The 2015 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is happening now through May 17 and when I visited Walt Disney World last week for the opening of Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom, I had some free time to check out the festival.
Here’s a look at what your family can experience at this year’s festival –
Topiaries – The festival’s highlight for most families are the colorful, Disney-themed topiaries located throughout the park. New this year are Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen made with 15 varieties for plans and flowers. Others include scenes from The Lion King, Miss Piggy, Monsters University and of course, Mickey and friends.
Great merchandise – Gardeners and flower fans won’t want to miss the great selection of Disney-themed items for the spring. From Mickey garden gnomes to Disney inspired bird baths, you can take home fun memorabilia to decorate your yard.
Good Eats – This year’s festival also features 11 outdoor kitchens with 50 beverages and 30 food items located throughout the World Showcase. A few hot spots for myself and friends included the Pineapple Promenade (Dole Whips with rum!) and The Smokehouse: Barbecue & Brews. At the Smokehouse, we tried the ‘Piggylicious’ bacon cupcake with maple frosting and a pretzel crunch. Surprisingly tasty!
Gardens – Guests to the park can also explore the many gardens throughout the park. More than 500,000 plants, trees and shrubs are planted for the festival. My favorite is the ‘Butterflies on the Go’ butterfly garden, home to 1,000 native butterflies featuring 10 species.
Live Music – The ‘Garden Rocks’ concert series features performances by some of Top 40s hitmakers spanning across four generations. Jon Secada was the featured performer while we were there and the crowd was loving it! Upcoming shows for the festival include Taylor Dayne, The Village People and even The Little River Band.
Monkey Kingdom Sand Sculpture – Located in the World Showcase, just across from Africa you’ll find a massive sand sculpture celebrating Disneynature’s newest movie Monkey Kingdom – now in theaters.
During my visit, they were still in the early stages of putting the sand in the area and I can’t wait to check it out when I return in a few weeks. Be sure to pick up your complimentary Monkey Kingdom button while you’re there!
Don’t miss seeing Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom
If you see Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom during the opening week of April 17-23, 2015 a donation will be made in your honor to Conservation International to help protect monkeys and other endangered species in their habitats.
Keep Up With the Latest Monkey Kingdom News and Fun
For the latest news on Monkey Kingdom, checkout Disneynature on Facebook and on Twitter at @Disneynature. The official Monkey Kingdom site is http://nature.disney.com/
Have you been to Epcot’s International
Flower & Garden Festival?
** Thank you to Walt Disney World for providing me with this unique experience. Thoughts and opinions here are 100% my own. **