🌻EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival 2023

MARCH 1 TO JULY 5, 2023 🌼🌱🌹🌞

Another spring visit to Walt Disney World is in the books and boy was it absolutely wonderful! Beautiful weather!! (except that 1 downpour mid-afternoon on my last day☔). But, I had my poncho & scored a last-minute reservation at the delicious La Creperie to escape the rain. More on that another day!

I visited WDW mid-April and of course, enjoyed a few visits to my beloved EPCOT including the Flower & Garden Festival. It was a lovely time to visit, not too busy at all. The weather was high 70s/low 80s, and the humidity was low/moderate. As I mentioned, my last afternoon was rainy…so that put a little damper on my festival taste test. But overall, it was a great week.

I cannot say enough that this is the BEST EPCOT FESTIVAL! Dreamy, beautiful, and colorful! Discover spring gardens, interactive experiences, and exclusive merchandise- Snow White, Figment & Orange Bird! It’s definitely a festival for your senses. Don’t forget to check out the Garden Rock Concert Series. Plus, go on a couple scavenger hunts…who doesn’t enjoy that! Do you like tea? Check out the Guided or Self-Guided Tea Tour in the UK Pavilion. You can sign up for tour in the Tea Caddy, and it’s free!

The HIGHLIGHT! Character Topiaries

💚New this year: Disney’s Encanto with Mirabel, Antonio, Isabela & Luisa. Tiana.

Donald Duck & Daisy Duck, Figment, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto & Chip n Dale, Butterflies, Woody, Bo Peep, & her Sheep, Simba & Friends, Pumbaa & Timon, Goofy, Winnie the Pooh & Friends, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, & Tick Tock Croc, Geese, Bambi & Friends, Beauty & the Beast, Lumiere & Cogsworth, Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy, Dragon, Lady & the Tramp, Snow White & Seven Dwarfs, Pandas, Anna & Elsa, Troll, The 3 Caballeros, Buzz Lightyear

PIXIE PRO TIP: Prior to your trip, make a list of some of the Food Booths and menu items that you’d like to try. When you get to EPCOT, grab a Flower & Garden Festival Passport and start your tasting adventure! ~ I also recommend purchasing a re-loadable wristlet gift card, such a cute souvenir & really helps to keep you on budget.

2023 Outdoor Kitchens

• Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
• Connections Cafe
• Connections Eatery
• Sunshine Seasons
• The Land Cart
• Refreshment Port
• Florida Fresh
• Honey Bee-stro
• Pineapple Promenade
• Northern Bloom
• The Citrus Blossom
• Fleur de Lys
• La Isla Fresca
• Tangierine Cafe: Flavor of the Medina
• Hanami
• Funnel Cake
• Magnolia Terrace
• Primavera Kitchen
• Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market
• Lotus House
• Refreshment Outpost
• Trowel & Trellis
• Jardin de Fiestas
• Brunchcot
• EPCOT Farmers Feast (3 seasonal offerings: early bloom, springtime, & summer solstice)

While there were some new booths, many of the food items are repeats from past festivals and some of the food items & drinks were just a big miss or unappealing to me. I’d have to say 2023 was not the best, in my personal opinion. Disney could have done so much better.

RECOMMENDATIONS & REVIEWS:

United Kingdom

Topiaries: Peter Pan, Captain Hook & Tick Tock Croc, Winnie the Pooh & Friends, Tinker Bell.

Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt: Camellia.

Gardens: English Tea, Shakespeare, Topiary Heritage *new

Canada

Topiary: Geese

Northern Bloom:

Sea Scallops with French Green Beans, Butter Potatoes, Brown Butter Vinaigrette, and Nueske’s Applewood-Smoked Bacon 💗💗💗💗 Absolutey deligtful. Scallops were perfectly cooked; I would eat this again & again.

Beef Tenderloin Tips, Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce and Whipped Potatoes with Garden Vegetables 💗💗💗💗💗 Another winner. Tender beef and the sauce is a perfect salty, earthy pairing.

France

Topiaries: Beauty & the Beast, and Lumiere & Cogsworth

Garden: France Bouquet Garden

Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt: Rose

Fleur de Lys: * I had these items at previous festivals…

• La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy: Vodka, Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, White & Red Cranberry Juice 💗💗💗 One of my faves in France, and it’s so pretty. Combo: sweet, tart and floral.
• Croissant au Fromage de Chevre, Herbes et ail Rotie: Croissant with Goat Cheese, Herbs & Roasted Garlic 💗💗💗Good, like the combo of tangy goat cheese with mellow roasted garlic.
• Beignet Caramelise, Fourre Creme Vanille, Glace au Caramel Fleur de Sel: Caramelized Beignet filled with Vanilla Cream and glazed with Caramel Fleur de Sel. Decadent, rich and so yummy. This is so big and good to share. 💗💗💗💗

Germany

Topiaries: Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs

Garden: Miniature Garden

Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market *I’ve enjoyed the pretzel bread at past festivals but this year I was very disappointed. My pretzel bread was dry and the whole thing wasn’t fresh. Such a letdown. My past review was very different.

• Toasted Pretzel Bread: with Black Forest Ham & Melted Gruyere Cheese. A miss this year. In 2021, it was amazing. 💗💗💗💗 I’m still giving it 4 stars because I feel like we just were unlucky this year.
• Appleschaumwein: Sparkling Wine & Apple Liqueur. Lovely, as always. Great drink for sweet wine lovers. 💗💗💗
• Potato Pancakes with Caramelized Ham, Onions & Sour Cream. My friend wasn’t impressed. Just average. 💗💗 Again, our food here felt like it was sitting out forever.

Garden: Alpine Miniature Garden

Mexico

Jardin de Fiestas

• Taco Vampiro: Barbacoa Beef in a Corn Tortilla with Crispy Grilled Monterey Jack Cheese, Salsa, Ranchera, and Esquites- 💗💗💗💗Delicious. I devoured this. I really enjoyed the ranchera sauce too. Wish it was spicier.

Garden: Extraordinary Orchids, Desert Garden *new & Tropical Rainforest Garden

Topiary: 3 Caballeros

Morrocco

Tangierine Cafe: Flavors of the Medina!

• Pomegranate Mimosa 💗💗💗 💗 Ah, sweet and lovely. It’s becoming a tradition for me.

Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt: Pepper

Garden: Spice Garden

Topiary: Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy (between Morocco & France)

Japan

Hanami. The Frushi is back! It’s always a festival favorite. 💗💗💗 My kids like this but I’m not the biggest fan.

Topiaries: Dragon

Garden: Bonsai Garden, Shishi-odoshi *new & Kokedema Garden

Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt: Iris

Italy

Primavera Kitchen:

• Tortelloni Primavera: Spinach Tortelloni, Sweet Butter, Pancetta, Corn, Peas & Fava Beans 💗💗💗 💗 I could have done without the corn, but we gobbled this up. Light and yummy.
• Mozzarella Sticks: We got these for free, nom nom! 💗💗💗
• Italian Margarita with Tequila and Limoncello 💗💗💗💗 One of my favorite drinks at EPCOT. It’s a perfect drink on a hot day. It’s a good choice for “sweet” drink fans.

Topiary: Lady & the Tramp

Garden: Garden Italiano

Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt: Tomato

American Adventure

Magnolia Terrace: So happy I stopped here this year~ WOW!!

• Spicy Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage and BEN’S ORIGINAL Long Grain & Wild Rice. Absolutely fantastic dish. Everything about it was delicious! Super Spicy and sooo goood. BEST of the FEST for me! 💗💗💗💗💗
• Bayou Cocktail: Bayou Spiced Rum, Coconut Rum, Fruit Punch and OJ. Great paired with my spicy gumbo. It’s very sweet and reminded me of my favorite beachy cocktails. 💗💗💗💗

Topiaries: Tiana *new

Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt: Magnolia

China

Topiaries: Pandas

Garden: Bamboo Garden & China Zodiac Garden

Lotus House.

• House-made Cheesy Crab Wontons 💗💗💗💗 Deep friend wontons with crab & cheese. I love crab rangoon, or that’s what I call these. Everyone in your group will enjoy this snack.
• Spicy Mala Chicken Skewer with Creamy Peanut Sauce 💗💗💗 Pleasantly surprised, super moist and grilled to perfection. The flavor was sweet and spicy. It’s still kid-friendly (maybe minus the green onions). Alas, I wish Disney would stop “cheaping” out and use chicken breast meat not thigh meat.

Connection Cafe, I got the Orange Bird Liege Waffle, while it is adorable..I didn’t care for the super artificial orange flavored icing that the waffle was dipped in…yuck. 💗The regular waffle is delicious.

Additional Kitchens to consider:

Funnel Cake, ooh la la, this year’s funnel cake is Banana Split: topped with Banana-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Diced Strawberries, and a Maraschino Cherry drizzled with Chocolate Syrup.

Trowel & Trellis (hosted by Impossible) plant-based eats, get the Boneless Impossible Korean Short Rib. Super flavorful, it’s the star here.

Refreshment Outpost, Pineapple Skewer with Tajin is a fan favorite. Super bummed I didn’t get to try the Lavender Martini.

Florida Fresh. All I heard was how amazing and wonderful the Strawberry Shortcake was…never had the opportunity to taste it.

Honey Bee-stro. Great reviews for the Chicken & Waffles. Plus, this is where to find Spike the Bee Sipper.

Brunchcot

This booth is near Test Track! Don’t skip it!

• Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites: with cream cheese frosting & candied bacon. Need I say more. So naughty, so damn good. 💗💗💗💗
• Peach Bellini: 💗💗💗 It could have used a little more peach flavor but still nice.
• Froot Loops Shake: like a cereal shake. Super addictive. I loved it! 💗💗💗💗

PS. The Avocado Toast is also very good, and the Shrimp & Grits are to die for, if that is your jam. I also love the grown-up Joffrey’s Coffee Cold Brew Cocktail: milk, coffee, Kahlua, and vanilla vodka.

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. locations also featured an Orange Cream Cold Brew, Key Lime Cold Brew, Melonade, and Exotic Lemon Tea.

A couple extra booths I took pics of: Citrus Blossom, where you could get the cute Orange Bird Sipper. This year’s design was extra cute! 🧡🍊🐥

Pineapple Promenade, because DOLE WHIP! 🍦🍍

Now about this Scavenger Hunt! Find Spike the Bee hidden amongst the gardens throughout the park. He’s one busy little bee. I’ve given you some of his locations & corresponding flowers in this post…but not all, so happy hunting!

🐝Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Scavenger Hunt

How could I possibly resist Spike the Bee in all his cuteness?! Map with stickers was $9.99. The prize was a choice of a plate or cup: Spike the Bee, Figment, Orange Bird or Snow White!! Who would you pick?

FYI: You can also participate in the Garden Graze. Foodie scavenger hunt! Purchase any 5 of these menu items (Cookies n Cream Chocolate Mousse Cup, Impossible Lumpia, Boneless Impossible Korean Short Rib, Chocolate Cake, Coconut Tres Leches, Hummus Trio, Potato Pancake with Applesauce, Pineapple Skewer, Grilled Street Corn, or Avocado Toast) from the Garden Graze locations, collect your stamps, and then head to Pineapple Promenade for your prize & treat! It’s a Souvenir Cup with Mango-Lime Dole Whip.

Looking for some entertainment? The Garden Rocks Concert Series is back! Nightly at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 pm. Still to come…🎉🎶

• June 2-5: Plain White T’s
• June 9-10: The Spinners
• June 11-12: The Commodores
• June 16-17: Vertical Horizon
• June 18-19: Tony Orlando
• June 23-26: Simple Plan
• June 30: Living Colour

• July 1: Living Colour
• July 2-3: Wang Chung

*Dining Packages are available Fridays through Monday.

You will also find interactive experiences! 🦋Blossoms of Fragrance by Scentsy! Be sure to stop by Butterfly Landing (you’ll often find Pooh Bear outside catching butterflies). The little ones will enjoy the camp-themed Play Garden.

Last, but not least…exclusive merchandise! This year’s themes included 70’s inspired Orange Bird, Snow White and Figment! Who’s your favorite? I loved seeing some Wall-E merchandise, too!

Want to plan a last-minute Summer Vacay? We can do it together! ~ OR…think ahead for 2024. Let’s geet your trip on the books so you can attend next year’s Flower & Garden Festival. 🌷

Email me 📧angiebaycura@d2travel.com, I’d love to help you plan a 🐝Bee-utiful Disney getaway!

The wonders of nature are endless. – Walt Disney

Thanks for reading~ 💖 Special shout-out to Ms. Taylor G. for being one of Enchanted Nook’s biggest fans! As special recognition, she’s going to write a post for Enchanted Nook this summer just for our younger readers! Get a kid’s perspective, review & insight on Disney & Universal!

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Enchantingly Yours🥀, Angie Baycura