Seven years after the Universe of Energy attraction closed to make way for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the EPCOT Overhaul project is complete. The (very) long-awaited milestone was reached this morning with the opening of CommuniCore Hall & Plaza – an EPCOT festival venue and flex space.
CommuniCore Hall & Plaza Opens at EPCOT
CommuniCore Hall is the indoor flex space that will eventually house EPCOT Festival exhibits. At the moment, it looks like it will function as a simple seating area. Entrances from near World Nature and the CommuniCore Plaza area allow easy flow into and out of the space.
Mickey & Friends Meet and Greet
As part of the CommuniCore Hall building complex, a new meet and greet space is now open for guests to meet Mickey Mouse and his friends. We’ll have more on that in a bit.
CommuniCore Plaza Party Area
An outdoor venue will support seasonal shows and Festival entertainment. This outdoor area is called CommuniCore Plaza and it can be found on the south side of the CommuniCore Hall building complex.
Right now, the stage is decorated for an Encanto-themed show, but it will change seasonally.
Festival Favorites Quick Service Window
Also part of CommuniCore Hall is the Festival Favorites quick service window. As the name would suggest, this will be a place where guests can get some of the most popular dishes of whatever EPCOT Festival is happening at the time. During non-Festival times, guests can find seasonal bites.
Of course, a celebration of the end of the end of the EPCOT Overhaul would not be complete without acknowledging what wasn’t built or what was scaled down, starting with CommuniCore Hall itself. The festival area was originally envisioned as a multi-story Festival Center, as seen in the concept art below.
Spaceship Earth was just weeks away from closing for a lengthy transformation before COVID-19 derailed those plans. In World Discovery, the PLAY! Pavilion project has been abandoned.
In World Showcase, upgrades to the China Pavilion’s Reflections of China show have been shelved, and in the United Kingdom, a Mary Poppins attraction never came to light despite getting Dick Van Dyke to announce the project.
Additionally, Test Track will be closing soon for a lengthy reimagining.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!