March 15 marked the end of two live entertainment acts at Epcot: the Matsuriza drummers in the park’s Japan pavilion and the British Revolution band in the United Kingdom pavilion.
The Matsuriza drummers had performed at Epcot for 25 years on a pagoda stage at the front of the Japan pavilion.
“It really has been a dream come true and we’ve very heartbroken to see it come to an end so suddenly,” performer Atsumi Foreman wrote in a Facebook post. “We are beyond grateful to the Walt Disney World Co. for giving us the most amazing opportunity of a lifetime. And to our fans, you are what we will miss the most.”
The British Revolution first debuted in World Showcase in May 2011. According to a post on their Facebook fan page, the group had performed 11,000 shows in the park.
“Our words are not enough to express our appreciation,” the post said. “The greatest gift has been meeting you, your friends and families.”
Epcot, like the other Disney World parks, will be closed from March 16 through at least the end of the month in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
To say the COVID-19 virus is having a tremendous impact on Disney parks would be an understatement. With the shuttering of the Disney World parks, all Disney parks worldwide will be closed — with the company’s two Chinese parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong having been shuttered since late January.
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