EPCOT Festivals are some of our favorite parts of the year.

Four festivals happen each year, usually lining up with the season of the year. There’s very rarely a time in the parks when a festival ISN’T going on, but Disney recently made a choice that has a lot of Disney fans a little angry.
We asked our readers on Facebook if Disney changing EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival to be 36 days shorter this year affected their 2024 plans.

Needless to say, some commenters are very upset. Some did say they’re changing their plans to be able to attend the festival, but many more aren’t able to change their plans and are upset they won’t get to experience it this year.

One commenter said that they’re traveling with a Disney rookie this year and told her all about the festival, which she now won’t get to experience. Another user said that they’re bummed their mom won’t be able to see it this year.

Another commenter said they were going to roll it into their cruise vacation, but now that the festival won’t be going on, they may skip the parks entirely. A few other users said they may choose to visit Universal instead of an EPCOT with no festival.

However, some Disney fans are happy about this change, and feel the festivals are way too long. One commenter even said, “The festivals used to be special, with a lot of thought and effort put in on each one. Now they are just slapped together and almost overlap. Shorter, focused, well thought out events would be better.”

It certainly is an interesting choice for Disney to make about this festival so close to its opening date, which is February 28th. Many people book their vacations nearly a year in advance so they have time to save and plan, so changing something up with only a few months heads up isn’t great for many people.

Why did Disney shorten this festival? We aren’t sure, but some folks are speculating it’s to get as many people into the parks during a slower time of year, since the festival will end on May 27th, right when summer break is beginning for many families.

We’re always here to bring you the latest Disney news, so stay tuned to AllEars!
Check out the new souvenirs coming to the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival!
How do you feel about the shortening of the festival? Tell us in the comments!
The festivals all used to be shorter before the lockdown. They’ve only been going on for half the year, it feels like, since the parks reopened. I feel like this is Disney getting back to “normal.” I hope they shorten Food and Wine too. It’s become too long and there is no way it should be going on during the heat and daily rain storms of July and August. 3 months is long enough.
As I saw in another comment, I also think the festivals have become too long and aren’t as special as they once were. I am all for shortening them up again.