Disney Abandons EPCOT In-Ground Lighting, Fills Channels With Concrete

Walt Disney World has abandoned its in-ground lighting effects at EPCOT, opting for a more permanent solution. Crews have filled in the empty channels at World Celebration Gardens with concrete, effectively closing off any possibility of reinstalling the original system.

The in-ground lighting at EPCOT had been plagued by issues since November 2024, with the system being reactivated only to struggle again later that month. In January 2025, the lighting looked terrible as strips separated from the ground. A stopgap fix was implemented in June 2025, but it appears Disney has now chosen a more permanent approach.

The concrete fill work covers the same paver channels where crews removed the original lighting strips. The curved paver walkways still trace the same EPCOT logo pattern that the lighting once followed.