Summary
The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is the perfect combination of delicious food, beautiful greenery displays and horticultural learning experiences. The park blossoms into a beautiful garden of sights, sounds and tastes of the spring season. This year's festival runs from March 1 to July 5, 2023 — that's four months to enjoy this seasonal classic! We hopped over on the first day and have updated our guide with everything to know for the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival 2023!
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival 2023 Overview
Move aside, Food and Wine ... EPCOT Flower and Garden is one of our favorite festivals of the year! The park blossoms with lush gardens full of bright flowers — we love the spring vibes! It's a great way to celebrate the season and enjoy the beautiful weather. The festival runs from March 1 to July 5, so there's lots of time to enjoy all the sweet offerings.
Enjoy delicious food from more than 15 Outdoor Kitchens, exquisitely crafted topiaries of our favorite characters and beautiful themed gardens. Even if you don't have a green thumb, you will still find plenty to enjoy. While I technically have a green thumb, I must confess I'm not much of a gardener and still enjoy this festival. Tad and Lily love looking at all the "topies," plus a scavenger hunt, butterfly house and special seasonal displays and merchandise will keep you and your tadpoles busy all day! Leap and I love ending the night at the Garden Rock Concert Series with world-known artists performing on the weekends, along with viewing special projections on Spaceship Earth with music from "Encanto." And don't froget our favorite part of any festival ... the food! EPCOT Flower and Garden plates up fresh favorites highlighting fresh, seasonal ingredients.
@undercovertourist From Hook to Tiana, these topiaries are absolutely flowertastic! 🌸 Catch them from now until July in EPCOT! Which one is your fav? #epcot #epcotflowerandgarden #epcotflowerandgardenfestival #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #wdw ♬ original sound - undercovertourist
What's even better? The festival is included with regular park admission! When you enter the park, be sure to pick up the Festival Passport! It includes detailed information about the topiary and garden destinations, entertainment and the Outdoor Kitchen menus. It came in handy for planning our day, as well as making sure we didn’t miss out on anything that was new. You can also find this digitally in the My Disney Experience app!
What's better than live music, colorful flowers and lots of yummy food? Hop along with us, as we share all of the "deets" about this fun, flowering festival!
Sculpted Topiaries at EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival 2023
I’ve never left the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival without nagging Leap to re-do our landscaping. Inspiration is everywhere! Disney’s expert team of horticulturists work year-round to create beautiful landscapes across the park. Look for the topiaries at the main entrance and scattered all around World Showcase, World Celebration, World Discovery and World Nature. EPCOT Flower and Garden exhibits its talent with incredible life-size recreations of beloved Disney characters.
Many topiaries repeat each year with some new ones popping up as well. New for 2023, "Encanto" fans will love the topiaries of Mirabel, Antonio, Isabela and Luisa, featured at the park entrance. There is also a new Princess Tiana topiary in The American Adventure pavilion.
Around the park, you can find more amazing displays (and excellent photo-ops!). Stunning in the daylight, the topiaries take on a whole new life as the gardens and sculptures are illuminated at night. Here's the full list of the 2023 topiaries and locations:
- NEW! Mirabel, Antonio, Isabela and Luisa from “Encanto” – Main Entrance
- NEW! Princess Tiana – The American Adventure
- Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale and Pluto – Bridge to World Showcase and World Celebration
- Woody, Bo Peep and Her Sheep – World Nature Near the Land Pavilion
- Goofy – World Showcase
- Buzz Lightyear – World Discovery Near Mission: SPACE
- Donald and Daisy – Community Gardens Near Connections Cafe
- Figment – Near Journey Into Imagination
- The Three Caballeros – Mexico
- Anna and Elsa – Norway
- Troll – Norway
- Dragon – Japan
- Pandas – China
- Simba and Friends (Rafiki, Mufasa and Sarabi) – Between Imagination! and The Land Pavilion
- Pumbaa and Timon – Between Imagination! and The Land Pavilion
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Germany
- Lady and the Tramp – Italy
- Beauty and the Beast – France
- Lumiere and Cogsworth – France
- Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy – Between France and Morocco
- Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tick Tock Croc – United Kingdom
- Winnie the Pooh and Friends (Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger) – United Kingdom
- Tinker Bell's Fairy House Garden – United Kingdom
- Bambi and Friends – Near Imagination! and Refreshment Port
- Geese – Canada
- Butterflies – Main Entrance, Scentsy Garden, Butterfly House and World Showcase
Themed Gardens at EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival 2023
The festival features almost two dozen themed gardens and other destinations throughout the park — from the Shakespeare Garden in the United Kingdom pavilion to a miniature garden display in Germany. New this year is the Community Garden and Connections Conservatory Garden by Connections Cafe, Topiary Heritage Garden in the United Kingdom, Shishi-odoshi in Japan and Desert Garden in Mexico. There are even guided or self-guided tea garden tours at the United Kingdom as a fun way to learn how to brew the perfect cup of tea.
While fun and educational for everyone, we really appreciate how these exhibits teach our tadpoles how to create gardens and provide wildlife habitats … if pond life hasn’t taught them enough already!
A festival-favorite, Butterfly Landing is full of colorful blooms and a flurry of several species of butterfly. Find it between The Land and the Imagination! pavilions. Explore the life of a butterfly from its emersion from chrysalis to adulthood and watch as the fully-grown butterflies flutter around the garden from flower to flower. You might even find a butterfly has alighted on you, especially if you’re wearing a flowered dress or shirt. This is the only place where a female will pay attention to Leap when he's wearing his loud floral aloha shirts. (I kid, but not much.)
Back this year is the fragrant garden on the bridge to World Showcase. Amid colorful butterfly topiaries, take in the aroma of distinct scents as we welcome the fresh smells of springtime.
Kids' Activities at EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival
At EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival 2023, tadpoles have flower and garden activities specifically for them. Every year, there are play gardens that surround your tadpoles with lush natural landscapes and playscapes. The popular playground by Creations Shop has a camping theme during the festival for extra fun. For a limited time, there is also an Easter egg hunt inspired by Disney characters.
Back this year, the scavenger hunt, Spike's Pollen Nation Exploration, keeps the tadpoles on their webbed toes. It costs $9.99 and takes little ones on an "I Spy"-style adventure throughout World Showcase. Once completed, tadpoles return the map to Creations Shop or World Traveler for a surprise reward! This is a low-cost way to keep your tadpoles occupied and receive a cute souvenir as a result. Worth it!
(For those wondering, Spike the Bee first appeared in early Mickey Mouse cartoons in the 1940s and has returned in some most recent series. He is an unofficial mascot of the festival!)
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival 2023 Menus
I'm an epicurean amphibian. It's fun to see the topiaries and gardens, but my favorite plants are the ones I can eat! While EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival is known for its delectable tastes and treats, EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite place to snack, thanks to its unique, fresh ingredients. For 2023, there are more than 15 Outdoor Kitchens with returning favorites like The Citrus Blossom, Honey Bee-stro and EPCOT Farmers Feast. Check out our full EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival 2023 menus and a downloadable version of the menus in walking order.
A perfect first stop to your day is the delightfully renamed "Brunchcot" booth with Avocado Toast for me and the Froot Loops Shake for the tadpoles. That's right ... a drink that tastes just like the favorite colorful cereal. Tad and Lily raved about it! Another on our list is a festival staple — the nonalcoholic Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade. Yum! We tried everything at Bauernmarkt: Farmer's Market in Germany and loved it, especially the potato pancakes with house-made applesauce.
Meanwhile, Tad is always on a mission to collect stamps for the Garden Graze (looks like I just *had* to have the avocado toast ... hehe). Collect five stamps with any of the following items (any time during the entirety of the festival), and you'll receive a complimentary treat.
The 2023 Garden Graze items are:
- Avocado Toast with marinated toybox tomatoes on toasted ciabatta (Brunchcot)
- Grilled Street Corn on the Cob with savory garlic spread and spicy corn chips (Florida Fresh)
- Grilled Street Corn on the Cob with savory garlic spread and plant-based cotija cheese (Florida Fresh)
- Pineapple Skewer with Tajin seasoning (Refreshment Outpost)
- Potato Pancakes with house-made applesauce (Bauernmarkt: Farmer's Market)
- Hummus Trio: Traditional hummus, red beet and black garlic hummus, and avocado-herb hummus with Moroccan bread and crispy papadam (Tangierine Cafe)
- Coconut Tres Leches: Vanilla cake soaked in oat milk, almond milk, and coconut milk with toasted coconut (La Isla Fresca)
- Boneless IMPOSSIBLE Korean Short Rib with cilantro-lime rice, Danmuji slaw, and kimchee mayonnaise (Trowel & Trellis)
- IMPOSSIBLE Lumpia with Thai sweet chili sauce (Trowel & Trellis)
- Chocolate Cake with black currant ganache, mixed berry compote, and chocolate ice cream (Trowel & Trellis)
- Cookies ‘n “Cream” Chocolate Mousse Cup (The Land cart)
The popular Orange Bird sipper cup returned again this year and is available through Mobile Order at the Citrus Blossom booth in the Odyssey. You may get the Orange-Lemon smoothie on the side if you would like.
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival Concerts
It’s not all sunshine and butterflies at EPCOT Flower and Garden … there’s music too! At the America Gardens Theatre, guests may dance and sing along to classic songs by a wide array of artists and genres with the Garden Rocks Concert Series. From Friday to Monday evenings, renown celebrity artists perform, and from Tuesday to Thursday, local bands from Orlando perform popular songs of yesterday and today.
Garden Rocks Lineup 2023
- March 3-4 – Journey former lead vocalist STEVE AUGERI
- March 5-6 – Daughtry
- March 10-11 – Tommy DeCarlo
- March 12-13 – Smash Mouth
- March 17-18 – Mike DelGuidice
- March 19-20 – Blue Oyster Cult – NEW
- March 24-25 – Berlin
- March 26-27 – The Pointer Sisters
- March 31 – Luis Figueroa – NEW
- April 1-2 – Piso 21 – NEW
- April 3 – Melina León
- April 7-8 – STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
- April 9-10 – Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles
- April 16-17 – Switchfoot – NEW
- April 21-22 – A Flock of Seagulls
- April 23-24 – Jo Dee Messina
- April 28-29 – Ambrosia with Peter Beckett, The Voice Of Player
- April 30, May 1 – Kool and the Gang
- May 5-8 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- May 12-15 – The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
- May 19-20 – A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce – NEW
- May 21-22 – Casting Crowns – NEW
- May 26-27 – Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago – NEW
- May 28-29 – Rick Springfield
- June 2-5 – Plain White T’s
- June 9-10 – The Spinners
- June 11-12 – The Commodores
- June 16-17 – Vertical Horizon
- June 18-19 – Tony Orlando
- June 23-26 – Simple Plan
- June 30, July 1 – Living Colour
- July 2-3 – Wang Chung
Performances occur at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. Be sure to get there at least 30 minutes early because seats can fill up quickly. If you want to secure a good spot without waiting, dining packages are available for booking. You can reserve a meal at EPCOT anytime throughout the day, and come back later to a special seating area at one of the evening shows! We recommend this if you’re big fans and want primetime viewing.
Merchandise at EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival
You may want to pack an extra duffle bag for your merch. There are always too many items to choose from. We are huge fans of all EPCOT festivals, but we find Flower and Garden has the most gorgeous, fun merch. Visit any of the festival markets located throughout the park, as well as Creations Shop and the Odyseey, to find different Flower and Garden collections featuring Orange Bird, Snow White and Figment.
EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival lets you discover fresh tastes, gorgeous gardens and all the information you need to have a bounteous spring. The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is included with regular park admission. Got questions or comments? Share them below!
Related: Guide to EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
Related: Guide to EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival
Related: Guide to EPCOT International Festival of Holidays
Hoppy planning!
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