This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
The Epcot®International Festival of the Arts at Walt Disney World Resort, a celebration of the visual, culinary and performing arts and is set to begin its annual run on Jan. 18, 2019 for the 3rd year in a row. The highly anticipated event has become very popular with Disney fans over the past couple of years and will continue for 39 days this year, through Feb. 25, 2019. This year’s festival will feature more live music than ever before, along with fresh tastes to savor and new artwork to admire and bring home. This year, the festival will be held 7 days a week and is included with the cost of Park admission to Epcot. 
Guests at Epcot International Festival of the Arts have the opportunity to experience visual, culinary and performing arts at the festival. According to the Disney Parks Blog, the International Festival of the Arts is a “feast for the senses. The event offers visual arts experiences, interactive workshops and seminars. There are also opportunities to learn artistic techniques from professionals skilled in floral design, ink and paint, photography, and more. Seminars typically run 30 minutes and are included with park admission. Please note: Seminars can be reserved on the “day-of” at the Odyssey Festival Showplace. 
The 2019 Festival of the Arts will provide fun for the whole family every day, including mesmerizing performance art, complimentary seminars, hands-on activities and much more:
- Everyone’s invited to grab a paintbrush and help create a wall mural along World Showcase Plaza.
- Guests of all ages will have the opportunity to literally step inside works of art and take fun photos, such as the “Washington Crossing the Delaware” Artful Photo Opportunity.
- The Paint with a Disney Artist program invites guests to learn under the tutelage of a professional (offered select Fridays and Sundays, including continental breakfast, for an additional fee).
- Complimentary 30-minute seminars will give guests helpful instruction for producing their own artwork at home.
- More than 50 visiting artists participating in the festival will be available to meet with guests and share insights on their work.
- Gravity-defying feats of strength, acrobatics and many performing artists are scheduled throughout the festival.
- International musical and variety acts will share their talents with guests, including the return of Bodh’aktan to the Canada stage and Delta Q, a new group performing in Germany.
- Guests can join in the fun of Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt by purchasing a map at select merchandise locations.
2019 Workshops
A variety of workshops led by professionals will teach different artistic techniques, such as floral design, ink and paint, mixed-media art and more (offered Friday-Monday for an additional fee). As a memento of what they learned, guests will take their creations home with them. For more information on workshop and seminar offerings, please visit ArtfulEpcot.com.
Workshops are hands-on, interactive experiences that allow you an opportunity to create your own work of art to take home. Workshops run 75 minutes and are offered Friday-Monday for an additional fee. Also returning this year is the fan-favorite “Paint with a Disney Artist” experience. Offered select Fridays and Sundays, a talented Disney Artist will guide you in creating your own masterpiece! The event is perfect for seasoned painters and those just learning this beautiful art form. Bonus – continental breakfast is also included! For more information on workshop and seminar offerings, and to book your painting adventure, please visit ArtfulEpcot.com or call (407) WDW-TOUR.
Let’s Talk about the Festival Food
The Epcot International Festival of the Arts will feature 13 Food Studios, plus additional creative food and beverage offerings around Epcot with an expanded selection of delicious new tastes to savor including such delicacies as:
- beef wellington with mushroom bordelaise, fennel cream and roasted baby vegetables (The Artist’s Table)
- Smoked salmon and cream gâteau with egg yolk cream, paddlefish caviar and micro-herbs is sure to be a new favorite (The Painter’s Palate)
- almond frangipane cake with raspberry and chocolate (Pop Eats!)
- Red wine-braised short rib with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes and aged balsamic (Cuisine Classique)
For a full list of food you’ll find at the Festival, please go HERE. 
Take home a piece of the Festival
Guests can bring a piece of the festival home. Art collectors and Disney enthusiasts will be delighted to browse different pieces throughout the park, at the Art of Disney store and in the Festival Markets, which will be available for purchase. Special festival merchandise will be available at Mouse Gear and other Epcot locations featuring the festival’s logo adorning shirts, mugs, totes and other charming items.
New for The 2019 Festival of the Arts
New this year, the Disney on Broadway Concert Series expands to seven days a week during the festival, providing more opportunities than ever before to bask in live Disney magic. Each week, different pairs of Disney on Broadway stars will take the America Gardens Theatre stage to sing favorite songs from award-winning Disney on Broadway productions. The lineup will rotate regularly, featuring music from shows such as “The Lion King,” “Frozen” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Some performers this year include:
- Kerry Butler (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)
- Meredith Inglesby (“The Little Mermaid”) and Steve Blanchard (“Beauty and the Beast”)
- Arielle Jacobs and Adam Jacobs (“Aladdin”)
- Heidi Blickenstaff (“Freaky Friday”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”)
- Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”) and Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”)
- Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (“The Lion King”)
The concert series is included with park admission; showtimes are 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m. nightly. Disney on Broadway Concert Series Dining Packages are also available at participating Epcot restaurants. For a full schedule of shows and to reserve your show seating package, please visit Disneyworld.com. Reservations can also be made by calling (407) WDW-DINE.
Some images are property of Walt Disney World and used with permission.
In addition to boasting nine spa treatment rooms and an extensive treatment menu that proudly offers organic and natural products, Drift features separate lounge and spa facilities for men and women that features spacious locker rooms, luxurious whirlpools, and eucalyptus and lavender infused steam rooms. Other lavish amenities include a vitality bar with tea elixirs, a delicious juice bar, and an enchanting spa garden with an outdoor fireplace and seasonal herb wall. Every element of Drift was thoughtfully designed to create a coastal sanctuary that engages all five senses for the ultimate spa experience.
Drift is the latest addition at the resort, which opened the brand-new, nine-story Twin Dolphin Tower earlier this year. The “suite centric” tower features luxurious appointments, private furnished balconies with gorgeous ocean views, Hilton’s exclusive Serenity Bedding Collection, and pet-friendly rooms and amenities. The new Twin Dolphin Tower connects the current 285-room Huntington Tower, further solidifying the resort’s place as an iconic oceanfront fixture in Huntington Beach.
John’s Incredible Pizza Company combines a made-from-scratch All You Can Eat buffet with a vibrant Fun World entertainment area. The indoor facilities range in size from 30,000 to 60,000 square feet and are open year-round. 
Each location showcases a mix of traditional family-style items, innovative and fun food choices along with healthy alternatives all prepared onsite from fresh ingredients including:
2019 New Year’s Eve Packages at John’s Incredible Pizza Company
John’s Incredible Pizza Company is located throughout California, Nevada and Oregon and their locations include:
Emily Blunt (“The Girl on the Train,” “Into the Woods”) stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London. Check out the official trailer:
Join El Capitan Theatre for Tiny Tot Tuesday: The El Capitan Theatre will also host a very special Tiny Tot Tuesday for the first show every Tuesday during the run of Disney’s MARY POPPINS RETURNS. During these special screenings, parents and small children may enjoy the movie in a tot-friendly way—with lights dimmed rather than out and reduced sound levels. It’s such a great option to have for going to a movie.
As part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses SIP & SAVOR experience, guests can visit the Rosemont Pavilion, a workshop of color, imagination, and ingenuity. Inside guests will see hundreds of skilled volunteers painstakingly hand-applying millions of florals to incredibly designed Rose Parade floats. With wide-eyed wonder, guests can personally witness the parade floats slowly taking shape.
For more information about the Tournament of Roses SIP & SAVOR inaugural event, please visit 
With a few golf (and travel) enthusiasts in my own life, I found the perfect “experience” type holiday gift: Tickets to the U.S. Open! The 2019 U.S. Open Championship will take place at Pebble Beach Golf Links® in Pebble Beach, California, from June 10-16. and this year will mark the 119th U.S. Open Championship and the 6th time iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links has hosted the U.S. Open Championship. The world’s best golfers will converge and vie to win the coveted U.S. Open Trophy and 
If you’ve never been to Pebble Beach, it’s part of a resort community on the Monterey Peninsula and is one of our family’s favorite places to visit, along with Carmel. The area is must-see location for golfers and travelers alike.
Special U.S. Open Ticket Offer 
This year, you can pick up a merry & bright CircusTrix OC holiday stocking stuffers for everyone on your holiday list. They’re available for purchase in $25, $50, $75 and $100 denominations and include a gift card and a FREE pair of grip socks. They also come in gift packaging so they’re ready for gift giving. Grab yours 
CircusTrix OC is one of my daughter’s favorite places to go with her friends to tumble and play around on all of their equipment. Have you been before? Their Open Jump times are packed with options to “defy gravity inside their 60,000 sq. ft facility. The space features over 60 world-class trampolines including the famous angled wall trampolines, launching decks and a few surprises up in the ceiling.
Other fun activities you’ll find at CircusTrix OC include:
