Now in bloom: Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival opens
Dewayne Bevil, Featured, Park Tips, Pictures — By Dewayne Bevil on March 3, 2010 at 2:30 pm
One of the new topiaries this year represents Vidia, the fastest flyer of the Disney Fairies.
I wish I could say spring was in the air this morning for the official opening day of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, but all I can really say is brrrrr. At least it LOOKS like spring, very colorful. Here are a few shots of topiaries and gardens that weren’t ready for viewing during the weekend preview.
First up, and front and center of the park are topiaries of Goofy, Daisy, Donald and Pluto, celebrating the great outdoors. This Goofy is 14 feet tall and has a fun sight gag: He’s hooked the back of his pants. Goofy!
Nearby, Donald and Daisy Duck enjoy a campfire scene. The marshmallows made me smile.
… as did playful Pluto, who also has a “pup tent” in the display. (Blame Disney for that one, not me.)
There’s some new signage this year, including this at one of the entrances to the expanded Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden.
A subtle change since Saturday: American Gothic Mickey has spectacles.
Here’s Gothic Mickey and Minnie from behind, fronting their garden of corn, squash and the like.
Floating mini-gardens. Dozens of ‘em.
The Perfume Garden displays have switched from “lift and sniff” to “twist and sniff,” though I noticed several folks trying to PUSH the button at top and center. Some of these sniffers have been moved farther out into the France pavilion than in previous years in hopes of increasing awareness/traffic.
Note the citrus trees as part of the “The Art of Living Green” garden, which is sandwiched between the France and Morocco pavilions.
It’s designed to be soothing.
The Flower & Garden Fest runs through May 16. Surely, SURELY, there are warmer, brighter days ahead.
Tags: Disney fairies, Disney World, Epcot, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, Future World, Tinker Bell, Topiaries, World Showcase
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9 Comments
I love your nontraditional approach to reporting. Who says sentences need to be complete?
I’ve seen this every year for the past 16 years….I look forward to it!!! This year may be different. Regretfrully, I will probably miss it and it saddens me more than anyone could imagine.
Dear Annette
We have been going to Disney for 16 years and this is the first time we will get to see the flower show! We are so excited and are planning to spend the day in Epcot taking it all in! Our son is playing with his school orchestra while we are down there so this we know will be a trip to remember 6 weeks!!!
Does anyone know the concert schedule for this year? Or where I can obtain this information?
March 5 – 7
Jose Feliciano
March 12 – 14
Paul Revere & The Raiders
March 19 – 21
David Cassidy
March 26 – 28
Starship
April 2 – 4
Tony Orlando
April 9 – 11
Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
April 16 – 18
Ricky Nelson Remembered Featuring the Nelsons
April 23 – 25
Atlanta Rhythm Section
April 30, May 1 – 2
Fran Cosmo (Former lead singer of Boston)
May 7 – 9
Davy Jones
May 14 – 16
Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
Pretty but stale. Can the people at WDW be more original than recycling the same old stuff, year after year, for EPCOT’s Flower Fest? This Flower festival is nothing but a huge commercial for companies that sponsor this event. There is no magic about this festival anymore. I would love it if the folks at Disney could come up with more interesting special offerings that concentrate on the disney brand and not on selling someone else’s products. Why not a Disney Easter festival at the MK park, or halloween and christmas events that we can enjoy without having to pay a ridiculous hard ticket price.. or fun stuff like Disneyland Paris’ Mickey’s Magical Party, or Hong Kong Disneyland’s Chinese New Year Celebration, or Tokyo Disneyland’s Power of Music event??? Now that would be spacial… Considering that the WDW parks charge the highest one-day admission price of ANY of the Disneyland parks in the World.. well, I just feel we are being cheated and robbed by our hometown park. Enough with the same stale “special” events from one year to the next!
We are attending the the Flower and Garden festival this year at Epcot for the first time ever and we’re very excited. I’m hoping to be able to purchase plants but I have no idea what to expect…
Jess–
There are plant vendors there so you’ll be able to get some of the great plants Florida offers. Look for DeLeon’s Bromeliads for bromeliads and orcids and look for “The Art of Living Green” display for great inspiration!
This is the most BEAUTIFUL thing I have ever seen, and smells great too. Make sure to bring the insect repellent!
– Erin Pondo