Overview
- Reporters documented that crews removed many in-ground light strips from World Celebration Gardens, leaving empty channels and visible trenches in the pavement on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
- Rolling, hedge-covered barriers had blocked roughly half of the central courtyard earlier in August and remain in place around the areas where strips were pulled out.
- The lighting had suffered persistent failures since the plaza opened in December 2023, including strips going dark, loss of synchronization with Spaceship Earth, and plastic covers that warped and cracked.
- Disney used temporary repairs over the past two years, including reactivations and screws to hold covers in place, but the recent removal is the first clear step beyond those stopgap measures.
- The strips were a modern revival of a 1990s EPCOT pavement effect and the removal creates uncertainty for guests and designers while observers wait for Disney to disclose whether the system will be replaced, redesigned, or permanently infilled.