Holiday decorations began arriving at Walt Disney World about a week ago. After Merry Menagerie-themed décor arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we also saw holiday lights creeping into Living with the Land at EPCOT for its festive overlay. Now, another area of EPCOT begins getting into the holiday spirit with giant snowflake decorations.
Snowflake Decorations in the France Pavilion
The France pavilion in EPCOT’s outdoor street area has been tinseled. These shimmering snowflake decorations were hung recently.
We didn’t see any other signs of the holidays in this area of the park during our visit, but the snowflake decorations are very prominent in the France Pavilion.
The snowflakes are suspended between the buildings on tension lines.
Walking back toward Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie, there are a couple more snowflake decorations.
As you walk up the street, the large snowflake decorations are a simple but effective way to adorn the street in festive cheer.
The tinsel snowflake decorations are currently the only décor on these tension lines.
Will you be making a trip to the France pavilion to see the snowflake decorations this holiday season? Let us know in the comments.
Other Early Holiday Decor Around Walt Disney World
Merry Menagerie Décor
Island Mercantile
Holiday décor has arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with mostly rooftop additions and a few statues in the shrubbery around the shops in Discovery Island.
The decorations are themed to the Merry Menagerie, the park’s holiday offering featuring artistic animal puppets.
Lanterns atop the roof of Island Mercantile showcase various animals that are part of the menagerie.
By one of the store’s entrances, this crane statue looks ready to take wing.
Heading past the crane statue, the other entrance to Island Mercantile has added some feathered friends and lanterns to its roof.
Here, an owl statue spreads its wings while standing in its nest.
Across the awning are more animal lanterns.
The lanterns continue around the corner.
Two more crane statues have also been installed just to the right of the entrance.
Both crane statues look as though they are ready to take flight.
Riverside Depot
At Riverside Depot, two rows of lanterns have been added to part of its roof, just across from Island Mercantile.
Each lantern is intricately painted, with the roster including reindeer, doves, owls, foxes, and squirrels.
Each lantern is rendered in a wintery color scheme of white, blue, pink,
The tower is mostly bare for now, save for the pair of snuggling owls above the entrance.
The owls have their own little spot to cuddle up this holiday season.
Over to the right, lanterns of the animals featured in the Merry Menagerie are adorning the roof.
Discovery Trading Company
Discovery Trading Company has also received some new holiday décor.
Just above the entrance to the store, more animal lanterns have been placed.
Two doves are back in their rooftop nests just off to the left of the animal lanterns.
Around the corner, even more animal lanterns adorn the roof of Discovery Trading Company.
In the nearby shrubbery, two more crane statues have been installed. One is cleaning its feathers, while the other points its beak toward the sky.
Merry Menagerie will return to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the 2023 holiday season.
Watch our video of the Merry Menagerie from 2022:
Christmas Lights on Living With the Land
Christmas lights can be seen wrapped around some frame structures throughout the attraction’s greenhouses.
Of course, the lights aren’t illuminated right now. When the holiday overlay returns, the lights will be on in the evenings.
In the fish area between greenhouses, some strings of lights are around the tops of the fish tanks.
The holiday overlay has been called “Glimmering Greenhouses” and “Merry and Bright Nights” in years past, but we don’t know what the official name will be this year.
The holidays will be celebrated at EPCOT during the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays beginning on November 24, 2023.
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