It seems like EPCOT has been under construction forever. If you’ve visited in the last few years, you’ve probably seen the maze of construction walls as Disney works to update and improve the park. But now we have GOOD NEWS about this project!

Disney has finally announced an official timeline for EPCOT’s massive transformation!

EPCOT has been going through a multi-year transformation that has included several projects throughout the park. This transformation will officially be complete in December 2023. This is when the last three new neighborhoods in World Celebration will open. This has been a long process that started with the new fountain debuting in 2020…

…the updates at Club Cool (which reopened in 2021)…

…the addition of Connections Eatery (opened in April 2022), Space 220 (opened in September 2021), and Creations Shop (opened in September 2021) in World Celebration…

…and new attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

So, what’s left to be completed in EPCOT before the transformation is officially over? 

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is opening October 16 in World Nature — we already got a sneak peek inside during Cast Member previews!

A new area called Dreamers Point will be opening near the entrance to the park, which will feature a new statue of Walt Disney called “Walt the Dreamer.”

We’re especially excited for the addition of a dedicated Festival Area, which will serve as the new “home base” for EPCOT’s seasonal Festivals and live events! CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza in EPCOT’s World Celebration will bring EPCOT International Festivals “to the center of Walt Disney World.”

CommuniCore Plaza is an outdoor space where guests can come to relax and experience all the festivals have to offer. There is also an area that can host large-scale concerts or an intimate performance that extends out into the gardens nearby.

CommuniCore Hall is within the plaza and will be the first fully-purpose-built structure in festival programming, designed with flexibility in mind. This hall will be able to host a wide variety of experiences with food, art, live music, and more. 

There will even be a demonstration kitchen, a mixology bar, and exhibition and gallery space here. The hall should also help extend the festival experience and give chefs new ways to connect and experiment.

New gardens are coming to World Celebration as well. As the seasons — and seasonal Festivals — change throughout the year, this will be reflected in a World Celebration hub divided into several different gardens. In the center will be a planter based on the five-ring EPCOT logo. The gardens will also evolve with the seasons, and each one will have its own identity, with the ability to change to go along with the festivals throughout the year.

The new areas will also have “hero features,” which are big artistic elements like topiaries and sculptures. The pieces will coordinate with the lights on Spaceship Earth.

As part of CommuniCore Hall, there will be a new location in EPCOT called “Mickey and Friends” where you can meet some of your favorite Disney characters!

The highly-anticipated Figment meet-and-greet will be arriving in World Celebration’s Imagination pavilion later this summer!

We’re also super excited that the fiber optics lights will return to the pavement in World Celebration! These lights went away when EPCOT began renovations a few years ago, but Disney has confirmed that they will be coming BACK! Imagineer Zach Riddley states that “guests loved the fiber optics embedded in the pavement at EPCOT, and we’re excited to share that we’re bringing back new illuminated paving designs in World Celebration.”

We’ll be watching for more news from Disney, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates.

Click here to learn more about EPCOT’s HUGE transformation.

What do you think about this change? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend the Destination D23 event. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ