2015 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival | 10 Must Sees – The best of the most popular Walt Disney World spring events 2015! This post is sponsored by Walt Disney World. All magical opinions are my own.
2015 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival | 10 Must Sees #FreshEpcot
86 topiaries. Half a million piece of flora. The fresh food. The smells, colors and flavors of Spring.
The 2015 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival is here from March 4th through May 17th and I was able to get a sneak peek of the best of this season. And trust me, Epcot is blooming BIG things for this Spring! Here are my 10 must sees of the 2015 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival:
1. New “Frozen” Inspired Topiaries
For the first time in forever (clever, right?), Anna and Elsa will grace the stage at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. And the scene could not be set more perfectly. Icy white and silver blooms of delphinium, alyssum and other flowers highlight the hold-your-breath final scene of the movie. Then watch as the magic of Disney transforms the landscape to a brilliant spring palette featuring Gerbera daisies, petunias, Sweet William and other flora. A mysterious Elsa and a giddy Anna, these topiaries are flawless works of art. Seriously the highlight of my visit, I could sit and stare at these pristine topiaries for a lifetime. A perfect addition to an epic 2015.
2. Urban Farm Eats
A modern art piece, “Urban Farm Eats” this garden by far is my favorite. New for 2015, you are instantly surrounded by garden inspiration and beauty. Leave feeling serene, motivated and hungry, this garden is full of great gardening ideas for your on home. Food growing fresh from a milk crate, palettes and beautiful pyramids of art, Disney hopes to to inspire you to create an edible garden in every type of living space. The crowning jewel is the hydroponics system in the center, with tilapia feeding the plants and the plants feeding the fish.
3. Cactus Road Rally
Given an update for 2015, here you will find one of the favorite gardens for the littles. A loveable Mater returns as well as an updated playground, color schemed to fit the new Cactus/Southwest feel. Notice all of the amazing new succulents in this area (inspired by the Cars movie), with the most prickly ones in a gated section (let’s keep those kids safe). Fun little pun for this year, keep a look our for a bunch of “radiators” in the garden as well. Radiator Springs, get it?
4. Butterfly Garden
Back by popular demand for 2015, the Butterfly Garden is also getting a little bit of a makeover. Guests will appreciate the larger walkways this year. And did you know that Disney receives about 1,000 new butterflies per week? Be sure to stay and watch the butterflies emerge from the chrysalis houses (a beautiful teachable moment with the kids), with an average of about 30 new butterflies transforming each day. Worried about escapees? Disney intentionally uses local butterflies only. A Disney Flower & Garden insider tip, come towards the last days of the festival to see chrysalises hanging from the tops of the draped netting.
5. Mike & Sully’s Monstrous Garden
Parents, be warned. Your kids will not want to leave this area. 2 new play sets for 2015 are being added this year to the Monsters U play garden, but with an amazing Disney twist. Inspired by the movie, each playground contains the iconic blue and green colors as well as fun “monster” sized surprises at every corner. I love that there’s both a big kid and little kid playground in this area, a great spot for an afternoon break. And be sure to grab pics with the stunning Mike and Sully topiaries.
6. Farmer Mickey and Minnie
One of the best photo ops of the Flower & Garden Festival, be sure to check out the amazing Farmer Mickey and Minnie topiaries between Future World and the World Showcase. Framed with the iconic Spaceship Earth in the background and surrounded by amazing flora, families will love taking home this priceless memory.
7. New Delectable Dishes to Enjoy
Let’s chat about the food, because this year it is amazing. A new Botanas Botanico Outdoor Kitchen will debut this year between the Morocco and France Pavilions I got to taste 11 new dishes for the 2015 Flower & Garden Festival, each bite more delicious than the last. Here’s some of my faves:
Quinoa Vegetable “Naanwich” with Arugula Pesto and Oven-Dried Tomatoes (my favorite new dish)
Located: Urban Farm Eats
Coconut Tres Leches
Located: Botanas Botanico
Kale Salad with Dried Cherries, Almonds and Goat Cheese with a While Balsamic Vinaigrette (I am not a salad fan, but this one was absolutely delicious)
Located: Urban Fresh Eats
Beef Brisket with Burnt Ends Hash with White Cheddar Fondue and Pickled Jalapenos
Located: The Smokehouse Barbeque and Brews
Macaron Guimauve à la Fraise, a Strawberry Marshmallow Macaron
Located: Fleur de Lys
Florida Blueberry and Lemon Curd Tart
Located: Florida Fresh
8. 10 New Gardens to Explore
Disney did not disappoint in the “Garden” part of the festival either. Stepping it up with 10 new gardens, guests will love stumbling upon a few new “secrets” of their own. A Shakespeare Garden in front of the London bathrooms, a health garden and more little garden surprises pop up all throughout Epcot.
Disney
9. The Flower & Garden Festival at Night
Think you saw all that those amazing topiaries had to offer? Not a chance! Be sure to stay until nighttime, when the Disney magic illuminates those wonderful blooms with new perspective.
10. So much more
Epcot has really outdone themselves this year, with the Flower & Garden Festival becoming more popular as one of the Disney “must sees” each year. Beyond beautiful topiaries, gardens and eats, the Festival offers special weekend events, gardening seminars, The Garden Rocks Concert Series and so much more. Be sure to grab your Passports and stay awhile to take in all that Epcot has to offer this spring.
Check out the 2015 Epcot Flower & Garden festival March 4, 2015 through May 17, 2015 for an amazing feast for the whole family. Beauty, inspiration and passion all lie within the stories being told in each topiary and garden. Check out more details and the full festival line up at EpcotInSpring.com. And stay fresh in the moment with new hashtag #FreshEpcot. I hope you can see Spring sprinkled with a little Disney magic to make this festival one of the best yet!
What is your must-see for this year’s Epcot Flower & Garden Festival?
Disclosure ~ I was invited to attend a special Disney media event in exchange for this posting. All opinions are 100% my own. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube for more reviews, giveaways and more.
Melissa @ This Girls Life Blog says
Whoever made the topiaries did an amazing job. The look awesome and so does the food.