If you’ve been watching crowd levels lately, you’ve probably noticed something interesting happening at Walt Disney World. EPCOT is getting busier — and not just because of Flower & Garden.
Yes, the festival is about to bloom in full force, bringing with it topiaries, outdoor kitchens, and live entertainment that always draw a steady stream of guests. But this year, EPCOT isn’t just hosting a seasonal event. It’s quietly becoming the park that absorbs everyone else.
Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are both deep in transition right now. Over at Animal Kingdom, Dinoland is closed and Rafiki’s Planet Watch is also closed. That may not sound like a huge shift at first, but losing those areas reduces capacity and spreads crowds into fewer attractions. When entire sections of a park disappear, guests naturally funnel toward the remaining headliners like Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.
That creates longer waits and, in many cases, shorter days. Animal Kingdom already tends to close earlier than the other parks. When families finish up there by mid-afternoon, many hop elsewhere — and EPCOT becomes the obvious choice.
Hollywood Studios is experiencing its own growing pains. The park is preparing for a Monsters, Inc. land and the return of The Magic of Disney Animation. While those projects are exciting long-term, construction now means tighter walkways, shifting traffic patterns, and occasional downtime. Studios is already known for heavy demand at rides like Slinky Dog Dash and Rise of the Resistance. When congestion increases, some guests simply decide to change course.
Again, EPCOT benefits from that shift.
Add Flower & Garden to the mix, and you have a perfect storm. EPCOT offers wide walkways, festival booths, and nighttime entertainment that make it appealing for both full-day visits and park hopping evenings. Even guests who don’t prioritize thrill rides still want to stroll World Showcase, try limited-time menu items, and catch Luminous: The Symphony of Us after sunset.
The result? Consistently high wait times for attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure — even before peak spring break weeks fully hit.
EPCOT was built to handle crowds. Festivals are in its DNA. But when two other parks are shedding attractions and navigating construction, the balance shifts. EPCOT isn’t just busy because it’s spring.
It’s busy because it’s the most stable option right now.
And until Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios complete their next phases, that pattern may continue.
