What We Know About the Upcoming Changes to Epcot
Experience Center
Guests interested in learning more about Epcot’s future renovations will be happy to hear there will be an area in the park devoted to updates! The Odyssey Events Pavilion will transform into the all-new Experience Center later this year. Inside the Experience Center, guests can view interactive exhibits that are created to help visualize all of the future park projects. As the transformation continues, guests can visit the Experience Center to learn more about the current stages of this lengthy renovation.
Entrance Update
When you first enter Epcot, there is a specific feel. From the Leave A Legacy photo statues to the horticultural art that is Walt Disney World landscaping, these are what you expect to see as you enter into this one-of-a-kind theme park. Concept art has recently been released by Disney to reveal their future plans for the updated Epcot main entrance!
The Leave A Legacy photos will no longer be within the park’s gates, but instead will be moved to a new location right outside of the park’s entrance gateway. The removal of these photo structures creates additional space for more walkways, additional landscaping, and a larger, open feel. The concept art also reveals a new look to the central fountain right in front of Spaceship earth as well as several flags flying that sport the original Epcot park logo. This redesign will use original park entrance elements but create a fresh look on a classic design!
Unnamed “Play” Pavilion
Epcot’s Wonders of Life pavilion closed its doors January 1, 2007, only to reopen seasonally as the Festival Center to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival each year. This space that was once home to two attractions, Body Wars and Cranium Command, has been sitting virtually untouched for over a decade! With the upcoming 40th anniversary of Epcot though, Disney has announced their plans to revive this pavilion into an all-new interactive concept.
The new pavilion is described by Zach Riddley of Walt Disney Imagineering as a pavilion “built on the power of play” featuring an immersive and interactive “city” where guests can interact, create, and explore all with their favorite Disney characters! This new pavilion concept is Disney’s new spin on Epcot’s original concept of interactive pavilions, so the unveiling of this new area will be an exciting one for imagineers and guests alike. The pavilion is still unnamed, but the concept art suggests a futuristic and techno feel similar to the concepts from Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Additional Exciting Experiences
With these new Epcot announcements in mind, the excitement of other Epcot projects only heightens! From the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy-themed roller coaster coming to Future World East, to the brand-new Epcot Forever limited-time nighttime experience over the World Showcase Lagoon, this park is going to be an exciting place to be over the next few years. World Showcase will be experiencing a major overhaul in guest attractions, including the new Ratatouille attraction in France, an updated 360 film for O Canada!, a signature dining experience in Japan, and a Beauty and the Beast inspired sing-along in the France pavilion!
As we prepare for Epcot to enter into its next decade, it is so inspiring to see exciting expansions happening for Walt Disney World’s one-of-a-kind theme park. Epcot has many updates on the horizon, and thanks to the upcoming Experience Center guests will be able to keep up with them all!
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