After seven years, a Stitch attraction is back at Walt Disney World Resort!
The Experiment 626 topiary has returned to EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival for the first time since 2019, appearing without announcement in front of Mission: SPACE on February 17. BlogMickey reported the surprise installation in the World Discovery neighborhood, where the green-foliage version of the mischievous blue alien now greets guests seven years after its last festival appearance.
Stitch Returns to Disney World After Years Away
The character topiary hasn’t been part of the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival lineup since 2019. Walt Disney World Resort has occasionally used the Stitch figure for the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays (formerly Holidays Around the World), sometimes with a Santa hat.
When Stitch was the recycled topiary for Holidays Around the World.
When Stitch was the recycled topiary for Holidays Around the World. pic.twitter.com/MZm2pW3s1D
— WDWDVC🌴 (@RitasAdventures) November 30, 2024
The timing coincides with the 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch film’s smash success, potentially driving Walt Disney World Resort’s decision to resurrect the popular topiary after years of exclusion from spring festival offerings.
Festival Preparations Accelerate at EPCOT
Stitch isn’t the only early arrival for the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, which begins on March 4, 2026. Topiaries of Goofy, Phineas & Ferb, and Bambi appeared throughout EPCOT on February 11. Horticulture crews are installing Flower & Garden landscaping while the International Festival of the Arts still runs through February 23, ensuring everything is ready for the March 4 festival opening.
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival Details
The 2026 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival operates March 4 through June 1 with themed entertainment, limited-time food and beverages, exclusive merchandise, and elaborate landscaping across all four EPCOT neighborhoods.
The Garden Rocks Concert Series returns to America Gardens Theatre, featuring Air Supply, Plain White T’s, Simple Plan, and other artists on most festival nights.
Additional offerings include Spike’s PollenNation Exploration, Butterfly Landing Presented by AdventHealth, the Eggstravaganza Scavenger Hunt, Camp Get Out’ N’ Play Garden presented by OFF! Repellents, Blossoms of Fragrance presented by Scentsy, English Tea Garden Tours presented by Twinings, Rain or Shine Fruit Stand Presented by Outshine, and The Honey Bee-stro Garden Hosted by The National Honey Board.
The Stitch topiary’s early installation gives Disney Park guests three bonus weeks to photograph it before the official March 4 festival launch, with the topiary remaining on display through June 1.
Which EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival topiary is your favorite? Let Disney Dining know in the comments!
