What better way to kick off spring than with a trip to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival! It’s really the prettiest time of year at Epcot, and I love seeing all the unique gardens Disney comes up with all around the park. (My favorite is always the Shakespeare garden in the U.K.!) Whether it’s your first visit to the festival or you’re just looking to experience all that this event has to offer, continue reading to learn my 5 steps to having the Best Day Ever at Flower & Garden:
Plan to spend two days at Epcot
Whenever I visit Epcot during a festival season, I always plan on spending two days in the park. If you really do your research and take in all that the festivals have to offer, it can be difficult to fit in all of your favorite Epcot to-do’s in the same day that you visit the festival. Flower & Garden Festival takes some time to experience as well, because in addition to viewing all of the beautiful floral pieces and topiaries, you’re probably going to want to stop for some photos in front of them.
Many of the topiaries also have PhotoPass photographers nearby ready to take photos, so if you are thinking about purchasing Memory Maker using it during Flower & Garden Festival will allow you to easily take more photos than usual while visiting Epcot. This combined with snacking and drinking around the world, going to one of the Garden Rocks concerts, and maybe participating in a seminar can easily fill out a full day or more.
Bring extra spending money for the outdoor kitchens
With the popularity of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, nearly all of the festivals and special events at Epcot now come with outdoor kitchens. Tasting my way around the park with the outdoor kitchens is one of my favorite parts of any of Epcot’s festivals, but they do come at a price. If you plan on spending the entire day visiting outdoor kitchens, I would plan to spend about $100/person. In all actuality, it will probably end up being less, especially if you are tasting more than you’re drinking, but to be on the safe side I would plan to spend $100.
Be sure to either use your MagicBand to charge these items to your resort or pick up on the festival gift cards (they come on elastic bracelets and are sold throughout the park). Having a payment method that doesn’t require you to dig through a wallet or purse makes getting around during the festival much easier.
Related Post // 15 Photos to Inspire a Trip to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
Check the Garden Rocks Concert Series lineup
You can check the full list of performing acts for the Garden Rocks concert series on Disney’s website. If any of them particularly jump out at you, make sure you get in line early or book a dining package to reserve a seat. These concerts are free with your park admission but the most popular acts usually go to standing room only.
If you want to guarantee your seat, book a dining reservation with the dining package. The package gets you either a buffet meal or a pre-fixe menu at a set price from select Epcot restaurants and early entry into the seating area for the concert series. You can make these reservations online the same way you would other Disney dining reservations.
Sign up for a tour or seminar
We went to our first seminar for one of Epcot’s festivals during last year’s Food & Wine Festival, and we loved it so much we’re planning on attending one each time we visit any of the festivals. The seminars really give you a deeper understanding for what the festivals are all about, and we really felt like we got a lot out of it.
A lot of guests skip any additional upcharge events during Disney vacations because they are usually out of budget, but the seminars and tours offered during the festival really cost no more than an upscale dining experience. For a budget-friendly tour, check out the Royal Tea Garden Tour in the U.K. pavilion– it only costs $18 per person!
Dress the part and smile for the camera!
If you’re looking for some new Instagram pictures or you just want some memorable vacation photos, Flower & Garden Festival is the perfect place to be! Grab your best floral-inspired outfit or ears, and hit up all of the unique photo ops around the park.
While a lot of the festival does take place in World Showcase, don’t miss the festival offerings in Future World. You can find a couple of outdoor kitchens and more than a handful of photo ops, including all of the ones with the festival signage near Spaceship Earth that you won’t want to miss.
