Parade in Epcot??? - Update 8/22, see post #19

[Amy]

Since when is there are parade in Epcot? Our high school marching band is traveling to WDW Nov. 28-Dec 3. Initially they thought they'd be in the MK parade that's being filmed for Christmas Day, but Disney told the band director that instead they are tentatively scheduled for a parade in Epcot; the band director will get confirmation in the next couple of weeks. DH and I are going as groupies (not chaperones), so I want to start making our ADR's and other plans. Is there a parade in Epcot during the holidays? The only thing I know of is the Candlelight Processional and I didn't think they had a parade with that. I looked on the Disney World website and it doesn't say anything about a parade. What about that tree lighting ceremony?

 

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

There has always been a parade at Epcot in the afternoon when we have been there in the summer, usually August. It is usually very imaginative and innovative.

 

[Amy]

We were just there in June, and I swear there wasn't an Epcot parade. I just checked the Disney website calendar and there's no parade listed for today; then I got the "server too busy" notice when I tried to check for tomorrow. Hmmmm......

 

[I'mNoPrince]

The Epcot Parade has been gone for a few years now.

We keep hoping they will bring it back but what are you going to do.

I would be interested in this as well I would think maybe MGM would be the place as they are doing a new parade shortly (BlockParty). And moving HSM inside from the looks of things.

I was just watching one of my Videos from a few years ago and it had the Epcot parade in it , It was a great parade.

 

[minie_meese]

A few years ago we were in the World Showcase in the spring time. I think it was during the flower and garden festival At about 3 PM this wonderful parade of huge puppets and stilt walkers came through. If I remembeer correctly the characters in the parade represented all different countries. I have not seen it since but would love to see it again.

 

[YetiSlayer]

One of my favorite pictures is of my children's facial expressions while watching that guy on stilts. I believe that was 2003.

 

[crcormier]

EPCOT has not had a parade since March of 2003. (This was the Tapestry of Nations, which turned into the Tapestry of Dreams, and featured the performers everyone on the thread is recollecting.) I don't recall there being anything at the holidays either.

 

[budbeerlady]

I wish they had a parade, it would be kinda hard to naviage the park but I would like to see it once. Interesting....I wish they would bring it back for the 25yr celebration of Epcot.

 

[John E.]

I remember the Tapestry of nations parade in 2001. It went all around World Showcase. It was sort of surreal. Very colorful, but frankly, kind of weird. It really clogged up WS - very hard to move around when it came through.

I admit I'm not a Disney Parade person; they make it so hard to navigate around during them. One reason I'm not the MK lover I once was . . . as if the park isnt crazy enough, the parades bring it to a logjam lol: confused3

 

[Amy]

I wish they had a parade, it would be kinda hard to naviage the park but I would like to see it once. Interesting....I wish they would bring it back for the 25yr celebration of Epcot.

Hmm.....since Disney told our band director we're "tentatively" scheduled for a parade at Epcot......I wonder if they're thinking of bringing back a parade for the 25th like you're suggesting? Maybe Disney wants to keep it tentative until all the plans for Epcot's 25th are finalized?

I just wish they'd give us something definite - I want to make my ADR's already!!

 

[CinRell]

I LOVED tapestry! I saw it in 2000

Here it is for those who didn't see it.

I read a rumor on here a while back they might bring it back for their 25th....

The music is still my FAVORITE.

 

[Allison]

There has always been a parade at Epcot in the afternoon when we have been there in the summer, usually August. It is usually very imaginative and innovative.

Not since 2003.

 

[Robo]

Hmm.....since Disney told our band director we're "tentatively" scheduled for a parade at Epcot......I wonder if they're thinking of bringing back a parade for the 25th like you're suggesting? Maybe Disney wants to keep it tentative until all the plans for Epcot's 25th are finalized?

I just wish they'd give us something definite - I want to make my ADR's already!!

There is not enough room for a marching band to "parade" thru World Showcase. And putting "crowd control" CMs in place is a major undertaking.

If your band is going to Epcot, it is likely that they would have you march for a limited distance in Future World, or simply stand-in-place to perform at a ceremomy of some kind.

BTW, they never had "guest bands" marching before the Tapestry parades in WS (like the do in MK,) so even if Disney is planning a new parade for WS, I doubt a guest band would be part of it.

No inside info, but an educated guess.

 

[minie_meese]

Thanks so much for sharing the YouTube link - it brought back some great memories. When I saw it I remembered that one of the puppets shook hands with one of our kids - the look on his face was priceless.

 

[Kimberle]

I would have to guess they'd be filming the band in a location at Epcot, stationary, not in an actual parade. They'd then edit/blend the footage into the parade. Even though the parade is in MK, they've always done filming all over WDW of various acts and edited/blended them together....

 

[Amy]

Well, the band director told the kids today that he got confirmation from Disney: the marching band will be in a parade around World Showcase in Epcot on Dec. 1, and the wind ensemble will perform on stage at Downtown Disney on Dec. 2. Sounds like Epcot will have a parade again! We never saw Tapestry of Nations/Dreams, so this will all be new to us.

 

[Robo]

Well, the band director told the kids today that he got confirmation from Disney: the marching band will be in a parade around World Showcase in Epcot on Dec. 1, and the wind ensemble will perform on stage at Downtown Disney on Dec. 2. Sounds like Epcot will have a parade again! We never saw Tapestry of Nations/Dreams, so this will all be new to us.

I'm very interested in how this might happen.

And, I'm still very dubious that there will actually be a parade "around World Showcase."

Knowing the logistics of it and the space that a marching band requires, I can't see how it would work.
The Tapestry parades were very (very) narrow. No more than 4 people wide, at the widest (the Drum Floats) and it was still a tight squeeze to fit it in the promenade walkway.


And I don't mind being pleasantly surprised (as in WRONG.)
But, I just can't see how they could make this work.

Please keep us posted.
It will be interesting to see what they are planning.

 

[manning]

I'm very interested in how this might happen.

And, I'm still very dubious that there will actually be a parade "around World Showcase."

Knowing the logistics of it and the space that a marching band requires, I can't see how it would work.
The Tapestry parades were very (very) narrow. No more than 4 people wide, at the widest (the Drum Floats) and it was still a tight squeeze to fit it in the promenade walkway.


And I don't mind being pleasantly surprised (as in WRONG.)
But, I just can't see how they could make this work.

Please keep us posted.
It will be interesting to see what they are planning.

Like the old days, take out the vending carts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Amy]

I got some more info on our high school band marching in a parade at Epcot on Dec. 1, and I don't really like it.

The band director said he talked to Disney again yesterday, and he said I was right - there IS no parade at Epcot. Our band will BE the whole parade - he said they'll step off from "the first country on the right when you're facing World Showcase", which would be Canada, head back toward that big fountain in the center, do a standing performance for about 5 min., then march around Spaceship Earth and head back to Canada to finish. (I guess there's some backstage access gate near Canada.) That's it. So it looks like they're not bringing back Tapestry of Nations/Dreams for Epcot's 25th anniv. Bummer.

I don't like this. When a band is "in" a parade at the MK, they're not really part of the parade - Disney will send the band through about 15 min before the start of the official parade. But at least there are already people lined up for the parade who'll see the band.

This Epcot thing stinks! No one will even know there's going to be a parade, they'll just be walking along, see the band going by and wonder what's going on, but probably not stop to watch them. In a way, I feel bad for the kids because they won't have as much of an audience. But the kids probably won't care - they're getting out of school and they're in Disney World!

I'll let you know if I hear anything else.