Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

Spring always arrives early in Orlando, but it’s often hard to tell just by looking at the constantly green landscape. But there’s no mistaking it at Walt Disney World – when the Flower & Garden Festival takes over the EPCOT park.

The big horticultural highlight of the year is now in full swing – through until May 27 – and it has never looked better or brighter, ensuring a fresh and alluring ambience.

There are new topiaries, a whole range of special gardens, fresh flavours, all-new merchandise and the ever-popular Garden Rocks concert series to keep everyone entertained throughout the day.

For younger visitors, there is the whimsical butterfly garden and a pair of scavenger hunts that are tailor-made for engaging young minds.

What IS the Flower & Garden Festival?

This is the question we hear repeatedly at this time of year, especially from Orlando newcomers, as it doesn’t sound especially Disney-like. It doesn’t have rides and big-name attractions, and the characters are all static.

But it IS a fabulous overlay for the park at its most picturesque. The addition of the Outdoor Kitchens – individual food kiosks sprinkled around the World Showcase area – make for a highly original dining option, and the nightly concerts from big-name acts are a sure-fire highlight.

Add in the dazzling displays of the set-piece topiaries, and you have a rich mixture of creativity and entertainment, great tastes and super sounds.

Best of all, it is all part of your regular park entry, so your only extra expenditure is on some of the tasty treats on offer at the Outdoor Kitchens, the scavenger hunts and any souvenirs you buy.

What’s new for 2024?

Each annual edition of the Flower & Garden Festival brings new topiaries – the clever art of clipping shrubs and bushes into particular shapes or, in this instance, Disney characters! – and new characters from the films, as well as additions to the menus.

This year, the topiary highlights include the 2023 film Wish (each of Asha, Valentino and Starr), Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy and Miguel and Danta from Coco, all in sculpted plant form and photo-ready.

There are a record 65 characters to discover around the four sections of the park, albeit the vast majority are to be found in the World Showcase area.

The new World Celebration area will also feature three of the Global Gardens that are another Festival highlight, a mixture of floral gardens, flowerbeds and examples of sustainable gardening and food-growing. Look for them throughout Epcot.

What about those concerts?

Undoubtedly one of the chief features of the three-month event is the Garden Rocks concert series on the American Gardens Theatre stage (the front section of the American Adventure pavilion at the back of World Showcase).

These include pop and rock icons from yesterday and today, playing three 30-minute sets each evening (at 5.30, 6.45 and 8pm). The open nature of the staging and more relaxed style of the concerts makes for a totally engaging setting that all the bands really enjoy, and it becomes an infectious musical tour-de force, much like going to a regular music festival.

This year’s newcomers on stage include Modern English, Crowder, Fonseca and Lit, while the regular crowd-pleasers such as the Pointer Sisters, Herman’s Hermits, Starship and The Commodores will all be back (be sure to see the full line-up on this link).

And, like the rest of the Festival, the concerts are completely free with park entry (although there is also the option to pay for one the Dining Packages that provide a guaranteed seat without having to join the main queue), and you can attend all three each night if you have the stamina!

Tell us about the food!

While the Flower & Garden Festival didn’t start out as a major foodie occasion in 1994, it has certainly ramped up the culinary part of its celebration significantly in recent years.

Epcot now proudly proclaims “Let your Epicurean adventure begin!” And they are not far wrong. Each of the 16 Outdoor Kitchens features a speciality menu of creative cuisine and drinks, and there is a huge amount of culinary wizardry on offer, while eight of the year-round food and beverage locations also add something just for the Festival.

From Soy-Glazed Sticky Ribs to Spicy Chicken Gumbo and a Cider Flight to grand Tropical Sangria, the line-up of menu items is a true delight to sample.

We’re delighted to see the return of the delicious Seared Scallops at the Northern Bloom kitchen (in the Canada pavilion), as well as the La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush from the Fleur de Lys kiosk in France, but there are also several dozen new items to look forward to, notably the Arrabiata dish at the Primavera Kitchen (in Italy), which consists of pennette pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with buttery shrimp. Pure Yum!

It all adds up to a mouth-watering invitation to sip, sample and stroll as you take in all the flowery presentations, and it’s all in the ideal outdoor weather that characterises this time of year.

What else is there to see?

No theme park Festival is complete without its own collection of unique merchandise, and the Flower & Garden event is no exception.

This year there are four distinct Collections to tempt your wallet into taking home some classic Festival merch, and they are all available (while stocks last) at the big Creations shop in the World Celebration area as well as select festival markets around World Showcase.

Choose from:

• Orange Bird Collection: Spread the sunshine with adorable Orange Bird keepsakes in this collection featuring apparel, accessories, garden décor and more. • Coco Collection: Keep the inspiring words “Seize Your Moment” top of mind with this Coco-themed collection that includes apparel, headwear and home décor. • Butterfly Collection: Flutter through the butterfly garden alongside Minnie Mouse with items from this flowery collection. • Annual Passholder Collection: Enjoy Festival treasures featuring Spike the Bee on apparel, accessories and trading pins exclusive to our Annual Passholder family.

And don’t forget the annual classics of the children’s scavenger hunts (for an additional $9.99, plus tax), and the eye-catching splendour of the Butterfly Garden.

This is the festival that really gets us excited each year, and we think it is THE unmissable event this spring. See more details on this link.

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