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Soarin’ Epcot November 2015 by Theme Park Tourist –

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Epcot Theme Park

Epcot, also written as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences, and Products division. It was inspired by an unrealized concept developed by Walt Disney. The park opened on October 1, 1982, as Epcot Center.

It was the second of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World, after Magic Kingdom Park. However, it’s more than twice the size of Magic Kingdom Park. Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation, and international culture, and is often referred to as a “permanent world’s fair”

Here are the Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Epcot Theme Park.

1. Epcot was previously an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow

Epcot was originally conceived by Walt Disney during the early development of Walt Disney World, as an experimental planned community that would serve as a center for American enterprise and urban living. Known as “EPCOT”, an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, the idea included an urban city center, residential areas, industrial areas, schools, and a series of mass transportation systems that would connect the community.

In Walt Disney’s words: “EPCOT will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed but will always be introducing and testing, and demonstrating new materials and new systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world of the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise.

2. Epcot is twice the size of the Magic Kingdom and spans 300 acres

Norway Showcase, Epcot by InSapphoWeTrust –

Epcot theme park ​​is twice the size of Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The park spans over 300 acres and is one of the most visited destinations on the entire continent. 

It also has a large parking lot spanning 141 acres that can accommodate up to 11,211 vehicles at a time. Epcot ranks second in Walt Disney World park size coming in behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

3. Epcot theme ​​park has been known by four different names

Over its 35 years of existence, Epcot park has been known by four different names. It opened as EPCOT Center in 1982. In 1994, the park was renamed “Epcot”, dropping the acronym and “Center” from the name. 

The park was originally named EPCOT Center to reflect the ideals and values of the city. The park’s name was changed from “Epcot” to “EPCOT”

4. Epcot theme park is the third most-visited theme park in North America

Epcot Theme Park with tourists by Theme Park Tourist –

In 2019, Epcot hosted 12.444 million guests, ranking it as the fourth-most-visited theme park in North America and the seventh-most-visited theme park in the world.

It follows behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. This is a zoological theme park. It was inaugurated on World Earth Day. In first place is the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, which was visited by approximately 20.96 million people in 2019, making it the most visited amusement park in North America.

5. Epcot theme park is represented by Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth is a dark ride attraction at the Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. The geodesic sphere in which the attraction is housed has served as the symbolic structure of Epcot since the park opened in 1982. 

The 15-minute ride takes guests on a time machine-themed experience, demonstrating how advancements in human communication have helped to create the future one step at a time. Riding in Omnimover-type vehicles along a track that spirals up and down the geodesic sphere, passengers are taken through scenes depicting important breakthroughs in communication throughout history—from the development of early language through cave paintings to the use of hieroglyphs to the invention of the alphabet to the creation of the printing press, to today’s modern communication advancements, including telecommunication and mass communication.

6. Epcot park has some of the most visited attractions in Walt Disney World Resort

The waiting area signs by Theme Park Tourist –

Its top sights and places of interest include Spaceship Earth which is arguably the top attraction at Orlando’s Epcot. It explores man’s technological advances over the years since time immemorial. Living with the Land is a boat ride that takes visitors through multimedia agricultural displays. It features four working greenhouses and highlights the rich history of farming in the U.S.

Other attractions include; The Journey into Imagination with Figment is a musical ride recommended for kids. Test Track is an intense and thrilling roller coaster car ride through the eastern side of Future World at Epcot. The Seas with Nemo and Friends is another top Epcot attraction located on the western side of Future World. Finally Soarin’ Around the World is a one-of-a-kind flight simulator attraction only available at Epcot.

7. Epcot theme park hosts several annual events

These festivals aim at teaching visitors about science, technology, and art. They also celebrate various cultures with food and wine.

Some top annual events at Epcot include The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, The Epcot International Festival of the Arts, and The Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. 

8. Epcot park’s icon is made up of over 11,000 triangles

A close-up shot of Spaceship Earth’s tiles at Epcot in Walt Disney World by Benjamin D. Esham –

As guests walk into Epcot, the first thing they see is the park’s icon, Spaceship Earth, sometimes lovingly referred to as the “golf ball.”

The massive geodesic sphere is made of 11,324 aluminum and plastic-alloy triangles, and the dome weighs 16-million pounds.

9. The animated series Kim Possible takes place in several pavilions at Epcot

Kim Possible is an American animated action comedy-adventure television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The title character is a teenage girl tasked with fighting crime on a regular basis while coping with everyday issues commonly associated with adolescence.

The attraction is an electronic scavenger hunt that has guests using special “Kimmunicators” to help teenage crime-fighters Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable solve a “crime” or disrupt an evil-doer’s “plans for global domination.” The “Kimmunicator” is able to trigger specific events within the pavilion grounds that provide clues to completing the adventure.

10. Lots of celebrities have performed at Epcot over the years

Epcot usually hosts an annual Eat to the Beat concert series in the fall and Candlelight Processional in the winter that brings dozens of celebrities to the park.

Last year Eat to the Beat concerts, which ran during the Food and Wine Festival, included performances by the Plain White T’s, Smash Mouth, Boyz II Men, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, and Gary Sinise all participated in it in 2019.

Epcot’s Candlelight Processional usually accompanies the International Festival of the Holidays and features an array of celebrity narrators throughout the month of December.