Spring has sprung at EPCOT, as the park is putting on it’s 27th International Flower and Garden Festival! This year, the festival runs from March 4th through June 1st.
With EPCOT’s massive overhaul underway, construction walls have taken over Future World. But, the World Showcase is in full bloom with fields of fresh flowers, topiaries of favorite characters, fun merchandise, and some of the yummiest EPCOT Festival food and drinks.
The festival made its 2020 debut yesterday, alongside Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opening at Hollywood Studios. Let’s take a small break from our favorite mice and check out EPCOT’s springtime festival!
Topiaries
When you think Flower & Garden, you probably think of one of your favorite Disney characters in topiary-form… these lured the crowds over to EPCOT long before Outdoor Kitchens were introduced. These topiaries are maintained year-round only to be seen for a few weeks!
Epcot Flower and Garden Topiary Lineup 2020
FUTURE WORLD
Flowers & Pluto at the Main Entrance –
Bambi, Thumper and Flower in Future World East, near the temporary MouseGear location –
Buzz Lightyear near Mission: SPACE – 
Woody, Bo Peep and her Sheep near Test Track –
Figment near the Imagination! pavilion –
Sorcerer Mickey in Future World West –
Butterfly topiaries line the walkway leading to the Butterfly House’s new location in Future World West –
SHOWCASE PLAZA
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Pluto are adorably on-theme for EPCOT’s overhaul; holding hammers, paint buckets and measuring tape.
Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey & Louie welcome you into the World Showcase –
WORLD SHOWCASE
The Three Cabelleros in Mexico –
Anna & Elsa in Norway –
Troll, also found in Norway –
Pandas in China –
Mufasa, Sarabi, Simba & Rafiki at the Outpost –
Snow White & Dopey in Germany –
Lady & the Tramp in Italy –
Dragon in Japan (NEW) –
Beauty & the Beast in France –
Remy (NEW) in France… EPCOT’s just about ready for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, opening this summer!
Peter Pan & Captain Hook in United Kingdom –
New this year, Peter Pan finally has a face! What do you think?
Tinker Bell can be found in the gardens towards the back of the UK pavilion – she also has a face now!
Winnie the Pooh, Rabbit, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet also live in the U.K. –
And finally, Kermit & Miss Piggy sit just across from Pooh & friends in the U.K. –
We did notice a few missing characters; Stitch, Lightning McQueen & Tow Mater, along with the remaining six of the seven dwarfs. I’m sure we’ll see these return, along with some new topiaries and gardens, after EPCOT’s transformation is complete.
Flower and Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchen Offerings
Flower & Garden has turned into a Food & Wine 2.0 with all of these Outdoor Kitchens!
These food photos are from my opening day visit, but I’ll be updating this as I re-visit the festival over the next few months, so be sure to check back!
Here’s what we have tried (and recommend!) so far –
Heading into the World Showcase from Mexico, our first stop is Jardin de Fiestas, where we tried Chilaquiles con Pollo and the Mango Mexican Margarita. The Chilaquiles dish is one of the best things we’ve tasted from the Mexico pavilion!
Walking over to China…
The Bon Bon Chicken Skewer was tasty. But then again, we love anything with peanut sauce…
The House-made Crab & Cheese Wontons were fresh, hot and crispy. As they always should be!
For a limited time in the afternoons, the Lotus House booth offers special cotton candy creations for those looking for an extra sweet snack and photo op:
Stopping into Japan, Hanami features a festival favorite and a new salmon dish served in a flower pot…
Frushi is back! Mine was missing toasted coconut flakes, but it was still refreshing!
Japan’s festival offerings always look perfect for display – this Menchi Katsu Slider tasted just as good!
The Salmon Flower Ikura is a super-flavorful chilled salmon and noodle dish, served in a cute flower pot! (The pieces of Salmon are rather large and awkward to eat in several bites, don’t forget a knife for this one!)
Ahhh, France. My favorite pavilion, especially for culinary delights!
This Goat Cheese & Onion tart was warm and buttery, fulfilling our French pastry craving. Of course, the wine wasn’t bad either!
The Tarte Tropezienne with Coulis Framboise is lightly sweet and is just the right size for a mid-morning snack before hitting the rest of the booths!
Back to Showcase Plaza, we tried a few orange-infused selections from The Citrus Blossom:
Over at Pineapple Promenade, the festival-favorite Spicy Hot Dog with Pineapple Chutney and Plaintain Chips is back and better than ever!
And we chose to go with all four of the available beers, for good measure…
Both the Florida Fresh and Honey Bee-stro Outdoor Kitchens were closed on opening day, I’ll definitely be back for their sweet and savory dishes. Stay tuned!
Festival Merchandise
Just like last year, there are several merchandise collections to please festival fans. You’ll find these exclusive products at World Traveler in International Gateway, MouseGear, and at the Festival Markets throughout World Showcase.
The little Orange Bird has triumphantly returned with some of the most adorable merchandise we’ve seen this year:
How sweet are these juice glasses and pitcher?
Minnie’s Garden in Bloom collection is floral-inspired, bringing pastel shades to life through apparel, homeware and accessories.
Home Grown features fresh produce and Mickey Mouse himself:
And finally, Spike the Bee is back in the spotlight for the Sweet as Can Bee collection:
Figment can be found on a keychain and this Passholder-exclusive tee:
Outside of the festival collections, you’ll find additional Festival Markets sprinkled throughout World Showcase selling miniature plants and other products for your green thumb.
Check out these pre-formed topiaries ready to make a statement in your garden!
And Passholders, don’t forget about the two festival-exclusive AP magnets! Donald & Spike the Bee are available now through April 19th; Orange Bird will be available April 20th through June 1st. Bring your Annual Pass and Photo I.D. to MouseGear to pick them up for free!
Garden Rocks Concert Series
The Garden Rocks Concert Series returns with nightly performances at 5:30pm, 6:45pm and 8pm. Dance and sing-along to throwback artists like Air Supply, Sister Hazel, the Pointer Sisters, Rick Springfield, Daughtry and Simple Plan. See the full lineup here!
Our Top Tips for Enjoying EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival
- Pick up a Flower & Garden Passport at the start and plan out your day. To save time and energy, highlight and map out the specific Outdoor Kitchens you’d like to try!
- We recommend hitting the Flower & Garden fest on a weekday for optimum enjoyment. Like any other Disney park, weekends are typically the busiest.
- Lines for the Outdoor Kitchens are the shortest at the beginning of the day (World Showcase opens at 11am), and after sunset. Lines tend to be longest between 12-3pm for prime-time lunching. We like to reserve mid-day FastPasses to avoid the longer Outdoor Kitchen waits!
- Don’t forget your sunscreen and bring a water bottle to refill! You won’t find yourself inside much while enjoying the outdoor festivities. Spring already feels like summer here!
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Let’s Hear From You
Even with Future World’s construction walls, EPCOT is bursting with vibrant color at festival time. We think it’s the most beautiful time of year for this park, what do you think?
Are you planning a visit to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival this year? Which character topiary is your favorite? Do you see a food item that you can’t wait to try?
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