CommuniCore Hall Gets an Un-Bee-lievable Makeover for Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival 2025. Spike the Bee topiary dominates the room, and it should, considering we are getting a bee’s eye view of a garden that is larger than life. A larger-than-life Almanac that is “Forecasting the Magic of Possibility” to fruit topiaries and oversized flowers that dominate the windows at the entrances all can be seen inside CommuniCore Hall during Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival, which takes place March 5th, 2025 – June 2nd, 2025.
We had the opportunity to explore the new space this morning, and although it is not dressed up head to toe like it was for the 30th Anniversary of Disney on Broadway, it does a wonderful job of showing off some of the amazing things you can experience during this year’s Festival. CommuniCore Hall is supposed to be a ‘Flex Space’ and it is starting to live up to its name.
Entering CommuniCore Hall, your eyes are drawn right into the center, where a giant Spike the Bee topiary is in flight, surrounded by various orchids. Every few minutes, the song made famous by Rachmaninoff, Flight of the Bumblebee, is heard, and a spotlight shines on our Epcot Bee. Besides Spike the Bee topairy, there are plenty of other tidbits to notice. The beautiful oversized flowers that decorate both sides of CommuniCore Hall in various colors pop and do bring a feeling of “bee’s eye view”.
If you want to see more of Spike the Bee, check out our full guide to Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration and where to find this little guy around Epcot Gardens.
Tables and banners are decorated with seed packet designs, and the banners that hang from the ceiling show different versions of the logo for the 30th anniversary. Some with Spike the Bee, others with Orange Bird or Spaceship Earth. Which makes a nice touch. We are trying to get images from around Epcot to see if the banners hanging are the same ones used on the poles.
The table decorations work great, especially if you are sitting down after trying the food at the new food booth inside CommuniCore Hall called Farmers Feast.
A small glass box contains some of the prototypes of the topiaries we see around the World Showcase. Each one has a photo of what the final topiary looks like and an image with it. Figment, Bo Peep, Phineas & Ferb, and finally Elsa & Anna are highlighted.
FIGMENT – Figment has been sparking imaginations at the Festival since 2017. Always happy to be front and center, this lovable purple dragon can be spotted at World Celebration Gardens.
BO PEEP – Bo Peep may have lost her sheep, but she found the Festival in 2019. Joined by her play-loving pal, Woody, she now watches over her flock near Imagination! Pavilion.
PHINEAS and FERB – Phineas and Ferb have been spending their “104 days of summer vacation” at the Festival since 2013. Paving the way for innovators everywhere, this dynamic duo has set up shop in World Celebration.
ELSA and AΝΝΑ – Elsa and Anna joined the Festival for the first time in forever in 2015. Unbothered by the cold, this royal pair can be found at the Norway Pavilion.
Finally a large book is along the wall, which has some great information to read. Remember, you are a bee, so the book itself is massive to you. Read the book Forcasting The Magic of Possibility No.30 THE EPCOT 2025 FESTIVAL ALMANAC FOUNDED ON DISCOVERY, CELEBRATION, NATURE, & THE WORLD below:
THE EPCOT FESTIVAL ALMANAC: ASSEMBLED IN HONOR OF 30 YEARS AND GROWING AT THE EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL IN THE YEAR
Since 1994, EPCOT has celebrated nature’s beauty with the International Flower & Garden Festival. Originally running for 38 days, the first Festival featured topiaries, gardening education, and a few special exhibits such as the picturesque Train Garden in the Germany Pavilion. Today, the Festival spans almost three months, featuring over two dozen gardens and 70 character topiaries created with love by EPCOT’s Horticulture Team.
With creativity, innovation, and experimentation at the heart of the process, Disney’s talented Horticulturists have been telling stories through plants since the opening of Disneyland in 1955. With each passing year, the team grows, just like the gardens they nurture throughout all of Disney parks and Resorts.
FEATHER FORECAST
…the story of some brave little birds and the Most Magical Place on Earth
Every January, like clockwork, a flock of birds arrives at Walt Disney World, their final stop on a 3,000-mile journey. These fearless travelers, called purple martins, are the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival’s most loyal visitors.
Beginning their epic trek in South America, the feathered Disney fans fly from Brazil to Orlando every year of their lives. Touching down just as the mild Florida winters begin to warm, their nesting ground, carefully prepared by Disney Cast Members, is already waiting.
The oldest, most experienced birds arrive first, paving the way for the rest of their colony. These early birds start hesting in February, while the late arrivals wrap up in June or July. But no matter the timeline, their mission is the same-raising the next generation of chicks, who will one day make the same daring flight.
FLOWER TOWERS
Disney Horticulturists create the base of a flower tower by stacking a series of trays from largest to smallest. Inside these trays are a plethora of plants that go well beyond just flowers, including succulents, bromeliads, and vegetables.
Overall, this year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival use of CommuniCore Hall is well done, and we found it very peaceful, almost a zen-type space. We found ourselves whispering and not wanting to make too much noise. Disney Imagineering, the Horticulture Team, and Cast Members have done a good job bringing us down to the same eye view as our friend Spike the Bee. The festival is ongoing until June 2nd, 2025, and it is worth your time to stop by the flex space and say hello.
