16th Epcot Flower and Garden Festival **Updated with Details**

[John]

New: ‘Cinderellabration’ Topiary, Pirates Adventure Zone, Pixie Hollow Playground

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – An elaborate “Cinderellabration” topiary and an environmentally friendly Green Garden will bring fresh springtime flair to the 16th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 18-May 31, 2009. Amid a colorful tableau of flowers, plants and topiaries, Walt Disney World guests of all ages can explore myriad exhibits and activities geared toward gardening and outdoor fun. Weekend Flower Power concerts will pump up the volume and spread a groovy vibe at America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase.

Each year, Disney gardeners channel their creative energy into presenting an intricate topiary display against the backdrop of Spaceship Earth. This year, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, and Belle and Beast from “Beauty and the Beast” will debut in all their “blooming finery” as the grand front-entrance topiary during the 75-day festival.

New gardens, events and children’s play areas offer more reasons to visit the 16th annual festival:

Green Garden– Anyone can create an environmentally friendly garden; here’s where guests will learn about low-water-use gardens, incorporating native plants into their garden and recycling.

Pixie Hollow – Colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and her friends from Walt Disney Pictures’ “Tinker Bell” will sprinkle pixie dust over this playful garden designed just for kids.

Pirates Adventure Zone – Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Croc topiaries will lure young swashbucklers to this interactive space designed for exploration and adventure.

Special Environmentality Celebration (April 24-26) – This special event will showcase how to keep the planet green through solutions like reducing waste and using friendly bugs.

Throughout the festival, more than 70 topiaries will decorate the park landscape and showcase the extraordinary craftsmanship of Disney gardeners. Sweeping floral beds and exhibits will feature 30 million blooms. A Fragrance Garden at the France pavilion will tell the “love story” of plants and perfume, and the English Tea Garden at the United Kingdom pavilion will explore the art and history of blending tea plants. The art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan showcase.

Other festival highlights will include:

Flower Power concerts -- Popular bands will rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. The concert lineup is slated to include new acts like Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, plus pop favorites like Davy Jones, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats, Tony Orlando, Jose Feliciano, Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone and other top acts.

Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden -- Hundreds of butterflies will flit inside a walk-through screened enclosure that includes a live exhibit showing how caterpillars form a chrysalis and emerge as butterflies.

Disney Gardening at Home presentations -- Disney horticulturists will share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity.

The Great American Gardeners series -- Gardening celebrities and authors from across the country will reveal their gardening secrets.

The Garden Town Festival Center -- Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend speaker presentations and demonstrations and ask gardening questions of the experts.

Simba’s Birthday Celebration -- A lineup of topiary characters straight from Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Lion King” will greet guests at World Showcase Plaza.

Poster Signings -- Artist Heather French will sign festival posters each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Canada Garden Retreat.

More Festival Celebrations -- An Art in the Garden celebration of plein air artists and a Kids Paint Out will occur March 27-29; a Florida Farmer’s Market celebration will take place May 8-10. More celebrations will bloom throughout the festival.

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Detailed Press Release on Flower Power Concerts

Detailed Press Release on Festival Fun Facts

Detailed Press Release on Great American Gardeners Series

Detailed Press Release on Kid's Activities

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

Anyone know when Characters in Bloom will be?

[mouseketeer mom]

We'll be there this year. Thanks!

[princessgirls]

It all sounds just wonderful!

I can't wait!!!

I've been stuck in this deep-freeze in the Northeast since New Year's.

Spring and Garden Festival!!! Whoo hooo!

Julie

[Tinkerbelly84]

This year will be the first time that I get to experience this. I'm so excited!

[Kim Possible]

i'll be there, so excited! i'm planning on going opening day

[ryobi88]

will be there the first week of may cannot wait

[peemagg]

Does anyone know when we might know the other activities that are planned are going to be out? Especially the master gardeners.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

So, not sure if anyone updated or not, but Characters in Bloom will be March 28-30th this year. Right before my birthday!!

[joanna71985]

I can't believe I'm missing F&G this year. This theme sounds really good.

[hoop de do]

Thanks John. We'll be there, just don't know exactly when. It's a great time to visit the WORLD.

[Kim Possible]

So, not sure if anyone updated or not, but Characters in Bloom will be March 28-30th this year. Right before my birthday!!

ahh thats so sad its the week after i leave! so like disney to do that to me! lol

[cindchan]

This is my first Garden Show at Disney!! I'm so excited!

[like2workout]

i'm going to try to make it there for characters in bloom again this year. i hope some rare characters will be out! i went last year for the first time - it was a very nice time!

[cindchan]

So, not sure if anyone updated or not, but Characters in Bloom will be March 28-30th this year. Right before my birthday!!

Aww! that'll be right after I leave. Darn. But I'll still get to see some of the stuff. ^_^

[dixielandings]

So...what's the theme?

And what was it last year? I was there and I can't remember...

[FenwayGirl]

I will be there too! The last time I was in WDW in May was 16 years ago. I still remember that a large part of the topiaries were from Fantasia.

[cindchan]

I soooooooo look forward to this!! I'll miss the character ones, as I leave the 26th. Oh well. I'll still get to see some of it!

[justpooh]

How long are the shows at the American Pavillion? Do you know if they will have the 7:45 show on Friday nights? Since the fireworks are at 8?

[Figment!]

11 Hit Makers of 1960s and ’70s Bring Groovy Vibes to Epcot During 2009 Flower Power Concerts

Walt Disney World Resort Press Release

February 24, 2009

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, popular for their Grammy Award-nominated single “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” and other hit makers will strike nostalgic notes during Flower Power concerts each weekend of the 16th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, presented by Disneynature, at Walt Disney World Resort.

The spring shower of hit songs from the 1960s and '70s begins March 20-22 with opening-weekend performances by Davy Jones, known for a string of pop singles including “Daydream Believer,” and continues each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through May 31. Some of the other returning acts include Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Ventures, Jose Feliciano and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats.

Flower Power concerts take place at the America Gardens Theatre at 5:15, 6:30 and
7:45 p.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival. Concerts are included with regular Epcot admission.

Here’s the lineup (entertainment and show times subject to change without notice):

March 20-22 – Davy Jones “Daydream Believer”
March 27-March 29 – Paul Revere & The Raiders “Good Thing”
April 3-April 5 – The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie “Happy Together”
April 10-April 12 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am”
April 17-April 19 – The Ventures “Hawaii Five-O”
April 24-April 26 – Harold Melvin's Blue Notes (NEW) "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
May 1-May 3 – Chubby Checker & The Wildcats “The Twist”
May 8-May 10 – Ricky Nelson Remembered featuring The Nelsons
“(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection
May 15-May 17 – Jose Feliciano “Light My Fire”
May 22-May 24 – The 5th Dimension “Up, Up and Away”
May 29-May 31 – Tony Orlando “Tie a Yellow Ribbon”