur, I hoped to love this as much as I loved the corn custard from the Mexico studio. Although it’s different, I expected a similar vibe. The presentation was beautiful, but ultimately, the taste said otherwise.

Unfortunately, the crust was soggy, and an odd egg flavor overpowered the inside of the tart. There was no sweetness to it at all. It was bland and tasted more like egg jello than anything. As one of the cheapest items of the festival, there is a reason why.

Wagyu Bun

Location: Goshiki

Price: $9.75

The Japan Pavilion is known for the sushi donut, but we’re switching gears this time around and tried the Waygu Bun. It is a steamed bun filled with American Wagyu beef, onion, and seasonings.

This bun being on the skip list might be a bit harsh, but hear me out. Overall, the dish is fine. It’s not bad by any means, but $9.75 for a small portion of ground beef is steep. The bun was nicely steamed on the outside, but the inside was cold. I know Japanese wagyu is a “delicacy,” but if I’m paying $10 for a few bites of ground beef, I’d like it to be real Wagyu quality, and the American Wagyu just didn’t hit the spot for me. For less money, the Beef Wellington from Craftsman Courtyard is ****a larger portion and better quality.

Har Gow

Location: The Painted Panda

Price: $10.75

We got these because they sounded interesting, and well…interesting is one way to describe them. Har Gow is shrimp dumplings with a pumpkin puree and a drizzle of chili oil.

The dumplings had a weird outer texture and tasted very fishy, which I do not want from a shrimp dish. The pumpkin puree was overly sweet and didn’t add anything to the dish. If anything, it made it more confusing. This is probably the worst of the festival for us. For nearly $11, save your money and head elsewhere.

Cotton Candy Funnel Cake

Location: The American Adventure – Funnel Cake

Price: $12.00

This pains me, as cotton candy is quite literally one of my favorite things on the planet. So, for full transparency and bias, I LOVED this. Plus, beyond the taste, this funnel cake is by far the most aesthetic thing at the festival.

Starting with a standard funnel cake with powdered sugar as a base, the dish is then topped with a brick of vanilla ice cream, a large portion of whipped cream, cotton candy rock dust candies, and a piece of actual cotton candy on top. So, as you might guess, this dessert is ridiculously sweet. If you aren’t a sweet-item-craving-pregnant-cotton-candy-lover like me, one bite will be enough. And even if you are a sugar lover, at $12 there are other more unique and palate-balancing desserts for you to try that won’t give you a sugar high by bite number two.

In theory, this dish is great. In execution, it should have been a smaller portion for the amount of sugar you’ll consume here. If you love cotton candy or have people to share it with, go ahead and try it. If not, skip this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this year’s Festival of the Arts knocked it out of the park with its food studios. I was hard-pressed to find something I didn’t like, and even then, it was more so being nit-picky than the dish being bad.

There are still plenty of dishes we haven’t got to try yet, so don’t worry, we’ll be back for more!

Comments

Have you been to the EPCOT Festival of the Arts in 2025? Let us know in the comments if you plan to attend this year’s Festival of the Arts and what you’re looking forward to most!