As the calendar turns to February 28th, EPCOT blossoms into an enchanting spectacle at the much-anticipated EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Although we’re always sad to say goodbye to the vibrant Festival of the Arts, the Flower & Garden Festival promises to captivate our senses with its breathtaking topiaries, delectable culinary creations, and mesmerizing rock garden series.
Let’s embark on a floral fantasy adventure together! Don’t forget to hit ‘subscribe’ on our YouTube channel — you’ll be treated to an exclusive VLOG that takes you through the festival’s wonders, one petal at a time, with several installments planned throughout this blooming extravaganza. Can you feel the excitement budding?
With all festivals at EPCOT, you get new merchandise, food, concert series, and activities to keep you busy. EPCOT is a theme park that offers so much we always insist on a couple of days to enjoy it, especially during a festival. So grab your favorite iced beverage and prepare for our trek through the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival.
Flower and Garden Festival Food
As with every festival at EPCOT, there are food booths around the World Showcase to try. While we didn’t eat at all booths, we will highlight our favorites below. It would take an incredible metabolism or an army of friends to try everything offered in one day. We won’t keep you in suspense, though our favorite booth is Canada. The items aren’t new this year but were perfect this time. We are saddened by losing the Vampiro Taco, our previous favorite festival item. A moment of silence for our departed taco friend, please.
Let’s start with Northern Bloom Canada! As a self-proclaimed expert on scallops, I always look forward to this dish at the Flower and Garden Festival. You can catch the scent of the scallops while approaching this booth. We ordered all the food items here: Seared Scallops, Beef Tenderloin Tips, and the Chocolate Maple Whiskey Cake. All these items just hit perfectly, from the perfectly seared scallops to the tender beef tips, and then you finish it with a perfectly balanced cake! The maple plays so nicely with the chocolate on this one!
The menu boasted an array of tantalizing options: the Sope de Chilorio, Tamale de Rajas, and Flan de Guayaba. Each dish was a tongue-twister, equally challenging to pronounce as it was delightful to savor. The standout sensation? The Sope de Chilorio, hands down. It was an explosion of flavors that we enjoyed. Though the Flan de Guayaba was smooth and decadent, we couldn’t shake the feeling that it was missing something. And for the adventurous type, may I suggest the Lychee Margarita? It’s a daring twist on a classic, offering something unique and adventurous.
Don’t overlook the Florida Fresh booth; while it may be inconveniently placed with a lack of tables, it’s worth a visit. At $11, you can indulge in a delicious Lobster Tail that’s sure to satisfy, and the Cubanito Sandwich is deceptively flavorful for its modest size.
The last booth we tried was in the Odyssey building, where the Orange Bird has taken up residence. There are only two items here to try, and we got them both: the Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp and Lemon Meringue Pie. Between the two, the pie is better. However, neither is anything special. The whole vibe in Odyssey feels slightly off for this festival, but we must figure out why.
Final Thoughts on the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival:
Due to the length of this festival we will visit several times over the course of it. This year they did cut it short a month though which means it ends May 27th. We wonder if this means they might squeeze in a new festival for the summer? Typically the Wine and Dine starts up in later July. Stay tuned to this blog to find out.
Over on our YouTube Channel we will take you on a trip to see all the topiaries at the Flower & Garden festival. Also we will try some of the other festival food booths we didn’t get a chance to try yet, like America which has gumbo!
Also the lineup for the Garden Rocks concerts has some great hits in it that you will want to check out. A Flock of Seagulls and Simple Plan is catching our eyes currently. The Flower and Garden Festival offers a lot and we barely even scratched the surface of it all.
Are you ready to be dazzled by the splendor of EPCOT’s International Flower and Garden Festival? Trust us, you’ll want to spend at least two days fully immersing yourself in this floral fantasy. With an astonishing array of topiaries, a smorgasbord of international delicacies that tantalize your taste buds, breathtaking gardens that bloom with color, and an exhilarating concert series, this is an experience you can’t rush.
So, what do you say? Are you up for an unforgettable adventure at EPCOT? Will you visit the International Flower and Garden Festival? Share your excitement and plans with us! 🌸🎵🍴