March 2016 Disney Parks News

Spring is springing at the Disney Parks as The Walt Disney Company has made several major announcement in the past weeks that hugely affect the parks on both coasts. Here is the Disney Parks news for March 2016.

 

23rd Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

March 2 – May 30 marks the 23rd Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Set to run for a record 90 days, the festival includes tasty treats, delightful topiaries, and grand floral presentations scattered all throughout Epcot.

This year, new culinary offerings will be available at the new La Isla Fresca, featuring Caribbean cuisine and Cider House offering field greens harvested at The Land Pavilion and local brews of hard cider such as the blueberry hard cider from Plant City, Florida.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie will make their topiary debut at the festival this year, located right next to Donald and Daisy seated at the entrance of the park. These three are sure to get lots of photo ops with their visual inspiration acquired from 1943’s Donald Duck comic book, “The Victory Garden.”

The Music Garden Melodies will feature a musical garden playground led by band leader Mickey Mouse. The rest of the Fab Five follow him in topiary form. Other notable events include Fun, Fresh Weekends, Art in the Garden Weekend, the Floral Sun Garden, and the Garden Rocks Concert Series.

The Flower & Garden Festival is similar to Food & WIne with outdoor dining kiosks and specialized events and guests. Forty “flower towers” and sweeping floral beds will make up the 70,000+ bedding plants surrounding Future World east and west. There will be over 200 mini gardens set afloat the east and west lakes, and multiple topiaries will scatter the park.

The Festival is included in regular park admission. Follow www.EpcotinSpring.com for more details.

Disney Springs Expansion

The Walt Disney Company announced a major expansion of over 30 new retail and dining locations set to open in Disney Springs later this year. Such new tenants include upscale to affordable to fast-fashion retailers including, Anthropologie, LACOSTE, Under Armour, kate spade new york, and more.

The all-new Disney Springs is the result of the largest overhaul of the former Downtown Disney Area’s history, and is a waterfront location for dining, entertainment, and shopping. Inspired by Florida’s natural beauty, Disney Springs is separated into four neighborhoods, the Landing, Town Center, Marketplace and West Side, all surrounding a central spring that acts as the centerpiece.

George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort stated, “Guests will enjoy an experience unlike any other in Central Florida with even more opportunities to shop in unique and distinctive stores and enjoy world-class dining. Disney Springs offers something for everyone and does it in a way that only Disney can. It truly is the place to be.”

The new retail locations of Disney Springs include:

• Anthropologie
• LACOSTE
• Under Armour
• kate spade new york
• Sephora
• MAC Cosmetics
• Vince Camuto
• Vera Bradley
• Lucky Brand
• Oakley
• Coca-Cola Store
• TROPHY ROOM
• Volcom
• Shore
• ALEX AND ANI
• Na Hoku
• American Threads
• Kipling
• francesca’s
• Melissa Shoes
• UNOde50
• Johnston & Murphy
• Everything But Water
• Free People
• JOHNNY WAS
• Columbia
• Sperry
• Luxury of Time by Diamonds International

New dining locations include:

• D-Luxe Burger
• Amorette’s Patisserie
• Tablas Frontera
• Homecoming – Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar

Fulton’s Crab House will also undergo a re-imagineering and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will move from its current location at World of Disney to a new expanded area near Once Upon a Toy.

Follow DisneySprings.com and @DisneySprings on social media for updates.

Rivers of Light to Open April 22

Slated to open on Earth Day 2016, the all new night-time experience Rivers of Light will transform Animal Kingdom from a daytime only park to a night-time spectacular.

The show will take place after dark on Discovery River as a musical experience celebrating the natural wonders of animals and humans coming together with water and light effects, pyrotechnics, live performers, floating lanterns, and theatrical nature imagery.

The storytelling is depicted through an original song written by composer Mark Mancina and will accompany an original score by film composer Don L. Harper. The show begins with a pair of mystical hosts acting as the audience’s guide throughout the journey. They are complementary figures boasting gifts of light as they set out on elaborate lantern vessels, summoning the animal spirits with a dance of water and light. The show swells to a climax with the animal spirits represented by light projections soaring up to the skies signifying the mythical “rivers of light.”
In addition to the waterfront show, be sure to see the iconic Tree of Life “awaken” as its inlaid animals are brought to life by magical fireflies. With the day-to-night transition, guests will also be able to enjoy Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, DINOSAUR, and Harambe Village open after dark.  

Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival

April 1 – May 1 marks the first ever Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. The festival will celebrate the springtime flavors of California with a blend of culinary kiosks, events, and demonstrations, such as Celebrity Kitchen experiences and food and beverage seminars. The festival is included with theme park admission, though some signature events will require a separate ticket.

Guests will enjoy anything from casual fare to fine dining scattered throughout the park, including Mediterranean inspired cuisine, craft cocktails, and custom desserts. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will also be available.

Find out more and visit Disneyland.com/foodandwine to reserve your spot at select events.

Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters

Formerly known as Luigi’s Flying Tires, the all new attraction is a completely re-imagineered version of its antecedent. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters is located in Cars’ Land in Disney California Adventure and will feature twenty of Luigi’s cousins visiting from Caroli, Italy. The cars are visiting to celebrate Race Day in Cars Land, and have set up a dance on an all new trackless dance floor.

The miniature Italian cars perform the traditional dances of Caroli, each one maintaining his or her own signature move. With a different set of moves for each car, guests will enjoy a different experience each time they ride. There is an even spread of male and female cousins, all of the Disney Imagineered auto brand Frizzante. This ride is the first ever to offer a trackless “dance floor,” and the unique cars are exclusive to Cars Land in DCA.

Zootopia Characters at Disney Parks

Meet Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney California Adventure and in the “Move It! Shake It! Dance It!” street party at the Magic Kingdom. The two characters are the stars of the upcoming film “Zootopia” opening March 4.

What are you looking forward to most in the upcoming months? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow @everafterreport on Instagram and Facebook!