by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
January 18, 2024
The EPCOT Festival of the Arts has just begun, and a good portion of the country is still in a deep freeze. Despite the weather, Disney is rolling ahead with planning for the 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, bringing back the gorgeously designed landscapes, the walk-through Butterfly Landing, and beautiful garden-inspired dishes at the Outdoor Kitchens. The festival begins on February 28, 2024, a mere 9 days after the Festival of the Arts ends on February 19.
In a move that took many guests off-guard, however, this year’s festival is shorter than usual, and will only run through May 27, 2024, leaving some guests disappointed that the trips they’d already booked will not overlap with the new festival dates.
If you are hoping to attend one of the Flower & Garden Festival’s “Garden Rocks” concerts at either 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. or 8:00 p.m., Disney has released a sneak peek at some of the new names that will be on stage this year. (The full schedule of artists isn’t completed yet, but you can get updates here.) The Garden Rocks Dining Packages open February 6, so you’ll be able to book a table and reserve a seat to see your favorites very soon.
This year, “Garden Rocks” will feature a number of groups who are new to the festival, including Modern English, Crowder, Lit, and Monsieur Perine. Disney also announced that, “For the first time, Raul Acosta & Oro Solido will share the stage with Magic Juan, then return the next day with Luisito Ayala and The Puerto Rican Power Band in a series of unforgettable performances.”
Among the scheduled performers (subject to change) are:
• Vybe (February 28 and 29)
• Jason Scheff (March 1 and 2)
• Richard Marx (March 3 and 4)
• Evolution Motown (March 5, 6 and 7)
• Berlin (March 8 and 9)
• Rick Springfield (March 10 and 11)
• Dian Diaz (March 12, 13 and 14)
• Modern English (March 15 and 16) NEW
• Commodores (March 17 and 18)
• Foreigners Journey (March 19, 20 and 21)
• The Orchestra (March 22, 23, 24 and 25)
• The Female Collective (March 26, 27 and 28)
• Mike DelGuidice (March 29 and 30)
• Pointer Sisters (March 31 and April 1)
• Funkafied (April 2, 3 and 4)
• Blue October (April 5 and 6)
• Crowder (April 7 and 8) NEW
• Hooligans (April 9, 10 and 11)
• Jo Dee Messina (April 12 and 13)
• A Flock of Seagulls (April 14 and 15)
• M-80s (April 16, 17 and 18)
• Plain White T’s (April 19, 20, 21 and 22)
• Champagne Orchestra (April 23, 24 and 25)
• Starship featuring Mickey Thomas (April 26 and 27)
• Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone (April 28 and 29)
• Southbound (April 30, May 1 and 2)
• Monsieur Perine (May 3) NEW
• Raul Acosta & Oro Solido with Magic Juan (May 4)
• Raul Acosta & Oro Solido with Luisito Ayala and The Puerto Rican Power Band (May 5)
• To Be Announced (May 6)
• Gilly & The Girl Band (May 7, 8 and 9)
• Simple Plan (May 10, 11, 12 and 13)
• Element (May 14, 15 and 16)
• The Spinners (May 17 and 18)
• To Be Announced (May 19 and 20)
• Epic (May 21, 22 and 23)
• Lit (May 24 and 25) NEW
• To Be Announced (May 26 and 27)
While seating at the concerts is free to EPCOT guests, Dining Packages guarantee you a place in the theatre before the standby lines are admitted. During this festival, Dining Packages will be available at seven EPCOT restaurants, including:
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Biergarten Restaurant
• Coral Reef Restaurant
• Garden Grill Restaurant
• Rose & Crown Dining Room
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Brews & Barbecue (same-day, in-person walk-up packages only)
Note that at this publishing, Disney is still listing Spice Road Table as one of the locations for the Dining Packages on its website, but did not list it among the seven dining spots in this week’s announcements. We’ll see what happens on February 6, when Dining Package reservations go live. For more information, including pricing and availability, visit the Dining Packages page at DisneyWorld.com.
A few new topiaries will be taking root among the more than 70 topiaries at this year’s festival, including Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot, who will make his appearance near Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in World Discovery. Miguel and Dante from Disney Pixar’s Coco will show up in the Mexico pavilion, and you’ll be able to find Figment in the new World Celebration Gardens. Asha, Valentino and the Wishing Star from the animated film Wish will pop up at the park’s main entrance.
The festival scavenger hunts will be returning this year as well, with two seasonal scavenger hunts. Spike the Bee’s “Pollination Exploration” will kick off the festival, but later on, you’ll also be able to partake in the “Egg-stravaganza Hunt,” finding twelve bunny-inspired eggs throughout the park. Both scavenger hunt maps will be available for purchase at multiple locations while supplies last, and when you find all the hidden surprises, you can turn in your map for a special reward.
Families traveling with little ones might want to set aside some extra time for the camp-themed garden where kids can play, climb and explore at the “Camp Get Out N’ Play Garden.”
If you are living in one of the states experiencing the below zero temps right now, we are so sorry for you. Hang in there… maybe some photos and inspiration from the Flower and Garden Festival will give you something to look forward to while you wait for things to thaw out.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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