The 20th Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival presented by HGTV, taking place March 6 – May 19, 2013, at Walt Disney World® Resort, offers new festival additions that include food-and-beverage Garden Marketplaces, a circus-like “Land of Oz” play area and nighttime illuminated gardens. The Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival is a spring special event filled with a colorful array of flowers, gardens, topiaries, culinary creations, live music and educational programs. You don’t have to be a gardening expert to love this event. It’s perfect for Guests of all ages who enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature! Finish off the day with a melodious evening at the Flower Power Concert Series in the America Gardens Theatre and enjoy music from some of your favorite bands of yesterday. Popular bands rock the open-air theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Debuting this year:
- Garden Marketplace culinary creations ranging from smokehouse barbecue and shrimp with grits and Zellwood corn to sweet “frushi” made with fresh fruits and coconut rice. Chefs are perfecting menus for marketplaces that will include Florida Fresh at World Showcase Promenade, Smokehouse Barbecue and Brew at American Adventure courtyard, Primavera Kitchen at Italy showcase, Hanami at Japan showcase and eight others around the World Showcase promenade.
- Garden Marketplace refreshing libations with a kick like Hot Sun Tomato Wine from Florida Orange Groves Winery and Dole Whip with Spiced Rum, as well as non-alcoholic drinks like Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade and Wild Berry Slush.
- A new, circus-like “Land of Oz” play area based on the Disney fantastical film adventure “Oz: The Great and Powerful” to be released March 8, 2013. The interactive children’s play zone will feature play systems adorned with giant flowers and designed to stretch kids’ imaginations and muscles. Midway-style games, red-and-white circus-themed tents and the “Oz Movie Garden” of intriguing plants will capture the spirit of the upcoming film.
- Larger-than-life Fab Five Disney character topiary. Floral versions of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck (with Daisy Duck in a cameo) star in a celebratory cookout scene in living topiary color. The 14-foot-tall Goofy topiary will bobble an anniversary cake while Donald and Daisy play badminton, Mickey fires up the grill, Pluto swipes a link of hot dogs and Minnie chills out on a colorful blanket of blossoms.
- Illuminated Gardens in the Park’s Future World and World Showcase will twinkle and glow over the festival’s world-famous Disney gardens and topiaries each festival evening.
Throughout the 75-day garden party, you will discover festival surprises around every corner including new topiary triumphs, a butterfly bounty, whimsical children’s play areas, HGTV celebrity designers, daily hands-on gardening seminars and a Festival Center packed with events that offer innovative ideas, gardening know-how and design tips. On weekends, top Flower Power rockers of the 1960s and ’70s will perform. Every Friday through Sunday, HGTV design celebrities will host Festival Center seminars.
In all, more than 100 topiaries, 240 floating mini-gardens, dozens of flower towers and sweeping beds of multi-colored blooms will add floral splendor to the park landscape.
Flower Power Concert Series – Artists to be Announced
HGTV & DIY Designer Presentation Lineup
Chris Lambton, Going Yard – presenting March 8 – 10
Chris Grundy, DIY Network’s Cool Tools – presenting March 15 – 17
Egypt Sherrod, host of Property Virgins – presenting March 22 – 24
Brandon Johnson, My Yard Goes Disney – presenting March 29 – 31
Meg Caswell, Meg’s Great Rooms – presenting April 5 – 7
Jason Cameron, DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves – presenting April 12 – 14
Sara Peterson, Editor-in-Chief, HGTV Magazine – presenting April 19 – 21
Carter Oosterhouse, Million Dollar Rooms – presenting April 26 -28
Casey Noble, Design on a Dime – presenting May 3 – 5
Dan Faires, HGTV.com, DanMade – presenting May 10 – 12
David Bromstad, HGTV Design Star, ColorSplash, Design Star All-Stars – presenting May 17 – 19
