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20th Epcot International
Flower & Garden Festival March 6-May 19 Debuts Illuminated Blooms
and ‘Garden Marketplace’ Dining
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‘Land of Oz’ Garden and Playground Filled with Movie-Themed Fun for
All |
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. –
Disney festival planners will boost floral fun and plant power to a
whole new level during the 20th Epcot International Flower & Garden
Festival presented by HGTV March 6-May 19, 2013 at Walt Disney World
Resort.
Whimsical Disney topiary spectacles and sweeping garden landscapes
set the colorful scene this year for new festival additions that
include food-and-beverage Garden Marketplaces, a circus-like “Land
of Oz” play area and nighttime illuminated gardens.
Debuting this year: |
- Garden Marketplace culinary
creations ranging from smokehouse barbecue and shrimp with grits
and Zellwood corn to sweet “frushi” made with fresh fruits and
coconut rice. Chefs are perfecting menus for marketplaces that
will include Florida Fresh at World Showcase Promenade,
Smokehouse Barbecue and Brew at American Adventure courtyard,
Primavera Kitchen at Italy showcase, Hanami at Japan showcase
and eight others. Around the World Showcase promenade
- Garden Marketplace refreshing
libations with a kick like Hot Sun Tomato Wine from Florida
Orange Groves Winery and Dole Whip with Spiced Rum, as well as
non-alcoholic drinks like Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade and Wild
Berry Slush. Beverage specialists will feature brews and
beverages at food marketplaces and at Fruits by the Glass and
Pineapple Promenade. Around the World Showcase promenade
- A new, circus-like “Land of Oz”
play area based on the Disney fantastical film adventure “Oz:
The Great and Powerful” to be released March 8, 2013. The
interactive children’s play zone will feature play systems
adorned with giant flowers and designed to stretch kids’
imaginations and muscles. Midway-style games, red-and-white
circus-themed tents and the “Oz Movie Garden” of intriguing
plants will capture the spirit of the upcoming film. Also on
tap: photo opportunities and the “great and powerful Oz’s”
crashed hot-air balloon. Imagination Walkway
- Larger-than-life Fab Five Disney
character topiary. Floral versions of Mickey Mouse, Minnie
Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck (with Daisy Duck in a cameo)
star in a celebratory cookout scene in living topiary color. The
14-foot-tall Goofy topiary will bobble an anniversary cake while
Donald and Daisy play badminton, Mickey fires up the grill,
Pluto swipes a link of hot dogs and Minnie chills out on a
colorful blanket of blossoms. Epcot Front Entrance
- Illuminated Gardens in the
park’s Future World and World Showcase will twinkle and glow
over the festival’s world-famous Disney gardens and topiaries
each festival evening. Epcot Future World and World Showcase
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Throughout the 75-day
garden party, guests will discover festival surprises around every
corner including new topiary triumphs, a butterfly bounty, whimsical
children’s play areas, HGTV celebrity designers, daily hands-on
gardening seminars and a Festival Center packed with events that
offer innovative ideas, gardening know-how and design tips.
Weekends, top Flower Power rockers of the 1960s and ’70s will
perform.
Every Friday through Sunday, HGTV design celebrities will host
Festival Center seminars. During opening weekend, March 8-10, Chris
Lambton of “Going Yard” will appear; other designers scheduled to
take the stage include David Bromstad of “Color Splash” and Meg
Caswell of “Meg’s Great Rooms.”
More festival highlights include: |
- “Monsters University” topiary:
Floral representations of Mike and Sully from the hit Disney-Pixar
film “Monsters, Inc.” and stars of Disney-Pixar’s June 2013
release, “Monsters University,” will join the festivities as new
topiary family members. On the Future World Walkway
- Phineas and Ferb topiary: The
popular Disney Channel animated celebs limit their shenanigans
to go green for a family photo-op. Behind Spaceship Earth
- “Radiator Springs” interactive
play zone: Race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck “Mater” of
the Disney-Pixar film “Cars 2″ will be the well-maintained
topiary stars of this play area. On the Test Track Walkway
- Flower Power Firsts: 1970s top
disco band The Village People (April 19-21) and 1960s
singer-songwriter Tommy Roe (May 3-5) bring on the Flower Power
beat when they take the concert stage. At America Gardens
Theatre
- Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House:
Eight fanciful fairy topiaries of Pixie Hollow, including Tinker
Bell, Fawn, Vidia and Terrence, take over the Butterfly House
this year where hundreds of colorful winged beauties flit to
life. On the Imagination Walkway
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| In all, more than 100
topiaries, 240 floating mini-gardens, dozens of flower towers and
sweeping beds of multi-colored blooms will add floral splendor to
the park landscape. Speaking of “flower power,” the Flower Power
concert series kicks off March 8-10 with Micky Dolenz (“I’m a
Believer”) and continues each weekend with pop favorites including: |
March 15-17:
March 22-24:
March 29-31:
April 5-7:
April 12-14:
April 19-21:
April 26-28:
May 3-5:
May 10-12:
May 17-19: |
Chubby Checker & The
Wildcats
The Guess Who
Nelson
The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie
Paul Revere & the Raiders
The Village People (new!)
The Orchestra, Featuring Former Members of ELO and ELO II
Tommy Roe (new!)
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
Starship starring Mickey Thomas |
While Disney guests
celebrate spring during their festival visit, they also can explore
the reimagined, design-centric Test Track Presented by Chevrolet,
the hang-gliding sensation of Soarin’ and other high-tech Future
World marvels. In World Showcase, where the spotlight will shine on
topiaries of Disney princesses, storybook characters and even pandas
and trolls, guests will discover the attractions, shops and
restaurants that represent cultures and cuisine of 11 countries.
For more information about the 20th Epcot International Flower &
Garden Festival, call Academy Travel at
609-978-0740 or visit www.EpcotinSpring.com. The festival,
including all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in
regular Epcot admission. |
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Academy
Travel is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
Specializing in Walt Disney World,
Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney Vacations
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