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Record 90 days
of Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Fun to Showcase New
Outdoor Kitchens, Gardens and Topiaries
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Two new
spring-inspired Outdoor Kitchens, three mischievous Disney topiary
characters and an innovative musical play garden will debut during
the 23rd Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 2-May
30, 2016. The popular spring festival at Walt Disney World Resort,
known for its tasty edibles, sweeping floral displays and dazzling
topiary creations, expands from 75 days to 90 days in 2016.
The new La Isla Fresca and Cider House Outdoor Kitchens will
introduce fresh variety and flavor to the culinary offerings at a
record 13 festival kiosks surrounding the World Showcase Promenade.
Donald Duck’s mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, make their
topiary debut with Donald and Daisy in the park’s signature
front-entrance garden. Xylophones, drums and chimes will take
child’s play to tuneful levels at the new Harmony Gardens play area
featuring “leader-of-the-band” Mickey Mouse topiary.
Live Garden Rocks concerts will set the beat with familiar pop tunes
each festival weekend. And special “Fun Fresh Weekends” add new
adventures to the seasonal event.
Guests of the 2016 festival can celebrate spring with gardens-full
of Epcot options: |
- New culinary creations at the
festival’s Outdoor Kitchens will take guests on a
Caribbean tour at La Isla Fresca with flavors like
Jamaican Braised Beef with Pigeon-Pea Rice and Jerk-Spiced
Grouper or Chicken with Mango Salsa. At the new Cider House,
a Field Greens salad with greens harvested from The Land
pavilion, heirloom apples, Stilton cheese and dried blueberries
will pair well with a blueberry hard cider from Plant City, Fla.
Dozens of new food and beverage flavors will debut, as well, at
the festival’s 11 other Outdoor Kitchens: Urban Farm Eats,
Pineapple Promenade, Fleur de Lys, Florida Fresh, Taste of
Marrakesh, Hanami, THE SMOKEHOUSE: Barbecue and Brews, Primavera
Kitchen, Lotus House, Bauernmarkt and Jardin de Fiestas.
- The first-ever Huey, Dewey
and Louie topiaries will feature floral interpretations of
Donald’s nephews inspired by a 1943 Donald Duck comic book
called “The Victory Garden” at the Epcot front-entrance garden
display with Donald and Daisy.
- A new hands-on Music Garden
Melodies musical playground will debut featuring Disney’s
Fab Five topiaries of “band leader” Mickey Mouse plus Minnie
Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck topiaries. With the
playground’s interactive drums, chimes and xylophones, children
can create their own musical sounds when they’re not scampering
across innovative outdoor climbing systems with safe, but
challenging, net-based structures. Watch for music-themed plants
that add harmony to this inspired play area. The popular
Cactus Road Rally play garden returns with Disney-Pixar
topiary pals Mater and Lightning McQueen from the hit film,
“Cars.”
- Fun Fresh Weekends
add novel dimension to daily festival
fun: April 1-3 — Art in the Garden Weekend spotlights
nature through the works of plein air artists; April 8-10 – The
new Family Fun Weekend presents outdoor activities for
everyone to enjoy and a Festival Center focus on bugs with
Disney’s Animal Kingdom specialists; April 22-24 – Earth Day
Weekend celebrates our planet with special appearances and
activities; and April 29-May 1—Florida Fresh Weekend
features the state’s edible bounty from Apalachicola to
Zellwood.
- On the south side of Spaceship
Earth, Disney gardeners will paint the landscape with a
Floral Sun garden and yellow “sunbursts” will sprout in a
new Future World topiary garden featuring Minnie Mouse and
Pluto.
- The Ranger Mickey topiary
garden in Future World will offer a guest selfie and family
photo opportunity featuring a Spaceship Earth backdrop to
celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service
launched in 1916 to conserve the country’s natural scenic
treasures.
- Anna and Elsa topiaries
will travel to the Norway pavilion
festival landscape following their 2015 debut along World
Showcase Plaza in a scene from the blockbuster Oscar-winning
animated film, “Frozen.” Nearly 100 topiary characters,
including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lady and the Tramp,
Simba and Peter Pan, will animate the Epcot landscape surrounded
by themed gardens featuring herbs, peppers, orchids and more.
By night, twinkling lights will shine across festival
gardens and topiaries.
- The Garden Rocks concert
series will present pop bands with music spanning four
decades. This year’s lineup kicks off March 4-6 with The
Orchestra starring former members of ELO and will also include
new-to-the-festival acts like Darlene Love.
- A new edible flower garden
by The Land pavilion will showcase petals with flavor.
The Butterflies on the Go garden will return with the
story of the Monarch’s epic journey across the continent and
featuring butterflies emerging from their chrysalises.
- Each weekend at the Festival
Center, guests can dig in for a complimentary hands-on
Gardening Seminar experience and create a take-home souvenir
or grab a seat to hear tips from experts on a broad range of
topics. The center also offers signature festival merchandise,
food and beverages.
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Forty 8-to-9-foot-tall
Disney-crafted “flower towers” and sweeping beds of multi-colored
blooms will add to the floral splendor of the park’s landscape. At
least 70,000 bedding plants will surround the Future World east and
west lakes alone; on the water, more than 200 mini-gardens will be
set afloat. For more
information about the 23rd Epcot International Flower & Garden
Festival, contact your Academy Travel Representative
directly, or call 609-978-0479. Watch for details at EpcotInSpring.com as they become available. The festival, including
all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot
admission. |
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