Flower & Garden 2018 start date? Updated Again!!: February 28 - May 28 CONFIRMED! See Post#60

[DIS_MERI]

Any speculation on when they will announce the bands for Garden Rocks series? I’m hoping to see specific bands and waiting to book to see if/when they are scheduled. Thanks!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Any speculation on when they will announce the bands for Garden Rocks series? I’m hoping to see specific bands and waiting to book to see if/when they are scheduled. Thanks!

This is from wdwent.com - its Epcot Page may be correct. He does obtain his info from Disney, so...

• 
  Garden Rocks Concert Series acts(Friday-Monday):
  • TBA March 2-5
  • Starship March 9-12 [as reported by @dsanner106]
  • TBA March 16-19
  • TBA March 23-26
  • TBA March 30-April 2
  • Foghat April 6-7
  • TBA April 8-9
  • TBA April 13-16
  • TBA April 20-23
  • Blood Sweat & Tears April 27-30
  • Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone May 4-7
  • TBA May 11-14
  • TBA May 18-21
  • The Spinners May 25-28

 

[LilyWDW]

The Parks Blog has ignored a question regarding end dates that was posted yesterday. What’s sad is the Parks Blog article (end date 5/28) provides a link to epcotinspring.com where the end date is 5/18.

They probably won’t straighten this out until next week. I don’t think high-level Park Event Administrators work on the weekends.

Yeah, I actually pointed it out on the Parks Blog post and asked them to clarify. They never answered there.

The Official Webpage has been fixed!

2018 Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival


Fun is blooming at an annual event bursting with brilliant gardens, fresh flavors, interactive playgrounds and rocking entertainment—February 28 through May 28, 2018!

Yay! Glad to see it corrected! Since We don't arrive until May 16th and had planned 2 Epcot days just for eating at Flower and Garden, I am very happy with this correction. I had a feeling it would be the 28th since they were promoting the whole 30 days thing.

 

[Geomom]

Glad to hear that it goes through 5/28! DD17 will be going on her Senior Class Disney trip Memorial Day weekend and the food booths will be a great option for her and her friends to eat at! (We'll be going as a family during April vacation, so she'll already know where her faves are!)

 

[Dolby1000]

Wow, Foghat on April 6 & 7, always been a fan. When we lived in Illinois, they played during what was then Downers Grove Heritage Fest and were due to play at 8, but bad weather forced a delay until almost 10PM. They still performed for over 2 hours in front of maybe 100 people. They didn't hold anything back and put on great full show. Looking forward to seeing them again.

 

[Tinks#2Fan]

We glimpsed the end of the F&G event a number of years ago quite by accident and loved what we saw but not knowing about it beforehand we really weren't aware of schedules, ticketed or open events. We'll be there April 24 - May1. Can someone give me a brief description what we should look for? EG: Do we buy tickets or some other form of payment for the outdoor kitchens? Am I right in guessing weekends will get really busy? Looking for any expertise from those of you that get to drop in on Mickey more often than I.

 

[sweetpea29488]

Just found out that we'll be there for the first day. I'm guessing that you can just walk up to the outdoor kitchens and buy food? Also, how busy will Feb. 28th be? It's our last day and already had it planned for Epcot.

 

[hotcarib]

Looking for input: We’ve booked POFQ for 7 nights 4 May-10 May but now the Garden Show dates are coinciding with that time. We are a party of 3: Me, DH, and DF (her 1st visit). Looking at the crowds~yikes! What looked like perfect crowds is now looking med. heavy. I’m just wondering and asking opinions on changing our plans to the latter part of Sept. Thoughts?
Thanks

 

[WDWFantasmicFan]

The Official Webpage has been fixed!



2018 Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival


Fun is blooming at an annual event bursting with brilliant gardens, fresh flavors, interactive playgrounds and rocking entertainment—February 28 through May 28, 2018!

Yay! Did WDWToday ever reply to you Jen?

 

[WDWFantasmicFan]

Just found out that we'll be there for the first day. I'm guessing that you can just walk up to the outdoor kitchens and buy food? Also, how busy will Feb. 28th be? It's our last day and already had it planned for Epcot.

Yes, you just walk up to whichever booth you want a buy food. In previous years they have done a passport token system where you can buy a number of tokens together and save a little money.

Opening day of a festival tends to be busy, but manageable. Flower and Garden is a great festival and definitely not one to miss! Also, if you watch the DIS Unplugged, keep your eyes peeled for the team as they will no doubt be there on opening day!

 

[WDWFantasmicFan]

Looking for input: We’ve booked POFQ for 7 nights 4 May-10 May but now the Garden Show dates are coinciding with that time. We are a party of 3: Me, DH, and DF (her 1st visit). Looking at the crowds~yikes! What looked like perfect crowds is now looking med. heavy. I’m just wondering and asking opinions on changing our plans to the latter part of Sept. Thoughts?
Thanks

Late September tends to be hotter, wetter and busier than May. It'll only really be Epcot that is busier than normal during the festival. September is also Food and Wine Festival, so it also depends which you'd rather see (they are both fantastic!)

 

[WDWFantasmicFan]

We glimpsed the end of the F&G event a number of years ago quite by accident and loved what we saw but not knowing about it beforehand we really weren't aware of schedules, ticketed or open events. We'll be there April 24 - May1. Can someone give me a brief description what we should look for? EG: Do we buy tickets or some other form of payment for the outdoor kitchens? Am I right in guessing weekends will get really busy? Looking for any expertise from those of you that get to drop in on Mickey more often than I.

You can pay with cash, card or MagicBand at the kitchens, although they do tend to offer a ticket option which makes it a little cheaper. Weekends are busier, but then more entertainment is offered, such as the Garden Rocks concert series. All of the main Flower and Garden are included in standard park admission.

 

[sweetpea29488]

Looking for input: We’ve booked POFQ for 7 nights 4 May-10 May but now the Garden Show dates are coinciding with that time. We are a party of 3: Me, DH, and DF (her 1st visit). Looking at the crowds~yikes! What looked like perfect crowds is now looking med. heavy. I’m just wondering and asking opinions on changing our plans to the latter part of Sept. Thoughts?
Thanks

Can I ask what crowd chart you use? I have Touring plans and it really doesn't look that bad for you. If I'm looking at the right dates the highest is a 6.

 

[sweetpea29488]

You can pay with cash, card or MagicBand at the kitchens, although they do tend to offer a ticket option which makes it a little cheaper. Weekends are busier, but then more entertainment is offered, such as the Garden Rocks concert series. All of the main Flower and Garden are included in standard park admission.

Can you explain what and how the ticket offer works? Thanks

 

[Tinks#2Fan]

You can pay with cash, card or MagicBand at the kitchens, although they do tend to offer a ticket option which makes it a little cheaper. Weekends are busier, but then more entertainment is offered, such as the Garden Rocks concert series. All of the main Flower and Garden are included in standard park admission.

Thanks, just what I needed WDWFantasmicFan! Looking forward to it

 

[WDWFantasmicFan]

Can you explain what and how the ticket offer works? Thanks

There is no guarantee they'll offer it for the 2018 festival, but in year's past you've been able to buy a credential with tokens (I think its 6... Can't remember for sure), which you can then exchange for food or drink at the kitchens around the park. You pay one price for the credential, which does work out a little cheaper (depending on the dishes you use them on...).

One thing I will say about the tokens is that you need to be wise with how you use them - don't spend them on 'cheap' items, go for the more expensive items on the menu. It is almost better to buy that one cheaper item out-of-pocket, and use your token elsewhere for something a bit more expensive.

Let me know if you have any other questions, and i'll try to help!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Yay! Did WDWToday ever reply to you Jen?

No! I even used ‘please’ and DISboards in the same sentence. They have always replied to my Twitter messages but this time I Tweeted.

I only have a personal Twitter account whereas you have the great website and Tweet out accurate Disney info. I’m glad they did reply to you!

 

[sweetpea29488]

There is no guarantee they'll offer it for the 2018 festival, but in year's past you've been able to buy a credential with tokens (I think its 6... Can't remember for sure), which you can then exchange for food or drink at the kitchens around the park. You pay one price for the credential, which does work out a little cheaper (depending on the dishes you use them on...).

One thing I will say about the tokens is that you need to be wise with how you use them - don't spend them on 'cheap' items, go for the more expensive items on the menu. It is almost better to buy that one cheaper item out-of-pocket, and use your token elsewhere for something a bit more expensive.

Let me know if you have any other questions, and i'll try to help!

If they offer these where would we purchase them and how much did they cost?

 

[WDWFantasmicFan]

If they offer these where would we purchase them and how much did they cost?

I can't find the Flower and Garden details, but have a bit of info on the Food & Wine version for you as a guide;

- A tasting sampler costs $65 for 8 food or beverage items from the booths/kitchens. (there are some exclusions)
- The Tasting Sampler will be available for purchase at Festival Center, Festival Shop, and the Festival Boutique.

You didn't have to use all of the tokens on the same day either, so you could use the remaining entitlements on your next trip to the park (providing it is on the same trip...)

 

[bookgirl]

This is from wdwent.com - its Epcot Page may be correct. He does obtain his info from Disney, so...

• 
  Garden Rocks Concert Series acts(Friday-Monday):
  • TBA March 2-5
  • TBA March 9-12
  • TBA March 16-19
  • TBA March 23-26
  • TBA March 30-April 2
  • Foghat April 6-7
  • TBA April 8-9
  • TBA April 13-16
  • TBA April 20-23
  • Blood Sweat & Tears April 27-30
  • Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone May 4-7
  • TBA May 11-14
  • TBA May 18-21
  • The Spinners May 25-28

Ha Ha
We're in the TBA dates (all us there 15/16 and I'll be there the 20th as well)......I'm glad Herman's Hermits is not the Band while we're there. Not that we don't like them but we've actually seen them a couple of times in Vegas so something else would be great. I'll just keep an eye on it.

Thanks for the list!