Among the many things to look forward to each year at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival is the gorgeous exhibit of orchids at the Mexico pavilion.
Since I’m at EPCOT right now, I thought I’d share a little of their beauty with you
More below the jump
Read More »EPCOT Orchid Explosion
There is no more colorful theme park than EPCOT when the Flower & Garden festival is in full bloom. For 20 years it has been a must stop destination for Disney fans who also appreciated the colors of spring, talents of the gardener, and who hoped to maybe pick up a tip or two for their own home garden. If you wanted food and drink you had to go to that other festival in the fall.
This year, Disney decided to import a little of the fall flavor into the spring lineup and the result is a new mix of floral and food. While I don’t have Disney’s internal numbers, my personal observations and the reports of others indicate that the food and drink offerings haven’t been all that popular. That’s a shame because there really is some great food out there.
I hope Disney doesn’t throw out this idea after just one attempt. Next year guests will know what to expect and Disney will have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t.
If you follow me below the jump, I have a short review of a number of the food and drink selections that I’ve had the opportunity to try. Read More »Sampling the Food at EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival
Today is my first chance to get out and explore the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. I’m here as an invited media guest, which means I get access to a few places the day guest isn’t allowed. I’ll be sharing those and updating this post throughout the day with highlights of our excursions.
This the 17th annual International Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT and it includes more than 25 ethnic and regional marketplaces with tantalizing new drinks and flavors to explore around the World Showcase. The culinary event has even been named one of the Best Food and Wine Festivals by Travel Channel.
Foodie will celebrate with these new experiences: a new chocolate tasting, fresh Florida Local flavors, and the first marketplace with vegan cuisine. The festival also introduces its first watermelon patch, brings back the popular cranberry bog experience, and continues the nightly “Eat to the Beat” concert series — this year, featuring acts including Smash Mouth, Blues Traveler, Boyz II Men, and the Pointer Sisters.
Photos continue below :
The 2012 International Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT officially opens tomorrow, however, the food booths are open today as a soft opening. It will run for 46 days until November 16th and is one of the most popular food festivals in the world. Chefs… Read More »EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Launches Tomorrow
I’m of the opinion that Downtown Disney is under-utilized as an event space. The Festival of the Masters has a long running success and last year they tried adding a car show. That must have been a success too, because it’s back again this year,… Read More »Car Masters Weekend Returns for 2nd Year at Downtown Disney, June 2-3
The 2012 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival will begin blooming soon. In just over a month the park will roll out its 19th festival and the third with HGTV as a sponsor. I think it’s been a great partnership and look forward to seeing what the combined forces can bring this year.
One of the highlights promises to be the Sorcerer Mickey topiary that’s part of the largest-ever Disney front-entrance topiary. There will be a stellar cast of HGTV design celebrities and a great line up of artists at the Flower Power concert series.
Here’s a sneak peek of this year’s festival news:
The front-entrance floral spectacle will welcome guests to a festival packed with new gardens and displays, featured speakers and hands-on fun for all ages, including daily gardening workshops with take-home projects for all who participate.
Thirty million blooms, 240 floating mini-gardens on two ponds, 700 container gardens of flowers, herbs, plants and vegetables, dozens of Disney character topiaries, 30 “flower towers” of impatiens and sweeping beds of original floral designs create a new tapestry of brilliant color across the 260-acre Epcot landscape. It takes more than one year and 400 Walt Disney World horticulturists to plan and prepare for the 75-day festival.
Halfway through the festival, Disney gardeners remove the cold-hardy blossoms that thrive in March and early April to plant a new crop of flowers that flourish in spring’s warmer temperatures. And throughout the event, dozens of gardening experts meet guests daily with fresh landscape ideas for 2012. Daily workshops at the Festival Center let guests dig into projects they can take home at the end of the day.
Don’t Miss!
Join us below the fold for some topiary trivia:
After a number of years with Sharpie (loved those free markers) as the headline sponsor for the popular Festival of the Masters weekend, a new main sponsor is moving in. Michaels, North America’s largest arts and crafts specialty retailer, has signed on as the presenting… Read More »New main sponsor for Disney’s Festival of the Masters
This is the second year Disney has invited HGTV show hosts and experts to speak at the Food & Wine Festival. From the feedback I’ve heard, these sessions are a great addition to the festival, even if they’re not exactly on topic. Next weekend is… Read More »HGTV At EPCOT Food & Wine Festival