The BIG Souvenir Mistake People Make at EPCOT's Flower & Garden Festival

This year’s EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is about to kick off, and there’s a warning we need to give you!

Flower and Garden Merch 2025

This year’s festival will run from March 4th until May 31st, and we can’t wait! This is the festival that fills EPCOT with beautiful topiaries, delicious outdoor kitchens, and even the Garden Rocks concert series. We can’t forget about the exclusive festival merch either, but that’s where our word of warning comes in.

If you’re heading to EPCOT for the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival on opening day, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement. New food booths debut, stunning topiaries take over the park, and new festival merchandise hits the shelves. But year after year, we see guests make one big souvenir mistake, and it can cost them a significant chunk of their morning.

Flower and Garden Festival merch in 2025

On the first day of the festival, one of the busiest spots in the park is almost always the Creations Shop. Guests often head there first thing, worried that the newest Spirit Jerseys, Loungefly bags, Minnie ears, or themed collections will sell out within hours. As a result, checkout lines can stretch through the store, and what should be a quick stop turns into standing in a long line.

Creations Shop Line in 2025 for the opening day of the Flower and Garden Festival

Here’s the reality: in recent years, most festival merchandise has not been selling out on opening morning. While there are rare exceptions, like the wildly popular Figment sweater that disappeared quickly during the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, those situations are the exception, not the rule. Lately, we’ve seen festival collections restocked and widely available well beyond opening day. Unless Disney releases a surprise limited-edition item tied to a fan-favorite character, the odds are strong that what you’re eyeing in the morning will still be there later.

Phineas and Ferb topiary

That’s why we recommend a different strategy. If you’re curious about the new merchandise, absolutely stop by Creations Shop to browse. Take photos, make note of your must-haves, and get a feel for sizing and styles. Then, instead of hopping into a long checkout line, head out and enjoy the rest of your morning. Early hours are prime time for shorter wait times at attractions and better photo opportunities with the topiaries before the park fills up. We consistently see shopping crowds ease up later in the afternoon and evening. Checkout lines are typically shorter, the store is easier to navigate, and the overall experience feels far less rushed. Waiting just a few hours can make a noticeable difference in how smoothly your shopping trip goes.

Creations Shop on a festival day

If you want to save even more time, consider using Mobile Checkout through the My Disney Experience app. Guests can scan items directly in the app, pay digitally, and show their confirmation to a Cast Member at the exit. On busy festival days, this can be significantly faster than waiting in a traditional checkout line and is one of the easiest ways to streamline the process.

Mobile Checkout at Creations Shop in EPCOT

The bottom line is this: don’t let merchandise panic dictate your festival day. Unless there’s a truly limited release, you can browse in the morning, enjoy everything else the festival has to offer, and return later for a much calmer shopping experience. Your time at the Flower and Garden Festival is valuable, and there’s a lot to do! For more tips for this year’s festival and more, be sure to follow us at DFB!

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