It’s no secret that our founder’s favourite park is Epcot at Walt Disney World.
Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida has always been a favourite destination for those seeking a blend of future-forward innovation, cultural experiences, and thrilling attractions.

The park is constantly evolving. 2024 and 2025 are no exceptions, bringing a host of new updates and events that will delight visitors of all ages.
Here’s a rundown of what’s new at Epcot and a schedule of exciting events you won’t want to miss.
New Epcot attractions and experiences
1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Prepare for an intergalactic adventure with Epcot’s newest roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This thrilling ride features a reverse launch and 360-degree rotation, taking you on a high-speed journey through space with your favourite Guardians characters. The storytelling, combined with cutting-edge technology, makes this a must-visit attraction.
2. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Shrink down to the size of Chef Remy and scurry through Gusteau’s famous Parisian restaurant in this 4D experience. Located in the expanded France Pavilion, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure offers a family-friendly ride that combines stunning visuals and fun surprises.
3. Luminous: the Symphony of Us
Feast your eyes on an all-new nighttime spectacular as it lights up the sky over World Showcase Lagoon. This new night-time spectacular is one of the largest ever created for a Disney park. It features massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, and lasers. The show celebrates how Disney music inspires people worldwide, with reimagined classic songs in various languages performed by a diverse group of artists.
4. Space 220
Dine among the stars at Space 220, Epcot’s newest out-of-this-world restaurant. Located adjacent to Mission: SPACE, this dining experience simulates a journey 220 miles above Earth, offering breathtaking views of space and a delicious menu inspired by futuristic cuisine.
Exciting Epcot events in 2024
Here’s our pick of the events coming this year.

1. Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
Dates: March 6 – July 1, 2024.
Spring comes alive at Epcot during the International Flower & Garden Festival with stunning topiaries, vibrant gardens, and live entertainment. The festival also includes outdoor kitchens offering fresh, seasonal dishes and beverages. Our personal favourite event!

2. Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Dates: July 15 – November 20, 2024.
This fan-favourite event brings global cuisine, fine wines, craft beers, and spirits to Epcot. Enjoy culinary demonstrations, beverage seminars, and the Eat to the Beat Concert Series.
3. Epcot International Festival of the Holidays
Dates: November 25 – December 30, 2024.
Experience holiday traditions from around the globe. The International Festival of the Holidays features holiday kitchens, the Candlelight Processional, and festive decorations throughout the park.

Exciting Epcot events in 2025
Epcot is already looking forward to next year!
1. Epcot International Festival of the Arts
Dates: January 10 – February 18, 2025. Returning with more art, music, and culinary experiences, this festival continues to showcase the best of the arts with new workshops and performances.
2. Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
Dates: March 5 – June 30, 2025. Expect more vibrant gardens and creative topiaries, along with new outdoor kitchens and entertainment options that celebrate the beauty of spring.

3. Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Dates: July 17 – November 22, 2025. Expanding its culinary offerings, the festival will introduce new global marketplaces, enhanced beverage seminars, and an extended Eat to the Beat Concert Series line up.

4. Epcot International Festival of the Holidays
Dates: November 24 – December 29, 2025. The 2025 edition will feature even more international holiday traditions, new festive entertainment, and expanded holiday kitchens for a truly global holiday celebration.
Our visit to the Flower & Garden festival
Our team recently visited the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and were blown away by the stunning flower displays. The intricate designs and vibrant colours made for a truly spectacular experience.

The food offerings were equally impressive, with a variety of fresh and delicious dishes to try. Epcot remains a firm favourite with our team, and we highly recommend visiting during this beautiful festival.
Your visit to Orlando
Epcot’s ongoing transformation promises to enhance the guest experience with new attractions, dining options and entertainment that celebrate innovation, culture, and storytelling.

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker, a foodie, or someone who loves immersive cultural experiences, Epcot has something for everyone in 2024 and 2025. Plan your visit today and be part of the magic as Epcot continues to evolve and inspire.
Stay tuned for more updates and insider tips on making the most of your trip to Epcot. It’s these exciting new experiences and events that will make your visit to Florida truly unforgettable.
Ready to book?
We’re going to all be wearing a different type of mask this Halloween. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of seasonal fun to enjoy!
Here’s our round up of things to enjoy this fall in and around Orlando and Central Florida.
Remember that, given the current need for COVID-secure procedures, most events require you to book online in advance. You’ll also need to adhere to social distancing rules and wear a mask.
If you have any queries or concerns ahead of your visit, please contact the venue or organiser directly.
Halloween Fun in Orlando’s theme parks
In the parks, many events have been scaled back or cancelled (notably Mickey’s not-so-scary-Halloween Party and Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights).
Nevertheless, Universal has plenty of Halloween themed décor, merchandise and trick or treating to enjoy. Plus, there are two Haunted House attractions to get your fear fix!

Disney is also ratcheting up the Halloween-themed goodies, sweet treats and décor around the Magic Kingdom. Your little ones can still enjoy plenty of themed character meet and greets and scaled-back parades.
SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is continuing this year, with changes to the trick or treating to enable better safety and social distancing, as well as other special themed activities around the park.

Halloween Fun in Orlando and Central Florida
Away from the parks, we’re delighted that some of our favourite low-key fall events are running this year. Lakeridge Winery is known for its family-friendly events as much as its delicious wines and tasting tours, and from October 3rd and 4th, it’s bringing back its Weekends at the Winery events. This year, its featuring some of the area’s best food trucks along with the outdoor wine bar.

Enjoy some great food and wine under the trees, then try your luck at the cornhole games set up for some outdoor fun. The winery’s beautiful grounds offer plenty of outdoor space so you can enjoy a safe, social distance as you sip! See more information here.
Gatorland’s Gators, Ghosts, and Goblins is a daytime Halloween event taking place weekends from October 10th through November 1st.

Costumes are encourage for this family-friendly event with spooky train rides, costume contests, and a trick-or-treat trail from 11am to 2pm. There’s also Frank & Stein’s Octoberfest, featuring an undead polka band and German Beer and food. Note that face masks are required per Orange County Executive Order # 2020-23 regarding COVID 19, and must be visible at all times (you can find out more about Gatorland’s safe reopening policy on its website).
Book tickets in advance – there’s a half-price deal for Florida residents through October 31st. Halloween activities are included in the normal admission.
For a really rural take on the fall festival, Our Fall events at Southern Hill Farms in Clermont began on Saturday, September 26th and continue until November 8th (Thursday to Sunday).

Events feature live music, local food trucks, Farm Wagon rides, and Southern Hill Farms seasonal favourites including fresh apple cider donuts, blueberry lemonade and pumpkin muffins. While adults tuck in or cut a bouquet of beautiful sunflowers and zinnias, kids will adore the petting zoo and playground. Then pick out your perfect Jumbo Jack pumpkin for carving.
To help ensure safe social distancing, this year’s events are going ahead with 40 percent of normal capacity. You’ll need to book in advance here.
At Orlando’s CityArts, 39 S Magnolia Avenue, you can take part in a wonderful outdoor art event on Thursday, October 15, 2020. The 11th Annual Dia de los Muertos and Monster Event is a themed exhibition at CityArts Orlando and an outdoor experience with live performances, vendors, and more! Now in its 11th year, the Día de los Muertos & Monster Art Exhibitions will showcase Day of the Dead and Halloween-inspired art created by regional, national, and international artists. This unique art exhibition will be paired with an outdoor experience on opening night that will feature food, drinks, entertainment and spooky art vendors.

Cost to enter CityArts only: $5
Cost of the Outdoor Dining Experience $35-$40 per person/seat
It is essential to book in advance and you can do this online.
Note that all guests will be required to wear a face covering, but guests may remove their face coverings if they are clearly eating or drinking outside CityArts. All guests are required to register for a time-of-entry; only 20 people are permitted at a time. For more details about CityArts’ COVID-19 Reopening Protocol, visit https://downtownartsdistrict.com/covid-19/.
There’s plenty more happening besides, these are simply our pick. We’d love to hear your suggestions for fun fall or Halloween events – add your comments and suggestions below!
Or, if you’d like to write a review for our blog, please get in touch with our team.
Trisha is one of our homeowners from the UK. She lives in Yorkshire with her partner Mandy. Together, they own the beautiful Anchor’s Away property on the Tuscan Ridge community in Davenport.
We caught up with Trisha to ask her about being the owner of a vacation home in Florida and what she loves about her home and the state of Florida.

What made you decide to buy a holiday home in Florida?
We were looking in Spain originally, but then a friend told us about a company selling houses in Florida. They flew us out for a week and showed us a load of homes. We fell in love with the second one we saw, right on the first day.
How long have you had your home in Florida?
We bought it in 2003 and we’ve never looked back! When we bought it, it was brand new. We bought it with the intention of keeping it for five years, but we’ve had it now for 17 years. We love the house and the area and we absolutely love Florida.

When did you first fall in love with Florida?
I went for the first time in around 1989, I think. We’d been a couple of times in the 1990s. But now it’s a home from home that we really love. When it was my sixtieth birthday, we went out and stayed for a month.
Did you always know where you wanted to buy?
Osceloa county is Disney county and the homes there are much more expensive. We bought just over the county line in Polk county. At that time there was quite a few neighbourhoods going up and it was a lot cheaper to buy in Polk county. What I love about it is the close access to the I4. Within fifteen minutes of leaving our home, we are driving under the Welcome to Disney arch.

What is the area like?
When we first bought the home, there were just a few restaurants nearby. Now, there’s everything you could want right on the doorstep. There’s an English café that serves English food like Sunday roasts. We love Bob Evans and Mani’s Chop House and Longhorn Steakhouse.
It’s just five minutes onto the Interstate and, from there, you can explore the whole of Florida.
Did you always know you would rent your home?
If we can’t rent a home, we won’t buy it. This home has been great for us, especially with White Rose Villas managing it. Every year it’s already booked up for most of the next year!
How did you find White Rose Villas property management?
We had various nightmares with other property management companies. We were even robbed by one of them! But White Rose Villas property management is the best we’ve ever had. Everything gets done if they say its going to get done. They go above and beyond; we can’t fault them. After all the nightmares we’ve had, White Rose Villas property management is like a godsend – they’re absolutely the best!

Do you have any advice for other people thinking about buying in Florida?
You need to be aware of all the financials. You need your own accountant because you have to be IRS registered. If you are going to rent out your home, you’ll be paying tax. You have to consider the admin and the community charges, the homeowners’ association fees. And the utilities cost a lot more than they do in the UK. Get the right advice before you buy.
Have you got any tips that guests should know before booking your home?
We’ve tried to make it a home from home – so that nobody ever thinks ‘I wish this home had…’. It’s got everything you might need. The only thing we don’t allow is barbeques because it can really stain the covered area around the pool.
What is the best thing about your home?
What’s the best feature – besides the pool? I think the games room we’ve created by converting the garage. There’s table football, pool, ice-hockey, a big TV with games.
White Rose Villas comment: the heated hot tub on the pool deck is another superb extra.

Have you got any advice for anyone considering a holiday in Florida?
Everybody should go! It’s every child’s dream. And once you’ve been, you’ve got the bug! I know two or three people who’ve bought a home there after going there on holiday. It’s a fabulous place. Last November, one of our guests went swimming with manatees!

We love to take our granddaughters to the parks. When you watch the Disney parade with the fireworks over the castle afterwards, it has brought tears to my eye every time I’ve watched it!
We also love St Augustine. It’s about an hour and a half to St Augustine but the drive is really interesting. We’ve been to Anna Marie Island and Key West. Miami is 240 miles away but it’s like a different planet altogether! It’s so fabulous! We’ve been all over, but we like Clearwater and Treasure Island. We just book overnight at a cheap hotel and go and explore.

You can have your own Florida adventure by booking Trisha’s home.
Or browse all homes managed by White Rose Villas property management here.