Fun Find: 2023 Flower and Garden Festival

This week has felt a bit gloomy and depressing, so today I'm trying to lift my sour mood.  Thankfully, the 2023 Flower and Garden Festival started on Wednesday, and I'm hoping some bright cheerful flowers will brighten my spirits!

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I thought today was the perfect opportunity for a Fun Find Friday, and I've got a bunch of different things to share about this year's colorful event!

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Every year, my favorite part of the Flower and Garden Festival is seeing all of the Disney characters as topiaries.  Through the years, Disney has continued to push the boundaries when creating these.  They've gone from faceless figures to full-blown greenery recreations of their animated counterparts!  And each year, they make a few new designs to join the festival, like this Tiana topiary that is debuting this year!

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I was SO excited when I found out that they also created four new designs of members of the Madrigal family from Encanto!  Now, you can see Mirabel, Luisa, Isabella, and Antonio at the entrance of Epcot.  And these topiaries are spectacular.  Here is a behind-the-scenes video showcasing these new additions!

Another tradition they keep continuing are the seasonal foods found throughout the World Showcase.  This is always one of my favorite things to do at the events.  Eliot is not a big foodie, but I like to try out a few items at each of the festivals we go to.  And "Frushi" and Violet Lemonade are my Flower and Garden Festival favorites!  Here are a few treats from the event this year!  It all looks so good!

Disney also continues to utilize "magic shot" additions throughout the park at their Photopass locations.  They have a bunch of fun things to take pictures with.  My favorites are the Tinker Bell wings and Orange Bird!  Although, the butterflies and Isabella are also fun and definitely fit the flower and garden theme!

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The coolest Photopass location has to be the Tiny World Magic Shot.  (We didn't do this and I'm still kicking myself for it.)  It's a cool photo and they add a seasonal border!

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Finally, we can't have a special event without some fun merchandise!  This year, the festival markets will be filled with a selection of items from four different collections: Orange Bird, Snow White, Figment, and Annual Passholder.  The Orange Bird design is very 70's groovy retro.  The Figment collection features a succulent and garden theme.  Snow White focuses on flowers and her forest friends.  And the Annual Passholder collection has exclusive items from all three.

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And that's a quick overview of the 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.  I don't think Eliot and I will be able to make it down for the event this year, but I would love to see all of those topiaries in person!  Hopefully, we'll see them at some point!  °o°