When is the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival?

EPCOT runs a different festival in each season, and spring belongs to the flowers. It lines up with the time of year when many American families are already planning a spring break trip south, and with some of Orlando’s most comfortable weather. The catch is that the festival shares the park with spring break and Easter crowds for part of its run.

When is the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival in 2027?

The 2027 festival runs from Wednesday, March 10, through Monday, May 31, according to the official Walt Disney World website. That is 83 days in a row, and the last day falls on Memorial Day.

The official name is the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. The dates are set, but the 2027 lineup is not out yet. As of October 2026, Disney’s festival page said to check back this winter for 2027 details, and the Outdoor Kitchens page pointed to early spring. Everything described below comes from the 2026 festival, and Disney itself notes that offerings may change.

Is the Flower and Garden Festival included with EPCOT admission?

Yes. Disney says the festival is included with any valid EPCOT admission. There is no separate ticket to see the gardens, the topiaries or the concerts.

What costs extra is what you eat and drink. Each dish and drink at the festival kiosks is priced on its own, and the dining packages that come with a reserved concert seat are also a separate purchase.

One note on park reservations. Under Disney’s rules as of October 2026, date-based tickets, both 1-day and multi-day, do not need a theme park reservation. Annual Passes, student group tickets, sport and convention tickets and the Disney Military Salute Ticket still require one. If you bought a regular dated ticket, you just show up.

What is there to do at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival?

The festival combines gardens, character topiaries, concerts, a kids’ scavenger hunt and food kiosks. These were the 2026 highlights Disney listed.

Topiaries and gardens

The topiaries are living sculptures of Disney characters, built from plants. They sit alongside themed gardens and exhibits, and seeing all of it costs nothing beyond your park ticket. In 2026 there was also a festival exhibit at CommuniCore Hall: a larger than life garden seen from a bee’s point of view, shifting from day to night.

Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor Kitchens are food kiosks that exist only for the festival, each with its own menu. A few from 2026:

• Trowel & Trellis, with garden-inspired dishes;
• BRUNCHCOT, serving brunch food all day;
• La Isla Fresca, with Caribbean seasoning;
• Hanami, with Japanese cooking;
• Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market, with flavors from Germany.

Disney notes that menus, prices and hours can change without notice. Alcohol is served only to guests 21 and older with valid ID, with a limit of 2 drinks per ID. For allergies or dietary needs, Disney asks guests to speak with a Cast Member before ordering. There is also Garden Graze, a food stroll across the kiosks with a sweet reward at the end.

Garden Rocks Concert Series

Garden Rocks brings live music to America Gardens Theatre throughout the festival, with well known acts and local talent. Watching is included with admission. If you want a guaranteed seat, a Garden Rocks Dining Package pairs a meal with reserved seating for a concert. Disney has not yet published the 2027 performers.

For kids

In 2026, Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration was a scavenger hunt following Spike the Bee along his pollination trail. It gives kids a mission while the adults take in the gardens.

What is the weather like in Orlando from March to May?

It warms up month by month over the festival. March is mild, April is warm and dry, and May already feels like early summer with more rain. The numbers come from NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Orlando International Airport.

Month	Average high	Average low	Monthly rain	Rainy days	Days above 90 °F
March	79 °F (26 °C)	56 °F (13 °C)	3.0 in	about 4	about 1
April	84 °F (29 °C)	61 °F (16 °C)	2.6 in	about 4	about 4
May	88 °F (31 °C)	66 °F (19 °C)	4.0 in	about 6	about 14

Source: NOAA (NCEI), 1991 to 2020 normals. “Rainy days” means days with at least 0.1 in of rain.

In March, mornings can still call for a light jacket. By May, the midday sun is hard work in a park as large as EPCOT, so arrive early, carry a water bottle and save the afternoon for the pool. For month by month detail, see Orlando in March, Orlando in April and Orlando in May.

How crowded is EPCOT during the Flower and Garden Festival?

Some weeks tend to get very busy, mostly in March. The 2027 festival overlaps spring break for many U.S. school districts, Easter and Mexico’s spring school vacation.

2027 dates	What is happening	What to expect
March 10 to 14	Festival opens	Before Orlando’s spring break
March 15 to 19	Orange County Public Schools (Orlando) spring break	Tends to get crowded
March 21 to 28	Holy Week: Palm Sunday March 21, Good Friday March 26, Easter March 28	Tends to get crowded
March 22 to April 3	Spring vacation for Mexican schools	Mexican schools on break
April and May	Other U.S. districts take spring break in different weeks	Varies week to week
May 26 to 31	Last day of school in Orange County (26) and Memorial Day (31)	Summer break begins in Orlando

Sources: Orange County Public Schools 2026 to 2027 calendar, U.S. Naval Observatory and Mexico’s Secretaría de Educación Pública.

Every U.S. district picks its own spring break week, so the busy period spreads across March and April. Check your own district’s calendar against the table. We cover that season in spring break in Orlando and the holiday weekend in Easter in Orlando.

In practice: if the festival is the main reason for your trip, aim for the weeks after Easter and before Orlando schools let out, between April and mid May 2027. Do EPCOT on a weekday and be there at opening. The gardens photograph better in morning light, and May heat builds after lunch.

How do you get to EPCOT from a vacation home?

Driving is the simplest way. Vacation homes in the area sit in resort communities in Kissimmee, Davenport and Orlando, and EPCOT is inside Walt Disney World. If you are road tripping down from Georgia or the Carolinas, you will already have the car.

Using routes calculated with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, without traffic:

• from Storey Lake, in Kissimmee: about 6 miles (10 km), roughly 12 to 13 minutes;
• from ChampionsGate, near Davenport: about 12 miles (20 km), roughly 19 minutes.

Disney charges $35 per day for standard parking, tax included. That one fee covers all four theme parks for the whole day, which helps if you head to EPCOT after another park. Preferred parking, closer to the entrance, costs $50, $55 or $60 depending on the date. A free tram runs from the lot to the main entrance. Complimentary standard parking is only for Disney Resort hotel guests and select Annual Passholders.

Staying in a home makes it easy to split the day. You can go in the morning, come back for lunch and a swim during the hottest hours, then return in the late afternoon for a Garden Rocks show. Disney does warn that paying for parking does not guarantee a spot if you leave and come back later, so think twice before leaving on a packed day like Easter week.

To compare a rental car, rideshare and tolls, read do you need a car in Orlando. If you have not picked a place yet, browse our vacation homes near Disney.