Harmonious may be heading out, but what about all the eyesores that came with it? We explore new rumors and leaks that may indicate what’s about to happen.
When the announcement came down from Disney that Epcot’s Harmonious nighttime show was going away after only about a year of performances, the response ranged anywhere from “finally, it was awful,” to “it’s wasn’t that bad.” But almost universally, it seems that people really don’t like the Harmonious barges that fill World Showcase Lagoon. They ruin sightlines, they look like death tacos, and the ring in the middle looks more like something out of a sci-fi movie than a centerpiece of world cultures.
So you can imagine that people have been very curious about whether or not the ring and the barges are staying. And when rumors began circulating that Epcot Forever, a temporary fill-in show we’ve seen in the past, could be returning temporarily… people were getting excited. Epcot Forever doesn’t use the rings nor the barges, so perhaps Disney World was gearing up to tear them down?
Although not announced, the final performance of Harmonious will likely occur alongside the conclusion of Walt Disney World’s 50th celebration on March 31 2023.
We don’t have an opening date for the currently unnamed new show, but Disney has given the vague timeline of late 2023. Should Harmonious end on March 31, and the new show make its debut in late 2023, expect to see EPCOT Forever return as an interim show.
— WDWMagic
But if you’re getting excited about the return of a clear-sighted lagoon at Epcot, we’re here to douse a little bit of cold water on the idea. While we don’t have official confirmation that the barges are staying or leaving, we are keenly aware of all the work that went into their installation. We’ve also discussed what it would take to remove them with experts in the know. Given the duration until the new 100 Years of Wonder show makes its debut, let’s just say we’re not optimistic that the Harmonious could be removed so quickly. And because of that, we suspect (even though we don’t know for sure) that the Harmonious infrastructure will stay for use in the future show.
More or less the same location in Epcot in two photos. One in 2019 when Illuminations: Reflections of Earth was still running and one today with Harmonious and the infamous barges. They totally ruin the shot! pic.twitter.com/qmDbckMj1i
— Susie Mc (@susied23) September 12, 2022
Now if we start seeing dynamite carried out into the middle of the lake, we’ll change our minds. But short of that, demolition of those large pieces is unlikely in the short term. There’s simply too much that is hidden from the average guest which would have to be disassembled first.
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