Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival-Details on Freebies/Foods/Fun
The most beautiful time of the year has finally arrived at Epcot and it is the Flower and Garden Festival 2023. This is one of the longest running festivals at Epcot and it’s my personal favorite besides the obvious drinks and food. The whole Aesthetic of Epcot changes and becomes this immersive botanical garden that comes to life with the buzzing of bees, the silent flap of butterfly wings and the aroma of spring in the air. I want to briefly go over the essence of this whole festival and will follow up this post with another post dedicated to foods and drinks for the festival.
When is it:
This festival runs from March 1st until July 5th 2023.
Know before you go:
This festival is not a special ticketed event with the price of admission to Epcot You can participate in many of these activities for free. If you want to enjoy the special food, merchandise, demonstrations, etc., those come at an extra cost.
I recommend if you can to avoid attending the festival opening weekend and the last weekend those times typically are the most busy.
Flower and Garden is full of activities for everyone to participate in. Just a few to mention are (the ones listed below are free)
Topiary Displays, Exhibits & Gardens
Discover spectacular topiaries of beloved animals and Disney characters, cultivated with care by Disney horticulturists. Fun fact: Disney horticulturalists work for around three months per topiary and they make multiples of the same one so if anything were to happen to one while on display they have one to replace it!
Butterfly Landing Presented by Advent-Health
Observe many species of butterflies up close in a kaleidoscope of color. Located near Imagination! in World Nature.
Family-Friendly Garden Presented by OFF!
Explore a camp-themed garden where little ones are invited to jump, play and climb.
PLAYGROUND LOCATIONS
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Outside behind Creation Shop towards Test Track
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Outside walkway between the Canada Pavilion towards Figment and Disney & Pixar Short Theatre
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Inside Mission: SPACE ride queue
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Inside Test Track’s ride exit
Free Concerts:
Move your feet to some of the hottest beats during EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Concerts take place at the America Gardens Theatre in the American Adventure Pavilion. Check this link to WDW official site for list of bands and when they are playing. If you want to guarantee yourself a seat check out the WDW site for their concert packages!
Additional Festival fun (Participation may require a purchase)
There is a Garden Graze activity you can participate in by Using your Festival Passport which you can pick up for free at different kiosks throughout the park. This passport will be your guide on this food journey featuring 10 tasty dishes. Once you’ve tried at least 5 Garden Graze items and collected a stamp for each you can bring your Festival Passport to Pineapple Promenade, where you’ll receive a specialty treat! In addition to the Garden Graze Activity there will be festival-exclusive Outdoor Kitchens all around Epcot, each offering a specialty menu of creative cuisine and libations. This year for 2023 is Mango-Lime Dole Whip which you can not get anywhere else and is only available by completing this challenge.
Outdoor Kitchens, a.k.a. food and beverage booths do not open at the same time as Epcot – They open at 11:00 am daily
Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Spike, the cute little bumble bee and Flower and Garden Festival Mascot–can be found hidden in the Global Gardens during the festival. Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration is a fun scavenger hunt throughout Epcot where once completed, you win a special prize! Searching for Spike is a fun activity for everyone in your party–even if you don’t want to pay $9.99 to receive a completion prize.
And of coarse Disney has Merchandise exclusive to the festival that changes every year. EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival merchandise is Typically features Figment, Mickey and Minnie, Spike the Bee, and Orange Bird.
Conclusion:
This is a festival you won’t want to miss, I promise. It has a little bit of something for everyone in your group! This is a festival that will embrace all 5 of your senses! You can see all the beauty of spring as far as the eye can see, hear the sound of the gardens coming to life with nature, smell all the delicious foods and flowers, taste something grown right in Disney World, touch the world around you and take some of that feeling of prosperity and growth home with you to your own flower pots and gardens!
