Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival… Final Week!
Epcot is one of the attraction parks I always enjoy visiting and it was nice to get back there yesterday for Mother’s Day and take a look around at the International Flower & Garden Festival. For someone like me, who suffers from hay fever, there’s always some anxiety about coming down with an attack on the senses but I decided to risk it and I’m glad I did. Not only did I survive but I also came to appreciate why people love visiting Epcot at this time of year.
The festival started on 3 March and ends on 16 May so we’re into the final week and not much time is left to get over there and enjoy it…. so if you can’t make it just carry on reading this blog to discover what you’re missing!
This year the festival started a little earlier and runs a bit longer (75 days) and it really is a spring special event filled with a colorful array of flowers, gardens, topiaries, live music and educational events.
What’s more, 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! You can see millions of blooming flowers and a vibrant collection of Disney-themed topiaries, and get up close with hundreds of colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden. At the weekends there’s been the chance to meet with top horticulturists at one of the many Garden Town Programs and to learn helpful gardening tips and advanced techniques from around the world.
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival its even been possible to finish off the day with a melodious evening at the America Gardens Theatre adjacent to the American Adventure Pavilion and enjoy music from the 1960s and 1970s during the Flower Power Concert Series as people and bands like David Cassidy, Davy Jones, Herman’s Hermits, Ricky Nelson and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats have all entertained.
Beyond the dazzling displays of blooms and topiaries, special gardens, events and children’s play areas this year the park offered more reasons to visit the festival than ever.
To start with there was a tribute to the many community gardens being planted across the country as a new Community Garden sprang up at the American Adventure in Epcot’s World Showcase. Disney’s “fab five” topiary pals – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy were all present and they were in charge of tending the tomatoes, beans, peppers, herbs and other edibles.
The popular Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden was expanded to include even more magical pixie dust. The playful garden area features colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and friends from Walt Disney Pictures’ latest DVD release, Ticker Bell and the Lost Treasure.
Hundred’s of butterflies can be found among the lush foliage in Fawn’s Butterfly House, formerly known as Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly House, which was been named after fairy Fawn, from the popular Tinker Bell films.
The Garden Town Festival Center was the home of gardening experts ready to answer all your questions while Disney horticulturists shared gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity during Disney Gardening at Home presentations. These presentations were a first-come, first-served event and quickly grew in popularity.
During The Great American Gardeners series, gardening celebrities and authors from across the country also revealed their gardening secrets during weekend sessions.
The English Tea Garden featured the history and blending of tea as you strolled through the elegant tea garden.
You could also let your senses experience the pleasure, radiance and sensual perfumes of Guerlain in the Fragrance Garden as you discovered the “love story” between plants and fragrances.
The Festival and Flower Power Concerts are included in regular Epcot admission and you have just a few days left to enjoy the rest of the event otherwise you’ll just have to wait until next year. The 2011 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival begins on 2nd March 2011 and runs until 15 May 2010.
More Photo’s Here!
