What’s New at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

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The 22nd annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is in full bloom!  Here’s a look at what’s new for the Festival in 2015!

Photo: Disney

New Topiaries

Photo Courtesy of Diane Maguire at CanDoItMom.com

• Anna & Elsa from Disney’s Frozen – The Royal Sisters of Arandelle make their first appearance in Topiary!  World Showcase Plaza.
• Chip and Dale – The pair of chipmunks have been added to the “Goofy about Spring” display at Epcot’s main entrance
• Miss Piggy is now featured as a solo act in the Tour de Fleurs Garden

New Food

New menu items can be found at the various outdoor kitchens, including an entirely new kitchen called Botanas Botanico, located between France and Morocco.  We got a peek at their menu at EatingWDW.

• Seafood Ceviche – Shrimp, Scallops, and Grouper with Mango and Avacado
• Cachapa Con Queso – Venezuelan Sweet Yellow Corn Pancake
• White Corn Arepa with Braised Beef and Chayote Slaw
• Coconut Tres Leches

Adults can wash any of these items down with a Polar Bear beer, or with a punch called La Tizana, available in non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions.  The grown-up version gets a splash of Santa Teresa RHUM Orange Liqueur.

New Gardens

Photo Courtesy of Lin Leffel at DisneyMamas.com

Of course the stars of the Festival are the fantastic gardens.  This year, there are over 10 new gardens to see!

• Prehistoric Plants
• Trial Garden
• Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out Emotion Garden
• Health & Healing Garden
• Nature Rocks
• Bold Bromeliads
• Pepper Fire Garden
• Pizzeria Garden
• Japanese Mini Garden
• Shakespeare Garden
• Pollinator’s Paradise with Winnie the Pooh Topiary

New Sounds

Photo: Disney

The concert series gets a new name.  This year, “Garden Rocks” will feature some familiar performers as well as some new acts to the Festival.  Performances will take place at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the American Gardens Theatre. The lineup includes:

• Gin Blossoms**
• Pablo Cruise*
• En Vogue**
• STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas
• The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
• Village People
• Jon Secada**
• The Guess Who
• Taylor Dayne**
• Little River Band* 
• Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone

*denotes new acts
**denotes acts new to this festival

Special Weekend Themes

On select weekends, the Festival gets some added touches.

• March 13-17 Spring into Spring Weekend with a nod to St. Patrick’s Day
• March 27-29 Art in the Garden Weekend with outdoor art displays
• April 17-22 Earth Day Weekend with nature activities for kids and families.  Disney’s Animal Kingdom specialists April 17-19, and a sand-sculpture creation to showcase Disneynature’s soon-to-be released “Monkey Kingdom” film
• April 24-26 Florida Fresh Weekend featuring a bounty of edibles and other plants that thrive in Florida.

There’s so much to see and do at the Flower & Garden Festival.  It keeps getting better and better each year.  We’ve got some tips on making the most of your time at the Festival.

For more on the Festival, you can also check out Disney’s official site: EpcotInSpring.com

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