EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival 2012 – 300 Photos From Opening Day

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was a beautiful day for the opening of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival! This is our 6th year covering it. I combined Future World and World Showcase this year, for a total of just over 300 photos (cut back from nearly 1200 I took on opening day and two preview days).

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite time of year at Walt Disney World. It’s beautiful!

The mushrooms from Fantasia are just outside of the park:

Sorcerer Mickey continues the Fantasia theme inside:

A peacock sits behind Spaceship Earth:

Flower trees:

 

Characters from Peter Pan welcome guests on the walkway between Future World and World Showcase. The characters from Winnie the Pooh were here last year, and they switched places for 2012!

 

  

Merchandise seems a little scaled back this year, but I like the logo.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival sign:

 

Walking towards the topiaries at the front of World Showcase, more beautiful flower (pot) trees line the sidewalk.

Daisy waters the flowers while Donald stands nearby:

Pluto:

Farmer Mickey is here, but with a different Minnie topiary than was with him a couple of years back.

Crops are being grown behind the Mickey and Minnie topiaries:

 

Here are some photos of the flower quilt (Festival Blooms) and roses with the Imagination and Land pavilions behind them. One of my favorite parts of the Festival is this display, which this year features butterfly and flower designs.

 

The sand sculpture to promote Disneynature’s Chimpanzee was just getting started. Last year the sand sculpture was based on the film African Cats. I’m not sure if it’s due to the new location, but there was more interest in it than I’ve ever seen! I enjoy watching a huge block of sand become a piece of art.

 

Another Festival shop:

Canada is one of my favorite countries in Epcot’s World Showcase. Victoria Gardens is always gorgeous, and flowers are almost always added to the rock work during the Flower and Garden Festival. Bambi, Thumper and Flower used to often be in Canada, but are currently part of Bambi’s Butterfly Tent.

The English Tea Garden is another yearly favorite. I highly recommend the Tea Garden Tour, we’ve learned a lot about the different teas! It’s a free tour.

I learned about Twinings Cold Brew Tea during the Tea Garden Tour last year.

 

Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit and Pooh from Winnie the Pooh:

 

The archway into the United Kingdom gardens:

We took a break for fries (chips) – my favorite fries on Walt Disney World property! The menu item was taken off the sign at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop very recently, but they can still be ordered.

 

The view of France as we walk past the International Gateway:

The flowers within the butterfly at the International Gateway are blooming:

Cinderella and Prince Charming join Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip in a dance. The first two photos are from nearly 3 weeks ago, when the beautiful trees were in full bloom.

Beauty and the Beast is well represented in the gardens of France. Belle and the Beast front the display, while Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip and Mrs. Potts are placed throughout. The Fragrance Garden is not part of the exhibit this year in France, I do miss it!

 

 

There are beautiful flowers around the France pavilion fountain:

The Back Yard Playground sponsored by GoGo Squeez is worth the visit! There is a playground area for young children, but this exhibit also teaches how to use everyday items to design a garden. The dogs and cat are made of similar materials as the Zodiac animals usually in China.

I always have GoGo Squeez in my backpack, I first enjoyed it as Pom Potes in France – then it arrived in the United States a couple of years ago.  This is the second year that GoGo Squeez has sponsored a display at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.

 

The Aladdin topiary in Morocco has been replaced this year by these spice balls:

 

Pixar’s Cars 2 is represented in Japan by Mater and Lightning McQueen. We were fortunate to get photos of the cars without signs a couple of days earlier, the signs went up on opening day.

Bonsai trees are located throughout the Japan pavilion:

One of my favorite gifts, solar powered cats (still in Japan):

The Pixar theme extends into the America pavilion, with Buzz, Woody and Lotso from Toy Story 3 surrounded by an alphabet garden. Strawberry scent is piped in from behind Lotso!

 

 

I prefer the old Flower Power concert logo, I don’t really understand why it was changed. This one looks better suited for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

In Italy, Lady and the Tramp take their normal place. Flowers decorate much of the pavilion, including across the walkway. There are always gorgeous flowers climbing the staircase behind Lady and the Tramp, which adds so much to the display!

 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are again in Germany, but in a great location along the water. For opening day, the Dwarfs held lanterns:

 

The train display in Germany always celebrates the current Festival as well as Christmas. I always enjoy the little details here! Signs, topiaries and plants are part of the exhibit.

 

 

This lizard looks like a dinosaur about to attack. The man appears to see him too!

A new exhibit for this year is Haiti, with gardens and a refreshment area. There is also a small shop with items made by Haiti, for Haiti. Haiti was devastated by the 2010 earthquake, and it’s great to be part of helping the country.

 

The Year of the Dragon is celebrated with the Bromeliad Dragon in China:

Panda topiaries:

The Norway troll is not on display this year. Some wildflowers and the annual roof flowers are still part of the Norway pavilion for the Festival:

Guests were really impressed with the orchid display in Mexico. I heard more ooh’s and aah’s about this than nearly anything!

 

Seagulls pull apart what used to be a plate of food (mine! mine! mine!):

One more Festival shop is found here, and my favorite shirt is actually in youth sizes only:

Flowers and floating planters:

 

Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden includes a quiet seating area, along with Fairy topiaries from previous films, a playground, and even a unique Winter Woods walkway with “icicles” on trees! Periwinkle, the Winter Fairy from the upcoming film “Secret of the Wings” is introduced here.

 

 

We went inside Bambi’s Butterfly Tent, which features topiaries of Bambi, Thumper and Flower. I noticed a butterfly land on Thumpers nose and it didn’t seem able to fly away (so I let a Cast Member know). There are quite a few different types of butterflies in here, and I like that the tent is so much bigger than a couple of years ago.

 

Festival Blooms:

 

 

Pluto in the distance:

 

Lets Get Moving Playground:

Chimpanzees have begun emerging from sand, it should be finished by Sunday.

We walked to the Festival Center, which features Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald topiaries outside:

 

Goofy’s shadow:

 

 

Jeff stood where the Flower Power flower went on opening day:

Inside, gardening seminars are held daily. There is a shop, a cafe, and new digital projections on the ceiling. The living plant wall is back again at the front entrance as well. We usually are here once every week or two for a gardening seminar, and we have a lot of plants still living from last year!

Back outside:

 

Stitch is in front of Mission Space again:

 

One last look at the entrance topiary:

 

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival runs through May 20th, 2012! Allow for plenty of time for all the exhibits, and maybe a seminar or Tea Garden Tour.