How Epcot is Becoming the 'Festival Park' at Walt Disney World

Disney World recently shared plans about the transformation of EPCOT. While a timeline hasn’t been provided, we now know that Disney is officially making EPCOT its “festival park” by creating new spaces for these events to take place.

The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival has really grown in popularity and now runs from July 14 through November 19, 2022. Remember when it used to run for just a few weeks? I wouldn’t mind if it ran all year!

Festival of Arts, EPCOT’s winter event has become one of my personal favorites with so many interactive displays and events like the giant Paint by Numbers wall.

And of course the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival with the amazing Disney topiaries and of course the concerts.

As festivals continue to become more of an integral part of the EPCOT experience, Disney Imagineers are creating new spaces that will bring these events into the heart of the park in the new World Celebration neighborhood.

In several new artist concept renderings recently released, you can see how the transformation of EPCOT will take shape as you walk past Spaceship Earth and begin your journey through the park.

World Celebration will offer a beautiful hub divided into several different gardens, with a central planter based on the five-ring EPCOT logo. Filled with ample seating and shade.

Each of these gardens will have their own identities, and they’ll change along with the festivals throughout the year.

At night, the gardens will take on a whole new life, as you can see here.

They’re designed to be enjoyed in the round, where lighting immerses you in the nighttime experience that will evolve through the seasons.

This all surrounds CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, a multi-use facility and outdoor event space, respectively, that bring the park’s international festivals to the center of EPCOT.

CommuniCore Plaza will have the flexibility to host intimate musical performances that extend out into the nearby gardens, as you can see in the rendering above, as well as large-scale concerts.

This new facility, which you can see in the upper-right side of this rendering, is inspired by the original EPCOT aesthetic apparent throughout the park’s transformation, including the timeless triangular geometry most prominently featured in Spaceship Earth.

Even the CommuniCore name reaches back to the origins of EPCOT while also emphasizing the park’s central idea of community.

If you have been to EPCOT recently or if you have passed by on the monorail and got a look over the construction walls, you know that work is far from complete and they seem to be working at a snail’s pace.

While no opening date has been provided, my guess is that we are at least a year out from completion, unless this new area is opened in phases.

Darren is a Disney-focused travel agent with Magical Vacations Travel and has over 13 years of experience. Readers of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World rate him as a Best of the Best Disney Travel Agent. Darren is also an Orlando-based travel writer with topics ranging from theme parks to cruise lines.

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Summary of Epcot Transformation

What is all the construction at Epcot? Here’s a overview of what is being built at Epcot at Walt Disney World. Some of these attractions have been delayed due to the pandemic, but others are nearly finished.

Recently Walt Disney Imagineering and other special guests, made several announcements about the future of Epcot. Let’s take a look at the biggest changes you can expect to see in the coming months.

Epcot will be unified with four neighborhoods that each speak to important aspects of the world and its people: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery. These neighborhoods will be filled with new experiences rooted in authenticity and innovation.

New Nighttime Show Planned for Epcot

Soon the new “HarmonioUS” will debut as the largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park. It will celebrate how the music of Disney inspires people the world over, with a stream of familiar Disney tunes reinterpreted by a diverse group of artists from around the globe. “HarmonioUS” will feature massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, lasers and more.

UK Pavilion: Mary Poppins

The United Kingdom pavilion will welcome the first attraction inspired by Mary Poppins. You’ll step in time down Cherry Tree Lane past Admiral Boom’s house, then enter Number 17, home of the Banks family, where the adventure will begin.

Epcot: United Kingdom Pavilion

World Showcase will continue to be a celebration of culture, cuisine, architecture and traditions – infused with new magic.

Epcot: France Pavilion

The France pavilion will offer the much-anticipated attraction Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, where you’ll shrink to the size of Chef Remy and race through Gusteau’s restaurant on a wild adventure.

We will also see the debut of a new restaurant in the France pavilion, La Crêperie de Paris, offering both table- and quick-service options featuring a menu from celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse.

Also in the France pavilion, the Impressions de France film will be joined by the new “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along,” debuting in 2020. Fun Fact: the new show is directed by Don Hahn, producer of both the animated and live-action versions of this tale.

Epcot: Canada Pavilion

“Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360”will debut in January 2020 in the Canada pavilion with new scenes and a new story.

Epcot: China Pavilion

In the China pavilion, “Wondrous China” will take you on a new journey across the country, filmed and presented in a completely seamless 360-degree digital format.

Spaceship Earth Transformation

With a new narration and an entirely new musical score, Spaceship Earth will focus on the moments and ideas that define our story. You will follow a magical “story light” that brings the entire experience to life in dynamic ways, giving each scene energy and beauty that ties the entire journey together. Update: This project has been delayed.

New FutureWorld Pavilion Coming

A new pavilion will be the go-to place for live events, and the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals. It will provide an elevated view of the entire park and an ideal spot to witness Epcot’s nighttime spectacular. This three-level structure will have one of the most remarkable architectural designs at any Disney park, featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level. Update: This project has been delayed.

Epcot's New Entrance

Epcot’s entrance plaza will be transformed with new experiences that connect us with the world, welcoming you with a reimagined fountain, new pathways and sweeping green spaces that beautify the entryway. The design will pay homage to the origins of Epcot. As you exit Spaceship Earth, you’ll discover a breathtaking new view of World Showcase from Dreamers Point. World Celebration will also feature a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney, plus beautiful natural environments and global design elements filled with Disney magic and surprises, including a wishing tree in an enchanted forest and a story fountain celebrating the power and music of iconic Disney storytelling.

World Nature Neighborhood at Epcot

World Nature is dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe and balance of the natural world. It will include The Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilions.

Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana” will be the first experience inspired by the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios film. This lush exploration trail will invite you to meet and play with magical, living water. The water will have a life of its own – just like Moana’s friend, the ocean – and you’ll learn about the importance of the natural water cycle.

Epcot: World Discovery Neighborhood

The Land pavilion's new film, "Awesome Planet," which showcases the beauty, diversity and dynamic story of the planet, will debut in January 2020.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be the first “other-world” showcase pavilion at Epcot. The adventure starts in the “Galaxarium,” a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of the formation of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar. You’ll be invited to learn more about the treasures Xandar has to share – until the moment when the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive, and adventures across the cosmos ensue. The attraction will feature a new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering – a storytelling coaster that rotates 360 degrees to focus your attention on the action, including the first reverse launch on a Disney coaster.

Space220 Restaurant

An expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion, the new restaurant Space 220 will be a culinary experience featuring the celestial panorama of a space station, including daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up. Board a special elevator for a journey to a space station that is home to an incredible dining experience. Along the way, viewports will give you a real-time perspective as you travel high above the planet. Once you arrive, you will enjoy fantastic meals and drinks while taking in views that are truly out of this world. Opening this winter, Space 220 will be operated by the Patina Group.

The PLAY! pavilion will open in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. In this digital metropolis, you’ll have the chance to help legendary fashion icon Edna Mode on her quest to rid the world of uninspired style, or make a splash competing in a water-balloon fight hosted by Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.

The Imagineering Presents Pavilion

You can visualize these new plans for Epcot when doors open Oct. 1, 2019, for Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience in the Odyssey Events Pavilion. Guests will discover engaging and interactive exhibits that showcase the relentless innovation, energy and excitement driving the park’s future throughout this unprecedented period of transformation.