PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 9/1/20 (New Food & Wine Merchandise Debuts, New Limited Edition Pins, Waterfall Returns To Gran Fiesta Tour, and More!)

Iain

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PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 9/1/20 (New Food & Wine Merchandise Debuts, New Limited Edition Pins, Waterfall Returns To Gran Fiesta Tour, and More!)

Hello, hallo, konnichiwa, and hola from EPCOT! It was a very exciting day here as all of the new Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival merchandise was due to debut at the park today. We were there bright and early ready to see what we could find. Let’s get started!

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We were the first ones in to tap in to the park this morning, and caught this rare shot of Spaceship Earth without any guests in front of it as we dashed underneath it on our way to find the new merchandise.

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On our way in, we noticed this sign placed outside of Pin Traders, traditionally the place to go for Limited Edition pins during events and festivals like this. This year, in order to accommodate the crowds and social distancing, the pins were released at Mouse Gear.

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We arrived at the World ShowPlace Events Pavilion before they opened, which they did shortly before 11am, and were first in line to see the new merchandise, which is being sold at a new retail location just inside the pavilion.

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An extensive queue has been set up to accommodate social distancing and the larger weekend crowds. Each collection of merchandise was split up in its own aisle, and there was plenty for everyone’s tastes.

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One of our favorite pieces was this “Taste Your Way Around The World” t-shirt featuring different food and drink from the various countries around the World Showcase. For a look at the full collection, see our article here.

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Next, we headed to Mouse Gear to see the Limited Edition pins being released today. When we arrived, we found an impressive line outside waiting to enter. New social distancing queue markers had been put down to extend the marked line area significantly as it had only originally had 3-4 spots in it, but the line filled even the generous amount of spots given.

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Thankfully, the line moved quickly and we got inside before too long. Once in, we were given the choice of shopping the store or getting in line for the pins, which we did. We were then given a laminated “menu” for the pins, so we could choose what we wanted before we arrived at the register.

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The line for the pins zig zagged through half of the store, weaving in and out of merchandise displays.

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With so many good ones to choose from, it was hard to pick a favorite, but we can’t turn down a good Spaceship Earth pin. To see pictures of all of the Limited Edition pins with prices, see our article here.

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Moving on through the park, we started to see the new Food & Wine merchandise pop up in other places. This display of the Figment collection was at ImageWorks, the exit shop for Journey Into Imagination With Figment.

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They also had a good stock of the popular EPCOT Forever MagicBands behind the counter.

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At the various Festival Market booths around World Showcase, some still have International Flower & Garden Festival merchandise in them, which is currently on sale for 30% off the retail price, plus whatever discount you usually use (Annual Passholder, DVC, etc.)

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Other Festival Market booths now house the new Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine merchandise, and are usually grouped by collection.

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We checked in at the Mexico Pavilion, and while the queue markers are still on the floor, capacity was not being limited inside the Pavilion today.

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We took the opportunity to say hello to these handsome gentlemen and found an extra surprise along the way.

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The waterfall effect on Gran Fiesta Tour, which has been broken for some time has finally been repaired and was running today.

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Continuing around World Showcase, we were disappointed to see that the two booths that opened over the weekend, The Alps and Spain, were both closed today. We asked a Cast Member and were told that they would be open on an “as needed” basis. We think raclette is always needed!

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At American Adventure, we found this fun new hat featuring a Mickey-shaped American flag on a trucker style hat with a snap back. This hat retails for $27.99 and is the perfect all-American accessory.

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We had a wonderful, exciting day finding all the new things at EPCOT, and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Have a magical day!