Flower and Garden Festival 2025

Food & Wine Festival 2025

This past May, my husband Nick and I decided to take a quick trip to Disney for the Flower and Garden Festival that took place in EPCOT. I personally haven't been to this festival before and really wanted to check it out as I've heard great things about not only the food, but the main event – the flowers & topiaries!

Weather wise in May in Florida – I won't lie, it was very hot, but our cooling towels were a god send during this trip and we weren't going to let a little heat slow us down! 

We stayed at All-Stars Music resort for this tips – which was another first for me. I still prefer Pop Century – mainly for the Skyliner access and the vibes – but sadly they were all sold out during the time frame we decided to go – which is fine since it was a last minute trip decision. I usually plan Disney trips out fairly far in advance – this was just a spur of the moment kind of thing since I wanted to go to this festival so bad. The room was really nice and overall I didn't have too many issues with the resort – except I will say, you tend to get more loud people at these resorts in my opinion. But – again, it may have just been the time and whoever was in the room next door. I will say, the bus system for All-Stars was really solid for the most part – I would just say arrive early to busses if you plan to stay at the all-stars resorts. But that goes with any of the transportation at Disney honestly. 

We decided to brave the crowds at rope drop in EPCOT and hit Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic rewind first. That standby line before it opened was quite the experience, but one of the things Disney does really well is crowd control. Major shout out to those cast members – they not only made it fun, but they also made sure everyone was safe and reminded people not to run. (People still ran – but they got pulled aside by cast members if they saw it.) Honestly, it was worth it for us but we got there up towards the front of the line and didn't wait very long in the queue. 

Once we had our early rope drop, we ended up going into Connections to get some caffeine from Starbucks and some breakfast. Because it's so hot, I usually get a refresher whenever we're in Disney. We had a lightning lane for Guardians shortly after that – and yes, we paid extra for a lighting lane because that ride is hands down our favorite. 

We hit our big to do rides including: Ratatouille, Soarin', Living with the Land, and Spaceship Earth – I even did my first live on Tik Tok which was really exciting. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of time for the World Showcase as well as checking out all the Flower & Garden Festival topiaries! After all, the festival was the main draw for this trip since neither of us have been to this festival yet. I did already have a list of items we definitely wanted to try ahead of time. We have been to Wine & Food Festival which is a lot of fun, but definitely wanted to check this festival out. My hope is we'll hit Festival of the Arts and the Holiday Festival at some point in the future. 

Once we had our rides done for the most part (which we sprinkled in during the day), we did our World Showcase walk around and tried a lot of different things! We first stopped at Imagination Pavilion where we tried the Cider Flight, Fried Cinnamon Bites (Brunchnot – right outside imagination pavilion), and Orange Sesame Shrimp Tempura. Here's my take:

Cinnamon Bites – Amazing, probably one of my favorite things I got to try at the Festival. 

Shrimp Tempura – It was really good, but I wish there would have been more shrimp. The sweet chili sauce def had a kick. 

Cider Flight – The Lemon Meringue cider was my favorite, followed by the Orange Blossom, and the Rice Lager def came in last.

Mexico:

Next, we headed towards the World Showcase where we tried more things around the world. We always have the debate of whether we hit up Mexico or Canada, but we made sure to go to Mexico so that way I could grab the margarita I didn't get a chance to grab last time.  There was a drink I specifically wanted to try – and it was the Oxacan Sweetheart: which was Dos Hombres Reposado Mezcal, Lemon Juice, Orange Blossom Honey, and a Pollen Salt Rim garnished with a honeycomb. This drink was delightful and great on the hot day!

Norway:

Next we headed to Norway to get our favorite drink in EPCOT, the Viking Coffee. If you have not had a chance to get this yourself when you are in EPCOT – do yourself a favor. It is delicious and if you are of age, order it with alcohol. It is a bit expensive but it is so worth it – and you can always split it if you want with someone else. But I won't blame you if you don't want to split it because it is that good. You can either get it hot or frozen, and frozen is definitely our go to. It has Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur, Kamora Coffee Liqueur, frozen coffee with coffee-chocolate sauce and garnished with coffee-chocolate crunch.

China

Next stop, China! We decided not to get much in China food or drink wise since the festival options weren't sounding good to us. But we did hit the massive shop that is definitely worth it to check out!

Germany

Germany was next and no trip is complete without getting the Pretzel Bread Pudding from the Biergarten Restaurant – they have a small outdoor kiosk that you can order their Warm Pretzel Bread Pudding and a Grapefruit Ale that is really refreshing. We only got the bread pudding this time around – but if you haven't gotten this yummy treat from the Germany Pavillion, definitely check it out. Festvial foods were also not sounding up our alley in this country – but they have a lot of fun areas, shops, and live music to check out.

Italy:

We also chose not to get anything from Italy pavilion food wise because quite honestly it was really hot and we were needing a break to just walk around and not eat at every place. We did have to circle back a few times in world showcase since we wanted to spread out our time.

American Pavilion:

No trip is complete without a trip to America! Here we tried the pretzel bites with beer cheese - which were pretty standard and by this point we were pretty hot! Since the heat was pretty intense, we decided to cool down in the rotunda where the Voices of Liberty perform. If you haven't listened to this a cappella group, you're missing you! They cover patriotic tunes as well as your Disney classics with their beautiful crystal clear tones and harmonies!

Japan:

Japan is always one of my absolute favorites and you can never go wrong with any of the drinks here! We did try the octopus - which I was not a fan of but Nick thought it was pretty tasty. We always love going through the shops in Japan – they are massive! But it's so fun to check out all the kimonos, merch, and the snacks! Be sure to carve out some time to check out their shop because you never know what you'll find in there!

The drinks at Japan are delicious! Our two favorites tend to bew the Violet Sake and Tokyo Sunset! If you're looking for something fruity & refreshing, I strongly recommend grabbing something! They have a small bar located just outside the shops/restaurant and they are super friendly!

Morrocco:

Morrocco is a hidden gem and I love to explore the area. They have a beautiful area called the Fez House where it really displays beautiful Morrocon architecture. I always make a point to walk through here because it's stunning. In this pavilion, they had a cider flight which was pretty good! We didn't try any food but they always have some great offerings over at their quick service locations as well as Spice Road Table, which is their sit down restaurant.

France:

Home to the famous Ratatouille ride, France offers many dining experiences, quick service options, treats, entertainment, and great drinks. We love getting a glass of wine in this Pavilion and if we're in the mood, one of those delicious Brioche ice cream sandwiches from L'Artisan des Glaces. If you haven't had one of these with the coffee ice cream and chocolate syrup they drizzle over, you're missing out!

Since the festival was happening, we wanted to check out their offerings! We ended up getting the Provincial Poutine which had fries, cheese curds, honey, lavender, and edible flowers. It was delicious. We also had this croissant that was filled with cheese and that was also extremely tasty. Paired with a glass of wine and it was a great combination!

United Kingdom:

United Kingdom pavilion is always one that I enjoy walking through, especially the shops. Sometimes, you'll even see Mary Poppins and Bert walking around the grounds or hear some live music being played out the park courtyard. During Flower and Garden Festival, they do a tea experience which we didn't do but it looked fun! Pro tip: if you're wanting to do that, it looks like you have to sign up in person and I would do that early since it seems to get booked up very quickly.

We went to the Rose & Crown, which is their English pub and got a very tasty drink (and I'm sad to say I don't remember what it was called.) But the cast members there are always so fun and make the drink quickly. I will say that Rose & Crown tends to be pretty packed, so be prepared to stand or take your drink outside.

Canada:

Our last stop at World Showcase was Canada, where we used to get ciders but they only offer those at specific times now. They also only do their Beer Cheese soup during Food & Wine festival which makes me sad, but it's still a great location to check out. They have a really cool waterfall in towards the back by Le Cellier, which I heard the food there is phenomenal. Compared to the other pavilions, I've always felt that Canada lacked a bit but they do offer some cool experiences like the Canda Far and Wide where it's a 360 degree look at the beauty of Canada. It's also a great place to cool down and get out of the heat.

Other Noteworthy Experiences

Other Festival Food Favorites:

Outside the world showcase there's plenty to see and do! We also tried some other offerings by the Imagination Pavilion and Connections. Some of which ended up being our favorite! Outside of connections, they had a live show of Encanto happening at multiple times as well as some dancing – which I did partake in! The walls have finally come down in this area and it is stunning when lit up at night. We tried the grilled street corn at Beach Grub and that was phenomenal as well as strawberry shortcake which was refreshing. Sadly, they didn't have the beer flight we were wanting to try but we did end up getting a light beer that was really tasty.

Butterfly Garden & Exhibits:

There were a variety of exhibits to explore, including a beautiful butterfly garden! There were many interactive and educational activities as well!

Topiaries, Topiaries, and more Topiaries!

in each country and throughout EPCOT, there were so many character topiaries! Every year they try to do something a little different, but it's amazing what they can do with all of the flowers and greenery!

Moana - Journey of Water:

You don't want to miss this experience when visiting EPCOT. This walk through takes you through the journey of water and has a lot of interactive activities! It's also beautifully detailed and feels like you're in a whole different place. I highly recommend experiencing this at night too as if gives you a different feel seeing everything lit up.

Looking to do festival at EPCOT?

Let me know! I would love to help you book your next trip to Walt Disney World!