Yesterday was the first day of Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival which runs through May 29, 2017. Every year the festival gets bigger and better with new experiences,concert performances, presentations, tours, family activities and of course new topiaries. Because the festival can be overwhelming to some, we wanted to make sure you had a list of all of the festival’s event and activities in one easy to access place because we know how much Main Streeters love this festival and want to see as much of it as possible when they are visiting Epcot. To see more throughout this year’s festival follow The Main Street Mouse and The Main Street Monthly on Facebook and Instagram! If you are at the festival make sure you use the hastag #epcotinspring on your posts so that others can join in the fun!
The Festival Market Place Hours and Events
The Festival Market Place is located in Future World near the Universe of Energy. It will have expanded operating hours this week for the opening of the Flower & Garden Festival. The first week’s hours are Wednesday, March 1 to Sunday, March 5, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Starting the week of March 6th the Festival Center will only open each Friday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM for the rest of the festival.
- Garden Information Desk 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Garden Theatre 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Heritage of Disney’s Horticulture Exhibit 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Hands-On Presentations at the Greenhouse Stage 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM
- Demonstrations at the Fresh Epcot Stage Noon and 3:00 PM
- Tips at the Spotlight Stage 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM
- Conversations at the Festival Stage 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Family-Friendly Weekends at the Festival Market Place
- March 31 to April 2 and April 28 to 30, 2017 – Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment and Conservation Specialist
- April 22 to 24, 2017 – Celebrate Earth Day
- May 5 to 7, 2017 – Discover the Bounty of Florida Agriculture
- May 12 to 14, 2017 – Florida Federation of Garden Clubs
And to make sure you know about every class and event being offered in the Festival Center, we wanted you to know that you can download the full 2017 Flower and Garden Festival Schedule here. This PDF features a breakdown of all the individuals presentation, classes and activities that will be held in the Festival Center.
The Garden Rocks Concert Series
The Garden Rocks Concert Series brings one popular chart-topping musical act to America Gardens Theatre every weekend of the festival. Showtimes for the Garden Rocks Concert Series take place Friday through Monday at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM. This year’s concert series has two new bands Exposé and Simple Plan.
Garden Rocks Schedule
- March 3 & 4, 2017 – Jon Secada
Known for the Song: “Just Another Day” - March 5 & 6, 2017 – Dennis DeYoung featuring the music of STYX
Known for the Song: “Grand Illusion” - March 10 to 13, 2017 – The Pointer Sisters
Known for the Song: “I’m So Excited” - March 17 & 18, 2017 -Simple Plan – NEW!
Known for the Song: “Welcome to My Life” - March 19 & 20, 201 – Plain White T’s
Known for the Song: “Hey There Delilah” - March 24 to 27, 2017 – Night Ranger
Known for the Song: “Sister Christian” - March 31 to April 3, 2017 – Little River Band
Known for the Song: “Reminiscing” - April 7 to 10, 2017 – Blood, Sweat and Tears featuring Bo Bice
Known for the Song: “Spinning Wheel” - April 14 to 17, 2017 – Gin Blossoms
Known for the Song: “Hey Jealousy” - April 21 to 24, 2017 – The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
Known for the Song: “Evil Woman” - April 28 & 29, 2017 – Exposé – NEW!
Known for the Song: “Point of No Return” - April 30 & May 1, 2017 – Berlin featuring Terri Nunn – NEW!
Known for the Song: “Take My Breath Away” - May 5 to 8, 2017 – STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas
Known for the song “We Built This City” - May 12 to 15, 2017 – The Guess Who
Known for the Song: “American Woman” - May 19 to 22, 2017 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
Known for the Song: “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” - May 26 to 29, 2017 – The Spinners
Known for the Song: “Working My Way Back to You”
Garden Rocks Concert Dining Packages
Once again special Garden Rocks Dining Packages are being offered at breakfast, lunch or dinner at select Epcot restaurants. This dining package will guarantee guests guaranteed seating at one of the Garden Rocks Concert Series performances later that day, reservations for the Garden Rocks Dining Packages can be made by contacting Disney Dining. Each dinner package includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert—or one (1) full buffet or family-style dining, where applicable—along with a non-alcoholic beverage and one (1) guaranteed seat to the Garden Rocks Concert held on the same day.
- Coral Reef Restaurant – The Living Seas Pavilion
Lunch: $69.00 for adults; $24.00 for kids
Dinner: $69.00 for adults; $24.00 for kids - The Garden Grill Restaurant – The Land Pavilion
Breakfast $39.00 for adults; $23.00 for kids
Lunch: $57.00 for adults; $34.00 for kids
Dinner: $57.00 for adults; $34.00 for kids - Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room – United Kingdom Pavilion
Lunch: $58.00 for adults; $23.00 for kids
Dinner: $58.00 for adults; $23.00 for kids - Restaurant Marrakesh – Morocco Pavilion
Lunch: $50.00 for adults; $21.00 for kids
Dinner: $58.00 for adults; $21.00 for kids - Spice Road Table – Morocco Pavilion
Lunch: $50.00 for adults; $21.00 for kids
Dinner: $58.00 for adults; $21.00 for kids - Teppan Edo – Japan Pavilion
Lunch: $62.00 for adults; $16.99 for kids
Dinner: $74.00 for adults; $20.75 for kids - Tokyo Dining – Japan Pavilion
Lunch: $62.00 for adults; $16.99 for kids
Dinner: $74.00 for adults; $20.75 for kids - Tutto Italia Ristorante – Italy Pavilion
Lunch: $64.00 for adults; $22.00 for kids
Dinner: $70.00 for adults; $25.00 for kids - Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria – Italy Pavilion
Lunch: $54.00 for adults; $20.00 for kids
Dinner: $57.00 for adults; $24.00 for kids - Biergarten Restaurant – Germany Pavilion
Lunch: $39.00 for adults; $22.00 for kids
Dinner: $53.00 for adults; $29.00 for kids - Nine Dragons Restaurant – China Pavilion
Lunch: $50.00 for adults; $16.99 for kids
Dinner: $58.00 for adults; $18.50 for kids - Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – Norway Pavilion
Breakfast: $54.00 for adults; $32.00 for kids
Lunch: $69.00 for adults; $41.00 for kids
Dinner: $69.00 for adults; $41.00 for kids - La Hacienda de San Angel – Mexico Pavilion
Dinner: $76.50 for adults; $17.50 for kids - San Angel Inn Restaurante – Mexico Pavilion
Lunch: $57.25 for adults; $15.50 for kids
Dinner: $71.50 for adults; $17.50 for kids
The Topiaries
One of the festival’s popular attractions is it’s topiaries that are scattered throughout the festival. This year’s festival includes four new topiaries, Phineas & Ferb, The Three Caballeros, Figment and Belle! Here is the full list of this year’s topiaries to help ensure you see them all!
Future World
- Donald, Daisy, Huey, Dewey and Louie Main Entrance
- Ranger Mickey & Friends Future World
- Figment – NEW! behind Spaceship Earth
- Fantasia Future World West
- Buzz Lightyear Mission: SPACE
- Cruz Ramirez Test Track
- Stitch Fountain Side of Mouse Gear
- Mickey, Minnie and Pluto Showcase Plaza
- Phineas and Ferb – NEW! Odyssey Bridge
- Festival Blooms Future World East and West Lake
World Showcase
- Bambi & Friends Canada Pavilion
- Peter Pan, Tinker Bell & Fairy Houses from Pixie Hollow Winnie the Pooh & Friends
- Winnie the Pooh & Friends Winnie the Pooh & Friends
- Beauty and the Beast France Pavilion
- Belle – NEW! France Pavilion
- Woody the American Adventure
- Lady and the Tramp Italy Pavilion
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Germany Pavilion
- The Lion King The Outpost
- Bromeliad Dragon China Pavilion
- Panda China Pavilion
- The Three Caballeros – NEW! Mexico Pavilion
- Anna and Elsa Norway Pavilion
Outdoor Kitchens
Of course the highly popular Outdoor Kitchens have returned to this year’s festival. The newest additions to the Outdoor Kitchens in the “Northern Bloom” kitchen located in the Canada Pavilion and “The Berry Basket.” We recently released the complete menus for this year’s Outdoor Kitchens, so if you missed that article please feel free to check it out here!
Festival Tours
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The “Gardens of the World” tour lets guests explore gardening! Guests must be 16 years old or older to take this 3-hour long walking tour through Future World and World Showcase with a Disney horticulturist. The price of this tour is $85.00 plus tax, per Guest and also requires park admission be purchased separately. The tour is held during the Flower and Garden Festival on select Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Reservations for this tour can be made by calling (407) WDW-TOUR.
- The “English Tea Garden Presented by Twinings of London” Tour is a free approximately 20 minutes tour through the English Tea Garden in the UK Pavilion.. Each tour can accommodate 20 guests, with same-day signup available in the UK’s “Tea Caddy” gift shop. The tour is
held Monday through Thursday at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM and 6:30 PM. - The hour long “Behind the Seeds” walking tour is offered several times a day, year round in the Land Pavilion. This tour lets guests “explore the future of agriculture and get up-close and personal with the critters of The Land Pavilion.” The cost for the “Behind the Seeds” tour is $25.00 plus tax per Adult; and $20.00 plus tax per Child. Reservations for this tour can be made by calling (407) WDW-TOUR.
Children Specific Activities
During the Flower and Garden Festival whimsical play gardens are built throughout EPCOT. This year there will be two play gardens. The Music Garden Melodies Playground is along the Imagination Walkway between Future World and World Showcase, Children will be able to play instruments like drums, chimes and xylophone with music themed plants nearby and climb on the state-of-the-art net climbers. The Road to the Florida 500 is located along the Test Track Walkway and features a canopied jungle gym. The Cars area will also feature an “I Spy” game using various auto parts scattered through the surrounding flower beds.
Also returning this year for the children are several habitats and activity areas.
- Butterflies on the Go Presented by GoGo squeeZ lets guests learn about the life cycles of butterflies.
- Purple Martins Presented by Audubon Florida let guest see small migratory songbirds that have undergone a 3,000-mile journey from the Brazilian Amazon to the Walt Disney World Resort.
- Backyard Habitat Presented by National Wildlife Federation teaches how to make their own wildlife-friendly spaces at home.
- Nature Works Everywhere Presented by The Nature Conservancy teaches guests how to create gardens that will help filter water, provide welcoming habitats and improve soil quality.
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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