Walt Disney World has announced details for the 2026 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, which is mostly the Garden Rocks Concert Series musician lineup & performance dates, as well as reiterating what’s returning (most of which is a given). Here’s the latest.
For starters, the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival will run from March 4 to June 1, 2026 at Walt Disney World. The event shifts forward one day, but the duration of the festival is unchanged. Like each of the last two years, the 2026 event is a full month shorter than it was from 2021 through 2023, but consistent with historical precedent up until 2020.
Also like last year, it’s likely that the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival will start around Labor Day weekend, leaving a roughly 3-month window of Diet EPCOT after Flower & Garden ends. While we’re not holding our breath for a fully-fledged summer festival this year, it is possible that EPCOT will be the epicenter of the Disney Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary event at Walt Disney World. And it would make sense to run that from June through August.
But that’s beyond the scope of this post. For everything else you need to know about the event, see our Ultimate Guide to the 2026 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival Guide. This post exclusively covers what’s new to the festival for 2026.
During the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, guests can explore lush gardens, sample sweet and savory bites with refreshing sips (for a fee, of course!), and shop new merchandise collections featuring Orange Bird, Spike the Bee, and more. Starting at sunset, a vibrant spectacle of light will be shown on Spaceship Earth, with the Beacons of Magic returning for another seasonal display.
More than 200,000 bedding plants are added to the gardens of EPCOT for the Flower & Garden Festival, including an additional 60,000 bedding plants that create the iconic floral designs that make up the World Celebration East & West Lakes.
Of course, the highlight every year is the dozens and dozens of topiaries that Disney Horticulture and Walt Disney Imagineering work together to design, build and grow. Starting over a year ago, this process began with artists developing sketches, Imagineers designing 3D models, skilled welders molding frames, and horticulture specialists choosing plant materials.
Here’s a rundown of what’s confirmed as coming for the 2026 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival…
Garden Rocks Concert Series Lineup
Get ready to jam along to live music at the Garden Rocks Concert Series in America Gardens Theatre, returning with an incredible mix of chart-topping artists and Orlando’s blossoming local talent. With performances every weekend, there’s always something new to enjoy.
Here’s the full 2026 Garden Rocks Concert Lineup:
- March 5-7 — The Music of ABBA (NEW)
- March 8-9 — Simple Plan
- March 13-14 — Blue October
- March 15-16 — Billy Ocean
- March 20-23 — THE ORCHESTRA starring former members of ELO & ELO Part II
- March 27-28 — Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- March 29-30 — 38 Special
- April 3-4 — Chubby Checker
- April 5-6 — Sugar Ray
- April 10-11 — Information Society (NEW)
- April 12-13 — Rick Springfield
- April 17-18 — Berlin
- April 19-20 — The Commodores
- April 24-25 — FireHouse (NEW)
- April 26-27 — Air Supply
- May 1-2 — A Flock of Seagulls
- May 3-4 — Plain White T’s
- May 8-9 — Katrina, formerly of Katrina & The Waves (NEW)
- May 10-11 — 98 Degrees
- May 15-16 — The Spinners
- May 17-18 — Josiah Queen (NEW)
- May 22-23 — Iam Tongi (NEW)
- May 24-25 — A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce
- May 29-30 — Queensrÿche
- May 31-June 1 — Maverick City Music
This is quite the eclectic lineup, with something for everyone (assuming you’re a baby boomer to a millennial who likes rock music). I’m not saying it’s the best lineup we’ve seen for one of these concert series (because it isn’t), but it might have the most range. That counts for something…right?
Admission to see your favorite act is included with EPCOT park entry, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For those seeking guaranteed seating, dining packages are offered, allowing guests to enjoy a meal at select EPCOT restaurants before the show.
Garden Rocks Dining Package
Relish palate pleasing cuisine topped off with a musical treat at this year’s EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. These sweet-as-honey dining packages pair fabulous food with toe-tappin’ tunes, giving you the best of both worlds: a delicious meal and guaranteed seating at the Garden Rocks Concert Series.
Advance Dining Reservations open starting on February 5, 2026 through the My Disney Experience app or the official Walt Disney World website.
What’s Included
Guests who book a Garden Rocks Concert Series Dining Package will enjoy:
- An entrée and dessert or one (1) full buffet, plus a nonalcoholic or alcoholic beverage.
- The Spice Road Table package includes two small plates, shared tagine, shared dessert platter, and one (1) non-alcoholic beverage.
- One (1) guaranteed seat per person to the Garden Rocks concert held the same day as your dining reservation.
It’s the perfect springtime night out: savor incredible flavors, then head over to America Gardens Theatre knowing your seat is waiting for you.
See Garden Rocks Concerts at the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival: Dates, Lineup & Dining Packages for everything you need to know and the full lineup.
That’s really it in terms of new news about the 2026 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. With that said, Walt Disney World has also confirmed all of the following will return:
- Topiaries & Gardens – More than 60 topiaries from classic Disney favorites will be blooming across the park, along with over 31 gardens and floral displays.
- Outdoor Kitchens – serving fresh, garden-inspired flavors from around the world. With returning favorites and brand-new dishes, there’s something for every palate.
- Garden Graze – Don’t forget to pick up your Festival Passport to explore the Garden Graze food stroll and collect your stamps along the way at the various Outdoor Kitchens.
- Spike’s PollenNation Exploration – Follow Spike the Bee across EPCOT’s blooming gardens in this charming scavenger hunt adventure.
- Eggstravaganza Scavenger Hunt – A springtime favorite! Search for character-themed eggs hidden throughout World Showcase during this limited-time experience.
- Butterfly Landing – Step inside this enchanting walkthrough butterfly garden filled with dozens of species in every color of the rainbow.
Ultimately, the 2026 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival should once again be a fun event. The first half of the festival (minus the spring break rush) is one of my favorite times of the year at EPCOT, and I look forward to spending a lot of time in the park in early to mid-March and then again in mid-April.
The biggest question mark this year is the front entrance topiary. The Moana display last year was great during the day, but I don’t think I caught it once with proper show lighting at night, which drove me crazy (see the photo above). While I’d love to get back to having the Fab Five characters at the front entrance or Figment, I’m assuming we’re going to get something related to Zootopia, Lilo & Stitch, Toy Story, or Hoppers. Honestly, I’d be fine with any of those, especially Hoppers; that movie looks very promising.
My only complaint is the same one I’ve had for the last several years: Figment should be the park’s unofficial mascot and ambassador for all festivals, not just Festival of the Arts. And this isn’t my bias talking. The people have spoken, and they demand more Figment! His presence would mean a more popular event with fans, which in turn would help sell even more Figment merchandise..and in turn increase the odds of a new attraction! It’s the perfect crime plan!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Any of the Garden Rocks performers appeal to you? Are you excited to experience the 2026 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival? Any guesses for EPCOT’s front entrance topiary display? What’s on your wish list for the event? Opinions on anything else covered here? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!