International Flower & Garden Festival 2013 at Disney Epcot
March 20 is the first day of Spring 2013, but why wait to celebrate? You can kick off the season early at Epcot’s 20th International Flower & Garden Festival in Walt Disney World Resort, located near sunny Orlando, Florida.
The festival, which takes place in Epcot’s extensive gardens, began March 6 this year and extends through May 19. Admission is free with the price of a ticket to Epcot Theme Park, with admission prices starting at $98.
Sponsored by HGTV, this year’s International Flower & Garden Festival promises to be extraordinary: 75 days of phenomenal flowers, amazing topiaries, incredible light displays and a wide variety of delectable foods from around the world.
And on festival weekends there's even more fun—special musical concerts by Flower Power artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s as well as educational programs hosted by some of the most popular personalities from the DIY and HGTV networks.
A Preview of International Flower & Garden Festival 2013
International Flower & Garden Festival 2013
SPECIAL WEEKEND EVENTS
'70s "Flower Power" Music
In keeping with the festival’s “Flower Power” theme, musical artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s present nightly concerts each weekend. Artists new for 2013 include The Village People and Tommy Roe.
DIY & HGTV Workshops
As in past years, media personalities will serve as workshop presenters each weekend. In addition to popular presenters from the past, the 2013 International Flower & Garden Festival includes five new workshop leaders: Chris Grundy, host of DIY Network’s Cool Tools; HGTV hosts Egypt Sherrod (Property Virgins), Casey Noble (Design on a Dime) and David Bromstad (Design Star, Color Splash and Design Star All-Stars); and HGTV Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Sara Peterson.
This Epcot Topiary Is REALLY Alive!
International Flower & Garden Festival 2013
FABULOUS FESTIVAL FOOD
No need to pack a lunch! There’s plenty of delicious food and drink to choose from at Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival.
And the choices are delightfully varied, from barbecue and other quintessentially American fare to delicious food and drink from around the world, including Italian cuisine from Primavera Kitchen; Japanese sake, fruit sushi and grilled seafood from Hanami; French country fare from L’Orangerie; delectable German specialties from the Bauernmarkt; and British “savories, trifles and tea” from The Cottage.
The gardens themselves include more herbs and vegetables than ever before this year. And many of the beverages offered at the festival, like Watermelon Quencher cocktails and orange-flavored Pilsner, are garden inspired.
The Gardens at Epcot
A rose blooms in the garden between Future World and World Showcase at Florida's Epcot.
International Flower & Garden Festival 2013
EPCOT'S GARDENS
Epcot’s gardens are lovely year round, comprised of themed landscapes that are scrupulously maintained by more than 50 Disney gardeners.
A Quick Tour of Festival 2013
During the Flower & Garden Festival, however, Disney horticulturalists go above and beyond their usual best. The gardens are not simply gorgeous; they’re breathtakingly beautiful, with multiple flower towers, sweeping flowerbeds and other floral displays that consist of more than 30 million blossoms which gardeners change out twice to maintain consistent freshness and eye-popping color.
This year’s International Flower & Garden Festival offers more wonders than ever before, including 240 floating gardens and more topiaries than in any previous year—over 100.
**NEW ** Land of Oz Garden
NEW TOPIARIES 2013
Several new creations promise to be particularly outstanding: a topiary of Mike and Sully from the Disney/Pixar film Monsters Inc., a Phineas and Ferb topiary, a “fab five” Disney character topiary featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck enjoying a cookout by the park’s front entranceand, in Fawn’s Butterfly House on the Imagination Walkway, whimsical topiaries of Tinker Bell, Fawn, Vidia, Terrence and other denizens of Pixie Hollow.
NEW GARDENS 2013
Other features new for the 2013 festival include an interactive children’s garden/play area called the Land of Oz, which was inspired by Disney’s new film Oz the Great and Powerful, and nightly illuminated gardens set in Epcot’s Future World and World Showcase areas.
International Flower & Garden Festival 2013
OTHER STUFF
Dec. 2012 Epcot Map
LAKES, RESORTS & WATERSPORTS
Visitors to Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival won’t just get a view of gorgeous blossoms, clever topiaries and other fanciful gardening feats. They’ll also get a good look at several very pretty bodies of water, including Epcot Lake, named after its location, and Bay Lake, the Seven Seas Lagoon, World Showcase Lagoon and Lake Buena Vista.
Lake Buena Vista lies to the east of Epcot, right next to Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon lie to the northwest. A natural lake that was drained, cleaned and refilled early in the park’s history, Bay Lake now has a resort hotel and a campground on its shores.
A “water bridge” with an actual roadway beneath it connects Bay Lake to the Seven Seas Lagoon. The lagoon, a large, well-stocked, man-made body of water, fronts the Magic Kingdom, separating it from the park’s Transportation and Ticket Center.
To reach Disney World, visitors must cross the lagoon by ferry. Several resorts with large beaches sit along the Seven Seas Lagoon, each with marinas. For safety reasons, swimming is not allowed; however, boating and fishing are very popular there.
The World Showcase Lagoon is another man-made body of water located within Walt Disney World. It spans 40 acres. An enormous globe that lights up to reveal the earth’s continents is suspended above it, part of the “IllumiNations: Reflections of the Earth” display.
On the West Coast? Check out these Disneyland adventures.
- Unique Disneyland Shopping
There is a world of shopping at Disneyland beyond T-shirts and plush toys. Unique items are available throughout the Disneyland Resort for discriminating guests who prefer something more distinguished than mass-market produced souvenirs. - Disneyland's Hidden Gems
Hidden treasures lie tucked within Disneyland. Discover the history behind an exclusive club, two secret apartments and a unique railroad car. How many of these hidden gems do you know about?
Comments
Jill Spencer (author) from United States on April 01, 2013:
Oh my! How lucky you & your sister are. You'll have a do a hub about it, too! Thanks for stopping by! -Jill
Patricia Scott from North Central Florida on April 01, 2013:
I love this, Dirt Farmer. My sister and I go every year. It is amazing. Nobody does it like Disney.
Thanks for sharing.Sending Angels your way :) ps
Claudia Mitchell on March 25, 2013:
Would love to go to Disney during this festival. I've been other times and there gardens and flowers are always impressive so I cannot even imagine what the festival looks like. This is another reason to try and talk my husband into going back. My daughter is always ready.
Jill Spencer (author) from United States on March 15, 2013:
Hi Deb! I loved that Captain Hook video, too. The kid's face was priceless. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it. Take care, Jill
Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on March 15, 2013:
This is fabulous, Especially Captain Hook. Wow, I wish I could go, I am so overdue at Disney!
Jill Spencer (author) from United States on March 14, 2013:
Thanks, Miss Mellie! Appreciate it. I'll link yours to mine, too!--Jill
M.S. Ross on March 14, 2013:
Epcot's Int'l Flower & Garden Festival is always a breathtaking treat. Voted up, useful and interesting. I have also linked to this article from my piece on Disneyland's Hidden Gems. Nicely done!
