News 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Does the marathon runners really add all that much crowding to the parks?

I haven't ever visited post xmas/new years, but I always assumed any increase due to the runners weekend would be offset by a general lack of families/kids due to the holidays being over and most families not pulling their kids out of school right after xmas vacation for another trip

It’s been a while…but the marathon crunch is measurable on certain days. But that was partly because they’d slash the hours and start with that “after hours” nonsense when it wasn’t warranted.

The holiday hours should be extended through 1/10…if they cared.
But they don’t

 

[Phicinfan]

Whew…I thought you walked into the marathon mess there for a second…but you’re good

Have fun

Funny part, I booked this back in June, and had no idea Festival of the Arts was happening. I have never done this one, so I can't wait

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Funny part, I booked this back in June, and had no idea Festival of the Arts was happening. I have never done this one, so I can't wait

It’s low key…you’ll like it. Mostly food booths but that’s what they all are now. If you have good weather…you’ll have a great time

 

[Touchdown]

Funny part, I booked this back in June, and had no idea Festival of the Arts was happening. I have never done this one, so I can't wait

It’s my second favorite festival. The food I think is the best of all of them (quality over quantity) and the Broadway show is very good, and gets better every year. The art booths and chalk art are great as well.

 

[Ayla]

Whew…I thought you walked into the marathon mess there for a second…but you’re good

Have fun

I've been there a few different years during the marathon in January and didn't notice any difference in the crowds from other times of the year.

 

[arich35]

We are wanting to visit around this time next year. Is the Festival of the Arts typically around the same time every year? We are thinking the last week in January would probably be the best time to visit

 

[JohnD]

We are wanting to visit around this time next year. Is the Festival of the Arts typically around the same time every year? We are thinking the last week in January would probably be the best time to visit

Yes. This year's is January 13 - February 20. So think the 2nd Friday of January through the 3rd Monday of February every year.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I've been there a few different years during the marathon in January and didn't notice any difference in the crowds from other times of the year.

That’s my point…it used to be tied for slowest week of the year

 

[CntrlFlPete]

Does the marathon runners really add all that much crowding to the parks?

I haven't ever visited post xmas/new years, but I always assumed any increase due to the runners weekend would be offset by a general lack of families/kids due to the holidays being over and most families not pulling their kids out of school right after xmas vacation for another trip

as an outsider, it is tough to say -- what I can say is that holiday crowds thread talks of long waits this week. I know when I was just glancing at park reservations as an AP most days had no availability at most parks between 1/2 and 1/5

I know polk county schools did not go back until 1/5 and a couple of AP levels ended blocked dates on 1/2, so that could have added to the crowds. Anyway, the parks have been rather busy this week and the marathon seems to have brought a lot of folks down for the entire week (not just the weekend itself.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

as an outsider, it is tough to say -- what I can say is that holiday crowds thread talks of long waits this week. I know when I was just glancing at park reservations as an AP most days had no availability at most parks between 1/2 and 1/5

I know polk county schools did not go back until 1/5 and a couple of AP levels ended blocked dates on 1/2, so that could have added to the crowds. Anyway, the parks have been rather busy this week and the marathon seems to have brought a lot of folks down for the entire week (not just the weekend itself.

Marathon crowds…like food and wine, Halloween, January and February, and may crowds…have been on steady increase since about 2005. A big part of their strategy was to never have “slow” times…and it succeeded.

Now they caught the tiger by the tail

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

With any of the festivals its best to avoid the weekends since you will have a lot of locals going to increase the crowds.

Pam

 

[ToTBellHop]

With any of the festivals its best to avoid the weekends since you will have a lot of locals going to increase the crowds.

Pam

Avoid Epcot every weekend, then.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Avoid Epcot every weekend, then.

Pretty much. I've been there on weekends when a festival is going on and it was literally wall to wall people

 

[Touchdown]

^Fri Night-Saturday. Sundays aren’t usually too bad.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Pretty much. I've been there on weekends when a festival is going on and it was literally wall to wall people

Saturday nights during F&W are worse than 12/31/22 was. We were so uncomfortable the last time we went for an October Saturday that we left.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Saturday nights during F&W are worse than 12/31/22 was. We were so uncomfortable the last time we went for an October Saturday that we left.

I eliminated October from my calendar around 2016…it was fun while it lasted

 

[SpectreJordan]

Marathon crowds…like food and wine, Halloween, January and February, and may crowds…have been on steady increase since about 2005. A big part of their strategy was to never have “slow” times…and it succeeded.

Now they caught the tiger by the tail

There's also Revenge Vacationing going right now too. That makes things even worse.

I work at one of the resorts. Christmas week was oddly calm but the week after & first week of January were something else.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

This is easily the best EPCOT festival

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

There's also Revenge Vacationing going right now too. That makes things even worse.

I work at one of the resorts. Christmas week was oddly calm but the week after & first week of January were something else.

The era of “revenge” travel has quietly closed. The money has dried up statistically.

But I get your point about the crowd discrepancy.
I think…many people have been scared off the “busy” weeks. So they all get the genius idea to go RIGHT AFTER

A very unoriginal idea. Particularly with grumpy old northeast dvc

 

[MisterPenguin]

There's also Revenge Vacationing going right now too.

Travel has approached pre-pandemic levels. There was and is no extra surge of everyone who missed a scheduled vacation all suddenly traveling at once overwhelming the tourism industry.

Revenge vacationing is not a thing, despite the data-less echo chamber of the internet saying so.