Disney World In Bloom: A Photo Guide to the 2022 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Spring hasn't quite sprung across the country yet, but EPCOT is already in full bloom at Walt Disney World, where the 2022 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival runs through July 4. Colorful gardens and topiaries are the official stars of this show, but outdoor kitchens spotlighting seasonal ingredients and plant-forward dishes, the return of the Garden Rocks concert series, and new lines of limited-edition merchandise are just a few more of the many reasons to visit this festival. Here's our guide to the 2022 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.

Grab a Festival Passport as soon as you enter the park. This booklet is your guide to all things festival, from topiaries and gardens to outdoor kitchens and the Garden Rocks Concert Series. Be sure to check My Disney Experience for up-to-date entertainment offerings and showtimes.

Disney and Pixar characters get the floral treatment as elaborate topiaries - a highlight of the festival that makes the park feel alive. Some of our favorite topiaries include the Three Caballeros near the Mexico pavilion, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs near the Germany pavilion.

Character artists, film studios, welders and the horticultural team all work together to bring topiaries to life. In the Germany pavilion, Kermit the Frog pedals on a bicycle and Miss Piggy holds court nearby.

Outdoor kitchens shine a spotlight on fresh, seasonal produce and many celebrate a particular ingredient, like honey at Honey Bee-stro and pineapple at Pineapple Promenade. The following are a few of our favorite plant-based dishes.

Our pick for best dish of the fest couldn't be simpler - or more delicious. Grilled Street Corn on the Cob with Savory Garlic Spread from Flavor Full Kitchen hosted by AdventHealth is grilled on the spot and slathered in a creamy, garlicky coating that's plant-based and gluten-friendly.

Plant-based dishes also take center stage at Trowel & Trellis, hosted by Impossible, where you won't believe it's not meat in dishes like the Impossible Sausage and Kale Soup and our favorite, the Boneless Impossible Korean Short Rib with cilantro-lime rice, danmuji slaw and kimchee mayonnaise.

If faux meat isn't your thing, Trowel & Trellis also serves one of the best veggie dishes we tried: Grilled Baby Vegetables with Hummus Cream and Red Pepper Coulis. Veggies are grilled on the spot over an open outdoor grill for this plant-based, gluten-friendly dish that elevates simple veggies to gourmet status.

Beer also gets its time to shine during the festival, with a huge variety of fruit and floral-enhanced brews to sample, like this Violet Lemonade Ale from Playalinda Brewing Company, available in 6- and 12-ounce servings from Pineapple Promenade. Our other favorite is the Islamorada Beer Company Coconut Key Lime Ale from the La Isla Fresca Outdoor Kitchen.

Festivals bring a revolving array of new and returning favorite international dishes to World Showcase, like this Mediterranean Flatbread with za'atar, artichokes, olives, mozzarella and feta cheese from Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina in the Morocco Pavilion. Here are a few more international highlights we tasted around World Showcase.

Trade seaweed and seafood for this kid-friendly, playful take on sushi served at the Hanami outdoor kitchen in the Japan pavilion. Fresh strawberry, pineapple and cantaloupe are wrapped in sweet rice and pink soy wrap served with whipped cream, drizzled berry sauce and toasted coconut.

No one will miss the meat in this flavor-packed plant-based, gluten-friendly dish from Jardin de Fiestas in the Mexico pavilion. Plant-based chorizo and black beans top a crispy corn tortilla with avocado mousse and queso fresco. Wish it down with a Poppy Flower Margarita.

American and British ciders are the stars of the menu at this outdoor kitchen near the UK pavilion. For a salty complement to a crisp, slightly sweet cider, try the BLT Scone, made with Nueske's applewood smoked bacon, sun-dried tomato and basil.

Since January, the area between the France and Morocco pavilions has become a celebration of all things Encanto, first with the Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina during Festival of the Arts, and now with Vibrante & Verde: An Encanto Garden, featuring flora and foliage inspired by characters from Disney's hit animated film, Encanto. Note: This garden experience runs through May 22.

Arepas get their fair share of attention in Encanto, so guests were surprised that the Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina didn't serve them during Festival of the Arts. But it turns out they just had to wait a bit longer because it's now arepas galore at La Isla Fresca, the outdoor kitchen that's taken the place of Vibrante & Vívido. Choose from arepas topped with queso fresco (pictured), chorizo, or shrimp, crushed avocado ají and tomato sauce.

Overheated fest-goers flock to the Fleur de Lys outdoor kitchen in the France pavilion to cool down with this refreshing slushy made with Grey Goose L'Orange vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, and white and red cranberry juice.

Need to incentivize your kids to keep moving as you sip and snack around World Showcase? Spike's Pollen-Nation Exploration is a charming scavenger hunt in search of Spike the Bee among the festival's floral beds. Pick up a map for $9.99 and add a sticker each time you find Spike alongside a featured flower or plant. Pick up a souvenir prize when you've found them all! A second limited-time scavenger hunt, Egg-Stravaganza Scavenger Hunt, takes participants around the park in search of giant, Disney character-adorned eggs hidden throughout the World Showcase.

As you look for Spike the Bee, be sure to take a closer look at the surrounding flower beds, where you may spot ingredients that make their way into dishes served at nearby booths.

EPCOT festivals always offer a sort of culinary scavenger hunt too. At Flower & Garden, you can celebrate the season with Garden Graze. Collect stamps as you try five designated plant-based dishes, including this colorful Avocado Toast from Sunshine Griddle. Once you've tried all five (you can also double up on your favorites and get to five that way), show your stamps at Pineapple Promenade for a complimentary surprise treat.

Parents with kiddos itching to burn off energy need look no further than the Health Full Trail. Presented by AdventHealth, this colorful play area got a major upgrade this year, with a wide range of playground equipment open to kids of all ages.

Spaceship Earth's newest temporary show, which alternates throughout the evening with EPCOT's "Beacon of Magic" display for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, celebrates nature with a colorful new lighting display. Spaceship Earth's "points of light" are illuminated in a spectrum of colors to the tune of "Colors of the Wind," from Disney's "Pocahontas."

The Garden Rocks concert series features nightly performances at the America Gardens Theatre and brings newer acts plus plenty of oldies but goodies to the stage, from Daughtry and Simple Plan to Rick Springfield, A Flock of Seagulls, and The Commodores. Bigger names perform Friday through Monday with local acts taking the stage Tuesday through Thursday.

If you want a no-wait great seat for your favorite band, check out the Garden Rocks Concert Series Dining Package. Eat a meal at a participating restaurant and you'll get guaranteed reserved seating as part of the package.

See countless butterflies fluttering around Bambi's Butterfly House near the Land pavilion. Inside the screened-in structure, several species fly freely among flowers, foliage, and informative displays about butterfly life cycles and habitats.

Five different festival merchandise lines all lean heavily into the flower and garden theme. For the passionate gardener, the Mickey Mouse Home Garden collection features gardening tools and accessories like wide-brimmed hats and pastel galoshes.

Three beloved characters - Orange Bird, Spike the Bee and Figment - each adorn their own collection of Flower & Garden Festival Merchandise.

It can get tricky to balance plates and drinks from multiple outdoor kitchens as you assemble the perfect selection of dishes. Cut out a step by picking up a wearable Festival Disney Gift Card. Load it with $15 or more and wear it around your wrist for easy scanning to pay for your snacks.

A new area presented by Scentsy highlights the role of scent in memories and invites guests to smell their way around a showcase of memorable scents.

Work is rapidly progressing on a new ride coming to EPCOT - Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The new coaster starring Rocket, Groot, and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy crew is set to open this summer.