Epcot has become known for its amazing festivals throughout the year.
One of these festivals is the Flower and Garden Festival held in the Spring.
Here you'll find an overview of what you can expect at this festival. When is the festival held? What type of entertainment can you find? How should you spend your time at this festival?
What is the Flower and Garden Festival?
This is a festival held every Spring at Epcot. This year the festival will be held March 1 - July 5, 2023.
This festival features food, exhibits, activities and events all centered around gardening.
This festival is held at no extra charge. It is a part of your regular ticket to the Epcot park. There are some extras you can enjoy at an extra charge, but they are not necessary to have a great time at this festival.
What Activities Happen During The Festival?
During the festival you'll find amazing topiaries, food, concerts, and play areas. Here is what you can expect at this festival.
Topiaries
In total you will find over 100 amazing topiaries of your favorite Disney characters.
Here are some of the topiaries from the 2022 festival, and where you could find them (this list will be updated when we get more information):
- Goofy Topiary and Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration Cake – Main Entrance
- Sorcerer Mickey Mouse, Brooms, Ostriches, Hippo and Gator – Entrance to World Showcase
- Woody, Bo Peep and Her Sheep – near The Land Pavilion
- Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie – Bridge to World Showcase
- Pluto and Chip ‘n’ Dale – The American Adventure Pavilion
- Buzz Lightyear – near Mission: SPACE
- Figment – near Imagination!
- The Three Caballeros (Jose, Donald and Panchito) – Mexico Pavilion
- Anna and Elsa – Norway Pavilion
- Troll – Norway Pavilion
- Dragon – Japan Pavilion near Torii Gate
- Pandas – China Pavilion
- Simba and Friends (Rafiki, Simba, Mufasa and Sarabi) – Between Imagination! and The Land Pavilion
- Pumbaa and Timon – Between Imagination! and The Land Pavilion
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Germany Pavilion
- Lady and the Tramp – Italy Pavilion
- Beauty and the Beast – France Pavilion
- Lumiere and Cogsworth – France Pavilion
- Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy – Germany Pavilion
- Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tick Tock Croc – Between the United Kingdom and Canada Pavilions
- Winnie the Pooh and Friends (Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger) – United Kingdom Pavilion
- Tinker Bell’s Fairy House Garden – United Kingdom Pavilion
- Bambi and Friends – near Imagination!
Play Areas and Gardens
Epcot creates amazing gardens and areas for children to play during this festival.
Here is a list of the exhibits from 2022. This list will be updated once we have more information:
-
Blossoms of Fragrance Presented by Scentsy (NEW) – World Showcase Bridge
Follow your nose and form lasting memories with the help of fresh, unforgettable fragrances. -
Outdoor Escapes Presented by OFF!® Repellents – World Discovery
Unwind in refreshing spaces that show just how easy it is to create an outdoor escape that brings family and friends together—no design expertise, huge budget or green thumb required! Closes at dusk. -
Floating Gardens – World Nature
Peer upon more than 150 petite plots drifting on the ponds that border the bridge to World Showcase. -
Festival Blooms – World Celebration
Admire thousands of flowers that form colorful, living panoramas—with a 50th Anniversary celebration theme. -
Bambi’s Butterfly House – World Nature near Imagination!
View a kaleidoscope of butterflies up close, in all their extraordinary color. Learn about butterfly lifecycles and maybe even see one emerge from its chrysalis. Closes at dusk. -
The Honey Bee-stro Hosted by National Honey Board® – Rosewalk near Imagination!
Learn about honeybees’ critical role in the environment, and enjoy sweet and savory treats made possible by their hard work. -
Health Full Trail Presented by AdventHealth – Imagination! Walkway
Delight in a whimsical area made to inspire youthful energy and creativity! The whole family can learn ways to stay healthy at this Outdoor Kitchen and garden. Closes at dusk. -
Tropical Rainforest Garden – Mexico Pavilion
Discover the rich biodiversity of the Mexican rainforest and learn about its highly adaptive species. -
Extraordinary Orchids – Mexico Pavilion
Set eyes on these spectacular plants blooming in radiant color. -
Bold Bromeliads – World Nature by The Land Pavilion
Tour a variety of these amazing plants. -
China Zodiac Garden – China Pavilion
Discover your favorite zodiac with while visiting clever creations. -
Bamboo Garden – China Pavilion
Visit this garden to see bamboo in a variety of colors, patterns and sizes. -
Alpine Miniature Garden – Germany Pavilion
Appreciate the little things in this showcase of diminutive dwellings nestled in a forest of fine shrubs. -
Garden Italiano – Italy Pavilion
From fresh spaghetti sauce to pizza toppings, this Tuscan kitchen garden features all the produce and herbs needed to create a classic Italian feast. -
Kokedema Garden – Japan Pavilion
Admire fresh expressions of an ancient Japanese art at this tranquil garden. -
Bonsai Collection – Japan Pavilion
Learn about the art of bonsai, some of the finest living sculptures. Bonsai masters carefully shape and tend these miniature works of art, creating peace and balance with the earth. -
Spice Garden – Morocco Pavilion
Discover how Eastern cultures flourished, trading signature spices and herb blends, once considered more valuable than gold. -
France Bouquet Garden (NEW) – France
See bountiful blooms perfect for a bouquet of cut flowers. -
English Tea Garden Presented by Twinings®
Unearth the history and art of tea-blending at this elegant English tea garden at the United Kingdom Pavilion, featuring plants used in some of Twinings®’ finest blends. -
Shakespeare Garden – United Kingdom Pavilion
Rediscover Shakespeare in this idyllic garden featuring excerpts from some of the Bard’s most famous sonnets—and the dazzling flowers that influenced them. -
Prehistoric Garden – World Discovery near Mission: SPACE
Imagine life on Earth 65 million years ago with astounding plant life that’s thrived since the age of the dinosaurs. -
Green Landing Family Play Zone – World Discovery
Enjoy playtime with WALL-E and his eco-friendly garden. Closes at dusk.
Live Entertainment
During the festival free concerts will be held at the America Pavilion. If you are interested in any of the shows, know that seats are extremely limited. You'll want to line up way in advance, or secure a dining package reservation that includes a meal and guaranteed seating for a show.
The line up for 2023 is as follows:
-
Journey Former Lead Vocalist Steve Augeri
March 3 & 4 -
Daughtry
March 5 & 6 -
Tommy DeCarlo
March 10 & 11 -
Smash Mouth
March 12 & 13 -
Mike DelGuidice
March 17 & 18 -
Blue Oyster Cult (NEW)
March 19 & 20 -
Berlin
March 24 & 25 -
The Pointer Sisters
March 26 & 27 -
Luis Figueroa (NEW)
March 31 -
Piso 21 (NEW)
April 1 & 2 -
Melina León
April 3 -
STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
April 7 & 8 -
Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles
April 9 & 10 -
Blue October
April 14 & 15 -
Switchfoot (NEW)
April 16 & 17 -
A Flock of Seagulls
April 21 & 22 -
Jo Dee Messina
April 23 & 24 -
Ambrosia with Peter Beckett, The Voice Of Player
April 28 & 29 -
Kool & The Gang
April 30 & May 1 -
Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone
May 5 to 8 -
The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
May 12 to 15 -
A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce (NEW)
May 19 & 20 -
Casting Crowns (NEW)
May 21 & 22 -
Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago (NEW)
May 26 & 27 -
Rick Springfield
May 28 & 29 -
Plain White T's
June 2 to 5 -
The Spinners
June 9 & 10 -
The Commodores
June 11 & 12 -
Vertical Horizon
June 16 & 17 -
Tony Orlando
June 18 & 19 -
Simple Plan
June 23 to 26 -
Living Colour
June 30 & July 1 -
Wang Chung
July 2 & 3
Garden Rocks Dining Package
If you want to enjoy one of the concerts without waiting in longs lines (with no guarantee of entry), I highly recommend grabbing a reservation for a Garden Rocks Dining Package.
When you book a Garden Rocks Dining Package, you can enjoy a leisurely meal at a beloved EPCOT restaurant and have peace of mind knowing that you also have guaranteed seats at one of the Garden Rocks performances that day.
Restaurants that have dining packages available are:
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
- $74 per adult/$48 per child
- Biergarten Restaurant
- $60 per adult/$34 per child
- Coral Reef Restaurant
- $69 per adult/$27 per child
- Le Cellier
- $95 per adult/$36 per child
- Regal Eagle Smokehouse*
- $35 per adult/$20 per child
- Rose & Crown Dining Room
- $59 per adult/$25 per child
- Spice Road Table
- $47 per adult/$20 per child
*Same day walk up availability only. First come, first serve.
Reservations can be made online here.
Food Booths and Outdoor Kitchen Areas
One of the most popular parts of these festivals is the food. There will be four outdoor kitchens featuring amazing offerings in 2023. These are open daily from 11am to park closing.
The kitchens are Brunchcot, which features delicious brunch options, EPCOT Farmers Feast, which has menu items with ingredients grown on property, The Citrus Blossom, which offers citrus inspired menu options, and Florida Fresh, which has locally sourced food.
You can find full menus for the festival here.
Fun for Kids
There are plenty of fun activities for the kids during the festival. Here are the activities available for 2022. This article will be updated as soon as we have 2023 activities:
Garden Graze
Enjoy a variety of fresh EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival dishes, collect a matching stamp in your Festival Passport for each specially notated menu item you purchase and—when you’ve collected 5 stamps—bring your Festival Passport to Pineapple Promenade to redeem a Festival-exclusive treat.
Health Full Trail Presented by AdventHealth
Delight in a whimsical area made to inspire youthful energy and creativity! The whole family can learn ways to stay healthy at this Outdoor Kitchen and garden along the Imagination Walkway.
Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration
Embark on a springtime scavenger hunt for gardeners of all ages.
Follow Spike the Bee on his pollination trail, where he will “bee” busy collecting nectar and pollinating gardens at EPCOT. To get started, purchase your map and stickers at select merchandise locations (available while supplies last). Once you have completed your scavenger hunt, return your completed map to Disney Traders or World Traveler for a special surprise.
Cost:$9.99 + tax, while supplies last.
The Bottom Line?
I don't think you'll ever see Epcot look more beautiful than it does during this festival. This particular festival may not be the favorite for children, but everyone in your group will no doubt love the amazing flowers and Disney character themed topiaries.
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See you at the parks,
-Julie
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