2015 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Details

Today is the first day of the 75 day Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, which lasts through May 17. This year marks the 22nd year of the Festival and the event’s main purpose is to celebrate everything that’s wonderful about horticulture and spring.

Each year the Festival offers guests the opportunity to see beautiful gardens, topiaries, and butterfly gardens; listen to special presentations; enjoy the smooth sounds of the Garden Rocks Concert Series; and try delights from garden-themed food booths! The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival is really one of the most gorgeous times of the year to visit, as the park is completely FULL of color. It is simply a glorious time to visit Epcot.

Today, I’m going to share what’s new and what’s changed for this year’s Festival.

What’s New

Of course, the main focus of the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival is the gorgeous topiaries that can be found around property. These incredible plants are shaped and molded to create works of art that resemble Disney characters. Each year brings about some new designs, and of course 2015 is no exception. You didn’t think Disney could hold an event now without the Frozen sisters present, did you? Both Anna and Elsa are being introduced and can be found in the World Showcase Plaza.

Each year, Disney also creates a new main entrance topiary display, as well. This year’s display will be called “Goofy About Spring” and will include topiary Goofy, Daisy and Pluto, plus new for this year will be topiary versions of Chip n’ Dale! (My favorites!)

Also new for 2015, there will also be 10 mini-gardens that will be sprinkled throughout the park. Each of these mini-gardens are all designed with a storytelling element behind them. The gardens are:

• Prehistoric Plants
• Trial Garden
• Disney’s Inside Out Emotion Garden
• Health and Healing Garden
• Pepper Fire Garden
• Pizzeria Garden
• Japanese Mini Garden
• Pollinator’s Paradise
• Bold Bromeliads
• Shakespeare Garden

In addition, another new full garden will be debuting, the Southwest Desert Garden, which will be a thriving desert ecosystem.

Of course, there are always going to be those things that are staples to the festival, however, this year, they have been changed up, just a little bit. These include:

Garden Rocks Concert Series

For those of you who love music from the 1960s through 1990s, then the Garden Rocks Concert Series is for you! The concert series was formerly called the Flower Power Concert Series, but given how few artists from the 60s and 70s actually are still performing, the name was changed and the breadth of artists was increased. Each weekend, a new act will perform at the America Gardens Theatre. Showtimes are at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 8:00 p.m.

Outdoor Kitchens

One of the newer aspects for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival are the Outdoor Kitchens. These kiosks sell unique tapas-sized dishes and beverages that focus on fresh flavors. This year, there are 11 different kitchens guests can stop and nosh from. They include:

Jardin de Fiestas (Mexico Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
Tacos al pastor – Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro	Tecate draft beer
New-Vegetarian Quesadilla	White Mexican sangria
Flan de chocolate Abuelita – Mexican chocolate custard	New-Blueberry Pomegranate Margarita
	New-Tequila Liquer Flight

 

Lotus House (China Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
Beijing-style candied strawberries	Oolang bubble tea
New-Kung Pao Chicken Bun	Kung Fu Punch – Vodka and triple sec with mango and orange juice
Vegetable spring rolls	South Sea Storm – Guava juice with light and dark rum
	Plum wine
	Tsing-Tao beer
	Honey Mango Wine Cooler

 

Florida Fresh (Germany Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
Watermelon salad with pickled onions, BW Farm baby arugula, feta cheese, and balsamic reduction	Watermelon passion fruit slush featuring Simply Lemonade
Shrimp and stone ground grits with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes, and cilantro	New-Key Lime Sparkling Wine
New– Florida Blueberry and Lemon Curd Tart	New-Channel Marker Red Ale
	Blonde Ale, Orlando Brewing Company
	Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale, Florida Beer Company
	Jai Alai
	Beer Flight – Featuring Florida Craft Beers

 

Primavera Kitchen (Italy Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
New-Pinwheel of Mozzarella, Proscuitto, Ciabatta Bread	White peach bellini – Prosecco and white peach puree
Three cheese manicotti – Egg pasta stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce and béchamel	Strawberry rossini – Prosecco and marinated strawberries
New-Lemon Panna Cotta	Frozen Italian primavera – Assorted fruit slushy with limoncello and vodka
	Placido Pinot Grigio
	Placido Chianti
	Bosco del Merlo Prosecco
	Moretti Lager
	Moretti La Rossa

 

The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews (American Adventure Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
Pulled pig slider with cole slaw	New-Floridian Hefeweizen
New-Beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash – with white cheddar fondue and pickled jalapeños	Category 3 IPA
New-Smoked Debreziner Sausage	New-Maple Bacon Stout
“Piggylicous” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon	Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine Brewing Company
	New-Frozen Lemonade – with optional Palm Ridge Reserve Whiskey
	New-R.C Sweet Tea – made with Twinings Cold-Brewed English Classic Tea

Hanami (Japan Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
Frushi – Fresh pineapple, strawberries and melon, rolled with coconut rice, topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with whipped cream on the side	Yuzu Plum Win Slush
New-Teriyaki Curry Bun	Stawbettery Nigori
New-Salmon Sushi	Kirin draft beer

Taste of Marrakesh (Morocco Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
New-Falafel Pocket – with Cucumber Tomato Salad and Tahini Sauce	Desert Rose – Sparkling wine with pomegranate liqueur
Harissa chicken kebab with couscous salad	White sangria
New-Pistacio Baklava	Mint Iced Tea
	Guerrouane red

New – Botanas Botanico

Food	Drinks
Seafood Ceviche	Polar Beer
Cachapa con Queso	La Tizana
White Corn Arepa	Monte Paschoal Reserve Tannat
Coconut Tres Leches	Monte Paschoal Natural Brut White Sparkling Wine

 

Fleur de Lys (France Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal – Parisian-style dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms	La Vie en Rose frozen slush – Vodka, Grey Goose Orange, St. Germain Liquor, and white and red cranberry juice
Confit de canard, pommes de terre Sarladaise – Pulled duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes	Kir Imperial – Sparkling wine, Chambord and black raspberry liquor
New-Macaron Guimauve à la Fraise – a Strawberry Marshmallow Macaron	New-Ice Pop – Combination of French Peach Iced Tea, Grand Marnier Peach Raspberry Liqueur, and Vodka
	Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 – Fruity white beer with citrus notes

Pineapple Promenade (Canada Pavilion)

Food	Drinks
New-Spicy Hot Dog – with Pineapple Chutney	Frozen desert violet lemonade featuring Simply Lemonade (nonalcoholic)
Pineapple Soft Serve	New-Ace Pineapple Hard Cider
New-Pineapple Soft Serve – with Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum	Sparkling Pineapple Wine
Pineapple Soft Serve – with Parrot Bay Coconut Rum	Berry Tea Cocktail with Twinings Cold-Brewed Mixed Berry Tea

 

 

Urban Farm Eats

 

Food	Drinks
New-Kale Salad with Dried Cherries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese	New-Urban Mary – Spicy Tomato Juice, Lime Juice, and Worcestershire with a shot of vodka (optional)
New-Quinoa Vegetable Naanwich with Arugula Pesto and Oven-Dried Tomatoes	Hess Shirtail Creek Vineyard – Chardonnay
Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia with crisp winter melon slaw and mint oil featuring The Original Sauce Man’s Kick It Up Rub	King Estate Acrobat – Pinot Noir
	Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider

Intermissions Cafe (Festival Center)

Food	Drinks
Grapes	Hurricane Class 5 White Sangria, Florida Orange Groves
Fruit & cheese plate	Hess Shirtail Creek Vineyard Cardonnay
Vegan trio	Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir
Southwest chicken wrap	Zonin Prosecco
Tuna salad with pita	Floridian Hefeweizen Funky Buddha Brewery (Oakland Park, FL)
Side salad	Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider
Asian tuna salad with noodles

 

Fun Fresh Weekends

One of the more unique aspects of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival is that you can learn from gardening experts. This is Epcot after all — the edu-tainment park! Each Fun Fresh Weekend features fascinating seminars and workshops from Disney gardeners in the Festival Center. (The former location of Wonders of Life.) Each weekend features hands-on presentations at the Greenhouse Stage at 11:00 a.m. and at 2:00 p.m. and live demonstrations on the Fresh Epcot Stage at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The Festival Center will also include special merchandise, as well as select dining offerings, but keep in mind, that the Center is only open on the weekends.

In addition, some weekends are special themed weekends. Those are:

• March 13-15: Spring into Spring Weekend Presented by Joffrey’s Coffee
• March 16-17:St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at the American Adventure
• March 27-29: Art in the Garden Weekend – From 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., see nature through the eyes of “Plein Air” artists, along with one-of-a-kind works of art in our Guest Artist booths—all located throughout World Showcase.
• April 17-22: Earth Day Weekend – April 17 through 19, meet specialists from Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Then on April 22, hear about conservation efforts to protect coral reefs, sea turtles, sharks and more at The Seas with Nemo & Friends and see the grand reveal of the finalized sand sculpture based off the Disneynature film Monkey Kingdom.
• April 24-26: Florida Fresh Weekend – From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., head for the Festival Center and discover why Florida is one of the top agriculture producing states in the nation!
• May 1-3: See a stunning display of hibiscus in a wide array of colors at the Hibiscus Show.