Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival 2016: New and Expanded

Epcot’s 2016 International Flower & Garden Festival is celebrating its 23^rd season by expanding from 75 to 90 days and featuring new culinary offerings, beautiful floral displays, dazzling topiary creations, and the Garden Rocks concert series. The event takes place March 2 – May 30, 2016.

The 2016 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival will feature some new events and attractions to go along with the tried and true favorites. If you thought Epcot was beautiful before, just wait until you see it during the annual Flower & Garden Festival.

Culinary creations at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival 2016

• The festival’s Outdoor Kitchens will transport guests to the Caribbean at the new La Isla Fresca, which will include flavors such as Jamaican Braised Beef with Pigeon-Pea Rice and Jerk-Spiced Grouper or Chicken with Mango Salsa.
• The new Cider House will feature a Field Greens Salad with greens harvested from The Land pavilion as well as heirloom apples, Stilton cheese, and dried blueberries. This dish pairs well with a blueberry hard cider from Plant City, Florida.
• A variety of new food and beverage options will debut at the festival’s 11 other Outdoor Kitchens, which include Urban Farm Eats, Pineapple Promenade, Fleur de Lys, Florida Fresh, Taste of Marrakesh, Hanami, THE SMOKEHOUSE: Barbecue and Brews, Primavera Kitchen, Lotus House, Bauernmarkt, and Jardin de fiestas.

Topiaries at the 23^rd Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

• The first ever Huey, Dewey, and Louie topiaries – along with Donald and Daisy – will feature floral interpretations inspired by a 1943 Donald Duck comic book called “The Victory Garden.” This display will be presented at the Epcot front entrance garden.
• On the south side of Spaceship Earth, Disney gardeners will paint the landscape with a Floral Sun Garden and yellow “sunbursts” will sprout in a new Future World topiary garden that features Minnie Mouse and Pluto.
• Anna and Elsa arrive at Epcot in topiary form at the Norway pavilion. In addition, nearly 100 topiary characters will animate the Epcot landscape surrounded by themed gardens featuring herbs, peppers, orchids, and more.
• At night, the gardens and topiaries will shine with twinkling lights.

Music, gardens, and hands-on fun at Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival

• A new hands-on Music Garden Melodies musical playground will debut at the 2016 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. It will feature “band leader” Mickey Mouse along with Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck topiaries. The playground will have interactive drums, chimes, and xylophones to allow children to create their own musical sounds. There will be interactive outdoor climbing systems outfitted with safe but challenging net-based structures. Music-themed plants add harmony to this fun and inspiring play area.
• The Cactus Road Rally play garden returns with Disney/Pixar best buds Mater and Lightning McQueen in topiary form.
• A new edible flower garden by The Land pavilion will showcase petals that please the palate.
• The Butterflies on the Go garden will return to tell the story of the monarch butterfly’s epic journey across the continent. It will feature butterflies emerging from their chrysalises.
• Each weekend of Epcot’s 2016 Flower and Garden Festival, guests can dig in for a complimentary hands-on gardening seminar experience, and create a take-home souvenir or grab a seat to hear tips from experts on a broad range of horticultural topics. The center also offers signature festival merchandise, food, and beverages.
• Forty 8-to-10-foot tall Disney-crafted flower towers and sweeping beds of multi-colored blooms add to the floral splendor of the park’s landscape. At least 70,000 bedding plants will surround the Future World east and west lakes alone. On the water, more than 200 mini gardens will be set afloat.

Fun Fresh Weekends at Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival

Special themed weekends throughout the course of the festival will add fun and a touch of art and nature.

• Art in the Garden Weekend (April 1-3) Nature is the main subject as the works of plein air artists are displayed.
• Family Fun Weekend (April 8-10) – This new themed weekend presents outdoor activities for everyone to enjoy as well as a Festival Center focus on bugs with Disney’s Animal Kingdom specialists.
• Earth Day Weekend (April 22-24) – Celebrate our planet with special appearances and activities.
• Florida Fresh Weekend (April 29-May 1) – From Apalachicola to Zellwood, Florida’s edible bounty is the main focus of this delicious weekend.

Garden Rocks concert series

The Garden Rocks concert series presents pop bands with music that spans four decades. This year’s Epcot concert series kicks off on March 4-6 with The Orchestra, which stars former members of ELO. New to the festival are Darlene Love, Georgia Satellites and Bad Company staring Brian Howe. Other musical acts include the Village People, Little River Band, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Night Ranger, and Gin Blossoms. Concerts are free with park admission and take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at the America Gardens Theatre.

For more information on the 2016 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, please click right here or call (407)WDISNEY (934-7639).