The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, an annual Walt Disney World event, offers gardeners and those with an appreciation for Disney’s green spaces and topiaries to soak in the sun and sights. Guests can tour Epcot Flower & Garden displays, attend special gardening seminars and presentations, and enjoy free musical concerts.
The festival, now in its 18th year, runs 75 days and takes place March 2 – May 15, 2011. Admission to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is free with theme-park admission.
The festival showcases some of the delights of Disney’s horticultural and landscaping designs. More than 100 Disney character topiaries, the largest collection in the world, are located throughout Epcot. The topiaries include a number of familiar names, from Mickey and Minnie to Buzz and Woody to Cinderella and Belle.
Many guests have a favorite topiary or area of the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. What's yours? Leave a comment below.
New to 2011 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
Disney welcomes HGTV as a sponsor for the festival the first time in Flower & Garden’s history. As part of the sponsorship, HGTV design stars will make weekend appearances and headline presentations.
See this article: HGTV to sponsor Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Disney World.
HGTV will also present a Sustainable Beauty Garden that offers guests ideas for home gardens.
The 2011 Epcot Flower & Garden will showcase an expanded Butterfly House. Called Bambi Butterfly House, the family-friendly attraction will be located along Imagination Walkway by Innoventions West in Future World. The Butterfly House includes up to 1,000 butterflies and 10 native species. This marks first time the structure has been expanded since it was introduced in 2005.
Featured topiaries and displays at 2011 Epcot Flower & Garden
Featured at Epcot’s front entrance will be topiaries based on “Toy Story 3” characters, including Woody, Buzz, and a strawberry-scented Lotso (a.k.a. Lots-o-Huggin’ Bear). These seven- to eight-feet tall topiaries serve as the informal ambassadors to the festival. Their presence marks the first time the “Toy Story” have been featured at Flower and Garden.
Disney-Pixar is also represented by the “Cars 2” display at the World Showcase Plaza, featuring floral topiaries of “Cars” characters Mater and Lightning McQueen under a checkered flag.
Fans of a Winnie the Pooh should visit wildflower display between Future World and World Showcase, which will display topiaries of the famous bear, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and other friends from a Hundred Acre Wood. The display promotes the “Winnie the Pooh” movie that will be released summer 2011.
Disney’s “Tangled” is also represented, between Germany and Italy in the World Showcase, with the Tangled Magical Garden and Rapunzel’s Tower.
Download the 2011 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival guide.
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – fun flower and plant facts
In addition to the topiaries, there are millions of flowers –more than 30 million during the festival – as well as more than 500,000 plants, trees and shrubs. The latter represent 60 different species of tress, 47 types of palms and 48 varieties of bedding plants. The displays are designed to offer everything from sprawling flower beds to “flower towers” to mini water-gardens, something for every gardening and landscaping taste.
Guests can expect each World Showcase country to offer something special for the festival. For instance, France offers the heady sensation of its Guerlain Fragrance Garden, offer guests a whiff of the relationship between plants and perfume. More than 15 floral, herbal and spice ingredients of popular fragrances are represented. And Japan’s contribution to Flower & Garden features the art of bonsai at the pavilion’s vermilion torii gate.
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – presentations and entertainment
In addition to seeing the sights, guests can participate in workshops, attend demonstrations and enjoy special entertainment.
The Festival Center not only offers festival merchandise, but is the spot for guests who want to attend workshops and demonstrations that provide ideas and insights from master gardeners, landscapers and designers.
The Disney Gardening at Home presentations are led by Disney horticulturists, who offer gardening tips and direct guests in a hands-on, take-home activities.
Musical Entertainment is included with Flower and Garden through the Flower Power Concerts series that take place at the America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase. The shows take place three times each Friday, Saturday and Sunday night of the Flower and Garden. Performing artists are pop stars from the ‘’60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
See this article: 2011 Flower Power Concerts series.
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival for kids
In addition to the many Disney character topiaries that delight kids of all ages, Flower & Garden brings back Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden in 2011, offering small size topiaries, house and other props that represent the world of Tinker Bell and her friends from the “Pixie Hollow” DVD series. For the first time, Disney Fairies will be on hand in the garden to pose for pictures and sign autographs.
Near the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden will be a play area for young children (ages 2-5).
2011 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival Celebration Weekends
During Flower & Garden, some weekends have special themes and events. In 2011, the events include:
- Art in the Garden, a celebration of plein air artists – March 25-27
- Fresh from Florida Farmer’s Market – April 29-May 1;
- Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and Guerlain’s Enchanted Gardens events – May 6-8; and
- Disney-Pixar weekend will promote “Cars 2,” due to be released June 24 – May 13-15.
More information about the 18th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available online or by calling Walt Disney World Resort at 407/W-DISNEY (407-934-7639).
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Comments
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is quite a visual delight. I hope to get to attend it one day.
I would love to see the "Tangled" Magical Garden and Rapunzel's Tower. Last year's Snow White and Lion King creations were incredible.
Incredible - each year seems to out do the last.
I just got back and I LOVED IT! Here's my photojournal of the day and a half we spent there (I could have done 2 more days - I missed so much!)
http://www.miscfinds4u.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/24/dont-miss-the-epcot...
Your photos are quite lovely! I loved the rich colors founc in the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival that you captured, as well as your angles. I think I could learn a lot from your examples for future Disney trips. Thanks for sharing!
I really love to read this post and I am glad to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Thanks and Regards
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