Just Announced: More Details Revealed About the Transformation of EPCOT!
David Richardson
With EPCOT’s 40th anniversary right around the corner, new surprises and announcements continue to arrive…every one of them adding just a little bit more excitement to an already gala occasion! Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is having soft openings right now in preparation for it’s Memorial Day Weekend opening (more on that in a future post!), and this week Disney announced the details of a new area to be added to the World Celebration section of the park (home to Spaceship Earth and the central courtyard). Here is the official announcement from Disney:
“As international 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 released today, 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, you’ll be invited to connect with one another and the nature around you in this lush new area. 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.
CommuniCore Hall will be a flexible exhibition and gallery space, offering a wide variety of experiences that highlight art, live music, food – complete with a demonstration kitchen – and more. In addition, adjacent to CommuniCore Hall will be a new Mickey & Friends location where you can meet some of your favorite Disney pals.
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.”
We’re super excited about these new details, especially the idea of a breathtaking nighttime experience that brings to mind the worlds of Pandora and Galaxy’s Edge! (Yes, we’ll miss the fiber-optic pavers, but can’t WAIT to see the new effects that are on the way!). Disney will surely be sharing even more details and excitement as the grand anniversary celebration approaches, are you excited????
Enjoy the magic of Disney all year ’round with Celebrations Magazine!
