7 Things About CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza

It’s a very exciting time to be at EPCOT – after years of creative vision, innovation and dedicated work, I’m thrilled to share that the historic transformation of our park is complete.

The construction walls have come down around World Celebration, and CommuniCore Hall, CommuniCore Plaza, and Mickey & Friends will open to all starting June 10!

These beautiful new spaces speak to the heart of the World Celebration neighborhood, which focuses on experiences that bring communities together. As youcome together with your family and friends to explore these new areas, here are a few things that I’m most excited for you all to see.

From the Matsuriza drummers in Japan and the Voices of Liberty at The American Adventure to our JAMMitors creating funky rhythms on trash cans and buckets – no other place in the world entertains quite like EPCOT.

Now there’s room for even more entertainment – CommuniCore Plaza adds two spectacular venues for performances of all kinds!

On the CommuniCore Plaza Stage, guests can enjoy “¡Celebración Encanto!”, the first show to debut in this new space for a limited time starting June 10. Bring the whole family for a fun sing-along to some of your favorite songs from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto.”

You can catch the story of the Family Madrigal during the day, and at night, a Latin groove band will fill World Celebration with music and fun.

On the other end of the Plaza, you’ll see room for another performance space that will be perfect for open-air entertainment… you’ll have to stay tuned to see how we’ll bring that stage to life!

If you visited EPCOT over the past few weeks, you may have seen a very exciting sign while peering over the construction walls. Right next to CommuniCore Plaza Stage, there is a new quick-service food and beverage destination that we’re debuting as “Festival Favorites.”

You can find an ever-changing assortment of some of your – you guessed it! –favorite items from our four EPCOT Festivals here to enjoy now! This summer, it’ll include a few yummy treats inspired by the Disney Animation Studios Film “Encanto,” including a Cheese-stuffed Arepa with cilantro-lime crema and cotija cheese, and the Coconut Tres Leches, which is a vanilla cake soaked with oat, almond, and coconut milk topped with toasted coconut.

After you’ve tried something tasty from Festival Favorites, be sure to visit some of your best pals at our all-new character greeting location, Mickey & Friends. This bright and colorful space is the perfect place to capture new memories with Mickey Mouse and more.

Before you step into Mickey & Friends for hugs and pictures, be sure to check out the beautiful new mural of EPCOT past and present. Art has always been an important part of EPCOT; think of the stunning scenes from communication history leading into Spaceship Earth or the colorful mosaic on the path to The Land pavilion.

More recently, Walt Disney Imagineers created their own artistic interpretations of Mickey Mouse on the walls of Creations Shop. Now, the mural on the side of CommuniCore Hall joins the gallery of EPCOT art bursting with character and color!

Back when we were (to borrow a phrase from Spaceship Earth) “inventing the future” of EPCOT, we knew we needed something in the center of the park that could be many things: a place for guests to relax, a dynamic space to anchor our EPCOT Festivals, and everything in between. That new space is CommuniCore Hall!

If you can dream it, CommuniCore Hall can do it… the future of this gathering and event space is limited only by the boundaries of imagination. We’re all about the magic of possibilities here at EPCOT, and our imaginations are pretty spectacular.

CommuniCore Hall will invite guests inside and bring the center of the park to life seasonally as an ever-changing hall to highlight art, live music, food, and more. When it opens on June 10, step inside and snag a table with your goodies from Festival Favorites.

Remember that show kitchen in CommuniCore Hall I mentioned before? Just like over at Connections Café and Eatery where guests can watch our talented culinary team make liege waffles and Baumkuchen, the show kitchen in CommuniCore Hall will offer a look behind the scenes.

EPCOT culinary cast members will whip up mouthwatering dishes and delectable drinks for all kinds of special events and occasions. Who knows, this state-of-the-art show kitchen may even attract a few special culinary guests.

I am so incredibly humbled to lead the team here at EPCOT. Since the first construction walls went up in 2019 through today, I can’t tell you the amount of time, talent, energy and passion that went into this current transformation.

EPCOT cast and Walt Disney Imagineers poured a lot of love (and art and soul!) into the beautiful park you see today. Like Walt said, it takes people to make the dream a reality, and it’s the cast members who will bring CommuniCore Hall, CommuniCore Plaza and Mickey & Friends to life. To my fellow cast – thank you!

And to all who come to this place of joy, hope, and friendship – welcome to EPCOT.

You May Also Enjoy: Cook Like a Madrigal with Encanto: The Official Cookbook