Walt Disney World has revealed dates and particulars for the 2026 EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts (or FARTs because it’s lovingly recognized amongst its extra juvenile followers), together with fundamentals in regards to the Broadway Live performance Sequence, Meals Studios, Figment Scavenger Hunt and extra! This put up covers every little thing we learn about our favourite occasion of the yr, plus preliminary crowd predictions for January and February 2026.
For these unfamiliar with it, the EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts is a world celebration of the visible, culinary, and performing arts. It’s technically the latest particular occasion of the yr at Walt Disney World, although 2026 is its tenth yr! After flying underneath the radar for some time, EPCOT’s Competition of the Arts has lastly come into its personal in the previous couple of years–fueled largely by Figment.
However, the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts stays a very quick occasion. It’s about on par with Competition of the Holidays, however shorter than Flower & Backyard or Meals & Wine–even the scaled again variations of each. It additionally happens throughout what we expect is among the finest occasions of the yr at Walt Disney World, however extra on that in a bit within the crowd commentary. For now, let’s begin with all the brand new particulars Walt Disney World has launched…
The 2026 EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts will run from January 16 till February 23, 2026. This is kind of what we anticipated. If you happen to learn our previously-updated Information to the 2026 EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts, we mentioned the potential dates on the quick and lengthy ends of the spectrum, and concluded that January 16 by means of February 23, 2026 was the more than likely date vary for the occasion. Which means the 2026 FARTs will final for a grand complete of 39 days. Not unhealthy!
Right here’s every little thing else Walt Disney World has revealed in regards to the 2026 EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts…
2026 Disney on Broadway Live performance Sequence
A few of Broadway’s brightest stars are coming to Walt Disney World because the Disney on Broadway Live performance Sequence returns for the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts with three every day exhibits.
The America Gardens Theatre within the American Journey pavilion comes alive with unforgettable performances, as musical stars return to EPCOT to carry out the enduring songs they helped carry to life on Broadway phases alongside different show-stopping favorites.
Each two weeks, a brand new pair of performers takes the highlight, making every go to to the competition a contemporary expertise. Keep tuned for the complete lineup of stars, which can be revealed quickly. The live shows happen a number of occasions every day, offering you with ample alternatives to take pleasure in your favourite performances. Admission is included with EPCOT park entry, with seating obtainable on a first-come, first-served foundation.
2026 Disney on Broadway Eating Packages
Select from over one dozen distinctive eateries at EPCOT providing 2026 Disney on Broadway Live performance Sequence Eating Packages. Be aware that Walt Disney World has not shared any dates or particulars about these eating packages.
For information based mostly on this yr’s model, see Disney on Broadway Live shows at EPCOT Competition of Arts: Dates, Lineup & Eating Packages. That’s clearly inaccurate for the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts, however loads doesn’t change from yr to yr. So for those who’re questioning which eating places will take part, ballpark prices (add 2-5% for subsequent yr), and so on., that provides you a tough concept of what to anticipate.
We sometimes don’t advocate these, with the prolonged finale and busier dates being the exception. We’ve seen Disney on Broadway live shows numerous occasions and have seldom had points getting seats. With that mentioned, Competition of the Arts will get busier and busier annually, so the eating bundle isn’t a foul possibility if you’d like an insurance coverage coverage or prime view. To every their very own, although.
2026 Meals Studios
Annually, the Meals Studios on the EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts showcase culinary creativity at its best, mixing the artistry of taste with picture-perfect presentation.
For the 2026 FARTs, Walt Disney World introduced that friends can look ahead to savoring “over 20” Meals Studios situated all through EPCOT. Relying on Walt Disney World’s definition of a Meals Studio, this might be probably the most cubicles ever for the EPCOT Competition of the Arts.
That might be a massively optimistic change. It’s additionally a badly wanted one. In our anecdotal expertise, FARTs has the longest common meals sales space strains of any occasion. The favorable climate coupled with the decrease sales space depend than Meals & Wine leads to longer strains. Having over 20 precise Meals Studios can be an enormous win!
Anticipate full menus for the Meals Studios on the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts to be launched someday in late December or early January. This yr’s menus have been launched actually late–presumably as a result of, in the event that they aren’t introduced earlier than Christmas, that pushes them to after New Yr’s. In any case, don’t count on them for one more couple of months.
Though not but confirmed, we’d totally count on the Great Stroll of Colourful Delicacies to return. This enjoyable meals stroll highlights yummy candy and savory choices in all the colours of the rainbow. Your useful Competition Passport will present the place to make your picturesque purchases and obtain stamps in your passport. When you’ve collected 5 stamps, carry your passport to Deco Delights Meals Studio to obtain a complimentary shock.
The Great Stroll of Colourful Delicacies could be accomplished at your leisure – so you’ll be able to take pleasure in a brand new deal with each time you go to all through the competition. This has been a staple of FARTs for years, and we’d count on it to return once more in 2026.
Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt
Figment is again and hiding inside well-known artistic endeavors round World Showcase throughout the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts! With its mixture of creativeness and discovery, this scavenger hunt is an excellent means for teenagers to study artwork in a hands-on means whereas adults have simply as a lot enjoyable looking out the pavilions and unlocking a souvenir on the finish.
Buy your map and stickers at Creations Store, Disney Merchants, or World Traveler, then set off in your creative journey round World Showcase. Preserve a watch out for Figment-themed image frames tucked into every pavilion’s paintings and add the matching sticker to your map once you spot him. When you’ve accomplished your masterpiece, head again to Disney Merchants, Creations Store or World Traveler to select up a particular souvenir!
2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts Crowds
Lastly, competition crowds. As a refresher, we’d simply typically remind you that giant swaths of winter are now not the low season at Walt Disney World, at the least not in the identical means they have been in 2019 and earlier. (See Winter is Nonetheless Not Off-Season at Walt Disney World.)
Winter is definitely the one time of yr that’s seeing year-over-year will increase to crowd ranges pretty persistently. Whilst different months have skilled a slowdown relative to the peak of pent-up demand and revenge journey, that isn’t actually true for January and February. These two months have really gotten busier.
In my purely anecdotal expertise, looks like crowds have gotten even worse throughout the winter. Statistical crowd ranges are measured by wait occasions, as that’s the one goal measure of crowds.
Subjectively, my suspicion is that attendance and congestion have elevated much more throughout the winter, however proportionately fewer of these friends are doing rides for the reason that climate is sweet and it’s extra comfy to wander round open air than, say, June or July.
If that doesn’t make sense, the underside line is that crowds have elevated within the winter months and, if something, the extent to which this has been captured by wait occasions knowledge most likely underreports this development.
It’s not simply park attendance that has elevated throughout winter. Resort bookings are additionally very sturdy for January by means of March. Throughout a panel that I attended this spring at Walt Disney World, executives corroborated all the above and indicated that the shift away from summer time and in direction of winter has been extra pronounced in the previous couple of years.
As with a lot else, the post-COVID interval has modified journey patterns. Extra mother and father are keen to drag their youngsters out of faculty all through the educational yr, or are keen to take shorter journeys all through yr. Winter has seen a rise in demand, and Walt Disney World reportedly recorded its highest resort occupancy ranges over a 10-week stretch from January by means of March.
Suffice to say, for those who’re planning to go to in Winter 2026 and have been simply ready for FARTs dates, we’d extremely advocate locking-in a resort reservation ASAP. As we’ve coated in Why Walt Disney World Resorts Are Nonetheless Promoting Out, this development is prone to proceed from January by means of March 2026. Reductions are already obtainable, so there’s actually no purpose to delay at this level!
The opposite unhealthy information is that the ultimate week of the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts would be the busiest of the primary few months of the yr because of Presidents’ Day and Mardi Gras coinciding as soon as once more.
The excellent news is that a number of the dates encompassed by the EPCOT Competition of the Arts are among the many better of the yr from a qualitative perspective. Even with all the above “warnings” about increased crowd ranges, I’d completely–with out hesitation–take a 6/10 or 7/10 day in January or February over a 3/10 or 4/10 day in June or July. It’s an entire no brainer from a holistic perspective.
For more information, confer with our rankings of the 10 Greatest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2026 & 2027, which incorporates good and unhealthy dates throughout the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts. Even with all the asterisks, there are pockets of decrease crowd ranges throughout winter! A few our favourite weeks are in direction of the start of the yr–simply make sure you keep away from the worst of the crowds.
In the end, we advocate planning a winter Walt Disney World journey throughout the very best date ranges and across the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts. As long as you keep away till after Marathon Weekend wraps up and keep away from the 2 vacation weekends, you need to be in fairly fine condition. EPCOT will certainly really feel busier as locals pack the park, however most of them don’t do rides, so the wait occasions are typically manageable. In addition they arrive late, so profiting from Early Entry or rope drop could be massively advantageous.
Past the crowds, the climate tends to be implausible, there’s a extra laid again vibe to the parks, and it may be pleasing even when attendance is elevated. There are such a lot of good causes to go to in January and February that we’d advocate strategically selecting one of many higher weeks (see our January 2026 Crowd Calendar or February 2026 Crowd Calendar) and going. No matter what occurs with wait occasions and crowd ranges, it’ll be a very good time. We can’t wait to get again and expertise the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts once more!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Lodges Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every little thing it’s worthwhile to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever attended the EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts in the previous couple of years? What was your expertise with crowds or strains for Meals Studios? Are you excited for the 2026 EPCOT Competition of the Arts or will you be sitting this one out? Excited that Figment is returning? Any ideas you need to share to take advantage of the expertise? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
