Five Things to Know About World Celebration in EPCOT

World Celebration is one of the four lands (they’re called neighborhoods in this park) in EPCOT. Completed after years of reimagining, Disney describes it as “the EPCOT neighborhood offering experiences to connect us to one another—and to our world.” Along with World Nature and World Discovery, it replaces the former Future World section of EPCOT and offers a wonderful mix of the new with old familiar favorites.

1. World Celebration is the front door to EPCOT.

No matter which of the four Walt Disney World Parks you enter, their “front entrance” immediately creates a mood that sets the stage for what you’re about to experience. First-time visitors to EPCOT can be awestruck by the feeling they get when walking into the World Celebration neighborhood. Stirring music is playing, Spaceship Earth dominates the view, and the fountain with its crystal pylons is a nod to the history of this space. It all combines to create what can only be described as Disney magic. With live performances and entertainment, there’s definitely an air of celebration here, too.

As the “entrance” to EPCOT, World Celebration leads guests to enter the other three neighborhoods in the park: World Discovery, World Nature, and World Showcase. (Seems like it’s not such a small world, after all!) Now, calling it the “front door” implies the existence of a “back door,” so it should be noted that there is a second entrance to EPCOT between the UK and France pavilions leading into the World Showcase. Guests entering EPCOT that way will get a completely different first impression of the park!

2. Spaceship Earth is a big wienie.

Walt Disney’s vision for EPCOT was certainly different than for other parks. (And as it exists today, it’s very different from what Walt originally imagined.) But some of his principles of park design have been honored and incorporated by the Imagineers as they built the EPCOT we know today.

Walt believed that a guest’s sightlines played a significant role in their enjoyment, anticipation, and participation in what the park had to offer. So, he wanted what he called a visual “wienie” in every land: something that caught your eye, pulled you toward it, and kept you moving once you were in the park.

 

In this case, Spaceship Earth is the wienie. It’s the iconic symbol of EPCOT, the monorail loops around it, and beginning at sunset, Spaceship Earth lights up with over 1800 lights, all coordinated to music piped through the area. The music and light display vary, so you may never see the same “show” twice!

All but the most stoic among us cannot help but be wowed by it. OK, maybe I’m overdoing it a bit here, but FWIW, the first park I visited back in 1992 was EPCOT – and even now, some thirty-plus years later, my kids remember the magical feeling we all had seeing Spaceship Earth as we entered.

3. There’s a lot to celebrate here!

When creating the World Celebration area, Imagineers included several peaceful garden areas collectively referred to as World Celebration Gardens. All meet at a path around a central planter and you can see the five-ringed EPCOT logo in the path itself. Each garden has welcome places to sit and charging stations for phones. Directly behind Spaceship Earth is Dreamers Point, featuring a statue of Walt himself, sitting on a bench looking at the gardens.

You could be tempted to think the gardens are just a very large space to sit and take a relaxing break from the park. But no! You’ll find roaming characters and plenty of “streetmosphere”. That’s a Disney word that refers to performers who appear on the park walkways to entertain and interact with guests. In EPCOT, one of the most notable examples is the JAMMitors. A seeming group of janitors appear, jamming on trash cans (get it?). Their performances are amazing and energizing! And when the night comes, special lighting and twinkling pavement bring their own energy.

While there are no thrill rides in World Celebration, there are plenty of other attractions worth your while. Besides Spaceship Earth, you can visit the interactive Project Tomorrow area at its base. You can Journey Into Imagination with Figment  and visit the What If Labs in ImageWorks. Enjoy a break at the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival and meet your favorite characters at Mickey & Friends.

Now that CommuniCore Hall is open, the CommuniCore Plaza stage also sees a variety of seasonal performances. CommuniCore Hall itself provides an air-conditioned space to take a pause from touring.

4. You can shop, eat, and Beverly.

There are no table service restaurants in World Celebration. But you do have a few Quick Service opportunities, including Connections Café (Starbucks) which is open all day, and Connections Eatery, serving lunch and dinner. Festival Favorites at CommuniCore Hall serves up a rotating menu of favorite dishes from various EPCOT festivals.

For shopping, Creations Shop offers a wide selection of Disney merch, as does Gateway Gifts at the base of Spaceship Earth.

But the most famous (or infamous) among the shops/eateries at World Celebration is Club Cool. Hosted by Coca-Cola®, you’ll find Coke-related merchandise, but that’s not the big draw. The fun part is that guests can sample Coke products from around the world – for free. The selection of offerings varies, but a staple among them is Beverly. The description on the dispenser reads, “Beverly, with its bitter flavor, is a popular non-alcoholic aperitif that is a traditional part of Italian refreshment culture.” I don’t want to ruin the experience for you but be forewarned that I’ve never met anyone who lists Beverly as their favorite beverage! Nevertheless, it’s a must-do experience for any visitor to World Celebration.

5. This World has its secrets, too.

⭐ The new CommuniCore Hall gets its name from the Science and Technology pavilion that existed in EPCOT from 1982 until 1994. The name is a portmanteau of Community and Core.

⭐ The facade of CommuniCore Hall has tiles that light up in synchrony with the evening Spaceship Earth display.

⭐ The paneling on the outside of CommuniCore Hall was inspired by the design of Spaceship Earth.

⭐ Inside CommuniCore Hall, you’ll see nods to EPCOT’s past depicted on the walls. Included are the head of SMRT-1 from the original CommuniCore, The Dreamfinder’s flying machine from Journey in Imagination, the old robot butler from the extinct Horizons attraction, and many others!

⭐ In a portion of the Connections Café flooring, you can see a design that was inspired by Walt’s original conception of EPCOT.

The Bottom Line.

World Celebration is a remarkable testament to the Imagineers’ ability to create something new while honoring the past. You can easily spend the better part of your day exploring the gardens, enjoying the entertainment and attractions. We think it’s possible that the message World Celebration holds up for consideration is about finding room for a more peaceful space in the world – a space where you can see the beauty of the earth and the potential for a wonderful future. It’s a vision Walt himself would endorse.

Have you spent time in World Celebration? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.