If you know anything about EPCOT than you know it’s all about festivals. And Disney has made a BIG change to one of it’s festivals this year.
EPCOT
That festival is the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, which brings SO much to Disney World, including gorgeous topiaries, a lot of AMAZING food, and the Garden Rocks concert series. However, this year, you’re going to have a lot less time to enjoy this festival because it’s going to end 36 days earlier than it did last year, which could basically upend your Disney World plans.
So the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival started on February 28th and ends on May 27th. If the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival doesn’t start shortly after that (and we don’t have any word on that yet from Disney), it could mean you’ll be missing out on a festival if you’re visiting between the two festivals. With most folks having already booked their vacation packages for the year, we can imagine this news was pretty shocking for those with plans to attend the festival.
EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival
We reached out to you, our DFB Readers, to see how you felt about this shorter festival, as well as if this will impact your Disney World plans this year. Some of you told us that you’re disappointed about how short the festival is this year. Marlaina said, “I’m a bit disappointed. We will be there the 2nd week of June. We didn’t plan our trip around possible festival dates but I was hoping to see the beautiful topiaries and gardens.”
Berlin at Garden Rocks in 2023
Laura commented, “This was going to be my first time experiencing this festival and I’ll literally just miss it 
“
Tina added, “We usually go in late May-early June and I’ll be VERY SAD not to see the flower and garden festival.”
Chris said, “Yes! Was looking forward to it but will be there 2 days after it ends!
“
EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival
Other readers say that this disrupts their plans for their Disney World trips this year. Jacki told us, “We are super sad! Flower and Garden is our favorite festival and we have been going in June after my daughter gets out of school. I told her last night about when the festival is ending and she had a moment! We might have to figure out how to get there this spring without taking too many days off of school. 
“
Mickey & Minnie in bloom!
Helen had something similar to say: “We normally go in September when the food and wine festival is on but due to getting time off work we’ve had to book June this year so we were looking forward to a different festival this year. Oh well maybe Epcot will be quieter.”
EPCOT during the Flower and Garden Festival
Patricia told us, “Yes!! We just booked nonrefundable airfare for early June to specifically go down for the festival!!! How disappointing!!” Oh, ouch. That’s always disappointing when it’s too late to change your plans!
2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
Some of you have even changed your plans because of the shorter festival. Tara said, “Yes. I rescheduled so we wouldn’t miss it.”
Azalea said, “Yes! Simple Plan at Garden Rocks has been our summer tradition for a few years now. We will probably go somewhere else on vacation in June.”
Japan pavilion during the festival
Some of you, though, prefer to go to EPCOT between festivals and think it could mean fewer crowds in the time between the Flower and Garden Festival and the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. Tanya said, “My friend is going to WDW for the very first time in June and I gave her the news yesterday. But I think her family is better off not being overwhelmed with food options any more than regular EPCOT.”
Food from Magnolia Terrace at the 2023 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival
Jen commented, “We were a little disappointed last year when Food and Wine started a little later and we just missed the start date, but it honestly worked out. World Showcase was easier to navigate without the booths and lines. We were able to eat our long neglected favorites rather than passing them up to roll the dice on festival food that we may or may not enjoy. The festivals are fun, but missing them can offer a few perks.”
2023 Northern Bloom Booth
Jessica said, “Nope, it will be nice to go to Epcot without a festival going on.”
So, why did Disney cut this festival short? While we don’t know for sure, it could be because EPCOT’s new festival epicenter is set to open and Disney may have plans to extend Food and Wine so guests can enjoy these new spaces. What we’re talking about is CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza. According to Disney, “The beautiful greenspaces throughout the World Celebration Gardens will feature ample seating and shade, as well as a central planter based on the five-rings of the iconic EPCOT logo. Guests will be invited to connect with one another and the nature around them in this lush new area. Each of the garden spaces will have their own identities and change with the EPCOT festivals throughout the year. CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza will make their debut in 2024.” The new area will serve as a central location for EPCOT’s rotating festivals throughout the year, which really means that they will be a communal space for festivals so you don’t have to trek around all of EPCOT during a festival!
While we don’t have an exact opening timeline, we do know that they are set to open this year and we could see they being open for the Food and Wine Festival. We will be sure to keep you updated on the situation and will let you know when we have Food and Wine dates along with opening dates for CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza!
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MAKE THE MOST
OF YOUR FESTIVAL DAYS
DFB's Guide to the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival details everything you need to know to maximize your time, budget, and stomach space! Know what's worth it and what to skip with our full-photo menus of each booth, complete with DFB's Best of the Fest.
It includes all the must-have information for navigating this one of the most BEAUTIFUL festivals at Disney World, including:
- 🌸 Booth & food photos, maps, and crawls with DFB's exclusive recommendations!
- 🐝 The COMPLETE schedule of events (so you don't have to go hunting for all the dates!)
- 🌳 All the details on special events, topiaries, festival exclusive merchandise, and more!
What do you think of the shorter festival? Let us know in the comments!
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I’m a bit concerned just because this may shift dates around for the rest of the year (Food and Wine?) and we’ve already got our dates set for that in the first week of November, at the Boardwalk (which will be impossible to book earlier in October at this point — we were so excited when F&W got extended to run into Nov!).
But I empathize with the folks who DO plan their trips around the festivals, and have their 2024 plans all set (and unchangeable), because we do that kind of planning too! Arts, Flower & Garden, and Food & Wine. Considering how far ahead we have to book rooms, it would have been great if they’d announced the coming change a year before they actually put it into effect. We were planning to return to F&G in 2025, so I now have the opportunity to schedule for a “middle month”. I have no idea when they make these decisions, but it certainly would have saved a lot of VERY sad customers for this June.
(We’re ditching Festival of the Holidays — the IncrediPass AP is way too expensive so we took the Sorcerer option with Holiday Black Out Days, and we’ve done Festival of Holidays a number of years in a row. And have found we really don’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as Arts, F&G and F&W. We were also underwhelmed enough with the Jollywood Nights event to not plan to go back in the holiday season for that. Although we really liked the Coasters that were a party departure gift!)
I find this is curious because Disney is doing free dining and room discount promotions, which would seem to indicate they are looking for a bigger audience. So I wonder why they would cut one of the long-standing festivals short. Huh. I would have expected the festivals to bring in a bigger audience, but maybe not. Maybe they’ve had a lot of feedback that people REALLY like having seasons to book that are NOT Festivals. I schedule our trips around the Fests, and I’m sure other people would enjoy being able to plan for a time WITHOUT a Fest, like the commenters in the article.
While we will be there during the festival, I’m not sad about the shortening. Remember when Epcot wasn’t back-to-back-to-back festivals? Lower crowd levels were fun!
They need to shorten the Food & Wine Festival to the way it used to be, late September to mid November. As a Florida resident, it’s much too hot in the summer for any festivals.
Where were all the picnic tables in the picture of Magnolia Terrace food please? My boyfr
hates going to the festivals because it’s so hard to eat standing up; holding a fork/spoon,
a drink, your plate so it doesn’t blow away, trying to cut portions in half so we can share,
etc. Two hands don’t cut it! Also, trying to press down with a fork or knife and using only
your hand underneath doesn’t work well either.
Disney is putting it back to pre COVID days. Flower & Garden used to end on memorial day weekend. The summer was always a festival draught.
Hi Susan! The picnic tables in the photo are in the American Pavilion outside of Regal Eagle.
I feel like this regarding Festival of the Arts. I’m literally missing it by a week. So disappointed and wondering why it’s so short!
I don’t have a problem with this. I’ve always thought the festivals ran too long.
The festivals have gotten longer and longer during the years to the point it feels like Epcot is a constant festival park. I think this results in festivals not being unique and special. I’d like to see them all shortened. Visiting Epcot during non-festivals is refreshing if you can figure out when that is!
I’m making this prediction now: They are going to roll out a new festival for the summer months.
Bookmark this, and let’s revisit in a month or two.
Going end of August since I am a Disney + subscriber will have quick service dinning plan so if The Food and Wine festival isn’t on my dates it won’t be a big loss. Having gone the last two years the selections have become a little mundane anyway.
I’m not upset about the shorter festival. I am upset that Peter Noone/ Herman’s Hermits is only here for 2 days instead of the 4 days they have always been here. Also, Starship is the same.