Saturday, October 1, 2022

Happy 40th Birthday Epcot!

Happy October 1st Friends!  Today is another very big day... it's now the official month of spooky season.  It's also Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom's 51st Birthday today.  The Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration has officially been going on for a year now.  And today is Epcot's 40th Birthday!!!

Since we've touched on the 50th Anniversary Celebrations and Halloween quite a bit here on my blog, today I thought we'd spend some time on Epcot!

EPCOT (which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) opened on October 1st of 1982.  It's hard to believe that Walt Disney World's only theme park was the Magic Kingdom for over 11 years from 1971 to 1982, but it was!  Obviously, when Epcot opened, Walt Disney World was well on it's way to becoming the multi-park experience that we all know and love today!

Eliot and I have been at Epcot on a few of it's anniversary years.  I remember being there 10 years ago during our wedding week and honeymoon... back when the park was turning thirty in 2012.  We were there again in 2017 during it's 35th anniversary as well.  Unfortunately, both the 30th and 35th anniversary merchandise didn't really pique my interests at the time.  I thought they could do so much more with it.

Times have changed.  As you probably already know, Epcot is undergoing a major renovation and with that it's got a little bit of it's roots back.  The original Epcot Center symbols for each of the pavilions have made a return in the shape of flags at the entrance.  The bright colors have also returned... and I can't wait to see what Epcot looks like once it's finally finished and fully re-opened! 

Not to mention... the Epcot 40th anniversary merchandise this year is gorgeous.  I think that they have finally made an anniversary collection that is worthy of the beauty and majesty of Epcot!  (I'll write more about that in a few days!) 

Unfortunately, I don't think they're doing too much to celebrate Epcot's big milestone at Walt Disney World today, but I know that fans of Epcot will be out in full force!  I've seen a few people that I follow online preparing for the occasion and I can't wait to see everyone's outfits and photos from the park!

For me personally, Epcot holds a very special place in my heart since it's where Eliot and I had our wedding reception and our dessert party during IllumiNations.  To this day, I still pause for a moment of reflection when walking by The Seas with Nemo and Friends and the Terrace des Fleurs at the France Pavilion where our events took place.

Plus, Eliot and I love all of the festivals they hold throughout the year.  At this point, there's pretty much something happening year round between the Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival and the Festival of the Holidays.

Epcot has gone through many changes through the years, but it always has been, and always will be a very special place to me.  Happy 40th Birthday Epcot!!!  °o°

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