My favorite festival! The Taste of Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival has finally started! We were cheated last year, since Walt Disney World shut down just a couple of weeks after the festival started. This year things are modified, but there is still so much going on that you won’t feel like something is missing; except, of course, for the Garden Rocks concerts. Here are a few of the highlights for 2021.
The topiaries are more vivid than ever One of the fun parts of the Flower & Garden Festival is seeing all the topiaries. This year there are about two dozen to look for! There are classic characters such as Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, as well as newer additions like Remy. The topiaries offer so many fantastic picture opportunities. I always end up missing a topiary or two the first time I visit the festival. That’s why it’s a good idea to plan at least two days for this one, you don’t want to miss anything.
These will soon be butterflies The gardens have returned this year as well. These are a great way to see different types of plants, and learn something at the same time. The gardens are diverse, from bamboo to tea. There is plenty of information at each garden, you’ll be surprised by what you can learn. Don’t forget to spend some time in the Goodness Garden Butterfly House! It’s presented by GoGo Squeez, and it changes each time you visit. Seeing the new butterflies in the Butterfly House is one of my favorite things to do each year.
Yum! Make sure you arrive hungry, because there are approximately 20 Outdoor Kitchens! There are so many different choices that you won’t know where to start. You can find the menus here, or download the WDW Food&Wine app that I recently told you about. You’ll find it helpful at all four Epcot festivals. Garden Graze returns this year. Purchase five specific items and you will receive a sixth for free!
There’s plenty of entertainment, even without Garden Rocks While we don’t have Garden Rocks this year, there is still live entertainment. Voices of Liberty and Mariachi Cobre rotate in the America Gardens Theater. City Beautiful Bandstand will also be there on select days. For this, different local acts will bring their unique sounds to guests. You can find the schedule on the Walt Disney World website. You can also see the JAMMitors in Canada and the Pianist in World Showplace throughout the festival.
Find Spike, win a prize! Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration is a scavenger hunt that is for kids of all ages. I love this one because it gives you an opportunity to explore the gardens, since that’s where Spike is hiding. Spike is also adorable. Egg-stravaganza Scavenger Hunt will begin on March 19, and will continue while supplies last. For either scavenger hunt you will purchase a map and then receive a prize once you are done.
It’s going to be a Tigger-ific festival! The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is my favorite of the four annual festivals at Epcot. This year it runs through July 5! I’ll miss the concerts, but there is still plenty to do. Walt Disney World has done a fantastic job with the other three festivals. Guests are able to safely visit and still enjoy most of what makes the festivals so special. It’s going to be a great four months.