Spring is one of my favorite times of the year to visit Epcot—this is in large part due to their annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. In my opinion, this is when Epcot is the most gorgeous. Not only is the park filled with beautiful character topiaries, but we are greeted with warm (but not too hot) Florida temperature. This year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival runs from March 4th-May 17th, 2015 and all of the festivities are included with your park admission. Here are some of the highlights of the 2015 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
Character Topiaries
Epcot is brimming with beautiful character topiaries during the Flower & Garden festival. While most of the characters around World Showcase return in a similar form each year, there are always a few new additions to the topiaries. For instance, last year’s new topiaries were Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, to promote the release of Muppets Most Wanted. This year’s new additions will include none other than Anna and Elsa from Frozen. Each year, a new topiary display is also create at the entrance to Epcot, in front of Spaceship Earth.
New Gardens
This year, ten new mini-gardens will be added to the festival. Each one is themed to tell a story. There will also be a southwest garden showcasing dessert landscapes.
Outdoor Kitchens
Due to the popularity of Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, the Flower & Garden festival added their Outdoor Kitchens to the World Showcase in 2013. These Outdoor Kitchens feature fantastic dishes and delicious beverages inspired by seasonal and farm-fresh foods.
Just like the Food & Wine Festival, these Outdoor Kitchens are in the form of kiosks located around World Showcase and they serve small-plated food and beverage options. The booths appearing at this year’s Flower & Garden Festival include: Botanas Botanico (new), Urban Farm Eats, Pineapple Promenade, Fleur de Lys, Taste of Marrakesh, Hanami, The Smokehouse: Barbeques and Brews, Primavera Kitchen, Lotus House, Jardin de Fiestas, and Florida Fresh. Many favorite dishes will be returning this year, such as Dole Pineapple Soft Serve, Frushi (my favorite), and the “Piggylicious” bacon cupcake. Expect to pay about $3-$10 per food or beverage item. Oh and be sure to grab a passport at the Festival Welcome Center so you can check off all the yummy things you try!
Garden Rocks Concert Series
Also included with admission to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is the Garden Rocks Concert Series. (Guests may remember this concert series was previously called the Flower Power Concert Series.) These performances take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00PM at the American Gardens Theatre. This year’s acts include:
Gin Blossoms: March 6th-8th
Pablo Cruise: March 13th-15th
En Vogue: March 20th-22nd
STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas: March 27th-29th
The Orchestra starring former members of ELO: April 3rd-5th
Village People: April 10th-12th
Jon Secada: April 17th-19th
The Guess Who: April 24th-26th
Taylor Dayne: May 1st-3rd
Little River Band: May 8th-10th
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone: May 15th-17th
Flower and Garden Festival Seminars
Another nice perk of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival are the seminars that guests can participate in. These free events take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and they take place in the Festival Center. It’s a great way to learn great gardening tips from Disney Cast Members.
Butterfly Garden and Kids Play Gardens
This year’s Flower & Garden Festival also welcomes the return of the butterfly garden, where you get the chance to see butterflies up close and personal. This is a great experience for both kids and adults. I love visiting the butterfly garden each year.
Finally, kids can enjoy the Flower & Garden Festival too with the inclusion of themed play gardens and hands-on activities. This year’s two themed play areas will be themed to Monsters, Inc. and Cars.
What parts of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival are you most looking forward to?