{"id":178041,"date":"2026-03-04T17:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/178041\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T17:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:26:08","slug":"spring-events-at-orlandos-most-popular-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/178041\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Events at Orlando’s Most Popular Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"05<\/a><\/p>\n

Courtesy Universal Orlando Resort<\/p>\n

Orlando\u2019s spring calendar has two annual \u201cdrop everything\u201d traditions, and 2026 is shaping up to be a particularly fun one-two punch: Universal Orlando Resort\u2019s Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval and EPCOT\u2019s International Flower & Garden Festival. If you\u2019re looking for a couple of perfectly timed reasons to get outside, eat something unreasonable, and pretend you\u2019re on vacation even if you\u2019re just doing a day trip, this is your runway.<\/p>\n

Universal Orlando\u2019s Mardi Gras 2026: beads, bites, and big parade energy<\/p>\n

Universal\u2019s Mardi Gras<\/a> celebration runs February 7 through April 4, 2026 at Universal Studios. That timeline is the sweet spot: cooler evenings (by our standards), longer daylight, and just enough spring-break buzz to keep the park feeling lively without making every step a contact sport. The heart of the event is the Mardi Gras parade, bold, oversized floats, performers, and the simple joy of a sky full of beads. And here\u2019s the thing: this parade doesn\u2019t feel like a \u201ctheme park version\u201d of Mardi Gras as much as it feels like Universal decided to go all-in on the pageantry. It\u2019s loud, saturated, and unapologetically festive; the kind of show that turns even cynical adults into people who suddenly believe they can catch things midair.<\/p>\n

Food is the other headliner. The \u201cInternational Flavors of Carnaval\u201d branding is a not-so-subtle hint that the menus are meant to be a global snack crawl, not just a New Orleans greatest-hits list. And yes, live music is a huge part of Mardi Gras at Universal.<\/p>\n

This Year\u2019s Performances Include:<\/p>\n

March 7 \u2014 Ziggy Marley
\nMarch 13 \u2014 Tyler Hubbard
\nMarch 14 \u2014 Bebe Rexha
\nMarch 15 \u2014 Zedd
\nMarch 21 \u2014 Barenaked Ladies
\nMarch 28 \u2014 The All-American Rejects<\/p>\n

The \u201cI want to be in the parade\u201d move<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever watched guests tossing beads from the floats and thought, Wait\u2026 people can do that? Yes, they can. This year marks the return of the Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience, which pairs a three-course meal with the thrill of riding a parade float and throwing beads. It\u2019s one of those splurges that instantly upgrades the night into a story you\u2019ll tell for years, especially if you\u2019re traveling with friends or celebrating something.<\/p>\n

Quick planning tips for Mardi Gras nights<\/p>\n

Go early, stay late. The vibe builds as the sun goes down, and the park looks great under parade lighting. Pick a \u201cparade-first\u201d or \u201cfood-first\u201d strategy. If you try to do everything at once, you\u2019ll do nothing well.<\/p>\n

EPCOT\u2019s Flower & Garden Festival 2026: spring in its most photogenic form
\n\"Figment<\/a><\/p>\n

Courtesy Walt Disney World<\/p>\n

On the Disney side, the International Flower & Garden Festival<\/a> runs March 4 through June 1, 2026. If Universal\u2019s Mardi Gras is a party, Flower & Garden is a stroll; a bright, curated, and built for people who love wandering with purpose (and a snack in hand).<\/p>\n

The festival\u2019s superpower is how it transforms EPCOT into a living gallery: topiaries, themed gardens, and floral displays that make you stop mid-conversation because you suddenly realize you\u2019re looking at a character-shaped sculpture made of plants.<\/p>\n

Outdoor Kitchens: the spring snack crawl<\/p>\n

Flower & Garden isn\u2019t just about blooms, it\u2019s also a legit food festival. This year sees the return of Outdoor Kitchens with \u201cgarden-fresh cuisine\u201d during the festival. The smart way to do it is the same way you\u2019d tackle EPCOT Food & Wine: share bites, split sips, and treat it like a progressive meal where everyone gets a vote.<\/p>\n

Garden Rocks Concert Series: free concerts with a \u201cwait for it\u201d lineup<\/p>\n

The festival also includes the Garden Rocks Concert Series, with performances included with EPCOT admission, running throughout the same March 4 \u2013 June 1 dates.<\/p>\n

March 5-7 \u2014 The Music of ABBA (New)
\nMarch 8-9 \u2014 Simple Plan
\nMarch 13-14 \u2014 Blue October
\nMarch 15-16 \u2014 Billy Ocean
\nMarch 20-23 \u2014 THE ORCHESTRA starring former members of ELO & ELO Part II
\nMarch 27-28 \u2014 Herman\u2019s Hermits starring Peter Noone
\nMarch 29-30 \u2014 38 Special
\nApril 3-4 \u2014 Chubby Checker
\nApril 5-6 \u2014 Sugar Ray
\nApril 10-11 \u2014 Information Society (New)
\nApril 12-13 \u2014 Rick Springfield
\nApril 17-18 \u2014 Berlin
\nApril 19-20 \u2014 The Commodores
\nApril 24-25 \u2014 FireHouse (New)
\nApril 26-27 \u2014 Air Supply
\nMay 1-2 \u2014 A Flock of Seagulls
\nMay 3-4 \u2014 Plain White T\u2019s
\nMay 8-9 \u2014 Katrina, formerly of Katrina & The Waves (New)
\nMay 10-11 \u2014 98 Degrees
\nMay 15-16 \u2014 The Spinners
\nMay 17-18 \u2014 Josiah Queen (NEW)
\nMay 22-23 \u2014 Iam Tongi (NEW)
\nMay 24-25 \u2014 A.J. Croce: Croce Plays Croce
\nMay 29-30 \u2014 Queensr\u00ffche
\nMay 31-June 1 \u2014 Maverick City Music<\/p>\n

\"Epcot<\/a><\/p>\n

Courtesy Walt Disney World<\/p>\n

Which one should you prioritize (and how locals can do both)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re visiting Orlando and can only pick one, it depends on your travel personality:<\/p>\n

Choose Universal Mardi Gras<\/a> if you want a high-energy night: parade spectacle, beads, and the feeling that the whole park is throwing a party.
\nChoose EPCOT Flower & Garden<\/a> if you want a daytime-to-sunset wander: gardens, photo stops, slower pacing, and a snack strategy that feels like a hobby.<\/p>\n

For locals, the best play is to treat them like a seasonal \u201cseries,\u201d not a single outing. Universal\u2019s run (February 7 \u2013 April 4) overlaps nicely with the early weeks of Flower & Garden (starting March 4), meaning you can hit Mardi Gras on a Friday night and do EPCOT on a Sunday morning without feeling like you\u2019re forcing it.<\/p>\n

Mardi Gras and Flower & Garden work because they\u2019re not just events; they are mood shifts. One turns a theme park into a street party; the other turns a theme park into a garden walk with excellent snacks and a soundtrack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Courtesy Universal Orlando Resort Orlando\u2019s spring calendar has two annual \u201cdrop everything\u201d traditions, and 2026 is shaping up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":178042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":{"0":"post-178041","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-orlando","9":"tag-orlando-headlines","10":"tag-orlando-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}