2013 International Flower & Garden Festival

[Brian G.]

Disney released some fun-facts:

• 30 million blooms blanket the park throughout the festival, which runs 75 colorful days.
• One dozen brand-new garden marketplaces surround the World Showcase Lagoon offering festival taste treats ranging from shrimp and grits with fresh Florida veggies to barbecue and brew. Each marketplace will feature a produce and herb garden to represent the more than 50 marketplace beverage choices and more than 30 food items featured at the marketplaces.
• The festival’s front-entrance Party with Mickey & Friends topiary scene comprises
• six topiaries – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Goofy –and more than 15 varieties of flowers, plants, and other garden materials.
• The Land of Oz Garden is the largest festival garden ever created for the festival at nearly one-third acre. The garden’s own “yellow brick road” is 160 feet long and includes 40 feet of “yellow brick” decal, 40 feet of ForeverLawn yellow turf and an 80-foot-long floral path planted with1,200 yellow viola plants, to be replaced by tropical duranta plants when the weather heats up later in April. Dozens of additional Disney character topiaries represent the largest collection of Disney character topiary in the world and include Disney and Pixar film and TV stars Mike and Sulley (new!) plus Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Cinderella, Belle and Beast, and Phineas and Ferb. At least 25 different plants, grasses and mosses of various colors, including pink and red begonias, dusty miller, palm fiber, palm seeds, ficus and lichen, are used to create and define features of additional festival topiaries.
• 1,000 native butterflies represent up to 10 species at the expansiveTinker Bell’s Butterfly House. Among the garden’s two dozen nectar plants are Cape Royal plumbago, passion flower, coral honeysuckle, blazing star, butterfly bush, scarlet milkweed and canna lily.
• More than 500,000 plants, trees and shrubs are planted for the festival;250,000 of those are annual blossoms installed for the festival.
• Festival plants include 60 different species of trees, 47 types of palms, and 48 varieties of bedding plants.
• 150 hands-on gardening demonstrations and seminars will be presented.
• 30 “flower towers” of of several varieties of blooms and plants line Innoventions Plaza.
• 225 floating mini-gardens, each three feet in diameter, of multi-hued impatiens provide splashes of color on two ponds that border the walkway between Future World and World Showcase.
• 700 container gardens of flowers, herbs, plants and vegetables in clay pots, barrels and urns enhance the landscape throughout Epcot.
• 400 Walt Disney World horticulturists are needed to install the festival landscape, topiaries and many exhibits; 100 Epcot horticulturists maintain topiaries and other festival displays.
• It takes more than one full year and about 24,000 cast member hours to prepare for the annual festival.
• The festival’s weekend Flower Power concert series includes 11 artists and groups known for their Top 40 hits. This year’s musical hit-makers from the 1960s and ’70s include The Monkees Lead Singer Micky Dolenz, The Village People (new!), Tommy Roe (new!), Starship starring Mickey Thomas, The Guess Who, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Nelson, The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, The Orchestra starring former members of ELO, Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone

 

[Hockeyman55]

Just got back from an afternoon at Epcot for Flower and Garden and didn't seem like they had as many topiaries as they had last year. I may have missed some since we rushed around. I'll post some pictures here in a few.

 

[Hockeyman55]

Some pictures from this years Flower and Garden I got while at Epcot for a few hours tonight


Flower and Garden Festival by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Caydence by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Lotso by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Cassidy by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Captain Hook by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Mike and Sully by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr


Fairy by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[Bryan]

I took pictures of every topiary. I think they had all the ones as last year plus a couple new ones.

The spiced dole whip was a bust. It was just dole whip with some rum poured on top. Not that great even when you mix it together. Plain dole whip is just fine, didn't need messed with. The trifle trio was awesome though $3.75 for all 3 versus $1.50 a piece. Those were the only things I got today.

 

[Hockeyman55]

I took pictures of every topiary. I think they had all the ones as last year plus a couple new ones.

The spiced dole whip was a bust. It was just dole whip with some rum poured on top. Not that great even when you mix it together. Plain dole whip is just fine, didn't need messed with. The trifle trio was awesome though $3.75 for all 3 versus $1.50 a piece. Those were the only things I got today.

You def did more than we did, I did explore every nook and cranny of the Oz playground though

 

[Hockeyman55]

Oz hot air balloon display set up in new play area at Epcot


I Dont Think We Are In Kansas Anymore by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr



Glass Flowers by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[IzzyB]

I can see my daughter playing for hours in the play area. Good thing we have an AP and can come back as many times as we want so we won't miss anything spending so much time there!!! She spends an hour at least every time we go to dumbo - lol

 

[Hockeyman55]

I can see my daughter playing for hours in the play area. Good thing we have an AP and can come back as many times as we want so we won't miss anything spending so much time there!!! She spends an hour at least every time we go to dumbo - lol

We spent about 3 hours at Epcot last night and half of it alone was in that playground

 

[IzzyB]

We spent about 3 hours at Epcot last night and half of it alone was in that playground

Yeah I laugh living in central Florida with kids. Because they are so lucky to have such great theme parks around them, yet the stupid playgrounds is where they always want to be lol

We don't mind that she loves dumbo though, because it is air conditioned for those hot days. Nice to cool down for an hour and relax while she runs around like a crazy little two year old trying to do the big kid stuff

 

[Jakemeister]

Disney Food Blog broke it down and made me super excited.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/03/06/full-review-2013-epcot-flower-and-garden-festival-food-pictures-booths-menus-and-prices/

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Did any of you see a recipe booklet in the festival center like they sell for food & wine? I know there aren't as many booths as there are for f&w, but some of these items sound great.

 

[Nitro_230]

Overall I'm a fan of this year. I like where they are going with adding food and wine to it, but keeping in the nature theme.

Ugh. No.

I like to drink at EPCOT like most here. But like most here, I know I can control myself there. Most tourists can't. And since they've closed PI, WS is becoming a problem. I never saw the obnoxious drunks there like I have since PI closed.

I have no problem with drinking in the parks, but turning WS into the bar district of WDW is taking it too far.

With PI gone it's not just the tourists. A lot of the locals, and a lot of the employees of the local parks like to hang out in world showcase and drink. And having been in many groups of them, they get pretty obnoxious.

 

[IzzyB]

Looks like this weekend might be a good weekend for the Flower and Garden Festival. I would have expected it to be packed since Spring Breaks are starting, but you can still get reservations for every restaurant except Canada and even earlier in the week I could have gotten Canada. So maybe it won't be too bad. I plan on going and we got reservations for Germany since it is Hubby's Birthday Sunday and LOVES Germany and the kids love the show during dinner.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Have fun! We're getting our geek on and going to MegaCon.

 

[Brian G.]

Here's our recap, with pics and menu offerings:

http://orlandounited.com/2013/03/20/a-look-at-2013s-flower-garden-festival/

 

[Porkchop]

I am going the middle/end of April. The nfl draft is the next weekend, so Ill try to have a write up and some pics the following week!

 

[Felipe]

Here's our recap, with pics and menu offerings:

http://orlandounited.com/2013/03/20/a-look-at-2013s-flower-garden-festival/

Thanks! :rep: Everything looks great, and I love the addition of the F&B this year :thumbs:

I've had perfect timing with Epcot's festivals lately I had friends come from out of town during F&W last year, so I got to attend that, and now I have more friends from out of town coming to Disney next week, so I'll be hitting this up Can't wait to try out some of the offerings! :drool:

 

[CharlzUK]

That does look awesome...shame it will be gone by the time I visit

 

[KRAKENvsMANTA]

Went here last weekend. WS was packed! I did enjoy the food and drink stands however. But did not enjoy the 10 minutes waiting in line at those food and drink stands. Has anyone ever had a "frozen" beer before? I tried one at a stand in Japan. It supposedly popular in their home country. I found it odd. Other than that, I think the overall event was pretty impressive.

 

[IzzyB]

Went here last weekend. WS was packed! I did enjoy the food and drink stands however. But did not enjoy the 10 minutes waiting in line at those food and drink stands. Has anyone ever had a "frozen" beer before? I tried one at a stand in Japan. It supposedly popular in their home country. I found it odd. Other than that, I think the overall event was pretty impressive.

Interesting there was long lines, because I had heard the food stands were not doing as well as they expected and I heard from others when they went the lines were not existent (same with when I went). Maybe they figured out a better way to advertise them so more people know they are there.