One of the things that I like about EPCOT is there are no parades to clog up the walkways through the park. This wasn’t always the case. For a short time, EPCOT was host to the Tapestry of Nations parade which lasted for almost two years (from 1999 to 2001) before replaced by Tapestry of Dreams parade. This parade lasted two years as well and was not replaced. Since 2003, there has not been a parade at EPCOT. The Tapestry of Nations parade was added as part of EPCOT’s Millennium Celebration.
The parade’s theme was world unity and world peace. The parade was led by the “Sage of Time.” The parade features lots of large puppet-like costumes and stilt-walkers. A variation of this parade was used for the basis of the Super Bowl XXXIV half-time show.
There were some floats in the parade as well. But the highlights of the parade were the puppets and the stilt-walkers.
The parade’s theme changed to a dream theme when the parade changed to the Tapestry of Dreams as the Sage of Time was replaced by the Dreamseekers. The parade had dwindling popularity before it was finally cut from the EPCOT program in 2003.
I never saw either of the parades in EPCOT and until doing some research on Disney history never knew that EPCOT hosted a parade. For those that like Disney parades or have fond memories of the Tapestry of Nations Parade, here’s a full video of the parade.
I loved the Tapestry of Nations parade! The stilt walkers were so cool! I do miss seeing this parade at Epcot.
It did look like a fun parade. This took place during a stretch of time when Disney wasn’t even on my radar (had stopped going with my parents and before making trips with my family). It was a fun thing to research and learn about.