Crews have begun piling in World Showcase Lagoon, preparing for the new EPCOT nighttime spectacular that will debut later this year.

World Showcase Lagoon Construction

The last of the “Harmonious” barges were removed last month and crews have since been working to prepare the lagoon for a new permanent show.

Several black poles are now sticking out of the water in the center of the lagoon, with a construction barge next to them.

These poles will provide a new foundation for under- or above-water equipment for the fireworks show.

Temporary fireworks barges are in the lagoon for “EPCOT Forever” — and the 4th of July “Heartbeat of Freedom” tag. Recent fireworks testing was presumably for the “Heartbeat of Freedom” tag.

Another barge with a cage exterior was tied down in the lagoon during our recent visit.

More details about the new 100 Years of Wonder nighttime spectacular will be shared at a later date.

Harmonious Nighttime Spectacular

The 50th Anniversary celebration has come to a close across Walt Disney World, and the nighttime spectaculars introduced as part of “The Most Magical Celebration on Earth” have now been performed for the final time. On April 2, guests visiting EPCOT were able to watch the last performance of the “Harmonious” nighttime spectacular before it was replaced by the limited return of “EPCOT Forever”.

“Harmonious” debuted on October 1, 2021, using five barges within the waters of the World Showcase Lagoon to deliver an all-new 20-minute nighttime fireworks spectacular. Harmonious featured a soundtrack of 15 songs in 13 languages from 240 artists around the world.

EPCOT Forever

EPCOT Forever initially debuted in October 2019 with the end of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

The nighttime show honors the park’s musical heritage, with a massive display of fireworks, music, lighting, lasers, and special effects set to revamped versions of iconic songs from classic EPCOT attractions such as “Journey Into Imagination,” “Spaceship Earth,” “Soarin’,” “Tapestry of Nations,” and “Universe of Energy.” The show was designed to pay tribute to the past, present, and future of EPCOT.

EPCOT Construction

EPCOT has gained a reputation as a large construction zone in the past few years as the entire park is revamped. Future World was split into three neighborhoods: World Nature, World Celebration, and World Discovery. World Showcase is the fourth neighborhood.

The center of the park, World Celebration, is where most construction has been concentrated. Electric Umbrella was closed and gutted to become Connections Eatery and Café (Starbucks). MouseGear, the park’s major gift shop, was completely reimagined to become Creations Shop. Club Cool also moved to a new location.

Nearly everything behind Spaceship Earth, including Innoventions, was torn down to create a new garden space, CommuniCore Hall, CommuniCore Plaza, and Dreamers Point.

In World Nature (but taking up some of the World Celebration space), Journey of Water Inspired by “Moana” is under construction. The new walkthrough attraction is near complete and Walt Disney Imagineering has been conducting tests with Cast Members.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.