Epcot Details 2012 Flower and Garden Festival Events, HGTV Presentations
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The Walt Disney World official website has updated its pages for the 2012 International Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot to reflect special opportunities and presentations by HGTV stars for guests to experience. The festival is presented by HGTV and will take place between March 7, 2012 and May 20, 2012.
Themed weekends for the event include:
- Art in the Garden Weekend: See nature through the eyes of “plein air” artists and behold one-of-a-kind works of art. At World Showcase from March 23 through 25, 2012.
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Specialists: Meet the experts and learn about incredible indigenous insects that are part of our world. At the Festival Center from April 13 through 15, 2012.
- Florida Federation of Garden Clubs: See amazing arrangements that defy description. At the Festival Center from April 27 through 29, 2012.
- Fresh from Florida Weekend: Discover the bounty of Florida—from Apalachicola to Zellwood! At the Festival Center from May 4 through 6, 2012.
Special displays include:
- Bambi’s Butterfly House, presented by HGTV: Experience hundreds of native butterflies and see some of your favorite characters from Bambi, presented in topiary. Located at Imagination Walkway.
- Sustainable Beauty, presented by HGTV: This unique garden showcases sustainable gardening ideas that you can try at home.
- Bonsai Collection—located at the Japan Pavilion
- Festival Blooms, Presented by Syngenta—located at Future World East and West Lake
- Kid Garden (official name to be determined), Presented by Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association
- Orchids—located at the Mexico Pavilion
- Spice and Herb Garden—located at the Morocco Pavilion
- Water Wise Herbs & Vegetables, Presented by Rain Bird Corporation
Other activities available to guests throughout the festival include:
- Epcot Gardens of the World Tour: A Disney horticulturist is your host on this 3-hour, guided tour designed especially for garden enthusiasts. Available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Register at Guest Relations or call (407) WDW-TOUR. Cost is $60.00, including tax, and theme park admission is required. Available to Guests ages 16 and up only. Please note: Price of the tour is subject to change.
- Let’s Get Moving: Unique play structures offer fun for the little ones—the Evos™ play systems for ages 6 and older and the Weevos™ play systems for ages 2 through 5. Located at Imagination Walkway.
- Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden: Explore the garden world of Pixie Hollow and find some of your favorite fairy characters presented in topiary. Play structures are designed for ages 2 to 5. Located at Test Track Walkway.
- Sounds of Nature, Presented by Nature Conservancy: Relax as you listen to the soothing sounds of nature. Located next to Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden at Test Track Walkway.
And, as always, there will be plenty of educational opportunities to assist guests with their own gardens at home, along with presentations from many of HGTV’s top stars. Presentations and schedules are as follows:
- Ask an Expert: Get your gardening questions answered by master gardeners from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida. From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily at the Festival Center.
- Greenhouse Stage: Gardening experts share tips and secrets that you can use in your own garden. Visit the Festival Center for daily topics. From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays at the Festival Center.
- Planting Pointers: Get great gardening ideas from the gardening experts at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida. Visit the Festival Center for daily topics. At 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on select days.
- John Gidding, HGTV’s Curb Appeal: The Block—presenting March 9 – 11
- Sabrina Soto, HGTV’s The High/Low Project—presenting March 16 – 18
- Jason Cameron, DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves—presenting March 23 – 25
- Camille Styles, HGTV.com Entertainment contributor—presenting March 30 – April 1
- Dan Faires, HGTV.com’s DanMade, Fan Favorite HGTV Design Star Season 5—presenting April 6 – 8
- Brandon Johnson, host of HGTV’s My Yard Goes Disney—presenting April 13 – 15
- Meg Caswell, HGTV’s Meg’s Great Rooms—presenting April 20 – 22
- Monica Pedersen, HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012 and Designed to Sell—presenting April 27 – 29
- Antonio Ballatore, HGTV’s The Antonio Treatment—presenting May 4 – 6
- To be determined—presenting May 11 – 13
- Genevieve Gorder, HGTV’s Dear Genevieve and HGTV Design Star—presenting May 18 – 20
The HGTV presentations will take place at the Festival Center (the former Wonders of Live pavilion) each weekend, Friday through Sunday, at 12:00 and 3:00. Other presentations will be offered at those same times Monday through Thursday.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Events, F&G Festival, Flower & Garden Festival, HGTV, Keira Knightley
BREAKING: Walt Disney World to Offer Reserved Seating at Disney/Pixar Weekend Talks; Sign-Up Form Linked
Continuing our unparalleled coverage of the special Disney/Pixar Weekend taking place at Walt Disney World, May 13-15, we have learned that reserved seating at the special ‘Presenting Pixar’ talks featuring Cars property guardian Jay Ward, Pixar producer Jonas Rivera and composer Michael Giacchino, will be made available as seating is extremely limited at these events (approximately 800 guests per show according to our sources).
The sign-up form, which can be found here, also reveals the titles of each of the sessions that take place on May 14 & 15 only at the World Showplace located in Epcot’s World Showcase between the Canada and UK pavilions.
The schedule and title of the presentations for both days is as follows:
- Noon – Jay Ward: “Cars 101 – Inspiration for all of the CARacters you know and love”
- 2 p.m. – Jonas Rivera: “Pixar: Celebrating 25 Years of Animation”
- 4 p.m. – Michael Giacchino: “Behind the Music: A Score is Born”
- 6 p.m. – Special presentation by Jay Ward, Jonas Rivera and Michael Giacchino
Registration and attendance for these events are included with the regular cost of admission to the Epcot theme park.
UPDATE: REGISTRATION IS LIVE! AND OFFICIAL.
Categories: Epcot, Movies, Pixar, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Cars, CARS2, Events, F&G, Flower & Garden Festival
Sneak Peek: ‘Toy Story’ Topiaries at Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
Disney horticulturists do some final snipping to ready Buzz Lightyear and Woody – of Toy Story fame – for their Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival debut on March 2 as topiaries – living, growing plants that guests will see in front of Spaceship Earth at the front entrance garden. The festival, which runs for 75 days through May 15 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, will feature dozens of Disney character topiaries.
For more information on the festival, follow this live bookmark.
Photo by Gene Duncan, courtesy of the Walt Disney World Resort.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: F&G, Flower & Garden Festival, Toy Story, TS
2011 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Guide Now Available
Walt Disney World has released the official guide for the 2011 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival taking place between March 2 and May 15. In addition to the park map indicating where all the new florals and topiaries are including those inspired by Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 and the new Winnie the Pooh film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the guide also covers guest and celebrity presentation schedules, the Flower Power concert series and previews the new merchandise created for the festival.
The guide also confirms that Tinker Bell, Vidia, Rosetta and Terence will be greeting guests at the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden at its traditional location between Mouse Gear and Test Track.
Special designated weekends for the festival are: Art in the Garden, March 25-27; Fresh from Florida Farmer’s Market salute April 29-May 1; Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and Guerlain’s Enchanted Gardens events May 6-8; and a salute to Disney/Pixar from May 13 – 15.
You can view and download the guide from Walt Disney World here. For more information on the festival, including details on all the new topiaries and activities being offered at the 2011 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, follow this live bookmark.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: F&G, Festivals, Flower & Garden Festival, Flower and Garden Festival
HGTV to Sponsor Epcot Flower & Garden Festival; Announces Celebrity Line-up
HGTV kicks up the “curb appeal” of the 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 2 through May 15 with a first-time sponsorship featuring weekend appearances by its acclaimed designers and landscaping experts. The star-studded lineup includes Genevieve Gorder, Lisa LaPorta, Kim Myles, Brian Patrick Flynn, Taniya Nayak, Ahmed Hassan, Patti Moreno, Michele Beschen, John Gidding, Frank Fontana, and Vern Yip.
The country’s leading home and lifestyle television brand brings an addictive blend of design, decorating and landscaping inspiration to the enduring, 75-day gardening extravaganza at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
At the Festival Center presented by HGTV, popular celebrity experts will appear each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival on the HGTV Stage. The HGTV hosts will deliver valuable tips to Disney guests on topics including “Mobile Gardens,” “Secrets to Bringing Indoor Style Outside” and “Gardening with Kids.”
“We are thrilled to welcome HGTV and so many of the network’s great Talent to Epcot this spring,” said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. ”HGTV’s design and gardening personalities add an exciting, and entertaining new element to a festival that reinvents itself year after year.”
As part of the sponsorship, HGTV also will present a new, twice-its-previous-size Bambi’s Butterfly House along the Future World Imagination Walkway. Inside this popular festival stop are hundreds of native butterflies and character topiaries from the timeless Disney classic film, “Bambi.” This year’s display celebrates the upcoming release of “Bambi” Diamond Edition, for the first time on Blu-ray Hi-Def.
“People visit Disney for a memorable experience where they are inspired, enlightened and entertained,” said Jim Samples, president, HGTV. “Our star designers will provide just such an experience for the Disney guest during The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival presented by HGTV. Disney is the ideal venue and destination for us to connect face-to-face with our passionate viewers.”
| The HGTV celebrity lineup includes: | ||
| Genevieve Gorder, HGTV Design Star and Dear Genevieve | Mar 4-6 | |
| The Art of Sculpting Space | ||
| Lisa LaPorta, Designed to Sell | Mar 11 – 13 | |
| Design It Yourself: Easy-to-follow Tips | ||
| for Designing Your Favorite Rooms | ||
| Kim Myles, Myles of Style | Mar 18 – 20 | |
| The 5 DIY Secrets That Can Transform Any Space | ||
| Brian Patrick Flynn, Design Happens, HGTV.com | Mar 25 – 27 | |
| Mobile Gardens | ||
| Taniya Nayak, Designed to Sell and Destination Design | Apr 1 – 3 | |
| Adding Value to Your Home Without Breaking the Bank | ||
| Ahmed Hassan, Yard Crashers | Apr 8 – 10 | |
| Life, Love and Landscaping | ||
| Patti Moreno, Garden Girl, HGTV.com | Apr 15 – 17 | |
| Gardening with Kids: Fun Seed Starting Projects | ||
| Michele Beschen, B. Original | Apr 22 – 24 | |
| When Nature Calls: Creative, Back-to-Basics Style | ||
| for All Things Natural and Decorative | ||
| John Gidding, Curb Appeal: The Block | Apr 29 – 30, | |
| The Design Process: Curb Appeal Projects | May 1 | |
| from Concept to Construction | ||
| Frank Fontana, Design on a Dime | May 6 – 8 | |
| Beautiful on a Budget: High Style, Low-Cost Secrets | ||
| to Bringing Indoor Styling Outside | ||
| Vern Yip, HGTV Design Star | May 13 -15 | |
| Top Design Trends Made Affordable and Accessible | ||
In addition to its own celebrity stage appearances, HGTV will present the popular twice-daily Disney Gardening at Home series, where guests can join a workshop and take home projects ranging from hanging baskets to water garden features. The Festival Center’s HGTV Theater will present a special-engagement film featuring tips and hints from HGTV shows.
Dozens of Disney character topiaries are back by popular demand at this year’s festival. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and chief villain Lotso of the Oscar-nominated Disney blockbuster, “Toy Story 3,” make their first topiary appearance in front of Spaceship Earth at the park’s front-entrance garden. Topiary craftsmen also will debut floral versions of Lightning McQueen and Mater, stars of “Cars 2,” to be released in theaters this June.
Flower Power concerts will rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre stage three times each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening with popular acts like Davy Jones and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats. New-to-the-festival performers will include Melissa Manchester, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Events, F&G, Festivals, Flower & Garden Festival, HGTV, Sponsors
Sneak Peek: Miniature Train Garden at Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival
Many Walt Disney World Resort guests are familiar with the miniature train garden located outside the Germany pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. But we’re willing to bet a much smaller number of them realize that the garden is actually specially decorated for holiday seasons and festivals going on inside the park. Today, Walt Disney World released this photo showing horticulturist Julia Clark working on the garden for this year’s International Flower and Garden Festival which kicks off March 3 and shows off one of the neatest feature of this year’s decor: miniature horticulturists working on a dollhouse-size topiary of Snow White. Photo by Kent Phillips.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks Tags: F&G Festival, Flower & Garden Festival, Flower and Garden Festival, Germany Pavilion, Snow White, World Showcase
Epcot 2010 International Flower and Garden Festival Guide Now Available
Walt Disney World has released the Guide for the 2010 International Flower and Garden Festival which kicks off March 3.
Despite the lengthy 2 1/2 month festival, only a few special weekends are noted in the guide: Art in the Garden Celebration (March 26-28) in which guests can get a unique look at nature through the eyes of “Plein Air” artists and see one-of-a-kind works of art; Fresh From Florida (April 23-25) which features Florida’s native agriculture in the Florida’s Farmer Market in Garden Town; and the annual favorite I Dig Bugs (May 1-2) in which experts from Disney’s Animal Kingdom come share some of their favorite friends with Epcot guests.
On March 21, April 18 and May 16, Garden Town (which again is located inside the former Wonders of Life pavilion) will offer a Garden Town Breakfast. Professional horticulturists will offer some culinary garden techniques as you feast on a breakfast with ingredients grown in The Land pavilion. The cost for the breakfast is $60 per guest plus tax (gratuity included) and does not include admission to the park.
The beloved Pixie Hollow topiary garden returns this year with Terence and Vidia joining the line-up. Also found in the garden will be a re-creation of a fairy home as designed by a Pixie Hollow Online fan from a recent contest. In honor of the blu-ray and DVD release of The Princess and the Frog on March 16, kids will be able to enjoy a special activity at Princess Tiana’s Wedding Bayou.
Also of note are the published dates for upcoming events at Epcot: The Sounds Like Summer Concert series from June 12 – July 31; Holidays Around the World from November 26 – December 30; and next year’s festival from March 2 – May 15.
Note that it’s possible that the guide is reported as being damaged. If you get this error, try upgrading to the latest version of Acrobat Reader (9.3).
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: F&G, F&G Festival, Flower & Garden Festival, Flower and Garden Festival
Details Released on Epcot’s Earliest International Flower & Garden Festival Ever – See What’s New!
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The 17th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off March 3 – earlier than ever – and continues for 75 days through May 16, 2010, with bold strokes of seasonal color and brand-new topiary whimsy. Last year’s festival began March 18; now Walt Disney World guests get a head start on the gardening season as they explore exhibits and activities geared toward discovery and outdoor fun.
Even before spring has sprung, Donald Duck and his topiary pals set up camp in full floral color to celebrate the Great Outdoors at the Epcot front entrance. The elaborate topiary with a North American theme, live waterfall and pond features Goofy in a fly-fishing misadventure, Daisy Duck roasting marshmallows over a campfire and Pluto in his “pup tent.” It’s a must-stop photo op for guests as soon as they pass through the park turnstiles.
“The advantage of starting earlier is that we’ll be able to feature more brilliant color than ever, with richly hued petunias, violas, snapdragons and other hardy flowers,” says festival horticulture manager Eric Darden. “By starting earlier and going through mid-May, it allows more guests than ever to experience the festival and to plan ahead for their spring and summer gardening.”
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: F&GF, Flower & Garden Festival, Flower and Garden Festival
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