Concept Art: Epcot’s HarmonioUS Barges will Turn into Fountains During the Day

In an effort to plus up Epcot for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration next year, Disney has created an entirely new nighttime spectacular called HarmonioUS. This show has some big shoes to fill as Epcot has been home for some of Disney’s best nighttime entertainment. 

We will cover the nighttime show in more detail very soon. However, earlier today we got some brand new information that helps answer a huge question that Epcot fans have been wondering since this was announced: What are they going to do with these large barges during the day? Won’t they just be large eye sores in the middle of World Showcase Lagoon?

We know that the show is built using a number of large barges that are complex and are one of a kind. This show is going to use technology that they’ve never before. They have five enormous floating platforms, which includes one with a six-story ring structure that will house a water curtain during the show. 

The other platforms will support 25 foot-tall, double sided LED walls. The show also will use eight 54-foot moving arms. Along with a bevy of lighting effects and practical effects to give the show the elevated feeling that it deserves.

Now to the question, is all of this machinery going to just sit in the middle of this lagoon, doing nothing, as it waits for the nighttime show? The answer is yes, and no!

It was announced earlier today that these barges will become fountains during the daytime hours. Intricate and beautiful fountains that will provide kinetic energy and add greatly to the ambiance. Epcot purists are a bit skeptical (shocker!!!), many were happy that there was a plan and they were not going to just sit there all day, doing nothing. But some are concerned that these daytime fountain shows could block some amazing fan-favorite views. An understandable concern, but the cost of losing a favorite view on the lagoon will be overcome by the benefit expected to come from the massive nighttime spectacular and even from the daytime fountains.

We will be following this story closely as we rapidly get closer to the opening night for this long awaited show. Secretly, I am more excited to see these daytime fountains. Something I really think Disney California Adventure could use in their lagoon during the day. A guy can dream!