For the last 30 years, Walt Disney World has been bringing a full-on garden party to EPCOT every year during the International Flower and Garden Festival. The flower-filled event started in 1994 and continues to grow in scale each time it blossoms. In addition to hundreds of thousands of flowers and plants spread throughout the park in flower beds, container gardens, and decorative displays, more than 50 beloved Disney characters have been turned into festive, floral topiaries for the 2024 festival alone.
The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival runs through May 27, and features fan favorites like kiosks that serve up festival-themed food and live entertainment through the Garden Rocks Concert Series. But all shopping, snacking, and smelling the flowers aside, the festival is an impressive time to visit EPCOT for the topiaries alone.
Where are the topiaries at the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival?
Like any EPCOT festival, the International Flower and Garden Festival is included with park admission. This means, it costs nothing extra to take in the sights of the festival beyond what you pay for your theme park ticket. I’ve been visiting the Flower and Garden Festival for several years and one of my favorite things to do is to walk around and take in each of the detailed topiary creations at the event. For the budget-conscious Disney-goer, it’s a great way to see the festival without spending a lot on food, drinks, and merchandise.
It’s not hard to find the topiaries at EPCOT during the Flower and Garden Festival. These beautiful displays of plants and flowers are spread throughout the park in all four neighborhoods: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. By just visiting the park and walking from attraction to attraction, you’ll see topiaries everywhere in celebration of this springtime festival.
New topiaries at the 2024 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival
There are three new topiary displays at the 2024 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, so even if you’ve visited during the festival before, get ready to see something different. When you enter the park through the main gates, you’ll run into a few new faces: Aisha, Valentino, and Star from the new Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Wish” take center stage, standing near the base of Spaceship Earth and welcoming guests.
Near the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction, you’ll find Groot, the “flora colossus” from the Guardians of the Galaxy films, in topiary form.
And, in the World Showcase’s Mexico pavilion, there are two new topiary faces: Miguel and his pup, Dante, from Disney Pixar’s “Coco.”
Classic topiaries at the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival
Walking through the International Flower and Garden Festival can be a beautiful way to be reminded of some of your favorite Disney characters from classic films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan. There are even topiaries that pay homage to more modern Disney films, like Frozen, The Princess and the Frog, and Encanto.
As you sip and stroll your way through this year’s festival, be on the lookout for familiar faces like Kermit and Miss Piggy or EPCOT’s own Figment, who’s newly perched at the recently-opened World Celebration Gardens.
And it’s not only Disney characters who receive the topiary treatment during the festival: In China, there are panda topiaries and in Japan, there’s an impressive dragon topiary made from mostly succulents, just to name a few.
In total this year, I counted more than 50 familiar Disney character faces turned into topiaries, including some of my own childhood favorites like Lady and the Tramp and Beauty and the Beast. These larger than life, flower-filled creations are fun to hunt for while you’re taking in the sights, sounds, and foods of the International Food and Wine Festival.
Pro tip: Be on the lookout for Disney PhotoPass photographers, as they are stationed near many of the topiaries to take photos of guests with the beautiful creations.
A few more photos from my floral journey through Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival…
Let’s Hear From You
Are you an Epcot Flower and Garden fan? Let’s hear from you. What are your tips, favorite topiaries, and thoughts about this long-running fan-favorite festival?
Don’t miss our full guide to Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival:
Now Blooming: EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival 2024
And, our hot tip about the Festival’s Garden Graze: