Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival

Kids Explore Flower Festival Fun at Epcot

Pirates, Pixies and Petals, Oh My!

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Imaginations will take flight and set sail as children explore new, vibrant gardens and adventurous activities at the 16th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, presented by Disneynature, March 18-May 31, 2009, at Walt Disney World Resort. The park's bountiful garden of fun also will bloom with themed playgrounds, immersive scavenger hunts, a special Fairy & Princess Procession and floral vignettes budding with beloved Disney character topiaries.

To welcome families into the festival, a royal topiary court invites guests to celebrate Cinderella's coronation day as a special "Cinderellabration" at the Epcot entrance. The signature topiary display, showcasing Cinderella's royal moment, is designed in honor of Disney Parks' new "What Will You Celebrate?" vacation initiative.

Throughout the rest of the theme park, families will enjoy the cascades of color at every turn, strolling through floral scenes made famous in Disney animated films, including "The Lion King" and the upcoming "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure."

Little ones can get moving – literally – in a special garden-themed playground featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy. The Let's Get Moving play area encourages kids to climb and explore. And there will be plenty of "pixie power" in a Pixie Hollow-themed play area, with everyone's favorite fairy, Tinker Bell, featured in a playful garden. For the little pirates of the family, another themed adventure area will feature Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

Aladdin and Lady and the Tramp will join other cherished characters making topiary appearances throughout Epcot, which is veiled with 30 million blooms of sweeping floral beds and exhibits.

Other family-friendly exhibits include Minnie's Magnificent Butterfly Garden – a distinctive garden filled with hundreds of free-flying butterflies. And guests can learn how to create their own environmentally safe garden, including information about low-water-use, native plants and recycling, while kids enjoy a playground at the Green Garden exhibit.
Entertainment is available for the whole family throughout the festival. The Flower Power concert series, which stars pop hit-makers of the 1960s and '70s, will have guests be-bopping and grooving to classic tunes at the America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the other activities sure to keep the "little gardeners" entertained at the 16thannual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival include:

* Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden (adjacent to Mouse Gear in Future World), with special hands-on activities for children, a play structure and colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and her friends; daily Fairy & Princess Processional at 2 p.m. where kids can come dressed up and show off their costumes; they can also get their face painted with their favorite fairy, flower or insect; plus, meet the director and producer of the upcoming fall release "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" March 21 at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

* Pirates Adventure Zone (adjacent to the Germany Pavilion in World Showcase), an interactive play space designed for exploration and adventure greeted by Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Croc topiaries.

* Let's Get Moving (adjacent to the Imagination! pavilion in Future World), a recreational garden where children can climb and explore, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy topiaries demonstrating their favorite outdoor activities. Here, kids can climb aboard EVOS and Weevos Playsystems.

* Green Garden (adjacent to the Morocco pavilion in World Showcase), a unique garden, which includes a playground, where guests can learn how to create an environmentally friendly, low-input garden of their own.

* Minnie's Magnificent Butterfly Garden (adjacent to Mouse Gear in Future World), where hundreds of butterflies inhabit a screened-in gazebo lush with foliage and color.

* Character Topiary Scavenger Hunt (behind Spaceship Earth in Future World), a family-oriented challenge to locate favorite Disney character topiaries throughout Epcot.

* Earth Station (Test Track Walkway, adjacent to the butterfly garden), where kids can discover fun activities and how to positively impact Earth.

Most festival activities are included in regular admission to Epcot. For more information and schedules, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY or visit www.disneyworld.com/flower.