Why You Should Visit the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
The most beautiful time of year to visit EPCOT is during the Flower and Garden Festival! Today, I am sharing my reasons why you should visit the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival with your family!!
What is EPCOT without a festival?! Regardless of the season, there is a festival of some sort taking place in EPCOT. EPCOT festivals include outdoor kitchens, food booths, exclusive merchandise, landscaping, and even activities for the kids! While Food and Wine is my favorite, Flower and Garden is right there next to it. The park is bursting with gorgeous landscaping, bright colors, and the topiaries. The topiaries are what really set Flower and Garden apart! They are all over the park, and are so, so much fun to look at!
EPCOT Flower and Garden takes place during an ideal time of year.
The EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival typically begins in early March and runs into June or July. The weather in early March in Florida is gorgeous. It’s not too hot or too cold, and seeing the fresh bright colors definitely boosts your mood! Also during this time, the crowds seem to ebb and flow. So it’s likely that you can visit the Flower and Garden Festival without running into too many crowds! Spring break definitely is something to consider, as is summer vacation time. However, you can hit some “off season” times as well!
Flower and Garden offers unique experiences to guests
While World Showcase is beautiful any time of year, during Flower and Garden you can see topiaries of your favorite Disney characters. They are perfectly manicured and landscaped, and the attention to detail is amazing! The topiaries really are the star of the show. They have them set up at the front entrance, as well as the World Showcase entrance. You will find a few in Future World, but the majority are around World Showcase.
Flower and Garden also offers some unique exhibits. Currently there is the Goodness Garden Butterfly House. I absolutely LOVE this addition to Flower and Garden. A mesh tent encloses a special garden full of butterfly friendly plants. Guests will also find the “Health Full” trail, teaching guests how to stay healthy! We also noticed some quiet garden areas set up for guests to sit and enjoy the festival food offerings!
Fresh, Unique food offerings throughout the park
One thing I really love is that not ALL the food is found in World Showcase. While the majority is there, you will find a few kiosks here and there in Future World, such as the EPCOT Sunshine Griddle near Test Track. As you wander into World Showcase, there are kiosks and outdoor kitchens everywhere! Guests may notice that there are definitely MORE during Food and Wine, but you definitely won’t go hungry or have a lack of options during Flower and Garden.
While enjoying the food, the kids {and adults} can join in a scavenger hunt. The “Egg-stravaganza” hunt begins in mid March. You purchase a map and sticker set for $7.99 plus tax, and make your way around, marking off Easter eggs as you see them. Another fun option is “Spike’s Pollination Exploration” hunt. Same deal…you purchase a map and stickers for $7.99, and walk around finding Spike the Bee on flowers! When you have finished, you return your completed map to a gift shop, and they’ll give you a prize.
exclusive flower and garden festival entertainment and music offerings
While in World Showcase, be looking for the Princess Promenade and Mickey and Friends World Tour. These popular pop-up character cavalcades go around World Showcase at various times of the day. It’s a great way to catch your favorite characters while enjoying the festival!
Not only do you have that, but there are special music offerings. Voices of Liberty make an appearance in the American Gardens Theater. And everyone’s favorite, the JAMMitors play throughout the day on the Canada Mill Stage. You can also catch pianists and Mariachi Cobre around the park as well.
Draped in colorful flowering plants during Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, the entire park is beautiful. It seems no matter where you look there are stunning arrays of flowers to admire. Making time in your EPCOT itinerary to really take in the Flower and Garden Festival adds a huge value to your park ticket!
Is EPCOT Flower and Garden festival a Must Do?
In my opinion, yes. I think that it adds a lot of value to your park day at EPCOT. Also, if you really don’t want a full park day at EPCOT, plan to visit Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom in the morning, and then park hop to EPCOT to see what Flower and Garden has to offer.
Flower and Garden gives guests a unique experience that you won’t find any other time in the park. I am a big fan of unique, new experiences on our Disney trips, and this is one of them!
The food kiosks, in my opinion, are budget friendly. The portions are such that you can share with others, and move to the next one for a sample of something else! My teens, for example, were obsessed with the Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites! What kid wouldn’t be?! And this gives your family an opportunity to try some new foods. Above all, the topiaries and cute scavenger hunts are our favorites. They are what make this festival so unique!
EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival?! Yes! Highly recommend!
