If you click on the links in this post, we may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post, at no extra cost to you. You can read the full disclaimer here.
The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is perhaps best known for its amazing topiaries and flowers – after all, “flower and garden” is in the name of the festival! And Epcot festivals are popular for their delicious dishes – we love the tasty options at the Farmers Feast and Northern Bloom markets, among others.
But the festival fun is not limited to topiaries and food booths. And that’s because there are a number of wonderful concerts that are held throughout the festival! These are part of the Garden Rocks concert series. The concerts take place at America Gardens Theatre, which is located in the American pavilion in the World Showcase.
You don’t have to buy separate tickets for the concerts, as they are included with park admission. And that is an amazing deal! Unfortunately, just being at Epcot is not enough to guarantee that you’ll get a seat. The only way to enjoy guaranteed seating is by getting the Garden Rocks Dining Package.
We’ll go over the Garden Rocks concert series 2023 lineup so you can see which shows you most want to attend. And then we’ll share how the Garden Rocks Dining Package works – and which restaurants offer the best deals.
Garden Rocks Schedule 2023
The following is the Garden Rocks concert schedule for 2023. Each artist or band will perform three shows per day – at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM.
- Journey former lead vocalist STEVE AUGERI – March 3 & 4
- Daughtry – March 5 & 6
- Tommy DeCarlo – March 10 & 11
- Smash Mouth – March 12 & 13
- Mike DelGuidice – March 17 & 18
- Blue Oyster Cult (NEW) – March 19 & 20
- Berlin – March 24 to 25
- The Pointer Sisters – March 26 & 27
- Luis Figueroa (NEW) – March 31
- Piso 21 (NEW) – April 1 & 2
- Melina León – April 3
- STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas – April 7 & 8
- Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles – April 9 & 10
- Blue October – April 14 & 15
- Switchfoot (NEW) – April 16 & 17
- A Flock of Seagulls – April 21 & 22
- Jo Dee Messina – April 23 & 24
- Ambrosia with Peter Beckett, The Voice Of Player – April 28 & 29
- Kool & The Gang – April 30 & May 1
- Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone – May 5 to 8
- The Orchestra starring former members of ELO – May 12 to 15
- A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce (NEW) – May 19 & 20
- Casting Crowns (NEW) – May 21 & 22
- Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago (NEW) – May 26 & 27
- Rick Springfield – May 28 & 29
- Plain White T’s – June 2 to 5
- The Spinners – June 9 & 10
- The Commodores – June 11 & 12
- Vertical Horizon – June 16 & 17
- Tony Orlando – June 18 & 19
- Simple Plan – June 23 to 26
- Living Colour – June 30 & July 1
- Wang Chung – July 2 & 3
Garden Rocks Dining Packages – How It Works
With the Garden Rocks Dining Package, you enjoy a meal and then you get guaranteed seats for one of the concerts that day. This is similar to, say, the Epcot fireworks package at the Rose and Crown Dining Room, with a key difference. With the fireworks package, you have your meal, then stay in your seats at the same restaurant to watch the fireworks.
However, with the Garden Rocks package, your meal is entirely separate from the concert. It can be much earlier than the concert. After your meal, you’ll get Garden Rocks seating badges that give you access to a special line at the concert. That line gets seated first and has guaranteed seating.
Of course, to get the best seat possible, you’ll want to get in that special line earlier rather than later. But you won’t have to worry about IF you’ll get a seat for the concert.
Also, please note that you’ll need to reserve a specific time for your show. You won’t be able to use your seating badge to get into all the concerts that day, just one (at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM, or 8:00 PM).
Garden Rocks Dining Package Restaurants
For the Garden Rocks dining package, you can choose from 8 Epcot restaurants. We’re going to take a look at each of the restaurants, how much they cost, and if it’s a good deal compared to what you’d pay without the package.
Please note that all but one of these restaurants allow for dining reservations in advance. I strongly recommend getting an advanced dining reservation. We’ve gone over the pros and cons of advanced dining reservations; but in this particular case, an added and crucial advantage is being sure you’ll have guaranteed concert seating. You can use this advice for securing a Disney dining reservation if you’re having trouble getting the reservation you want.
Also, please note that these prices do not include taxes and gratuity. And when it comes to getting a deal, we’ll be looking specifically at adult prices, which includes everyone ages 10 and up. (The “child” price is for kids ages 3 to 9 years old.)
Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue
Regal Eagle Smokehouse is a fun restaurant at the American Adventure pavilion in the World Showcase. You’ll find – what else? – American food, like burgers and barbecue. You can learn more about what it’s like to eat at this restaurant in our Regal Eagle dining review.
This is the one dining location that doesn’t take reservations in advance. If you are unable to get a reservation at one of the other restaurants, this is the same day option for getting the Garden Rocks dining package. However, there are only a limited number of badges they have for each concert. You can check the sign in front of the restaurant to see if they have run out of badges for the day:
At $35 for an adult and $20 for a child, Regal Eagle Smokehouse is the cheapest Garden Rocks dining package option.
The dining package includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, and nonalcoholic beverage. If you choose the most expensive options for those at Regal Eagle, you’d be paying $4.99 (for one of the sides) + $16.29 (for the Memphis Dry-rub Pork Ribs) + $5.29 (for the Tiana Banana Pudding or the S’mores Brownie) + $4.29 (for a soda) = $30.86.
Since the dining package is $35, the difference is only $35.00 – $30.86 = $4.14. So if you pick the most expensive out of the possible choices, you’re only paying $4.14 more to get your concert seating.
Spice Road Table
Spice Road Table, a waterfront dining location in the Morocco pavilion, offers Mediterranean cuisine. We discuss its atmosphere and some of our favorite dishes in this Spice Road Table review.
For this restaurant, the dining package includes 2 small plates, a shared dessert platter and a nonalcoholic beverage. It costs $47.00 for an adult and $20.00 for a child.
If you pick the priciest options on the menu, you’d pay $15.00 (for the Spice Road Table Sampler) + $14.00 (for the Spicy Shrimp) + $10.00 (for the Dessert Platter) + $4.59 (for a soda) = $43.59.
The difference between that and the dining package cost is $47.00 – $43.59 = $3.41.
Rose & Crown Dining Room
This British pub in the United Kingdom pavilion has both indoor and patio seating. On the patio, you can enjoy beautiful views of the water and the other pavilions in the World Showcase. And indoors, you can enjoy the fun British pub atmosphere (and air conditioning!).
The price for the Garden Rocks dining package at Rose & Crown is $59.00 for an adult and $25.00 for a child. It includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and nonalcoholic beverage.
With the most expensive options for each, you’d pay $14.00 (for the Scotch Egg appetizer) + $26.00 (for the Fish and Chips) + $9.00 (for the Sticky Toffee Pudding) + $4.29 (for a soda) = $53.29 total.
The difference between that amount and the dining package is $59.00 – $53.29 = $5.71.
Biergarten Restaurant
The Biergarten Restaurant in the Germany pavilion features a buffet full of authentic German food. And during your meal, you’ll be able to enjoy excellent live entertainment.
The Garden Rocks Dining Package includes the buffet and a nonalcoholic beverage, at a cost of $60.00 for adults and $34.00 for children. Without the package, that would cost $49.00 for adults. That’s a difference of $60.00 – $49.00 = $11.00.
Garden Grill Restaurant
Located inside the Land Pavilion (where you’ll find rides like Soarin’), the Garden Grill Restaurant offers a character dining experience. You’ll get visits from Chip, Dale, and some of their Disney friends while you eat. And the restaurant rotates, which means you’ll catch some views of the Living with the Land ride during your meal.
The Garden Rocks Dining Package price is $66.00 for adults and $43.00 for children. It includes a family style meal and a nonalcoholic beverage. (A family style meal is similar to a buffet, except that the food comes to you for your table to share. You can ask your server to bring extra servings on the foods you like best.)
Since the family style meal at Garden Grill normally costs $55.00 for adults, this is a difference of $66.00 – $55.00 = $11.00.
Coral Reef Restaurant
At Coral Reef Restaurant, you can view a living coral reef and over 2,000 sea creatures as you dine on seafood or American dishes. This restaurant is located at The Living Seas, where you’ll find The Seas with Nemo & Friends attraction.
With the dining package, the adult price is $69.00 and the child price is $27.00. This gives you an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and nonalcoholic beverage.
If you were to choose the most expensive items off the menu for each of those, you’d pay $16.00 (for the Shrimp Cocktail appetizer) + $36.00 (for the 10 oz Slow-roasted Prime Rib) + $10.00 (for the Chocolate Wave dessert) + $4.59 (for a nonalcoholic mocktail) = $66.59.
The difference between that and the dining package cost is $69.00 – $66.59 = $2.41.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Dine on Norwegian inspired cuisine and meet Disney Princesses at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. This character dining experience is located in the Norway pavilion. We reviewed our experience here.
It’s a family style meal that costs $74.00 for adults and $48.00 for children when you get the Garden Rocks dining package. Otherwise, it would cost $63.00 for adults. This is a difference of $74.00 – $63.00 = $11.00.
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Located in the Canada pavilion, Le Cellier Steakhouse features steaks (obviously) as well as seafood and other cuisine inspired by the Canadian provinces.
It’s the most expensive of the dining package options, as it costs $95.00 for adults and $36.00 for children. That includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, and nonalcoholic beverage.
If you were to pick the priciest choices, you’d be spending $21.00 (for one of the most expensive appetizers) + $62.00 (for the Filet Mignon) + $14.00 (for the Warm Pecan-Brown Butter Tart dessert) + $4.59 (for a soda) = $101.59. That’s actually more expensive than the dining package, as $101.59 – $95.00 = $6.59.
Conclusion
For the restaurants that have either a buffet or a family style meal, you’ll spend $11.00 more with the Garden Rocks Dining Package than you usually would. Now, those $11.00 are basically the price of your concert ticket, which is a great deal. But it’s a $11.00 difference across the board, since those are fixed price restaurants.
However, at the other restaurants, you have the option of choosing the most expensive menu items. And if you do that, you’ll only be paying a few dollars more or so than what you would be without the Dining Package. (And in the case of Le Cellier Steakhouse, you have the potential of actually saving money!)
Therefore, to get the best deal, we recommend choosing one of the restaurants that does NOT have a buffet or family-style meal and then picking the most expensive options. Those restaurants are:
- Regal Eagle Smokehouse
- Spice Road Table
- Rose & Crown Dining Room
- Coral Reef Restaurant
- Le Cellier Steakhouse (best value)
Festival Topiaries
So you know how we mentioned earlier the beautiful topiaries you can see throughout the park? You can take a look at some of our favorites from 2023 here: