Yes, it’s early, Food and Wine isn’t even over yet, but Disney has given the first taste of what next year’s 21st EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival will include. The the 75 days between March 5 – May 18, 2014 guests will enjoy all the old favorites and a couple of new opportunities.
Goofy, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck will be present in larger-than-life topiary splendor as they celebrate spring with a butterfly hunt adventure in the Epcot front entrance garden. Whimsical topiaries of Mickey Mouse and dozens of other Disney characters will surprise guests beyond the park’s iconic Spaceship Earth.
More than 100 topiaries, 220 floating mini-gardens, dozens of flower towers and sweeping beds of multi-colored blooms will add floral splendor to the park landscape. Several special weekend happenings, including the popular Art in the Garden Weekend, will be scheduled.
For the festival’s second year, Disney guests can taste sweets and savories from about a dozen food-and-beverage marketplaces surrounding the World Showcase Lagoon. This was one of my favorite elements from last year’s festival. In fact, I think many of the food choices in the spring were better than what was offered right now at the Food & Wine festival.
Guests can wander among themed gardens and children’s play areas (always a favorite). Most gardens will be illuminated when the sun sets to extend the festival fun.
At the Festival Center, daily interactive gardening seminars will set the stage for outdoor do-it-yourself inspiration, and popular HGTV celebrities will headline weekend seminars filled with home, garden and design ideas.
Back by demand, the Disney-Pixar “Cars” garden and playground will bring favorite movie characters to life. Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House will be aflutter with hundreds of the winged beauties and intricate fairy topiaries including Tinker Bell and Periwinkle.
The opening weekend Flower Power Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre will present fan-favorite band The Guess Who (“American Woman”) March 7-9. Other pop acts set to perform include Chubby Checker & the Wildcats, The Village People, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone. (Entertainment is subject to change.)
I’m a huge fan of the Flower & Garden Festival. So bring your camera and an appetite and enjoy EPCOT at its most beautiful. I’ll see you there.