Every spring, Epcot hosts the International Flower & Garden Festival for about three months. Sundance Vacations has luxury accommodations for your home away from home while visiting Orlando. This year the 27th annual International Flower & Garden Festival will run from March 4th throughout June 1st. This popular event shows off over 100 beautiful Disney character topiaries from one end of the park to the other, and shows off more than 30 million blooms. You will get to see larger than life sized Disney characters made from stunning shrubs and flower arrangements in full bloom. There will be about 700 gardens to walk around and enjoy. Make sure you pack your camera because you can get up close and personal to nearly 1,000 butterflies in the screened in butterfly house. There, you will get to view hundreds of different butterfly species and the butterflies may even land on you! If you are into gardening, there will also be more than 130 different gardening and home improvement related shows, demonstrations and presentations to learn expert tips and tricks to make your garden look stunning at home.
You can explore ‘Spikes Pollen Nation Exploration’ trail and take part in an exciting scavenger hunt! The map to play along can be purchased at the port of entry. Spike, the honey bee is featured at each and every garden. You will need to pay close attention and search for him to find the plant he has pollinated. Once you find him, add the special sticker to your map from that garden. If you fill up your map with all the stickers, you can return it and get a special spring-time surprise!
This year you will also get to experience the debut of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad in Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
Did you know that Disney offers guided tours of the International Flower & Garden Festival? They offer 4 different guided tours including: The Royal Tea Garden Tour, Behind the seeds, The Gardens of the World Tour and The English Tea Garden Presented by Twinings of London.
‘The Royal Tea Garden Tour’ starts at 9:30 am, an hour and a half earlier than the doors open to the public. You will get to explore an elegant tea garden in great detail, and you will learn a little history about growing and making tea. How cool? You might even get to sample some scones and tea at the end too!
‘Behind the Seeds’ is a unique one-hour experience where you will get to visit the 4 greenhouses and on-site fish farm. You will get to see the fish during feeding time and view gigantic fruits and veggies. If you ride Living with the Land, you will get a glimpse of what you will experience on the Behind the Seeds tour.
‘The Gardens of the World Tour’ is a small guided walking tour and lasts more than 3 hours. You will experience some behind the scenes action, and get expert advice from the tour guide. You will learn more about the gardens, and learn ways to make your garden at home better than ever.
‘The English Tea Garden Presented by Twinings of London’ is a quick, elegant tour showing off the tea-flavoring plants and lasts about 20 minutes.
You will also get to enjoy music from the Garden Rocks Concert Series every night in the America Gardens Theatre. The shows will be featuring former Journey lead singer Steve Augeri, Sister Hazel, Lonestar, Marshall Tucker Band and Air supply just to name a few. The Garden Rocks concerts are going to be bigger and better this year. They will be playing every night, they expanded the concerts and they will host more than 250 concerts over the three-month span.
The Garden Rocks concerts are 7 nights a week at 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm and 8:00 pm.
MARCH
Peabo Bryson – NEW!
March 4 and 5
The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
March 6 through 9
The Guess Who
March 10 through 12
Simple Plan
March 13 through 16
STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
March 17 through 19
Mark Wills – NEW!
March 20 through 23
The Spinners
March 24 through 26
Sister Hazel
March 27 and 28
The Pointer Sisters
March 29 and 30
Steve Augeri – Former Lead Vocalist of Journey
March 31 through April 2
APRIL
Blood, Sweat & Tears
April 3 and 4
Expose’
April 5 and 6
Berlin
April 7 through 9
A Flock of Seagulls
April 10 and 11
Tony Orlando
April 14 through 16
High Valley – NEW!
April 17 and 18
Rick Springfield
April 19 and 20
Christopher Cross
April 21 through 23
Plain White T’s
April 24 through 27
Don Felder – Formerly of The Eagles
April 28 through 30
MAY
Don McLean – NEW!
May 1 and 2
Casting Crowns – NEW!
May 3 and 4
Ambrosia with Peter Beckett
May 5 through 7
Thelma Houston – NEW!
May 8 and 9
The Allman Betts Band – NEW!
May 10 and 11
Air Supply
May 12 through 14
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
May 15 through 18
Mike DelGuidice & Big Shot – NEW!
May 19 through 21
Claudia Leitte – NEW!
May 22 and 23
Daughtry – NEW!
May 24 and 25
Marshall Tucker Band
May 26 through 28
Crowder – NEW!
May 29 and 30
Survivor
May 31 and June 1
All entertainment is subject to change without notice.
Outdoor Kitchens:
There are many outdoor kitchens with a few brand-new kitchens that made their debut in 2019 and will make their first appearance this year in 2020. The International Flower and Garden Festival offers a variety of different food and beverages to enjoy. The best part of the outdoor food areas is the Disney dining plan is accepted. Each kitchen has a specific food and beverage menu. Here are a few of the International Flower & Garden Festival’s crowd favorites.
Magnolia Terrace- NEW for 2020!
The Magnolia Terrace is new for 2020! They are inspired by foods from the Gulf region and they have many delicious items to choose from. Here you can find a Southern Seafood Boil with Mussels, Crawfish, Potatoes, Corn and Sausage, a Pecan Praline or sample a unique beer flight. Either way you look, this new kitchen will have something to satisfy your taste buds!
Northern Bloom-Canada-
You can enjoy beef tenderloin tips served with a mushroom bordelaise sauce, whipped potatoes and garden vegetables. The Northern Bloom has a maple popcorn shake with Crown Royal Maple whisky too!
The Honey Bee-stro Hosted by National Honey Board-
Enjoy a number of different honey-themed dishes, like the Local wildflower Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake with orange blossom honey Ice cream, garnished with fennel pollen meringue kisses, and a delicious honey-peach cobbler freeze with blueberry vodka.
La Isla Fresca-World showcase Promenade-
La Isla Fresca has a Caribbean conch salad with mango, papaya and pickled red onions. This salad pairs great with their tropical freeze with Cruzan mango rum.
Pineapple Promenade-
Featuring a spicy hot dog with pineapple chutney and plantain chips and Pineapple Promenade’s soft serve ice cream, along with a number of refreshing desserts.
Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market-
The warm cheese Strudel with mixed berries is a crowd pleaser at Bauermark: Farmer’s Market. They also have 4 beverages to choose from, or you can simply try them all with the purchase of a beer flight.
(The 2020 menus have not been released yet)
Primavera Kitchen- Italy-
If you love lobster ravioli, this is the place you will want to try. The Primavera Kitchen was serving a Maine lobster ravioli with vodka sauce. They also have your traditional wines to sip and enjoy with your pasta dishes.
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Carts Specialty Festival Offerings-
Featuring 4 different beverage carts like the Disney Traders Port of Entry Coffee Cart which has the Garden of Guava, is a frozen pink guava topped with rum or vodka. Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Carts has something for everyone.
Click here for a complete list of menus and food photos!
The Garden Rocks Dining Packages include reserved seating and scrumptious breakfast, lunch and dinner dining packages at a number of different pavilions throughout Epcot. Almost everything in the festival is included with regular Epcot admission prices. Aside from the food of course. Each dining package includes an appetizer, entree and dessert or 1 full buffet or family style dining, one non-alcoholic beverage and one guaranteed seat to the Garden Rocks Concert held on the same day.
Participating restaurants include:
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – Norway
Breakfast: $63.00 for adults; $38.00 for kids
Lunch: $73.00 for adults; $44.00 for kids
Dinner: $73.00 for adults; $44.00 for kids
Biergarten Restaurant – Germany
Lunch: $55.00 for adults; $31.00 for kids
Dinner: $55.00 for adults; $31.00 for kids
Chefs de France – France
Lunch: $72.00 for adults; $19.00 for kids
Dinner: $80.00 for adults; $25.00 for kids
Coral Reef Restaurant – The Living Seas
Lunch: $67.00 for adults; $22.00 for kids
Dinner: $67.00 for adults; $22.00 for kids
The Garden Grill Restaurant – The Land
Breakfast $49.00 for adults; $30.00 for kids (buffet not available)
Lunch: $63.00 for adults; $38.00 for kids
Dinner: $63.00 for adults; $38.00 for kids
La Hacienda de San Angel – Mexico
Dinner: $82.00 for adults; $25.75 for kids
Nine Dragons Restaurant – China
Lunch: $50.00 for adults; $16.99 for kids
Dinner: $58.00 for adults; $18.50 for kids
Restaurant Marrakesh – Morocco
Lunch: $52.00 for adults; $19.00 for kids
Dinner: $63.00 for adults; $19.00 for kids
Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room – United Kingdom
Lunch: $57.00 for adults; $21.00 for kids
Dinner: $57.00 for adults; $21.00 for kids
San Angel Inn Restaurante – Mexico
Lunch: $70.00 for adults; $23.00 for kids
Dinner: $80.00 for adults; $25.75 for kids
Spice Road Table – Morocco
Lunch: $52.00 for adults; $19.00 for kids
Dinner: $63.00 for adults; $19.00 for kids
Teppan Edo – Japan
Lunch: $65.00 for adults; $20.50 for kids
Dinner: $78.00 for adults; $23.50 for kids
Tokyo Dining – Japan
Lunch: $65.00 for adults; $20.50 for kids
Dinner: $78.00 for adults; $23.50 for kids
Tutto Italia Ristorante –
Lunch: $64.00 for adults; $22.00 for kids
Dinner: $70.00 for adults; $25.00 for kids
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria –
Lunch: $54.00 for adults; $20.00 for kids
Dinner: $57.00 for adults; $24.00 for kids
If you are in Florida during March 4th through June 1st, I highly recommend checking the International Flower and Garden Festival out. The Festival is included with the regular Epcot admission price. There is literally something for everyone, from young kids to Grandparents. Getting to see Epcot in full bloom is a unique experience which will remain a lasting memory for years to come. There are photo opportunities everywhere you look throughout the park. You won’t want to miss out on this festival.
Five Fun facts about the International Flower & Garden Festival:
- Did you know that the Mike and Sully themed playground is named one of the biggest gardens at Epcot and weighs a whopping 4,300 pounds!
- Elsa and Anna stand at about 6’ 5” tall!
- The Festival not only showcases over 30 million flowers, it also shows off more than 50 different types of trees and almost 50 different types of plants.
- The Festival takes more than 1 year to put together, and more than 20,000 cast members help make this festival a reality.
- The 2019 Garden Rocks Concert Series was bigger and better than ever before. There were 30 different artists performing every evening throughout the three-month span.
If you’re looking for luxurious accommodations, check out Sundance Vacations. We can help you plan the perfect vacation to Orlando. We have over 50 different luxurious Resorts throughout the Orlando and Kissimmee area. The resorts are conveniently located minutes away from the Disney parks. Our travelers love to stay at our Vacation Internationale Cypress Pointe Resort. This resort has a Caribbean-like style and is the ideal vacation location in Orlando. This Resort will be sure to help you relax after spending a long day walking around Epcot’s International Flower & garden show.
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