Epcot's Millennium Village
by Sam
11.11.21
So you're walking around World Showcase with the whole family. You've got plans set on getting a margarita from Mexico, maybe seeing how long the line is for the Gran Fiesta ride. Perhaps you'll grab a yard at the Rose and Crown or watch that cool drum show in Japan. But hey wait a minute - what's this weird, gated off blue pavilion between England and Canada?
It's hard to imagine now, but rounding the millennium mark was a very odd time in this country. With Y2K fast approaching, people literally didn't know what to do. The world pre-9/11 obviously had a certain kind of innocence to it that looking back, kind of clashes with the Disney we know today - especially post pandemic. Still, the mouse wasn't going to miss an opportunity to theme things out and make a little money off it. Enter the Epcot World Showcase Millennium Village.
Check this out from our friends from The Kingdom Insider: https://thekingdominsider.com/35-epcot-35-countdown-day-3-millennium-village/ - They break it down better than anybody else:
The Millennium Village was a 60,000 square foot pavilion, located between the UK pavilion and Canada pavilion. It opened on October 1, 1999 and ran until January 1, 2001. The pavilion still exists and is now called the World Showplace. Currently it is used for special events or parties.
The Millennium Village pavilion hosted a pre-show area to many countries. Several times a day there would be a presentation with international cast member introductions from the following countries: Ethiopia, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Indonesia, South Africa, Israel, and Namibia. The pavilion also included interactive exhibits from several other countries.
Brazil: Here guests could experience and overview of Carnaval, the native sounds of the Amazon Rain Forest and play a game involving soccer-their national sport.
Chile: In the Chile area the ambassadors would dress as huasos (Chilean cowboys) with their sombrero de huasos. Guests were given a look at the countries vineyards, ranches, forests and crops and a look at how they harvest fog and convert it into water for crops. Also on display for Chile was the Easter Island display.
Easter Island: This display was named the Moai of Peace and allowed guests a look at re-creations of the famous stone Easter Island statues.
Eritrea: A country known for it’s coffee, this display allowed guests a look into their traditional coffee ceremony.
Israel: The entrance to this display was paved in stones from Jerusalem. It would take guests on a virtual trip though Jerusalem’s history. There was also a demonstration of a pen that could translate Hebrew to English. There was also a simulator style ride that took guests on a an “historic ride through Israel and Jerusalem.)
Saudi Arabia: This display allowed guests to take a virtual tour of the country and ambassadors would tell stories about the country.
Scotland: Here the ambassadors wore Tartans designed for the decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia. Guests could play a round of mini golf while learning about Scottish inventions like anesthesia. Like many other countries, there was also a virtual tour attractions.
Sweden: Here guests could enter and view four 27 foot eggs that represented the four seasons. Around these eggs were displays from the 1998 World’s Fair in Lisbon. Here guests could learn about Sweden and their inventions.
Village Green: This area allowed guests to learn about renewability by following the life cycle of plants from seed to mulching.
There was also a 250 seat theater, where entertainers from around the world performed, and a food court called The Gift of Cuisine. Here eight regional kitchens featured typical dishes from countries around the world.
Artisans from various countries were brought in to create and sell pieces. They came from places like Lebanon, Peru, Egypt, Korea, Greece, Thailand, and Venezuela.
During the Millennium Celebration there was a special parade called The Tapestry of Nations. If featured 40 puppets. They have various names like Aztec Man, Angel Girl, Bird man, Hammered Man, and so on. They were very tall and very neat to see. The parade was led by a stilt walker called the “Sage of Time.”
Millennium Village Fact Sheet - from Intercot (http://www.intercot.com/edc/milvillage7.html)
Millennium Village opened for previews to WDW Cast Members and families from September 25 to 28, 1999.
On September 30, 1999, Millennium Village was dedicated with a ceremony featuring author and poet Maya Angelou, the UN Undersecretary General for Communication & Public Relations Kensaku Hogan, a children's choir, and Walt Disney Attractions President Paul Pressler. International cast members and the children's choir led guests and the press to Millennium Village. The pavilion officially opened to the public on October 1, 1999.
January 1, 2001 was Millennium Village's last day of operation.
Brown construction walls went up on January 2, 2001 as the pavilion began its conversion into a 40,000 square foot group meeting center called World ShowPlace. It will be the largest ever inside a theme park accommodating 4,000 people. This explains why the restrooms are so huge. The meeting area will also contain a kitchen and a backstage entrance with a drop-off area on the United Kingdom side.
The roof of the pavilion is outfitted with a watering system to cover the entire roof with water. This system is triggered a few minutes before any fireworks show begins and runs throughout the whole show to ensure that any stray fireworks or sparks do not land on the roof and cause damage to the building.
WDI's Terry Dobson was the senior show producer for the pavilion
The pavilion covers 60,000 square feet
Imagineers traveled around the world to find stories to share with guests and countries interested in creating an exhibit.
Approximately 300 new cast members were recruited from the countries represented.
Diane Rinkes was in charge of finding the entertainment groups for World ShowPlace.
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