I have a confession before we even get into the details here: I have paid actual dollars to walk through a greenhouse. At night. On purpose.
And I would do it again, which either says something wonderful about Disney’s ability to dress up hydroponic tomatoes, or something slightly concerning about me. Probably both!
Anyway. Disney just confirmed that Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses is coming back for the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, and if you’ve been eyeing this one, it’s time to actually pay attention instead of just liking the Instagram post and forgetting about it (we’ve all done it).
The tour runs November 27 through December 30, 2026, with three nightly departure times: 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 8:00 PM. That lines up exactly with the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, which runs the same November 27–December 30 window — so basically, wherever the festival is happening, this tour is happening too.
Reservations open September 24, 2026. Mark it, set an alarm, do whatever ritual you do before Disney reservation windows open, because based on the last two years, this thing sells out. Not “sells out eventually” sold out, sells out like it’s a concert.
For the uninitiated (hi, welcome, grab a seat): this is a one-hour walking tour through The Land Pavilion’s greenhouses, decked out with the same twinkling light displays you’d normally only glimpse from a slow-moving boat on Living with the Land. The difference is you’re not stuck in a boat. You can stop. You can stare. You can make your tour guide repeat the part about the crops because you were too busy looking at the lights the first time (guilty).
The holiday-specific touches are what make this one worth the premium over the daytime version, and Disney’s kept a few running gags going year over year: there’s a hidden glass pickle tucked into a vegetable canopy somewhere along the route (a nod to the old German ornament tradition, for anyone who wants to sound smart about it later), plus holiday-themed wrapping paper designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, which is a weirdly specific detail to nail but they nailed it. Your guide spends the hour connecting the crops growing right in front of you to actual holiday food traditions (cranberries, herbs, the works) so it doesn’t feel like a garden tour that happens to have Christmas lights on it. It feels like the lights and the plants are actually talking to each other, which sounds unhinged but somehow works.
In past years, guests also walked away with a gingerbread recipe card from Disney’s own chefs, which is either a lovely parting gift or Disney’s way of making sure you go home and buy $40 worth of molasses. No judgment.
Let’s Talk About the Price, Because Someone Has To
Here’s where I put my slightly-annoyed hat on for a second. This tour started at $45 per person back in 2024. By 2025, it had climbed to $59. For 2026? Still $59 — at least for now. Disney’s own site lists it at that price, but given that this tour has increased in cost every single year it’s existed and Disney has a well-documented habit of nudging prices up again once October rolls around, I wouldn’t bet my Disney Vacation Club points on it staying there. If you’re planning to book this the moment the window opens on September 24th, that’s honestly your best shot at locking in the current rate before anything shifts.
Is $59 for one hour in a greenhouse a lot? Objectively, yes. Do I think it’s worth it if you’re already at EPCOT during the holidays and looking for something to do after dark that isn’t standing in a churro line? Also yes. It’s a genuinely calm, well-paced experience in a park that, especially during the holidays, does not otherwise offer a lot of “calm.”
Should You Book It?
If you’re the type of person who rides Living with the Land every trip just to see what’s new in the greenhouse (you know who you are), this tour is basically built for you. If you’ve never ridden Living with the Land in your life and greenhouses mean nothing to you emotionally, this is probably not going to be the thing that changes that…go do Candlelight Processional instead.
Reservations open September 24, 2026, for tour dates running November 27 through December 30. Set your reminder now, because “I’ll book it later” is exactly how I ended up standing outside a sold-out greenhouse tour in 2024, and I refuse to let that happen to any of you.
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