Garden Rocks Concerts return to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival beginning in March 2023 at Walt Disney World. This publish covers the present lineup of bands and musicians, whether or not the eating package deal is well worth the cash, dates of the performances, and every part else you might want to know.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. The EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival runs from March 1 to July 5, 2023. Walt Disney World has additionally confirmed that the occasion will successfully be cut up into two phases, though this doesn’t look like mirrored within the musical lineup–there are large names all through.
Once once more the Garden Rocks Concert Series will provide its personal ‘split approach,’ with internationally acknowledged artists performing Friday by means of Monday and native Orlando expertise on Tuesday by means of Thursday on the America Gardens Theater. For 2023, the collection is jam-packed with expertise from returning favorites like The Pointer Sisters, Simple Plan, and the Plain White T’s, together with recent expertise like legacy guitarist AJ Croce and GRAMMY award-winning Switchfoot.
These Garden Rocks performances are held within the America Gardens Theatre throughout from the American Adventure in World Showcase. The concert events are included with EPCOT admission, and usually happen 3 times per night, at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and eight:00 p.m.
During the Garden Rocks Concert Series, common bands from the 60s and 70s–the grooviest, flower-filled many years–and past carry out a few of their biggest hits for the Flower & Garden Festival crowds. Here’s the schedule of the Garden Rocks Concert Series in the course of the 2023 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival:
- March 3-4, 2023 – Journey former lead vocalist STEVE AUGERI
- March 5-6, 2023 – Daughtry
- March 10-11, 2023 – Tommy DeCarlo
- March 12-13, 2023 – Smash Mouth
- March 17-18, 2023 – Mike DelGuidice
- March 19-20, 2023 – Blue Oyster Cult – NEW
- March 24-25, 2023 – Berlin
- March 26-27, 2023 – The Pointer Sisters
- March 31, 2023 – Luis Figueroa – NEW
- April 1-2, 2023 – Piso 21 – NEW
- April 3, 2023 – TBD
- April 7-8, 2023 – STARSHIP that includes Mickey Thomas
- April 9-10, 2023 – Don Felder, previously of the Eagles
- April 16-17, 2023 – Switchfoot – NEW
- April 21-22, 2023 – A Flock of Seagulls
- April 23-24, 2023 – Jo Dee Messina
- April 28-29, 2023 – Ambrosia with Peter Beckett, The Voice Of Player
- April 30, May 1, 2023 – Kool and the Gang
- May 5-8, 2023 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- May 12-15, 2023 – The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
- May 19-20, 2023 – A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce – NEW
- May 21-22, 2023 – Casting Crowns – NEW
- May 26-27, 2023 – Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago – NEW
- May 28-29, 2023 – Rick Springfield
- June 2-5, 2023 – Plain White T’s
- June 9-10, 2023 – The Spinners
- June 11-12, 2023 – The Commodores
- June 16-17, 2023 – Vertical Horizon
- June 18-19, 2023 – Tony Orlando
- June 23-26, 2023 – Simple Plan
- June 30, July 1, 2023 – Living Colour
- July 2-3, 2023 – Wang Chung
Garden Rocks Dining Packages are solely supplied Friday to Monday in the course of the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, from March 1 to July 5, 2023. Packages are usually not supplied on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Walt Disney World visitors who buy the Garden Rocks Dining Package will obtain live performance badges on the restaurant after their meal. The badge will specify the date and present time they’ve reserved. Guests with the Dining Package will enter America Gardens Theatre in a separate queue and might be seated on a first-come, first-served foundation. Seating is assured.
Each package deal consists of:
- An appetizer, entrée and dessert or one (1) full buffet (the place relevant), together with a non-alcoholic beverage
- At Spice Road Table, the Garden Rocks Dining Package consists of 2 small plates, a shared dessert platter, and a nonalcoholic beverage
- One (1) assured seat per particular person to one live performance efficiency on the identical day; the live performance time might be assigned on the time of reserving
Here’s taking part eating places and eating package deal costs, which exclude tax and gratuity:
| Adult (ages 10 and up) |
Child (ages 3 to 9) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Norway Pavilion |
$74.00 | $48.00 |
| Biergarten Restaurant Germany Pavilion |
$60.00 | $34.00 |
| Coral Reef Restaurant The Living Seas |
$69.00 | $27.00 |
| Garden Grill Restaurant The Land Pavilion |
$66.00 | $43.00 |
| Le Cellier Steakhouse Canada Pavilion |
$95.00 | $36.00 |
| Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue American Adventure Pavilion |
$35.00 | $20.00 |
| Rose & Crown Dining Room United Kingdom Pavilion |
$59.00 | $25.00 |
| Spice Road Table Morocco Pavilion |
$47.00 | $20.00 |
Book Advance Dining Reservations for the Garden Rocks Dining Package starting February 9, 2023. Future dates might be launched in line with ADR guidelines for Walt Disney World, that means that all the occasion received’t be out there directly, however fairly, on a rolling 60+10 day foundation.
If the Garden Rocks Dining Package is one thing you actually need (extra on whether or not you truly want it under), we’d suggest reserving ASAP. That’s very true for common eating places like Akershus, which is exceedingly tough to e-book even with out the package deal.
If you’re not in a position to rating ADRs for Garden Rocks sit-down eating packages, concern not. You could possibly buy a same-day eating package deal, which lets you:
- Dine with out reservations at Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue that day (Spice Road Table may additionally be an possibility)
- Enjoy assured seats to a Garden Rocks live performance later that day
To verify availability for same-day eating packages, go to Regal Eagle’s Distinctly Patriotic Smokehouse: A Salute to All Foods, But Mostly Barbecued Meats ~ A Sam Eagle Craft Drafts & BBQ Joint. Same-day Garden Rocks Dining Packages are topic to availability and is probably not out there on peak dates.
Although we’re followers of Regal Eagle, Spice Road Table is certainly the best way to go when you’re “forced” to do a same-day eating package deal. Yes, it’s $12 costlier, but it surely presents a minimum of that rather more bang-for-buck, with a menu that’s extra approachable than you would possibly assume.
Check out our assessment, Spice Road Table: EPCOT’s Best Candlelight Processional Dining Package?, for extra as to why that’s our prime choose. Even although it’s written from the angle of Candlelight, it applies equally to Garden Rocks.
The America Gardens Theater the place Garden Rocks Concert Series is held can seat over 1,000 visitors per efficiency, however a big chunk of those seats are put aside for visitors who buy dinner packages. All of those dinner package deal visitors are assured seats in one of many three nightly Garden Rocks concert events.
In addition to this, followers for specific acts typically line up prematurely, and seeing these strains, common vacationers additionally queue up. Consequently, it turns into one thing of a self-fulfilling prophecy–the standby line for performances can get longer as a result of it’s lengthy.
However, that solely applies to common performers…and in perusing the lineup, there aren’t all that lots of these. I’m personally trying ahead to Blue Oyster Cult and Smash Mouth, however I don’t know that both are actually common lately. To that time, it’s comparatively uncommon for the Garden Rocks concert events to fill America Gardens Theater to capability. Just as a result of the road appears to be like lengthy…doesn’t imply it’s going to be a packed home.
This is particularly true for the sooner performances when the solar remains to be beating down on the outside amphitheater. Same goes for Garden Rocks concert events that don’t happen in the course of the peak of Spring Break season. Much of EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival falls throughout shoulder or low season, and the concert events aren’t too unhealthy then.
To every their very own, however we usually don’t suggest buying the Garden Rocks Concert Series Dining Package. If your solely expertise with performances on this venue is Candlelight Processional, regulate your expectations. There’s far much less demand for the Garden Rocks Concert Series than there’s for Candlelight Processional.
FOMO is a robust motivator, however it is best to be capable to benefit from the live performance simply effective with out paying additional for a eating package deal. We’ve watched many concert events in March by means of mid-October, and have by no means as soon as purchased one in all these eating packages for both Garden Rocks or Eat to the Beat (throughout Food & Wine Festival).
We virtually all the time present up a couple of minutes earlier than the present begins and are simply in a position to rating spots. In our view, the eating packages are a waste of cash until they’re the one technique to get a selected, highly-coveted ADR (taking a look at you, Akershus) otherwise you’re in a position to leverage them to the fullest benefit and don’t thoughts paying a slight premium for peace of thoughts.
In phrases of worth for cash, the eating package deal shouldn’t be that costly. You are completely paying a little bit of a premium for the Garden Rocks Concert Series Dining Package, and that’s even assuming you “optimization” your order and choose the most costly entrees, and so on–but it surely’s not that unhealthy.
If you choose to not do the Garden Rocks Dining Package and don’t need very lengthy in line, you’ve gotten a few choices. First, present as much as the standby line ~quarter-hour earlier than the primary present of the day begins. Depending upon the recognition of the band and the climate, there are normally nonetheless loads of seats within the solar (only a few spots within the America Gardens Theater are shaded). If not, a minimum of you didn’t waste a ton of time standing in line.
In most circumstances, that technique will work simply effective. You could not have the most effective seats, however you’ll nonetheless be capable to see the present and have a seat. If the theatre is already full, we suggest attempting to look at from the walkway behind the America Gardens Theatre.
Cast Members will handle crowd circulate again right here within the walkway, however you may merely stand behind the theater (not within the walkway) and watch the live performance. This is definitely a extremely good view for the Garden Rocks Concert Series, and remains to be fairly near the stage. It’s not like being within the low-cost seats given the intimate measurement of the venue–consider it as sitting (properly, standing) within the balcony of the America Gardens Theatre.
Honestly, that is greater than what we do. We watched Garden Rocks perhaps 3-4 instances final yr, and in every case it was a spontaneous factor. We merely occurred to be passing the America Gardens Theater shortly earlier than or after because the concert events began, and determined to seize a seat to get off our ft and luxuriate in some basic rock. I can’t even recall the final time we queued up prematurely for one in all these concert events. Our recommendation right here is solely to present you extra of a buffer and err on the aspect of warning.
Ultimately, watching the Garden Rocks Concert Series is fairly easy and simple, and will contain zero stress or pre-planning. Although we recurrently purchase the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages, we have now by no means–not as soon as!–purchased eating packages for any of the opposite three festivals. From our perspective, it’s a waste of cash, as we will nonetheless simply benefit from the performances with minimal effort.
We is probably not proper up entrance and heart, however the views are good all through the America Gardens Theater–and even behind it. To every their very own, however we’d fairly allocate our price range for visiting Walt Disney World on different issues. If you’ve gotten infinite sources and don’t thoughts losing cash, by all means, e-book the Garden Rocks Dining Package. As a splurge, it’s one of many absolute worst selections–save that cash for one thing else…actually the rest…at Walt Disney World!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about resorts on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips publish takes a singular take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every part you might want to know!
Your Thoughts
Are you a fan of the Garden Rocks Concert Series? Which bands have you ever seen carry out on the America Gardens Theater stage? Do you normally e-book the Garden Rocks Dining Package or wait in line? Think it’s well worth the cash? Do you’ve gotten any technique for seeing the reveals with out ready? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!