NEWS: 2020 Flower & Garden Concert Line Up & More Announced
We may be a week away from Christmas, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start dreaming and planning about warm weather and gorgeous flowers at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival! Disney has released new details and the Garden Rocks Concert Series lineup. Catch all the details below.
Here are all the details from Disney cast member Jennifer Fickley-Baker:
Epcot’s longest-running annual festival – the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – is revving up to be a show stopper, with a Garden Rocks Concert Series talent lineup like never before. New to the Garden Rocks Concert Series on the America Gardens Theatre stage this year are Daughtry, Don McLean and other luminaries of various musical genres – so mark your calendars now!
- March 4-5 – Peabo Bryson NEW
- March 6-9 – The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
- March 10-12 – The Guess Who
- March 13-16 – Simple Plan
- March 17-19 – STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
- March 20-23 – Mark Wills NEW to Garden Rocks
- March 24-26 – The Spinners
- March 27-28 – Sister Hazel
- March 29-30 – The Pointer Sisters
- March 31-April 2 – Former Journey Lead Vocalist Steve Augeri
- April 3-4 – Blood, Sweat & Tears
- April 5-6 – Exposé
- April 7-9 – Berlin
- April 10-11 – A Flock of Seagulls
- April 12-13 – Atlantic Starr NEW
- April 14-16 – Tony Orlando
- April 17-18 – High Valley NEW
- April 19-20 – Rick Springfield
- April 21-23 – Christopher Cross
- April 24-27 – Plain White T’s
- April 28-30 – Don Felder, formerly of The Eagles
- May 1-2 – Don McLean NEW
- May 3-4 – Casting Crowns NEW
- May 5-7 – Ambrosia with Peter Beckett NEW
- May 8-9 – Thelma Houston NEW
- May 10-11 – The Allman Betts Band NEW to Garden Rocks
- May 12-14 – Air Supply
- May 15-18 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- May 19-21 – Mike DelGuidice & Big Shot NEW to Garden Rocks
- May 22-23 – Claudia Leitte NEW
- May 24-25 – Daughtry NEW
- May 26-28 – Marshall Tucker Band
- May 29-30 – Crowder NEW
- May 31-June 1 – Survivor
See a favorite band or a new one you don’t want to miss? One of the best ways to join the concert fun is to book a Garden Rocks Concert Series Dining Package for one of the shows at 5:30, 6:45 or 8 p.m. Each package includes breakfast, lunch or dinner at select Epcot restaurants and guaranteed concert seating. Reservations will open to Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members Dec. 18 and to the general public Dec. 19.
The music is surely gonna get you, and that’s not all. The festival presents a kaleidoscope of colorful blooms, topiaries, and gardens designed to inspire wonder and whispers of “how’d they do that?!” The brand-new Remy topiary will be unveiled as the centerpiece of a Ratatouille Garden at the France pavilion, where the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction will open in summer 2020. The floral Remy will be surrounded by a colorful garden of veggies that comprise ingredients of a ratatouille recipe.
RELATED ARTICLE: Epcot Flower and Garden Festival – What You Need to Know
by Chad & Cindy Nykamp
Call me crazy, but the Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite festival at Epcot. The sights and smells of the flowers, combined with (mostly) perfect spring Central Florida weather, make this a great time to visit Epcot. This year marks the 27th installment of the Flower and Garden Festival. It runs from March 4-June 1, 2020! Catch all the details below.
1 – Flowers Blooming
The 90-day event features seventy Disney-crafted topiaries and beds of multi-colored blooms that will transform the Epcot landscape into a floral extravaganza. As just one example of this metamorphosis, nearly 70,000 festival blooms will surround the lakes in Future World, while on the water, hundreds of colorful mini-gardens will be set afloat.
Don’t miss Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog in France. Darden shared there was an offhand suggestion by a Cast Member that Kermit should crash the scene on a bicycle, and it turned into a reality. The many returning topiaries are in new locations, telling different stories, so there is always something new for guests who come and visit the festival every year.
2 – Garden Rocks Concert Series Returns
The popular Garden Rocks Concert Series will expand to every day of the festival, featuring chart-topping artists performing three shows daily on the America Gardens Theatre stage. That’s 270 concerts– more than ever before – featuring new and returning fan favorites spanning multiple genres. Returning favorites like The Spinners and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone will be joined by artists new to the festival, like Daughtry, Mark Wills, and Thelma Houston.
3 – Outdoor Kitchens
Creative new culinary dishes and several new outdoor kitchens will debut this year. We had a chance to taste some of the food and beverages that will be available, and we can’t wait to enjoy them all spring. New this year, Advent Health is hosting a kitchen along with a nearby playground where the whole family can learn fun and interactive ways to stay healthy.
2020 menus have not been released. Below are the 2019 menus and prices for comparison.
Click here for the complete 2019 menu listing of the outdoor kitchens.
Watch this video below where a Disney chef shows off the new food at this year’s festival:
Several Epcot food-and-beverage locations – including Taste Track and Refreshment Port– will offer festival-themed eats and libations. Additionally, guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner at 15 popular Epcot restaurants and guaranteed seating for a nightly concert with a Garden Rocks Dining Package. Dining packages are now booking at FreshEpcot.com or by calling (407) WDW-DINE.
4 – Family Play Zones
In 2019, two different family play zones will allow families a chance to play together during the festival. Woody and Buzz Lightyear welcome Bo Peep and her sheep to their Toy Storytopiary near the Family Play Zone in Future World East. Also, guests can also play at the Play Full Garden near the Imagination Walkway. Here there are interactive activities that focus on nutrition and wellness.
5 – Scavenger Hunts
Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration family scavenger hunt will be more fun than ever this year with new locations to discover along the garden pollination trail. Guests can also commemorate their scavenger hunt experience with select merchandise offerings featuring everyone’s favorite bee, Spike. Another guest favorite returning to the festival (while supplies last) is the Eggstravaganza Scavenger Hunt, where guests can search for Disney character-themed eggs around World Showcase.
6 – Gardens and Exhibits
Among the returning gardens and exhibits, guests will once again enjoy the Goodness Garden Butterfly House presented by GoGo squeeZ where nearly 1,000 native butterflies will fly among the garden’s two dozen nectar plants. Additionally, several World Showcase pavilions will include gardens with floral life representatives of plants in those countries, such as the Kokodema Garden and Bonsai Collection in Japan, the Urban Spice Garden in Morocco and the Alpine Container Garden in Germany.
7 – Guided Tours
Guided tours are also available for guests interested in learning more about nature’s magic. In Behind the Seeds – The Land, guests can explore the fish farm and four greenhouses that make up The Land at Epcot. Additionally, two guided experiences exclusive to the festival include:
- We spoke with Liza, a Cast Member from the UK Pavilion, and she shared information about two different tours being offered during the Festival. The Royal Tea Garden Tour, presented by Twinings, takes place each festival morning at the United Kingdom and lasts around 45 minutes. For a small fee, guests can follow a knowledgeable guide through the tea garden setting to learn the history and artistry behind growing and blending tea. A post-tour treat of tea and scones is included. The shorter, complimentary English Tea Garden Tour also will be offered on select days and lasts about twenty minutes. We’ve done this in the past and loved it!
- During the Gardens of the World tour, guests will join a Disney horticulturist for a three-hour walking tour to explore the award-winning topiaries and gardens that make the festival so special. Guests will learn about the unique role landscaping plays at Walt Disney World and discover new plant materials and gardening techniques to use for home gardens.
Guided tours are offered select days throughout the festival for an additional fee. Epcot admission is required. Reservations for tours open January 2020. For more information or to make a reservation, call (407) WDW-TOUR.
9 – Merchandise
2020 merchandise has not been released. Below is a sampling of 2019 merchandise to give you an idea of what you can expect this year.
What would be an Epcot festival without official event merchandise? This year you’ll find a charming array of whimsical apparel and headwear designed to capture the splendor of spring, garden tools, and accessories, and magical Disney keepsakes to adorn your homes and gardens. There are five different themed lines for the festival:
- Mickey’s Garden Shed
- Minnie’s Garden Party
- Desert Violet Lemonade Capsule Collection
- Spike the Bee and Donald
- Figment – Let Your Imagination Grow Wild
We were able to see some of the merchandise, and there are so many items that have been added to my must-have list! Two new Spirit Jerseys will be available and a Minnie flower fanny-pack! There are two limited edition Magic Bands and some festival ears!
Click here to check out all of the 2019 merchandise for the festival.
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