It’s snowy season here in Chicago, which has many of us longing for springtime blooms! Great news for those longing for spring - it’s almost time for EPCOT’s International Flower and Garden Festival.
This year’s festival runs March 2 to July 4 – a total of 125 days! – and features a plethora of colorful blooms, good tunes, fragrant scents and fresh flavors.
Disney Character topiaries offer a perfect backdrop for springtime photos with family and friends. A new main entrance display will feature Goofy with a birthday cake celebrating the Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary.
Disney horticulture teams are also designing, planting and shaping new topiaries of the Seven Dwarfs to accompany Snow White near the Germany pavilion in World Showcase. And returning this year are Lumiere and Cogsworth topiaries in the France pavilion as well as Pumbaa and Timon topiaries near Imagination!
On the bridge to World Showcase, you can enjoy the sights and scents of spring at a new fragrant garden presented by Scentsy. Surrounded by vibrant butterfly topiaries, you’ll be invited to follow your nose to six scent stations—floral, fruity, citrus, spice, woods and fresh—to form lasting memories with the help of unforgettable aromas.
The Health Full Trail presented by AdventHealth offers a fun way for families to play and learn how to stay healthy, and Outdoor Escapes Presented by OFF!® Repellents lets you enjoy a much-needed moment of relaxation, while learning how easy it is to create an outdoor escape of their own. Bambi’s Butterfly House enchants with a kaleidoscope of butterflies showing off their extraordinary beauty and colors.
The Garden Rocks Concert Series returns to the festival this year, featuring internationally recognized artists on the America Gardens Theatre stage Friday through Monday; local bands will rock the house Tuesday through Thursday. You can view the full list of artists here.
Outdoor activities can work up an appetite, and the festival’s 18 Outdoor Kitchens serve up fresh menus, seasonal produce and refreshing beverages to satisfy everyone’s taste buds. You can stop at EPCOT Farmers Feast, since its menu options rotate throughout the festival. Other new mouthwatering menu items can be found at The Citrus Blossom, Magnolia Terrace and Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina, among others. Keep an eye out for a festival foodie guide coming in later this month!
A fun part of the Festival, is the Garden Graze, a fun food stroll highlighting five delicious sweet and savory offerings listed in the Festival Passport. Complete the graze to receive a special treat!
As with all festivals at EPCOT, you’ll be able to bring festival memories home with garden-inspired merchandise collections featuring vibrant apparel, drinkware, garden tools and much more. This season, collections will feature Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Orange Bird, Figment and Spike the Bee.
Does this sound like a magical springtime break that you need? Well good news, here at Middle of the Magic Travel we can help get a festival plan added to your Walt Disney World vacation! Need help planning your vacation, click here to get started.