Significant permit filed for the PLAY! Pavilion at EPCOT suggests a possible opening timeframe

Posted: Thursday July 14, 2022 3:28pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new permit for the upcoming PLAY! Pavilion at EPCOT with an indication of when the project may be completed.

Concept art of Epcot's new Play Pavilion

The permit has the vague description of "General Contractor Package," but it is assigned to Balfour Beatty Construction, one of Disney's main contractors for large projects. The expiration date for the permit is extended beyond the standard 12 months to December 31, 2024. Although permit dates are not always a precise indicator of timings, this date does suggest that a late 2024 or early 2025 opening may be in the plans. (Thanks to danlb_2000 on the WDWMAGIC Forums for spotting the permit.)

Announced in August 2019 and originally planned to open for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, very few details have been confirmed for what will be included in the PLAY! Pavilion. We expect to hear more about the project at the upcoming D23 Expo later this year.

PLAY! pavilion concept art

Disney initially said that guests will discover an interactive city bursting with games, activities and experiences that connect them with friends, family and Disney characters – both real and virtual – like never before. As part of this new pavilion, guests will have the chance to help legendary fashion icon Edna Mode on her quest to rid the world of uninspired style, or make a splash competing in a water-balloon fight hosted by Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.

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SoFloMagicMar 19, 2025

My first act: the lounge has a paint by numbers mural guests can do for fun, but instead of throwing it out we're leaving it up. Gotta save money on painting somehow

ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰMar 19, 2025

Bob says you're hired!

SoFloMagicMar 19, 2025

At this point they'll probably just leave all that shit in there and make it a construction site themed dvc lounge

JohnDMar 19, 2025

Or, maybe, Wonders of Life?

donaldtooMar 19, 2025

At this point, just bulldoze it all and resurrect this, as theming doesn’t really even matter anymore in Epcot, or Whatevercot…!!!!! 🤪

MothMar 19, 2025

Walk with me here. What if we used this space to talk about the human body and how to take care of it? We could call it something like... The Joy of Living!

DreamfinderGuyMar 19, 2025

This is exactly why we don't need Wonders to become a space attraction, the park already has two Space pavilions. Wonders deserves something original.

J4546Mar 19, 2025

a planetarium would fit the space nicely.....

BocabearMar 19, 2025

but still cheaper than building from the ground up...and it is a greart shell to start with....But they need to do something with it... Start utilizing it in a meaningful way... a sort of Gateway to the Cosmos pavilion would fit beautifully between "Space" and "Xandar"... something to bridge the gap between to two and help it make sense....

Streetway AgainMar 19, 2025

It would be been SO MUCH money for something that’d be INSTA-Dated I dunno what they do with the space at this point. Big empty shell. Will be a lot of work to sick something in there.

MothMar 19, 2025

Honestly like, just make it a giant disco ball and have it do light shows or something. I don't know. Anything but the emoji pavilion.

WaluigiTimeMar 19, 2025

I honestly prefer the abandoned building over what the Play Pavilion was going to be.

MisterPenguinMar 19, 2025

Have you tried reporting it? The two moderators don't and can't read every post.

GenChiMar 19, 2025

Find it funny you can't post or even refer to news from other sites by name here because reasons but you can post direct links to Patrick Spikes' "Pat the Thief" posts lol