Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is one of the biggest events of the Walt Disney World Year. 2018 is the 25th year of the festival and the festivities will be held 28 February to 28 May. We have been lucky enough to visit and this review includes many of the stunning highlights we encountered. We have also included a stunning gallery from the festival.

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival began in 1994 as a 38-day celebration of Disney-style gardens and topiaries has grown over the years to a 90-day spring extravaganza. Now in its 25th year, it promises to be bigger than ever. This was our first visit to the festival and it is hard not to be impressed.

The festival promises something for everyone including none gardening enthusiasts. Highlights for 2018 include

15 Outdoor kitchens encircling World Showcase offering exciting food choices plus accompanying drinks.
The popular Garden Rocks Concert Series will be featuring acts of the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s on the America Gardens Theatre stage. Highlights for 2018 include Survivor, Starship & the Village People.
Themed gardens and wildlife habitats including a butterfly house, an English Tea Garden & a brand-new Future World interactive play garden.
Disney themed topiaries including Belle in France along with Beast, Snow White in Germany with the Seven Dwarfs, and Anna and Elsa in Norway. Plus there is a brand-new Epcot front-entrance topiary garden featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy. Throughout the festival, there are nearly 100 topiaries.
Spike’s Pollen Nation Exploration scavenger hunt around the World Showcase.

The transformation Epcot undertakes each year to hold the festival is impressive. The park looks beautiful and there is plenty to do. In addition, all normal park activities are still open for guests to enjoy. To create the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival there is an impressive list of statistics including:

More than 500,000 plants, trees and shrubs are planted for the festival.
Festival plants include 60 different species of trees, 25 types of palms, and 48 varieties of bedding plants
Nearly 800 container gardens of flowers, herbs, plants and vegetables in clay pots, barrels and urns enhance the landscape throughout Epcot.
400 Walt Disney World horticulturists are needed to install the festival landscape, topiaries and many exhibits.
It takes about 24,000 cast member hours to prepare for the annual festival.

Unlike the Food & Wine Festival the Flower and Garden Festival extends into Future World and you will find fun activities and splashes of colour throughout the park.

We enjoyed the time we spent at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. The Festival adds a whole new perspective to Epcot and we intend to return in the future. If you are in Orlando prior to the 28 May do not miss the Festival.