The Flower and Garden Festival is an absolute highlight of Spring in Walt Disney World and has been since it began in 1994. The 2023 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival kicked off on March 1st and runs through July 5th.

If you’re going to visit during the festival this year, we can help you plan ahead of time so that you don’t miss any of the best activities and food! We’ve been going to EPCOT festivals for DECADES, so we’ve got the inside scoop from dozens of trips. Now, we’re bringing you 5 SECRET tips for the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival.

You Can Get a FREE TREAT Just for Eating Snacks

One of our absolute favorite things to do at the Flower & Garden Festival is to EAT. There are more than 15 food booths set up around EPCOT with snacks and treats for guests to enjoy. Those eats do cost extra (they’re not included in your park ticket), but there’s a secret way to get a FREE treat.

The Garden Graze is a kind of a foodie scavenger hunt that’s similar to the Cookie Stroll at the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, only for the Flower & Garden Fest it’s a plant-based food stroll.

You’ll pick up a free Festival Passport at the front of the park and find the page with the Garden Graze information. There will be a list of items you can purchase at the various food booths around the park, so you’ll head to the appropriate booths and order those items. Make sure to get your Passport stamped for each one you purchase!

Once you’ve picked up 5 items, you can return to the Pineapple Promenade Booth to pick up a free treat!

Click here for more information about the Garden Graze in EPCOT.

One Ride CHANGES for the Festival

We often see ride layovers around Christmas time or during Halloween, but did you know that one attraction gets some sprucing up during the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival?

Living With the Land (located in the World Nature section of the park, inside the Land pavilion) might look a little bit different if you ride it this spring. When you hop on this relaxing boat ride, you’ll see a celebration of plants that you can eat with the Edible Flower Garden.

The ride, which takes guests through greenhouse displays of food crops, dons some extra vibrant color, thanks to the flowers, during the Festival!

And speaking of cool attractions to visit during the festival, don’t forget to check out the gorgeous Disney Character Topiaries all around the park along with the pop-up gardens around World Showcase.

For 2023, a new Princess Tiana topiary appears in The American Adventure pavilion, and a NEW “Encanto” topiaries features Mirabel, Antonio, Isabela, and Luisa near the park’s main entrance.

From a Tropical Rainforest Garden in the Mexico pavilion to the English Tea Garden and Shakespeare Garden in the United Kingdom to a Bamboo Garden in China, and MUCH more, you’re only steps away from finding the next spring-inspired scene in the EPCOT World Showcase. Many guests don’t even realize those gardens are there, and you don’t want to walk right past the gorgeous displays. The Festival Passport will let you know where to find them all!

Learn more about the Disney character topiaries here.

We Have a FULL GUIDE for the Festival

With more than 15 food booths, multiple scavenger hung-style activities, tons of gardens and character topiaries, major performances, and more, the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival might seem like an intimidating event to tackle. Luckily, we’ve got a FULL GUIDE to help you plan the best trip possible.

In the DFB Guide to the 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, you’ll find information about the activities, entertainment, eats, and more. You can also check out colorful photos of the food items, character topiaries, and gardens that are located throughout EPCOT during this event.

You can order the DFB Guide to the 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Don’t forget that you can also bundle the Flower & Garden Festival Guide with our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2023 to get even MORE resources for your upcoming vacation!

Click here to buy the DFB Guide to the 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.

You Can Get a Dining Package Without a Reservation

The popular Garden Rocks Concert Series performances are free with EPCOT admission and take place at the America Gardens Theater. Internationally known artists will perform Friday through Monday, and local bands will rock the house Tuesday through Thursday.

You can find the full list of artists performing at the Flower and Garden Festival here, along with information about Garden Rocks Dining Packages, which pair lunch or dinner at a participating EPCOT restaurant with guaranteed seating for a Garden Rocks performance for that evening!

Reservations for those Garden Rocks Dining Packages are open now, and you’ll want to grab your reservations ASAP so that they don’t sell out before you’re able to secure your spot. But what if you don’t want to make a reservation or aren’t able to grab one? All hope is not lost!

Regal Eagle Smokehouse at the American Adventure pavilion has same-day-only Garden Rocks Concert Series Dining Packages available. You’ll need to head to Regal Eagle on the day of your visit and check for availability. We’d recommend stopping by fairly early in the day so that the packages don’t fill up before you get there! Disney notes that “packages are subject to availability and may not be available on peak dates.”

Get more information about the Garden Rocks Concerts and Dining Packages here.

Download Our FREE Printable and Map

We already told you about our Guide to the 2023 Flower & Garden Festival, but did you know that we also have a FREE map for the festival?

Flower & Garden DFB Printable (Page 2)And now you’re all set to plan the best trip ever to the 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. We’ll continue to bring you great resources to help you out, like reviews of every single food booth and a list of the BEST eats and treats once the festival opens, so stay tuned to DFB for the most comprehensive EPCOT festival coverage.

Learn all about the 2023 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival here!

Are you visiting the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival this year? Let us know in the comments!