This day has been years in the making. We are less than one month away from a HUGE change coming to EPCOT.
EPCOT
EPCOT has been undergoing a multi-year transformation that has included a redesign of the entrance and area around Spaceship Earth, renovated shopping and dining at Connections Eatery and Creations Shop, the addition of Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, and the construction of the CommuniCore Hall & Plaza.
While most of the transformation is finished, we are still one step away from completion!
On June 10th, 2024, the CommuniCore Hall & Plaza will be opening up, marking the end of this EPCOT transformation. This new area will bring some huge changes to EPCOT and provide guests with lots of new opportunities!
CommuniCore Hall
CommuniCore Hall is the first fully-purpose-built structure for festival programming. The Hall will host numerous experiences including food, live music, art, and more. Even though it was designed with festival programming in mind, this area will be open year-round for guests to enjoy, even when there isn’t a festival going on. The CommuniCore Plaza is an outdoor space where visitors can relax and experience concerts, performances, and other live entertainment including a new show.
©Disney
New Entertainment
One of the biggest changes coming to EPCOT as a result of the opening of CommuniCore Hall & Plaza is a bunch more entertainment options! For starters, there will be a new Encanto show debuting in CommuniCore Plaza. The show will be called “¡Celebración Encanto!” and will feature songs and stories from the movie. And Mirabel and Bruno will be there too!
©Disney
Additionally, the CommuniCore Plaza is designed to host concerts and performances. Inside the CommuniCore Hall, there will be an exhibition gallery space, demonstration kitchen, mixology bar, and more. While we don’t know how much of this space will be in use outside of festivals yet, we are hoping that there will be at least some offerings year-round!
More Air Conditioning and Space to Relax
Another big change is simply that the CommuniCore Hall & Plaza will provide additional options for places to sit and relax.
Communicore Hall ©Disney
Plus the CommuniCore Hall will provide some great air-conditioned space to take a break. Being in the parks all day long is exhausting, so it is always great to see more spaces being added to take a load off.
New Meet and Greet Space
This new area will feature a new meet-and-greet space. While Mickey & Friends used to meet around this area in the “EPCOT Character Spot” before construction began (way back when), they were moved to allow for all of these changes.
Mickey & Friends Sign
The Mickey & Friends meet-and-greet will now be moving to a space inside of CommuniCore Hall. We have spotted the signs going up for this new space, and we are excited for this meet and greet.
More Food Options?
Finally, CommuniCore Hall & Plaza will likely provide more food options. We noticed a sign for “Festival Favorites” was put up on the building, and although we don’t know exactly what that will be, a Cast Member said it was going to be a festival food booth! Note that we haven’t heard anything official from Disney World.
Festival Favorites sign
If it is a food booth, we also don’t know if it may offer food year-round or if it will only be open during festivals. Either way, we are excited to see what Festival Favorites becomes.
In addition to Festival Favorites, CommuniCore Hall will also feature a demonstration kitchen which could mean the return of demonstrations and seminars. The demos and seminars were once a large part of the Food & Wine Festival but have been missing for a few years now. We are hoping that, with the opening of this new space, we will see a return of these offerings.
It is an exciting time for EPCOT as the transformation nears its completion. The CommuniCore Hall & Plaza space promises to bring a lot to EPCOT and we will be bringing you all the details as we explore this area on June 10th. While we wait for June 10th to arrive, get ready by watching our Ultimate Guide to EPCOT in 2024:
While this marks the end of a multi-year transformation, EPCOT is still being reimagined and updated. Test Track will be closing on June 17th, 2024, for a reimagining of the ride. This reimagination will take inspiration from World of Motion, a ride that was in EPCOT when it opened. Change is always happening in Disney World and we are here to keep you updated on all the latest news. Stay tuned to DFB for even more Disney World news!
Check out our guide to the BEST snacks at EPCOT!
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Wouldn’t it be cool
If The Festival Favorites booth was a year round attraction that had a sampling of favorites from all the festivals throughout the year? One can always hope!