EPCOT’s International Flower & Garden Festival

In 1994, Disney’s EPCOT kicked off a modest garden-themed event that now, 30 years later, has turned into one of the most sought after annual events at Disney.

EPCOT’s International Flower & Garden Festival (which the event was eventually named) is hosted from late February to late May. And during this time, guests visiting EPCOT will have the opportunity to not only ride well-known attractions like Test Track and Soarin’, but they will also have the chance to see amazing topiaries, gardens and flower displays all around the park.

The festival also offers 20+ specialty food kiosks throughout the park featuring fresh fare to please all palates. The food kiosks are definitely a great way to sample smaller, tasting-size portions of traditional comfort foods with a twist (ie hot dog with spicy pineapple chutney, chicken and waffles, etc) and more daring items like a fruit loops shake or braised oxtail with pigeon pea rice. But while the kiosks are fun and tasty, lines can be long and many (if not all) items are way over priced – even by Disney standards.

But really, the true stars of this show are the flower-themed displays that create a pretty substantial buzz on their own.

This year marks EPCOT’s 30th anniversary of the event – which I’ve had the great fortune to attend several times over the years, including this week. Given it is a milestone year for the event, I was surprised that the achievement was not promoted more in the usual Disney Way- but maybe guests are still burned out on what seemed to be a never-ending promotion of Disney World’s 50th anniversary.

Nonetheless, this year’s festival showcases 29 topiary displays featuring over 50 topiaries including returning favorites like Figment, Winnie the Pooh and friends, and Beauty and the Beast, and new topiaries of Miguel and Dante from Coco and Groot from the Guardians movie series.

Guests will also have the chance to walk through and experience 25+ global gardens celebrating the ways we can live in harmony with the natural world. From simple flower gardens to exotic bamboo, orchid and bonsai exhibits, the botanical experiences (and aromas) are incredible and they offer a welcome respite from the long lines.