Festival of the Arts officially launched at EPCOT this week at Disney. While everyone’s busy posting about food booths and Broadway performers, they’re completely missing one of the most engaging activities the festival offers. Figment’s Brush With the Masters scavenger hunt has returned for 2026, and if you’re not doing this, you’re honestly experiencing the festival wrong.
Here’s How It Actually Works
You shell out $11.99 at Gateway Gifts, Creations Shop, or World Traveler for a map. That map comes with hints on the back in sticker form that guide you toward 10 paintings hidden throughout World Showcase. Each painting features Figment, EPCOT’s purple dragon mascot, inserted into famous works of art. Your job is to find all 10, and once you do, you redeem the map for a paint-by-sticker completion prize at those same three stores.
The price includes both the scavenger hunt experience and the prize, so you’re not getting nickel and dimed with additional costs. You can grab your prize immediately when you buy the map or wait until after you complete the hunt. Either way works.
Why This Is Actually Genius for Disney
Most people walk through World Showcase on autopilot. You hit the food booths, maybe stop in a shop or two, take some photos in front of the pavilion landmarks, and move on. You’re covering ground but not really engaging with anything. The scavenger hunt completely changes that dynamic.
Because you’re actively searching for specific paintings, you end up actually looking at the pavilions in ways you never have before. You notice architectural details you’ve walked past a hundred times without seeing. You explore corners of countries you normally skip because they’re not on the direct path to the next food booth. You slow down and pay attention instead of just mindlessly trudging around the lagoon.
For families with kids, this is absolutely clutch. Instead of children whining about how much walking there is and how bored they are, they’re engaged in an actual activity with a clear goal. Everyone’s working together to find the paintings. It transforms what could be a miserable slog into something genuinely fun.
The Paintings Are Tricky to Find
Don’t go into this thinking you’ll knock it out in 20 minutes. These paintings are hidden well. They’re not always at obvious eye level. They’re not always in the high-traffic areas of each pavilion. You’ll need to look up, down, around corners, in spaces you wouldn’t normally examine closely.
The hints on the back of the map help, but they’re not spoon-feeding you the answers. You actually have to think about what the clues mean and where to search. If you get completely stuck, cast members can usually point you in the right direction without totally spoiling it, but part of the fun is figuring it out yourself.
The Completion Prize Is Actually Good
Once you find all 10 paintings, you redeem your map for a paint-by-sticker activity. There are four different design options, so you won’t know exactly which one you’re getting until you turn in your map. The designs have been consistently solid in previous years, not cheap throwaway prizes but actual quality activities.
The paint-by-sticker format is perfect because it’s something you can do later. Kids can work on it in the hotel room at night. Adults can use it as a relaxing activity during downtime. It extends the Festival of the Arts experience beyond just your time in the park, which is pretty smart when you think about it.
This Works for Everyone
Solo guests enjoy the meditative quality of searching for hidden details. Couples use it as a shared activity that adds structure to their World Showcase visit. Families need something to keep kids engaged during extended periods of walking. The scavenger hunt hits all these use cases perfectly.
There’s also an educational component that sneaks in without feeling preachy. Figment shows up in recognizable masterpieces, which means you’re getting exposed to famous artworks even if you’re primarily focused on finding a purple dragon. For kids especially, this creates positive associations with art and can spark conversations about the original paintings and who created them.
The Real Disney Value Proposition
At $11.99, you’re getting entertainment during your park visit plus a take-home creative project. Compare that to what you’d spend on a single specialty food item at the festival booths and the value becomes pretty clear. You could drop $11.99 on one dish that you eat in five minutes, or you could spend it on an activity that engages you for an hour or more and gives you something to take home.
The scavenger hunt also works perfectly alongside other festival activities. You can search for paintings while moving between food booths. You can incorporate it into your dining plans by hunting in pavilions where you have reservations. You can use it to kill time before a Disney on Broadway show starts.
Don’t Skip This at Disney
If you’re visiting EPCOT during Festival of the Arts and you’re not doing Figment’s Brush With the Masters, you’re missing out on one of the best parts of the entire event. It’s accessible, engaging, reasonably priced, and actually lets you experience World Showcase in a completely different way. Stop sleeping on this and buy a map.
