Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Guide & Tips

One of the best Spring Break trips in the US I can think of is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival at Disney World.

I don’t know about you, but I am not the biggest fan of Winter! I love to celebrate the end of this dismal, cold season with a trip to ring in the Spring season.

Keep reading to learn all of my best Epcot Flower and Garden Festival tips to ensure a spectacular Disney World Spring Break trip.

When is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival?

The 2024 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival runs from February 28 through May 27. This is notably shorter than the previous year, which ended after the 4th of July weekend.

Whether this means Food & Wine will start earlier than usual or we’re getting a new festival or even that we’ll just get more time without a festival is unclear.

For tips on planning your Disney World vacation during these months, check out these planning guides:

1. WDW in February
2. WDW in March
3. WDW in April
4. WDW in May

Where to stay

Book your Disney World resort package as far in advance as you can for the best deal.

At minimum, you should book more than 6 months ahead of your desired date for best price and availability.

Additionally, most Disney World resort deals for the Spring season will come out more than 6 months ahead, such as the ever popular free dining deals or reduced prices on hotels.

TIP: If you prefer deluxe level resorts, you can save money by renting a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) villa via an independent broker.

If you can swing it financially, I recommend booking one of the hotels near Epcot. This will cut down on your commute to Epcot, giving you more time at the park.

The 3 hotels closest to Epcot are the BoardWalk Inn, Yacht Club Resort, and Beach Club Resort.

All are excellent resorts, though my pick goes to the Yacht Club Resort or Beach Club Resort, as they have a sand-bottom pool that is quite refreshing to lounge in on a hot afternoon.

All 3 of these hotels are within walking distance to Epcot, plus there is also boat transportation.

A few other good options include the Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Art of Animation, and POP Century resorts, all a leisurely Skyliner ride away to Epcot.

As the aliens from Toy Story say…OooOooohhHhh!

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Garden Rocks concert series

One of the classic parts of Epcot’s festivals are its concerts and shows. So before you book your resort deal, check the schedule so you can plan your trip when your favorite musical act is scheduled.

Concerts take place 3 times on scheduled nights at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM, and 8 PM.

As with other Epcot festivals, special dining packages are available for the Garden Rocks Concert Series. The dining package includes reserved seating in a special section for a designated time slot.

2024 Garden Rocks concert series schedule

Date	Musician or Group
February 28-29	The Vybe
March 1-2	Jason Scheff
March 3-4	Richard Marx
March 5-7	Evolution Motown
March 8-9	Berlin
March 10-11	Rick Springfield
March 12-14	Dian Diaz
March 15-16	Modern English
March 17-18	Commodores
March 19-21	Foreigners Journey
March 22-25	The Orchestra
March 26-28	The Female Collective
March 29-30	Mike DelGuidice
March 31 – April 1	The Pointer Sisters
April 2-4	Funkafied
April 5-6	Blue October
April 7-8	Crowder
April 9-11	The Hooligans
April 12-13	Jo Dee Messina
April 14-15	A Flock of Seagulls
April 16-18	M-80s
April 19-22	Plain White Ts
April 23-25	The Champagne Orchestra
April 26-27	Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
April 28-29	Herman’s Hermits featuring Peter Noone
April 30 – May 2	Southbound
May 3	Monsieur Periné
May 4	Raul Acosta & Oro Solido with Magic Juan
May 5	Raul Acosta & Oro Solido with The Puerto Rican Power Band
May 6	Fonseca
May 7-9	Gilly & The Girl Band
May 10-13	Simple Plan
May 14-16	Element
May 17-18	The Spinners
May 19-20	Sister Hazel
May 21-23	Epic Live!
May 24-25	Lit
May 26-27	Casting Crowns

Grab your dining reservations 60 days ahead

At 60 days before the first day of your trip, you can book your restaurant reservations. Reservations fill up FAST, so don’t sleep on this tip!

Some of the best Epcot restaurant reservations to consider are Space 220, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Teppan Edo, Monsieur Paul, and La Hacienda de San Angel.

My all-time favorite table service restaurant at Epcot, however, is Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, where you can get delicious Norwegian meatballs. Nom!

Of course, your restaurant reservations don’t have to be at Epcot. But if you’re there for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, I’m betting you’ll be spending most of your time there.

That said, reservations only apply to table service (aka sit-down) meals, so you can always skip this tip if you plan to stick to the outdoor kitchens and quick service meals.

Avoid the weekends

The Flower and Garden Festival is more crowded on the weekends, as that is when local residents are more likely to visit (in addition to out of town tourists).

So if you loath crowds, schedule your visit during the week so you can wander around the World Showcase without feeling like a sardine packed in a tin.

Use your DDP snack credits

Most of the food and drink at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival can be purchased using snack credits from the Disney Dining Plan.

Using these credits is a great way to save money and still sample lots of food and drink at the festival.

The Disney Dining Plan comes with 1 snack credit per day, so if you’re just in town for the weekend, you’ll still have a few credits you can use for festival food!

Genie+ at Epcot (aka the new FastPass system)

Genie+ has replaced the former Fastpass+ system.

Like FastPasses, Genie+ Lightening Lanes are basically a chance to skip the standard line at select rides and attractions for a nominal price per day.

Some rides and attractions have an additional cost on top of Genie+, but might be worth it for you.

I’m still a bit conflicted about whether I like this new system, mainly because FastPasses were completely free, while Genie+ can quickly add up.

But at the end of the day, no one enjoys waiting in line, so it’s best to budget for it.

Plus, you can only add Genie+ to your account starting at 7 AM on the day you intend to use it. So silly. Hopefully this will change in the near future!

Check out my Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lanes guide for more info on this new system.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind virtual queue

Epcot’s newest ride, the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster, only does virtual queue and individual lightning lanes. There is no regular standby line.

The virtual queue opens up at 7 AM each day and can be reserved on the My Disney Experience app.

It opens up again at 1 PM if you miss the morning slot, but you must be in Epcot to join it.

If you are attending extended evening hours at Epcot, either through an extra ticketed event or free extra hours for select resort guests, a third chance to join the virtual queue starts at 6 PM.

At this time, guests can only enter the virtual queue for this ride once per day.

However, if you want to ride it more than once in a day, you can purchase an individual lightning lane pass, even if you used the virtual queue.

The lightning lane price varies, but expect to pay up to $20 (I recently paid $14).

For more information about this ride, check out my Cosmic Rewind ride guide.

Grab a festival passport

Once you get to Epcot, be sure to grab a festival passport.

It’s a small booklet with details about all of the fun food, events, and fun to be had at Epcot during the festival.

If you forget or lose your passport, you can also get them in select stores around the park, too.

It’s completely free and makes a fun souvenir for a memory box, scrapbook, or even a shadow box frame!

Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration scavenger hunt

As with Epcot’s other festivals, a special scavenger hunt is available for guests to play.

Maps and stickers for the game can be purchased at select stores within Epcot for $9.99 plus tax.

Once the game is completed, you can turn in your map for a prize!

Eggs-stravaganza Scavenger Hunt

From March 13 through Easter, another scavenger hunt is available during the festival – the Eggs-stravaganza Scavenger Hunt. This activity is $9.99 plus tax.

The premise is similar to Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration, except it’s Easter themed!

Participants must find hidden eggs around the park (like the one shown above) and once they are all found, the map can be turned in for a prize.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival outdoor kitchens

Don’t let the festival’s name fool you – it’s more than just Disney topiaries and gardens!

In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say the biggest (and best) part of the festival are its food booths, like the super popular Pineapple Promenade, The Honey Bee-stro, and Florida Fresh.

Here’s a list of all the outdoor kitchens you can find, along with my top recommended dish from each. Be sure to pick up your festival passport for each booth’s full menu or download the Food&Wine app.

World Celebration

• The Citrus Blossom @ The Odyssey Pavilion: Orange sesame tempura shrimp with orange-chile sauce
• Connections Eatery: Hot honey Southern-fried chicken sandwich

World Discovery

• BRUNCHCOT: Avocado Toast with tomatoes & plant-based cheese
• EPCOT Farmers Feast: Strawberry rhubarb upside down cake
• Joffrey’s: Iced honey jasmine latte

World Nature

• The Land Cart @ The Land Pavilion: Pineapple, orange, and mango smoothie

World Showcase

• Baurnmarkt @ Germany: Potato pancakes with applesauce
• Fleur de Lys @ France: Beignet with vanilla ice cream and caramel fleur de sel
• Florida Fresh @ Disney Traders: Grilled lobster tail with key lime butter
• Funnel Cake @ USA: Funnel cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberries
• Hanami @ Japan: Frushi and Ichigo breeze cocktail
• The Honey Bee-stro @ Port of Entry: Chicken and waffles, orange blossom honey wine
• Jardin de Fiestas @ Mexico: Sope de Chilorio and a lychee margarita
• Joffrey’s @ Canada: Citrus frosted iced tea
• Joffrey’s @ Disney Traders: Iced berry chai latte
• Joffrey’s @ USA: Tropical frosted iced tea
• La Isla Fresca – between Morocco & France: Coconut tres leches cake
• Lotus House @ China: Cheesy crab wontons and dragon dynasty cocktail
• Magnolia Terrace @ USA: Muffuletta panini
• Northern Bloom @ Canada: Chocolate maple whisky cake
• Pineapple Promenade @ Port of Entry: Violet lemonade or Dole whip
• Primavera Kitchen @ Italy: Chocolate cannoli
• Refreshment Outpost – between China & Germany: Tangerine soft-serve ice cream
• Refreshment Port @ Canada: Buffalo chicken poutine with tater tots
• Tangierine Café @ Morocco: Orange blossom-saffron cake
• Trowel & Trellis @ Port of Entry: Chocolate mousse terrarium

Garden Graze Food Stroll

Each year, five dishes from the food booths are selected for the Garden Graze food stroll, which is a bit like a food challenge.

Try each dish and collect a stamp for your festival passport. Once you have all 5 stamps, you can turn your passport in for a surprise gift!

Explore the gardens and topiaries

Aside from the delicious food and drink available at this festival, the main event is the gardens and topiaries sprinkled throughout EPCOT.

Check out this guide to what you’ll find this year.

World Celebration

World Discovery

World Nature

World Showcase

On the bridge that crosses over into the world showcase, and the port of entry area, you’ll find the following topiaries:

1. Bambi, Flower, and Thumper
2. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale, and Pluto
3. Mirabel, Luisa, Isablea, and Antonio from Encanto

Mexico Pavilion

In Mexico, you’ll find a topiary of Miguel and Dante from Coco, which is new in 2024.

Norway Pavilion

In the Norway pavilion, you’ll find topiaries of Anna, Elsa, and a troll.

China Pavilion

At the China pavilion, you’ll find topiaries of pandas, as well as the China Penjing garden, which is new in 2024.

Germany Pavilion

At Germany, you’ll find the Miniature Garden and Gnome Garden, which is new in 2024.

In addition, there are topiaries of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs across from the pavilion, lined up against the lagoon.

Italy Pavilion

At Italy, you’ll find the Garden Italiano, as well as topiaries of Lady & the Tramp.

I’m still holding out hope that Disney will add topiaries of Luca, Alberto, and friends in the future!

The American Adventure Pavilion

In the USA pavilion, you can find a gorgeous topiary of Princess Tiana in her gown.

Japan Pavilion

In addition, there is a gorgeous dragon topiary.

Morocco Pavilion

In Morocco, there’s a spice garden, as well as topiaries of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

France Pavilion

At France, you’ll find the Bouquet Garden, as well as topiaries of Beauty and the Beast, Lumiere, and Cogsworth.

The Lumiere and Cogsworth topiaries have new additions this year – a flame that lights up for Lumiere and a working clock for Cogsworth!

United Kingdom Pavilion

There are several gardens at the United Kingdom Pavilion that are worth checking out:

1. English Tea Garden
2. Shakespeare Garden
3. Topiary Heritage Garden

In addition, you’ll find topiaries of the following characters:

1. Tinkerbell’s Fairy House Garden
2. Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Rabbit
3. Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Tick Tock Croc

Canada Pavilion

Canada doesn’t have any gardens, but they do have geese topiaries. I would love to see more here in the future. This pavilion always feels like an afterthought.

Take a free tour

Over in the UK pavilion, you can do a guided tour of the English Tea Garden for free!

Head to The Tea Caddy shop to sign up for a tour time slot.

You’ll receive a lanyard with your time slot printed on it and you can go about your park day if it’s not til later in the day. Just be sure to return a few minutes ahead of the start time so there are no delays.

A cast member will provide lots of historical information about tea, as well as tips on brewing a perfect cuppa. Plus, tour guests get a mini goodie bag with tea samples at the end!

Check out the purple martin nests

Have you seen the weird tree-looking sculptures that look like they have birdhouses attached?

Those are for the purple martins, a migratory bird that makes a pit-stop at Disney World every year to lay eggs.

Once the eggs hatch and the babies can fly, these purple-tinted birds continue their migration south to Brazil.

At Epcot, head over to the Songbird Meadow, where you’ll sometimes catch cast members tending to the birdhouses to check on the eggs.

Butterfly Landing

Although I mentioned this “garden” in the previous section about all the cool gardens and topiaries at the festival, it’s so unique that it deserves a bigger callout.

Nothing says Spring like pretty plants, colorful flowers, and delicate butterflies, right?

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival has had a butterfly garden for years now, but it changes names each year it seems!

This year it’s called the Butterfly Landing and is sponsored by AdventHealth. It hosts over 1,000 butterflies and around 2 dozen types of nectar plants and flowers.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival merchandise

Epcot Flower and Garden merchandise can be purchased online at Disney Store or at the Connections gift shop in Epcot. I’m loving the Orange Bird merchandise, like the adorable orange bird ornament (pictured above)!

What are your top Epcot Flower and Garden Festival tips?

I hope you enjoy your trip to Disney World for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. Leave a comment below and let me know how your trip went – especially all the yummy food you tried!

This post was originally published in March 2016 on Frost + Sun. It moved to The Park Pixie on May 4, 2021 and was last updated March 2, 2024.