What better way to welcome spring than by heading to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Along with experiencing the cultural pavilions, enjoying the delicious food and of course, the rides, you can now also marvel at the beautiful topiaries and fresh flower gardens the festival has to offer. Running from March 2, 2022 until July 4, 2022, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is surely a special event that you’ll want to visit. If you are planning a trip in the next few months, take note of my favorite things to do and see.
Character Topiaries
One of my favorite parts of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, (beside the food, obviously), are the gorgeous character topiary and gardens. This is what the festival is mostly known for. As someone who cannot keep a plant alive longer than a few weeks, I truly am fascinated by the magic that the Disney horticulturists create. As you walk from pavilion to pavilion in the World Showcase, you cannot seem to help yourself from admiring the intricacies of the topiaries and marvel at the garden’s beauty.
Hundreds of topiaries can be found at the festival, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Tinkerbell, Anna and Elsa, Buzz lightyear, Simba and friends, Woody, Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan, just to name a few. This year the highlight topiary of the festival will be of Goofy holding a 50th birthday cake in celebration of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary. Talk about a great photo opportunity!
Garden Graze
A fun way we like to enjoy some of the festival’s food is through the Garden Graze. With the help of your Festival Passport, stroll through the park and look for specially noted menu items. Collect a stamp after you have enjoyed each of the 5 dishes and then take your passport to the Pineapple Promenade Outdoor Kitchen to claim a special treat! This year’s menu does not disappoint.
Here are the 5 dishes on the menu:
- Grilled Street Corn on the cob with savory Garlic spread
- Avocado Toast with Marinated Toy Box Tomatoes on Toasted Ciabatta
- Grilled Baby Vegetables with Hummus Cream and Red Pepper Coulis
- Potato Pancakes with House-Made Apple Sauce
- Coconut Tres Leches: Vanilla Cake soaked in Oat Milk, Almond Milk and Coconut Milk with Toasted Coconut
Open Kitchen
For more food options, you can also try the various Open Kitchen booths around the park. If you have ever been to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, this is very similar to that. Open Kitchens offer a variety of delicious foods and drink for purchase. Click here for more information on the various menu items for the Open Kitchens.
For the family
Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt? If you’re visiting the garden with the kiddo’s (or not), Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Scavenger hunt is surely a good way to keep the family entertained. Follow Spike on his trail as he collects his nectar and pollenates the garden. Complete your scavenger hunt by placing stickers on your map of all the places you spot Spike. Once you complete the scavenger hunt, you can turn in your map at Disney Traders or World Traveler for a special surprise! The cost is $9.99 (while supplies last), but surely a family favorite.
Live entertainment
We are a music loving, dancing the night away, type of family and there is no better way to end our day other than with live music! Something we really enjoy about the Epcot International Garden and Flower festival is their nightly concerts. This year the festival is bringing back the Garden Rocks Concerts and we cannot be more excited.
Concerts begin at 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm, and 8pm every day of the week at the America Gardens Theater in the American Adventure Pavilion. You can walk up and find an available seat or purchase a Garden Rocks Dinning package to secure your seat.
Famous artists typically hit the spotlight on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays, while local artists play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. Rock the night away with artists like Rick Springfield, The Guess Who, Kool and The Gang, The Pointer Sisters, The Commodores, Simple Plan, Plain White Ts, just to name a few. Check out the Garden Rocks Concert Schedule to see who you will be jamming along with.
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is a great springtime even for the entire family to enjoy, as you can see. There is no additional cost to enjoy the beauty of EPCOT during the festival days, but as always, a valid park ticket and reservation is needed. I hope you get to experience the beauty of the festival this year!
What is your character’s topiary are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments!
Written by
Lourdes Molina
Contributing Writer
Lourdes is a Florida native who spent many weekends vacationing at the Disney World parks. Now a mom of two boys, living outside of the Charlotte, NC area, she has loved experiencing the Disney magic through the lens of her boys. She looks forward to their annual trip to Florida to see family and of course her old pal Mickey Mouse.
