Every spring, EPCOT quietly shifts into one of its busiest modes of the year.
The weather improves. School schedules loosen. And suddenly, a park that already draws heavy crowds becomes even more unpredictable. In 2026, that pressure is expected to build even faster as the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival returns from March 4 through June 1 — bringing with it not just topiaries and food booths, but one of the longest-running concert series at Walt Disney World.
The Garden Rocks Concert Series.
While the festival itself attracts daytime crowds for gardens and dining, it’s the nightly concerts that often turn manageable evenings into some of the most congested periods of the season. Guests don’t just stumble into these shows. They plan entire trips around them.
And in 2026, the lineup gives them plenty of reason to do exactly that.
The series begins March 5 through 7 with The Music of ABBA, one of the new additions this year. Simple Plan follows March 8 and 9, before Blue October appears March 13 and 14. Billy Ocean performs March 15 and 16, setting the tone for a March filled with recognizable names.
From March 20 through 23, THE ORCHESTRA starring former members of ELO & ELO Part II takes the stage. The final weekend of March features Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone on March 27 and 28, followed by 38 Special on March 29 and 30.
April opens with Chubby Checker on April 3 and 4, followed by Sugar Ray on April 5 and 6. New performer Information Society appears April 10 and 11, before Rick Springfield performs April 12 and 13. Berlin and The Commodores arrive mid-month, with FireHouse and Air Supply closing out April.
May continues the momentum with A Flock of Seagulls, Plain White T’s, Katrina formerly of Katrina & The Waves, and 98 Degrees. The final weeks include The Spinners, Josiah Queen, Iam Tongi, A.J. Croce, Queensrÿche, and Maverick City Music closing out the festival on May 31 and June 1.
All concerts are included with EPCOT admission and held at the American Gardens Theatre, with seating offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
And that’s where the crowd patterns begin to shift.
On nights with major legacy acts or popular modern performers, guests often arrive hours early to secure seats. World Showcase walkways become slower by late afternoon. Dining reservations fill faster. Ride wait times climb not because of attraction demand, but because thousands of guests simply stay longer in the park.
Instead of leaving after dinner, guests linger for the show. Instead of spreading out, they cluster. Instead of heading for the exits, they wait.
This effect is especially noticeable on weekends, when local annual passholders combine with vacation crowds and concert fans. The result is a version of EPCOT that feels far more crowded at night than it does during the day.
And with the Flower & Garden Festival running nearly three months, those patterns repeat again and again. For guests planning a spring or early summer trip, the concert schedule may quietly become one of the most important crowd predictors of the entire season.
Because at EPCOT in the spring, it isn’t just the flowers that draw people in. It’s the music.
