NEWS: New Additions Coming to the 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

The EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival is returning on March 1, 2023, and Disney has released information about new additions coming to the festival. Learn more below.

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Anede Siffort:

There is nothing lovelier than springtime at Walt Disney World! The days get longer, the weather warms up, and colorful flowers bloom across the landscape. And one of the best places to experience spring for yourself is at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Beginning March 1 and continuing through July 5, this stunning festival features alluring gardens, whimsical topiaries, lively entertainment, beautiful merchandise, and delightfully fresh cuisine.

Today, I have exciting news to share. For the first time, topiaries of Mirabel, Antonio, Isabela, and Luisa from Disney’s “Encanto” will make a grand appearance at the festival. Located near the EPCOT main entrance, these new topiaries are sure to be a must-do photo moment to mark your visit. (But remember: We don’t talk about Bruno.)

And that’s not all. A new Princess Tiana topiary will grace The American Adventure. Plus, we also have returning favorites such as Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs; Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook and Tick Tock Croc; Figment; Anna and Elsa; and more.

The popular Garden Rocks Concert Series is back, featuring favorite tunes at the America Gardens Theatre. More details about the musical lineup will be released soon on the Disney Parks Blog.

Get your taste buds ready; you’re in for a treat! More than 15 Outdoor Kitchens will offer specialty menus of scrumptious cuisine and beverages. One of my favorites is The Citrus Blossom which will move to a new location at Odyssey. With fresh new menu items, you’ll want to sample all the mouth-watering delights.

Of course, you can commemorate your visit with official ‘70’s inspired Orange Bird merchandise, including apparel, headwear, drinkware and much more.

Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration will have people abuzz again. This springtime scavenger hunt is fun for all ages. Follow Spike the Bee on his pollination trail, where he will “bee” busy collecting nectar and pollinating gardens at EPCOT. Once you find him in each garden on your map, add the corresponding sticker of the plant he is visiting.

On the bridge to World Showcase, you can enjoy the sights and scents of spring with Blossoms of Fragrance presented by Scentsy. Surrounded by vibrant butterfly topiaries, guests will be invited to follow their noses to six scent stations—to form lasting memories with the help of unforgettable aromas.

To experience the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, you must have both valid admission and a park reservation for EPCOT on the same date.

RELATED ARTICLE: 8 Things We Love About the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival at Disney World

by DW Noonan

Epcot now hosts four fabulous festivals every year, drawing countless visitors to celebrate those seasons with special programming. Many events and activities return to Epcot every year, but festival planners also like to create new things for visitors to enjoy. This spring, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival runs from March 1 to July 5, 2023. There are a lot of things about the Flower and Garden Festival, but the following eight top the list.

8 – The Weather

While the days in Florida generally range from warm to hot all year long, the springtime days perfectly fall in the middle with temperatures averaging in the mid-70s to low 80s. During the festival, you’re not likely to suffer from relentless heat beating down upon you or cool breezes giving you the shivers. Also, Florida’s dry season occurs from March to May, meaning that during the festival, you’ll usually find clear skies, low humidity, and not much precipitation. These nearly perfect days enhance your experience of the blossoming flowers of Epcot. Any summer guest at Walt Disney World has certainly endured sweltering humidity and heavy thunderstorms that drive them indoors, but we love the fact that we can avoid them during most of the Flower and Garden Festival.

7 – The Floral Variety

The diversity of flowers that Disney horticulturalists display during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is mind staggering. Disney achieves this through intensive preparation that requires more than a year of work and around 24,000 cast members. The stunning colors draw a multitude of pollen-carrying insects, melodious songbirds, and photo-snapping humans to the festival. Be sure to bring a quality camera to capture the spectacular images that you’re not likely to find elsewhere.

6 – The Fragrances

Naturally, the great floral variety will produce the most pleasant aromas you’ll ever smell. Delight your olfactory senses with fragrances from over 30 million blooms as you stroll through lively gardens, linger among the flower towers, and visit purple martin and butterfly habitats. The experience draws you closer to nature and helps you to appreciate all the tools that flowers employ to attract insects to carry their pollen. Festival attendees love the freshness of nature’s perfume, and you’ll be sure to enjoy it, as well.

5 – The Gardening Tips

There are many gardens to explore throughout all of Epcot. Here you’ll find gardening tips on the various signs throughout the gardens. Use what you learn to plant your first garden or to improve your current gardening skills.

4 – The Scavenger Hunts

Special themed scavenger hunts encourage guests to explore the festival and provide a fun way for families and friends to spend their day at the park.

• Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration – Gardeners of all ages follow Spike on his pollination trail, where he will be busy as a bee collecting nectar and pollinating gardens throughout EPCOT. (Map purchase required, available while supplies last at select retail locations.)
• Egg-stravaganza Scavenger Hunt – Guests set out on a delightful hunt across the park for decorative eggs inspired by Disney characters. (Map purchase required, available while supplies last at select retail locations for a limited time.)
• Garden Graze – Guests who purchase five festival menu items from select locations receive a complimentary commemorative keepsake; guests can pick up a Festival Passport to get started.

3 – The Character Topiaries

By far, we find the topiaries created for the Flower and Garden Festival to be nothing short of amazing. Disney’s horticulturalists become plant sculptors as they transform shrubbery into three-dimensional depictions of popular Disney movie characters. The staple characters appear all over the place, but the festival planners also add new characters and motifs each year. You’ll see everything from Anna and Elsa to Winnie the Pooh, so make sure you snap lots of photos of these incredible topiaries to add to your vacation albums and scrapbooks.

2 – The Outdoor Kitchens

Disney vacationers love Epcot for its variety of cuisine and libations. During the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, the diversity of food and drink increases with the installment of booths around the World Showcase. These Outdoor Kitchens feature garden-fresh-inspired food and craft brews, ciders, and wines from the nations and regions represented. These creative recipes extend beyond the already delicious cuisine at each pavilion, so you’re bound to find something new. The Outdoor Kitchens serve as reason enough to love the festival, especially for foodies.

1 – The Music

The Garden Rocks Concert Series is back in 2023, and we’re so excited! While the band lineup has not been released, we know some favorites will return.