PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 2/21/21 (‘Festival of the Arts’ Concludes, ‘Harmonious’ Construction Progress, Innoventions West Demolition, and More)

Kevin Lake

Mary Poppins Perspective Art at Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 2/21/21 (‘Festival of the Arts’ Concludes, ‘Harmonious’ Construction Progress, Innoventions West Demolition, and More)

Welcome to EPCOT on the tail end of yet another busy weekend at Walt Disney World. Much like yesterday, we have some lovely weather today, albeit fairly windy. Beyond that, it’s the second-to-last day of the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, so we’re making a point to check out a few of the outgoing festival elements, as well as the incoming pieces for the Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.

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A lot of guests were on hand to rope drop the park today, which opened on the early side at about 10:15am. That seems early for a published 11:00am opening time, but the lines would suggest that was barely early enough.

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Once we were in the park, we headed to the west side which is, naturally, home to Innoventions West. Demolition of the structure has resumed at a steady pace, with most of the roof now gone and framing coming down.

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At the Imagination Pavilion, queues were laid out in anticipation of some heavy crowds. In general, it didn’t quite seem like crowds were as high as they have been on some of the busiest days this year.

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Many topiaries are in place despite the Flower & Garden Festival being 10 days away.

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Naturally, the Festival of the Arts features a lot of artistic pieces throughout the park, including the displays for the festival itself.

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Circling around to Future World East, Test Track had a bit of a delayed opening due to technical issues today. Cast Members were still having fun and bringing the energy regardless.

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At Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, work has been pretty slow over the last several months, reflecting a lack of intention to open the attraction in 2021.

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At Mouse Gear, these interesting avocado shorts are now in season. They sell for $24.99, though Passholders should keep in mind their discount has been increased to 30% for a limited time.

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Festival signage is, of course, still out for the Festival of the Arts.

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More important than the signage is the art itself. Artist Nate Baranowski has created what is, presumably, his final piece of perspective art for the festival — this time a fun Mary Poppins piece.

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The transition to the Flower & Garden Festival is blooming more and more by the day, and will be fully kicking into gear on March 3rd.

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Heading around to World Showcase pavilions, topiaries are out in the U.K. Pavilion featuring Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, amongst others.

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If you time it right (or you get lucky, like us), Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be in the pavilion as you pass through.

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At World Showplace, there is little to be found in the way of merchandise. While there wasn’t a massive selection offered for the festival, the only items that remain are the poster and Passholder pin.

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In the France Pavilion, there are also menu items which have sold out like the merchandise. Here at L’Art de la Cuisine Française, the croissant is no longer available.

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Similarly, the Bomboloni from L’Arte di Mangiare is no longer available, replaced by a set of cannoli.

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The nearby La Gelateria building is inching closer to completion, though there is still plenty of work to be done to — and around — the structure.

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In Norway, Elsa is appearing for physically distanced photo ops within the Norway Pavilion.

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The topiary featuring her likeness is only steps away.

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Outside of the Mexico Pavilion, the line to get in was frequently at capacity today. With some of the queue space now being used for La Cava del Tequila, the line is able to hold less guests, resulting in guests frequently being turned away.

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Out on World Showcase Lagoon, one of the two Harmonious barges sat idle with its arm extended for the entire day.

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Near The American Adventure and America Gardens Theatre, a barge with this construction lift was docked, presumably to assist with work on elements of Harmonious.

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Finishing up our visit, we checked on the centerpiece of the Harmonious barges. Workers were actively tending to the barge, which now has four large arms extending out from its base. Unfortunately, no timeframe for Harmonious’ debut has been announced.

Thank you for joining us today at EPCOT as we experience this transitional period from festival to festival. Are you sad to see Festival of the Arts departing? Or are you more excited to see the Flower & Garden Festival finally returning from its abbreviated appearance last year? Leave us a comment and let us know!

1 thought on “PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 2/21/21 (‘Festival of the Arts’ Concludes, ‘Harmonious’ Construction Progress, Innoventions West Demolition, and More)”

  1. The nearby La Gelateria building is inching closer to completion”. We dont need more eateries in Epcot, its flooded with Restaurants plus not to mention never ending festival food booths. WE NEED LA-RIDES in Epcot

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