Spring has sprung at EPCOT! The park is celebrating the 30th edition of its International Flower & Garden Festival, running now through June 2nd. Around these central Florida parts, this fest is the reason for the springtime season, with sweeping gardens full of beautiful blooms, familiar-faced topiaries, and fresh dishes to please any palette. While we have another solid two and a half months(!!) more of this seasonal fest, the DIS Unlimited recently stopped by EPCOT for our first day to take it all in. Here are a few highlights I’ve discovered so far, and that you shouldn’t miss on your upcoming Walt Disney World trip!
Gardens, Topiaries, & Butterflies, Oh My!
Every year, EPCOT’s horticulture team showcases their finest work at the Flower & Garden Festival. Stunning topiaries of beloved characters spring to life, offering fantastic photo ops. In addition to some familiar favorites from the last few F&G festivals, catch the new Moana-themed topiary at the park’s entrance, the return of Phineas & Ferb, and a fresh, colorful garden celebrating Inside Out 2.
Returning favorites include Buzz Lightyear near Mission: Space, and Peter Pan in the U.K. pavilion:
Figment can be found within the new World Celebration area, just behind Spaceship Earth:
Snow White and all seven dwarfs are on display in Germany, along the World Showcase Lagoon. I just love how appropriately detailed each of their faces are!
Coco‘s Miguel & Dante return to the Mexico pavilion near the Odyssey:
You cannot miss the large Encanto topiary display on your way into the World Showcase Promenade.
Miss Piggy & Kermit are a consistently popular photo-op, located between Morocco and France.
For a full list of this year’s Flower & Garden topiaries, see here!
And you don’t want to miss Butterfly Landing, located near Imagination! and the Land pavilions. This is where you can observe many species of butterflies up close as they fly around and sometimes land on you! If you’re lucky, you may catch some butterflies beginning to emerge from their cocoons. As you plan your Flower & Garden day, keep in mind this offering does close at dusk.
Fresh & Favorite Foods (So Far…)
We’ve all heard of Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club resorts, but have you heard of the Yacht & Beach GRUB food booths? More on those below… With so many Flower & Garden festival booths to choose from, it’s tough to narrow down exactly which stops you should prioritize. I’ll be back with more food recs as I visit the festival over the coming weeks, but for now, here are some of my “best of the fest” selections!
Trio of Dips & Chips from Yacht Grub | $6.50 | Caramelized onion dip, whipped feta dip, and pimento cheese with house-made potato chips and caviar.
Two words: elevated. picnic. These dips are served with crisp house-made chips, and caviar atop the caramelized onion dip. How fancy! We couldn’t get enough of each of these creamy, savory dips, and quickly ran out of chips between the four of us. I will be ordering these on each 2025 festival visit!
S’mores Bar from Beach Grub | $5.50 | Fudge brownie, dark chocolate, toasted meringue, and smoked graham cracker
I do wish this s’mores treat had a bit more marshmallow, but I was pleasantly surprised with the soft cake-like brownie consistency, and the crunch of the toasted graham cracker. It does actually possess a campfire-like taste… which is better than it sounds. Bonus points if you let this one sit in the hot sun for a few minutes for that melted effect. Who doesn’t like their s’more a little “overdone”?
Chicken & Waffles from Honey Bee-Stro | $7 | Crispy chicken and a sweet honey-jalapeño-bacon cornbread waffle with whipped honey butter and spicy honey
This is a returning dish that makes for an easy, more hearty offering to consume as you prep for the rest of your trek around World Showcase. I especially love splitting this one with a friend. Between the hot honey, whipped honey butter, and jalapeño, bacon & corn-filled waffle, it packs a flavorful, comfort food-style punch.
Jamaican Beef Patty from Refreshment Outpost | $6.75 | Featuring IMPOSSIBLE beef with spicy papaya syrup
Between the oversized “Zebra Dome” from Food & Wine, and the tasty peanut stew from Festival of the Holidays, the festival offerings from Refreshment Outpost have been surprising us lately! Add this beef patty to the list. This is a well-seasoned hunk of Impossible beef that could have fooled us into believing it was actual meat. The curry-spiced pocket was unique and flavorful as well, while the spicy papaya syrup balanced out the savory meat with a small kick of sweet heat. Don’t pass this one up!
Favorite Merch Finds
Be sure to catch the DIS Unlimited’s video to catch the new festival-exclusive merchandise, including some adorable Orange Bird pieces. (I do really wish they would bring the Orange Bird’s namesake treat, the Citrus Swirl, back to Magic Kingdom or on a limited basis for this festival at the very least!)
I also spotted some take-home (or to ship back home) grow-your-own Mickey Mouse topiaries, an obvious choice for the ultimate Flower & Garden Festival souvenir.
As flowers bloom and tasty festival dishes are served fresh, the Flower & Garden Festival at EPCOT is the perfect place to let your imagination and senses blossom. Whether you’re snapping photos with your favorite topiaries or soaking in the vibrant colors and fragrant blooms, it’s an experience you won’t want to miss. See you in the garden!
