Tanna Wasilchak

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WHAT IS DISNEY'S EPCOT FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL & IS IT WORTH IT?

What is Disney’s Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot?

The Flower and Garden Festival in Disney’s Epcot is from March 3 - July 5 and a festival you won’t want to miss for spring. The park is full of Disney character topiaries, flowers, gardens to walk through, themed food for the festival and more! See the list of topiaries and gardens here. On the way into the park be sure to pick up a passport because it lists all the special bites and drinks only in Epcot for the festival. We flipped through it and planned where we wanted to stop so we didn’t have to pop by every stand to read the menus we could just chill at a table and flip through. I’ll list out everything we tried festival related below so keep reading!

There’s topiaries all throughout the park, even in the World Showcase! I snapped a couple photos of my favorites for you to see below. I think my favorites are Belle and Beast! Oh and there was an amazing dragon in Japan you MUST see!

Does Disney offer special merchandise for the Flower and Garden Festival?

Yes! It’s CUTE too! I snagged these white ears when I attended the Flower and Garden festival in May of 2018. They release new ears for the festival every year. This years were really cute too — pictured below and Ana found some cute floral ears at Walmart as well. I’ve rounded up some of my favorites from Shop Disney, Etsy, and Walmart below! Additionally, there are kiosks around the park with other cute festival themed merchandise. This year it’s themed all around this adorable little orange bird!

CLICK A PHOTO BELOW TO SHOP

What is there to eat at the Flower and Garden festival at Epcot?

There are a TON of fun and delicious options for the Flower and Garden festival! Looking back on this trip, I’m realizing more and more that we didn’t eat as much as I normally do at Epcot! I kinda wish I had eaten more so definitely budget for food and splurge! There’s a great blog post with everything I’ll link below BUT I went ahead and highlighted the places we did get food from and what we thought about it.

France

Fleur de Lys

FOOD

  • Tarte aux Oignons Caramélisés et Chèvre: Goat Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions on a flaky Pastry Crust.

  • Canard Confit à l’Orange aux Gnocchi à la Parisienne: Braised Duck Confit à l’Orange with Parisian Gnocchi (new).

  • Macaron au Chocolate en Sucette: Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop.

  • Beignet Caramélisé, Fourré Crème Vanille, Glacé au Caramel Fleur de Sel: Caramelized Beignet filled with Vanilla Cream and Glazed with Caramel Fleur de Sel (new).

We tried the Tarte aux Oignons Caramélisés et Chèvre and holy moly was it delicious! It was oh so crispy and NOM! If you’re a goat cheese fan then this tart is for you. Of course I had to have the Macaron au Chocolate en Sucette which is basically just a macaron lollipop and it was soft and nom worthy. Even as I’m typing this out I wish I had another.

BEVERAGES

  • Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 Draft Beer.

  • VeRy Raspberry: Rosé Wine with Natural Raspberry Flavor.

  • Chardonnay, Le Vieux Manoir (new).

  • Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec Blend, Château Lorient (new).

  • La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy: Vodka, Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, White and Red Cranberry Juice.

Get the slushy! Just trust me and get the slushy. Yes it’s like $13 but it’s so good and refreshing on a hot day in Epcot. Plus the color is gorgeous! I didn’t snap a photo but when you see people walking around with pink drinks in France you’ll know it’s this drink.

*two photos on the right are from Disney Parks Blog

Italy

Primavera Kitchen

FOOD

  • Margherita: Rustic Italian Flatbread with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella.

  • Arancini: Sweet Sausage Fried Risotto Balls with Pomodoro Sauce.

  • Traditional Sicilian Cannoli: Crisp Pastry filled with Sweet Ricotta, Chocolate, and Candied Orange.

We popped over to the Primavera Kitchen around 10:00 p.m. and there were only a couple of people around which was great! We tried the Margherita flatbread which was good but nothing crazy and then the Arancini or fried risotto balls. These babies were amazing! They were served on a bed of red sauce and so yummy!

Via Napoli beverage and snack cart

BEVERAGES

  • Limoncello Mule: Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka

  • Bellini: prosecco, peach purée

  • Sprizzeri Classico: prosecco and orange wine spritzer

  • Limoncello Cocktail: limoncello, orange juice, pineapple juice, peach purée

  • Orangecello Cocktail: orangecello, pineapple juice, orange juice, strawberry purée

Ana and I wore these adorable lemon pieces and wanted to find drinks to match! Of course we thought of Italy and having limoncello so we walked around Italy and found the Via Napoli beverage and snack cart! They had numerous options for tasty drinks and we ended up with the Limoncello Cocktail and the Orangecello Cocktail! They were both very delicious but very sweet so if you’re not a sweet cocktail person I would avoid these. Additionally, I’ve had the peach bellini before and it’s super yummy too! Again, very sweet!

*two photos on the left are from Disney Parks Blog

Japan

Hanami

FOOD

  • Frushi: Strawberry, Pineapple and Cantaloupe wrapped in Sweet Rice and Pink Soy Wrap served with Whipped Cream, Drizzled Berry Sauce and Toasted Coconut

  • Shrimp and Crab with Spicy Mayonnaise and Cucumber Slices Finished with Creamy Avocado and Violet Sauce

  • Soy-glazed Pork Shank with Truffle Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Lotus Flower, Garlic Chips and Green Onion

We saw the word frushi and immediately was like “yup”! Ana and I had been sharing most things we bought but this looked so good we each had to get our own and it was well worth it! I honestly could have eaten two servings of these babies.

Garden House

BEVERAGES

  • Tokyo Sunset: Coconut Rum, Creme de Banana, Peach Schnapps, and Pineapple Juice

  • Violet Sake: A Refreshing balance of Sake, Purple Pear, and Lime Juice

  • Cucumber Cooler: blend of Japanese shochu with natural cucumber syrup

  • Blood Orange Lemonade: refreshing blend of Japanese sake, plum wine, lemonade and blood orange

Okay story time, y’all! The last time I was at Epcot I saw the Violet Saké and immediately was like yes but I let my brother convince me to get a saké flight and that was not a good decision haha! Anyway we left and I didn’t get the violet saké because I had just spent like $20 on this flight…So this time I knew that I was going to get this bad boy because I had been wanting to try it for years now. It did not disappoint that’s for dang sure. It was so delicious, floral, and refreshing! Be careful though because it’s extremely violet and looks like it will stain your clothes. Other than that, it was amazing!

*two photos on the right are from Disney Parks Blog

Mexico

Jardin de Fiestas

FOOD

  • Tostada de Cochinita: Braised Pork on a Crispy Corn Tortilla with Black Beans topped with Pickled Onions, Mango-Habanero Relish, and Oregano (gluten/wheat friendly).

  • Taco Vampiro: Braised Beef on a Corn Tortilla with Crispy Grilled Monterey Jack Cheese and Salsa Ranchera (gluten/wheat friendly).

  • Sope de Chorizo: Plant-based Ground Chorizo on Fried Corn Dough with Black Beans and Avocado Mousse (gluten/wheat friendly; plant-based).

We tried the Tostada and the Taco — the tostada was AWESOME! It was so flavorful and delicious. The taco was good but it wasn’t life changing or anything. I definitely think you should go for the Tostada over the taco.



BEVERAGES

  • Passion Fruit Margarita: Corazón de Agave Blanco Tequila, Passion Fruit Purée, Lime Juice, Nixta Corn Liqueur, and a hint of smoke with a Hibiscus Flower Salt Rim.

  • The Garden Margarita: Ojo de Tigre Mezcal, Lettuce Juice, Ancho Reyes Chile Verde Liqueur, Lime Juice, Gracias a Dios Agave Gin, and a Sprig of Thyme.

  • Tulum Mexican Craft Beer with Floater: Artisanal Lager with Citrus notes made with Caribbean Seawater and served with an Elderflower Liqueur Floater.

We tried the Passion Fruit Margarita and honestly… pass. We took a couple sips and couldn’t get over the “mix” flavor so we tossed them. I don’t know if it’s because we are from Texas and drink good margs all the time but this marg was not worth the money. Splurge on a drink somewhere else or don’t get the passion fruit one.

Both photos from Disney Parks Blog

See the full list of Flower and Garden food, desserts, and beverages here.

PRO TIP: Be at Epcot in the evenings too and it’ll be a lot cooler and less crowded after the firework show at 9! Epcot closes at 11 so we headed back to the park around 9ish and were able to eat at Mexico, Italy, and get some chocolates & caramels from Germany!

Have you been to Epcot’s Flower and Garden festival before?🌸

XOXO

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