Fountain of Nations

Infobox building
building_name = Fountain of Nations
native_building_name=

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former_names = The World Fellowship Fountain or The Epcot Fountain
building_type = Fountain
architectural_style = Oval
structural_system = Water Pumps
location = Epcot
owner = The Walt Disney Company
current_tenants =
landlord =
coordinates =
start_date = 1981
completion_date = 1982
demolition_date =
diameter = 180 Feet
other_dimensions = Width 150 feet
floor_count =
floor_area =
main_contractor =
architect = Mark Fuller
structural_engineer = The WET Design Team
services_engineer =
civil_engineer =
other_designers =
quantity_surveyor =
awards =

The Fountain of Nations is a musical fountain in the Epcot theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was designed by Mark Fuller and his team from WET. The fountain contains about 200,000 gallons of water, has about 300 nozzles and can shoot water between 30 and 150 PSI to over 150 feet high.

History

The original fountain was built in 1982 with the rest of the park. In the dedication ceremony, representatives from 22 nations poured water from their countries into the fountain. In 1993, the fountain was refurbished to perform water shows synchronized to a handful of pieces of music. At night, the fountain illuminates with 1,068 different colored lights. During Epcot's "Holidays Around the World" celebration, the fountain dances to Christmas music. It is also synchronized with "The Lights of Winter" archway that is over the bridge connecting Future World and World Showcase.

Nozzles

The fountain has multiple nozzles. There are 212 "microshooters" that shoot water 80 feet into the air, 40 "minishooters" that shoot water at a 70-degree angle 100 feet into the air, and 12 "supershooters", which can shoot water 150 feet into the air. The supershooters have a distinct popping noise due to their use of air pressure for a launching system. There are also 60 spray nozzles. Since the fountain shoots water up to 150 feet into the air, crosswinds often blow mist onto nearby guests.

Music

The fountain plays a variety of music, some of which comes from old Epcot and Walt Disney World attractions. The automated shows are performed on every quarter-hour. The fountain also dances to this music until the park is fully cleared out so people can watch it after the firework show. (The fountain is shut off during the show so as not to interfere with the fireworks.) From November to the end of December, the regular music is played until around 6:00 pm. This is when the Lights of Winter Archway lights up and starts to play holiday music.

Special occasions

On October 1, 2000, the fountain was used in the dedication ceremony for the Mickey wand being installed over Spaceship Earth. The show Splashtacular debuted in front of the fountain in 1994, although it was cancelled soon after. The fountain was used in Epcot's 25th-anniversary re-dedication ceremory on October 1, 2007. The "Pouring of the Waters" ceremony from the park's opening was repeated.

References

External links

* [http://wetdesign.com WET Official Site]