April Showers bring May flowers, and springtime in Disney World means Flower and Garden! The Flower and Garden festival is my absolute favorite Epcot festival. I just love all of the flowers and the topiary designs. I also love sharing the experience with my littles because with each new festival means new activities to explore with the kiddos! Today, I wanted to share some of our experiences at the festival this year and give some pointers for you, especially since F&G goes until July 5th this year {hooray!}. So let’s get started…

1. The Topiaries

The Flowers. Okay, to say the horticulture team goes all out almost feels like an understatement. The topiaries are just SO GREAT, and the horticulture team does a fabulous job of rotating locations, creating new scenes, and debuting new characters each year. Some of my favorites this year are the ostriches from Fantasia {and really all of the Fantasia display at the park entrance}, Woody and Bo Peep {located by the Land}, the fairy garden with Tinker Bell {located in the UK pavilion}, and Pluto {located near the World Showcase entrance}.

Side Note: A full list of all the topiaries can be found on the Walt Disney World website.

When it comes to the topiaries, the kids enjoy seeing their favorite characters, and L is a BIG fan of flowers right now. It is so much fun to share these beautiful creations with them. 10/10 would recommend. haha.

Beyond the topiaries, there are extra flowers everywhere! One of my favorite photo spots during F&G is this floral display added by the lake entrance into World Showcase. Make sure to snag a pic here. You won’t regret it.

2. The Butterfly Garden

The Goodness Garden Butterfly House is such a fun {and educational – bonus!} addition during F&G. It’s a little walk-through tent that is filled with butterfly-friendly flowers {read: bountiful and beautiful} and hundreds of butterflies! L and W really enjoyed walking through this and seeing all the butterflies up close and personal. L was trying really hard to stand very still so one of the butterflies would land on her. The walk-through also showcases the metamorphosis process and has active cocoons for the littles {and you} to see.

Side Note: CMs are monitoring the number of people in the tent at all times to keep the number low enough for COVID safety protocols to be followed.

3. The Scavenger Hunt

Another festival, another scavenger hunt. For F&G, Spike the bee makes his big debut! Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration is such a fun scavenger hunt. Similar to other hunts, you are given a sticker map and earn a prize at the end {started as plates and is currently travel mugs}. However, unlike other seek and finds, he is hidden throughout the gardens and topiaries to showcase a particular flower for each sticker. As an added challenge, Spike can be found throughout Future World in addition to the World Showcase. The kids love finding him hiding in the gardens, and it’s such a fun way to learn about and how to identify new flowers.

For those that want to give some loving “guidance” to their littles, WDW Magazine shared a how-to guide to find Spike.

4. The Butterfly Wall

The butterfly wall is back! The butterfly wall installment from Festival of the Arts not only stayed but expanded! Eeep! There are now even more fun butterfly wing options, so you too can feel like a beautiful butterfly. L and W both love taking pictures with them, and I honestly have a blast with them too. I mean, look at these new beauts.

These walls can be found between the Land and the Seas and at the main entrance to the World Showcase. Be sure to stroll past for some butterfly fun.

5. The Play Area

Since playgrounds still aren’t open in the parks, F&G is trying a new alternative The Health Full Trail. This is a grassy area with some fun, painted circles to inspire play, as well as a small garden trail perfect for a quick exploration. The playgrounds are definitely missed, but I appreciate Disney trying to find a safe alternative for the time being.

6. The Food

What’s an Epcot festival without the food? The menu, as usual, is fantastic but can also get pretty pricey very quickly. As I’ve mentioned before, my preference is to bring lunch for us and the kids and just get desserts. Keeps the price down and you still get to try some of the amazing food! Some of our favorites this year have been the Violet Lemonade {an old goodie} and the new Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop {this was seriously amazing, highly recommend}.

  • Violet Lemonade
  • Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop

The full menu can be found in the Disney Parks Flower and Garden Outdoor Kitchen Menu Guide.

7. The Old Faithfuls

As I will always say when it comes to the Epcot, there are some really awesome attraction options for kids, with or without a festival. Our must-hits are:

  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • The Seas {have to see all our fishy friends!}
  • Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros
  • Living with the Land
  • Journey Into Imagination with Figment
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Frozen Ever After {this is an occasional attraction for us | highly recommend going straight there at opening as this one stays busy all day}

That’s all for today!

Until next time…

Stay Magical!

Jasmine

*Disclaimer: All opinions shared are in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company. They are completely my own and shared from a Disney guest perspective.