10 Reasons to Visit the 2021 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival

Find out why we're excited to visit this year's EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, from new additions and exciting merch to returning favorites. Disney has announced the fest, but we have the details on must-see activities, foods, entertainment, and of course, topiaries! The EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival runs from March 3 to July 5, 2021. It is the longest Flower and Garden festival ever. Here are ten reasons to visit the fest: What's New for 2021 Masks are now optional outdoors at WDW, with vaccinated guests permitted to remove masks indoors. NEW food booths include the EPCOT Sunshine Griddle and the EPCOT Farmer's Feast (see below) Don't miss the new Soul of Jazz exhibit at the American Adventure Pavilion. Check out the finishing touches on the new entrance: The front of EPCOT has a new look! 1. Flower and Garden Merch Each year brings up a new bumper crop of Flower and Garden Festival merchandise. And shopping happens to be one of our favorite festival activities. We are sent our reporters out to the park on the first day of the festival to be your eyes and Mickey ears at the shops! PHOTOS: 2021 Flower & Garden Festival Merch with Prices— 2. 2021 Flower and Garden Food Booths Once again, we have put together a simple ad-free list of all the booth menus. Scroll through that menu while perusing the park, because the passport books at EPCOT do not state price. You'll need our guide to decide if you want to hike over to Italy for some pasta—before finding out it costs $15.00. Keep our page open in your phone browser to easily scroll through to your next foodie destination. Quick List: 2021 Flower and Garden Festival Menus Want to get more in-depth? Sure, the photos look great, and maybe the price reasonable... but is that pretty snack worth the money? Is it too sweet? Is the actual portion kinda small? Aside from our quick list of all the booths, we will have full reviews and photos of menu items. Simply find your favorite booth on our menu list and click through if you want to see photos of menu items and reviews. 3. Disney Topiaries Is that Remy? That's right! Remy premiered during the short-lived 2020 Flower and Garden Festival. This year, guests can expect over 50 individual topiaries scattered through the park. They are all incredible, and it's a great free activity for the family to find each one. We told readers exactly where to find them in the April issue of WDW Magazine—and how Walt himself inspired these. 4. Spike the Bee Scavenger Hunt Spike the Bee's Pollen Nation Exploration game will be returning to EPCOT for the 2021 festival. Just like Figment's Brush with the Masters and Olaf's Holiday Tradition Expedition, this is a game you can play all day while you explore the festival. These hunts are a great time because it is a fun little mission for your group—and in the end, you get a prize! Spike the Bee Cheat Sheet: Here's All the Places He's Hiding Pssst... even if you don't complete the hunt, you'll get to gather your prize: a set of two adorable character plates. 5. The Butterfly House [caption id="attachment_54630" align="alignnone" width="650"] Photo by Sara Bryce[/caption] We love added value to our Disney day, and the butterfly house at the Flower & Garden Festival delivers! This unique experience brings guests right inside a habitat created just for Tinkerbell's fluttering friends. Learn more about the social distancing precautions put in place to provide a safe time for humans and insects alike: PHOTOS: The Butterfly House at EPCOT Flower & Garden Fest 6. The Garden Graze Yes, we're raving about another food element of the fest! The Garden Graze is a foodie collection game where you are invited to try five different snacks around the park. Once you've collected stamps for all five items, return to the Pineapple Promenade booth to claim a free prize! Mickey just loves to see us try new foods. Here's the Total Cost and How to Play 7. Flower and Garden Vendors All throughout World Showcase, guests can find featured vendors selling great garden supplies and even plants! Look for decorations for your garden at home... these are great to come home to after work and think back on your time at the fest. 8. Character Greetings Character Cavalcades will continue to roll through EPCOT's World Showcase throughout the Flower and Garden Festival. In Future World, look for friends like Joy from Inside Out, and that silly ol' bear, Winnie the Pooh, near the Imagination Pavilion. 9. Joffrey's Specialty Drinks It's no secret that the libations at the Flower and Garden Festival are a big part of the party. But if you're looking for a refreshing spirit instead of a rich wine, the Joffrey's specialty drinks are likely to be a festival feature you look forward to each year. But they aren't in one location, so you'll need to know where to find them! Here's what's on the menu at Joffrey's this year 10. Live Entertainment [caption id="attachment_54535" align="alignnone" width="650"] Expect live entertainment on the stage every day. Photo by Tina Chiu[/caption] Tuesday through Thursday, expect to see Marima de Las Americas and Voices of Liberty take the stage at America Gardens Theatre (in front of the American Adventure Pavilion). Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, local Orlando bands will perform. This is an evolution from the limited Mariachi Cobre and Jammitor concerts we have seen at the past few festivals. "City Beautiful" will celebrate Orlando musicians of all genres. Disney Parks Blog reports that they will be performing music from yesterday and today, so expect some covers of your favorite songs! We don't have a schedule yet for local bands, but stay tuned! What's Not Happening in 2021 Of course, COVID-19 safety precautions are still in place, so we're all going to enjoy the festival with social distancing and mask policies in place. The Garden Rocks Concert Series isn't happening this year as Walt Disney World practices social distancing safety measures. Character Greetings will be paused for autographs and hugs. Socially distanced characters will wave and post for photos behind guests! Celebrate the 2021 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival at Home International travel is still prohibited in many countries, so if you can't make it to the Flower and Garden Festival this year, here's the next best thing. Recipe: Make EPCOT's Violet Lemonade at Home Recipe: F&G Watermelon Cucumber Slushie Recipe from the Germany Pavilion: Gooey Biergarten Nudel Gratin Recipe: From Fest of the Arts, the Deconstructed Breakfast Cocktail