We are a group of 4 newly retired old people doing our first visit to WDW. Are there any comments about the Festival as we are spending 2 days at Epcot. And is it worth spending $ to get a Tier 1 or 2 dining reservation so as to get a seat for the Disney Concert Series?
I don’t think it’s necessary to have a dining package to grab seats for the concerts. These are Broadway performers, so not nearly as well known as those who perform during food & wine or flower & garden. Talented, no doubt, but not well known names.
I agree. You would only need the reserved seating if it was a big “name” in concert.
I do hope you enjoy the Festival. My DH and I were lucky enough to attend the first one and had a great time. We had just been to Food & Wine a few months earlier and had a great time at both. Hopefully you aren’t planning on being there on Friday or Saturday nights. It’s often a trade off with the event schedule but the locals seem to love coming to the Festivals and drinking their way around the World. 
Thank you both for your input and observations. I shall save the cash.
The Epcot website has little on the schedule of when and who the various musical acts are… any tips on this issue?
Here’s some info directly from the Disney Website with the url included.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/epcot/broadway-concert-series/
Our 2019 Schedule
See who’s lighting up the stage in the Disney on Broadway Concert Series—now 7 days per week! Performances are at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM daily from January 18 to February 25, 2019.
Performances and Dates
- January 18 to January 19, 2019 – Kerry Butler & Kevin Massey
- January 20 to January 21, 2019 – Meredith Inglesby & Steve Blanchard
- January 22 to January 23, 2019 – Kerry Butler & Kevin Massey
- January 24 to January 25, 2019 – Meredith Inglesby & Steve Blanchard
- January 26, 2019 – Kerry Butler & Kevin Massey
- January 27, 2019 – Meredith Inglesby & Steve Blanchard
- January 28 to January 29, 2019 – Arielle Jacobs & Adam Jacobs
- January 30 to January 31, 2019 – Heidi Blickenstaff & Gavin Lee
- February 1 to February 2, 2019 – Arielle Jacobs & Adam Jacobs
- February 3 to February 4, 2019 – Heidi Blickenstaff & Gavin Lee
- February 5 to February 6, 2019 – Arielle Jacobs & Adam Jacobs
- February 7 to February 8, 2019 – Heidi Blickenstaff & Gavin Lee
- February 9, 2019 – Arielle Jacobs & Adam Jacobs
- February 10, 2019 – Heidi Blickenstaff & Gavin Lee
- February 11 to February 12, 2019 – Ashley Brown & Josh Strickland
- February 13 to February 14, 2019 – Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White
- February 15 to February 16, 2019 – Ashley Brown & Josh Strickland
- February 17 to February 18, 2019 – Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White
- February 19 to February 20, 2019 – Ashley Brown & Josh Strickland
- February 21 to February 22, 2019 – Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White
- February 23, 2019 – Ashley Brown & Josh Strickland
- February 24, 2019 – Kissy Simmons & Alton Fitzgerald White
- February 25, 2019 – Ashley Brown, Josh Strickland, Kissy Simmons, Alton Fitzgerald White
Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler starred as Belle in Beauty & the Beast on Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Xanadu and, most recently, played 3 roles in Mean Girls on Broadway. Kerry can be seen this spring as Barbara in Beetlejuice on Broadway.
Kevin Massey
Kevin Massey starred in the title role of Disney’s Tarzan on Broadway and reprised that role in Germany. His other starring roles on Broadway and on tour include A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, Memphis and Big River.
Meredith Inglesby
Meredith Inglesby’s Disney on Broadway credits include Babette in Beauty and the Beast and being part of the original cast of The Little Mermaid. Her other credits include Disney’s national tours of Newsies and On the Record, plus a featured role in the new Newsies movie.
Steve Blanchard
Steve Blanchard was the longest running Beast in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, portraying the character for over 8 years. Other Disney credits include the national tours of The Little Mermaid and Newsies , plus a featured role in the new Newsies movie.
Arielle Jacobs
Arielle Jacobs currently stars as Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway. She has also starred around the country in Disney’s High School Musical on tour. Arielle’s other Broadway starring roles include In the Heights & Wicked.
Adam Jacobs
Adam Jacobs is most known for originating the title role in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway for which he won Drama Desk and Grammy nominations. His other Broadway credits include Simba in The Lion King and Marius in Les Miserables.
Heidi Blickenstaff
Heidi Blickenstaff starred this past summer in Disney Channel’s Original Movie Freaky Friday. She also starred in the Disney Theatrical world premiere stage musical of Freaky Friday. Disney on Broadway fans know Heidi best from playing Ursula in The Little Mermaid.
Gavin Lee
Gavin Lee originated the role of Bert in the West End and Broadway productions of Disney’s Mary Poppins for which he was Olivier and Tony Award nominated. He recently finished performing in SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway and received a Tony Award nomination for his role.
Ashley Brown
Ashley Brown originated the title role in Disney’s Mary Poppins on Broadway. She also starred as Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and performed in the national tours of Mary Poppins and Disney’s On the Record.
Josh Strickland
Josh Strickland originated the title role in Disney’s Tarzan on Broadway. He most recently reprised his starring role as Tarzan in Oberhausen, Germany at the Stage Metronom Theater.
Kissy Simmons
Kissy Simmons starred as Nala in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. She also starred in this role on the national tour and in the Las Vegas production. Kissy is a native of Floral City, Florida and a proud graduate of the University of South Florida.
Alton Fitzgerald White
Alton Fitzgerald White is Broadway’s longest-running King Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King with over 4,300 performances. His other Broadway starring roles include The Color Purple, Ragtime, Miss Saigon, Tommy and Smokey Joe’s Café.
Thanks very much Rkcfive… I too saw that info but I guess there are no other
musical groups that roll into Epcot for this event. I was hoping to see
that listed somewhere. This appears to be a more casual event then I first anticipated when I read about it.
I see. When I first heard about this from one of the site news site, it emphasized the “Broadway” so I expected this. I don’t think this would be considered “casual” but I understand if you were hoping for “real” bands like the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. Honestly I’m looking forward to this but I’m also trying to get my young girls more exposure into the arts so this (as well as the rest of the art’s festival) is exactly what I’m looking for, for them.