Amusement Park News

Taking place in Orlando, Disney’s Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts 2021 is already up and running. The festival offers a different take on international cuisine than Universal’s Mardi Gras celebration. There will be 15 food studios serving well curated “artistic” food offerings, artwork, special photo locations, and a paint by number collaborative mural that park visitors can help create. The food offerings run the gamut from citrus themed to Japanese, Mexican, German, French and Moroccan to a new booth this year, Vibrante & Vivido with what appears to be “island themed” cuisine such as a seafood cocktail and specialty daiquiris.

EPCOT musical performances include onsite artists JAMMitors and Mariachi Cobre. Like Universal Orlando, the Epcot festival will have special merchandise available for purchase and themed décor.

This year all of the events will all take place in World Showcase; there will be no event-related activities or attractions in Future World as has been the case in the past. 

The festival began January 8th and runs through February 22, making this the 5th year for the event, which is one of a bevy of food-oriented festivals that EPCOT holds annually, such as the International Food & Wine Festival in the fall, International Festival of the Holidays during the winter, and the International Flower & Garden Festival in the spring. All are currently expected to run for 2021, with capacity restrictions in place.
EPCOT will also be getting its own specially food-themed ride this year with the introduction of the much-anticipated Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. The trackless ride is themed on the culinary world of the chef-rat Remy in 2007’s Ratatouille.

When Disney’s California Adventure reopens in Anaheim, the Food & Wine Festival usually held in the spring may be on the schedule for at a date TBD. Kiosks throughout the park allow theme park guests to enjoy celebrity chef demonstrations, taste locally oriented food and regional beer, wine and spirits; the festival has proven popular in past seasons but did not run in 2020.