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

Jul 14, 2022 in "PLAY! pavilion"

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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tpoly88Jun 17, 2026

I think the last couple of ideas you all put forth were great concepts. Would hope Disney would listen to you. As I mentioned before I also wish they would have live feeds from nasa on the telescopes and maybe the iss

HMFJun 16, 2026

Yes, it is essentially a simulator of a simulator for lack of a better description. The original concept by the late Eddie Sotto would have been far cooler frankly but this was the late Eisner budget era of WDI sadly.

DreamfinderGuyJun 16, 2026

The dome has had leaking issues before, I’m not sure if they are still present. I tend to doubt it considering how many times they’ve tried to fix it at this point, but I’ve also heard it wasn’t sold to be used as a weatherproof structure, only had a 30 year life expectancy, etc. etc. I can’t give you a straight answer on the dome but I can tell you the rest of the building is fine, and it would be silly to raze it all unless they have a damn good proposal ready to go.

BocabearJun 15, 2026

Living Seas Hydrolator to the surface was not as elaborate as the trip down... They could to a simpler version... Or just have it be the Mars Base Training Center...a simulated Mars experience...Either way it would certainly be better than a crawl around playground and gift shop...And an additional attraction in there would be great... Maybe mmore Science Center/ Space Museum type exhibits...with an emphasis on fun...

osianJun 15, 2026

Yes, the ride isn't sending you to Mars, you are being trained for the journey. However, Space 220 has you actually going into space (the story, that is) so there is nothing to stop Mission Space being reframed as an actual journey, like The Living Seas. However, to not break the story, they'd have to invent a way to bring you back to earth! A re-entry/splashdown simulator?

RhinocerousJun 15, 2026

I thought the story of the ride was that we were in a simulator. Am I wrong? Even so, you could be moving to the next stage of your training, which is a recreation of Mars Base.

RhinocerousJun 15, 2026

I remember prior to Play Pavilion being announced, there was some talk about a Wakanda pavilion. (No Black Panther, just a tech showcase.) Was that ever an actual possibility, or was that just armchair imagineering? To be clear, I don't want to see this in Epcot. I'm just curious.

Disstevefan1Jun 12, 2026

Totally agree. Its not the fans/guests to blame. It is management to blame in my opinion.

HMFJun 12, 2026

EPCOT did have to change. Always did and always should have. The problem with the current incarnation is they literally threw out most of the rulebook when it comes to the parks message and identity. The problem was that Disney management became too lazy to actually keep these things up to date, so the sponsorship model gave them a convenient excuse to justify their laziness and that is why you have today's model. This is what inevitably happens when a company becomes too big and bottom line driven that it sacrifices its artistic vision and core message as Disney has.

Disstevefan1Jun 12, 2026

In my opinion, the rise of the World Wide Web forced EPCOT to change. In the beginning, EPCOT was counting on sponsorship of companies wanting to show off their latest stuff. Then the WWW came along and companies could show anything to anyone, everywhere at anytime over the WWW. Yes, EPCOT still does have some sponsors, like GM who's CEO is on Disney's board of directors..

Mr. SullivanJun 12, 2026

I mean in this case it isn’t off base to say that the changing attitudes of park goers and what they desired out of the park going experience did play a role in how and why EPCOT began evolving. I don’t think it’s an accident that the very beginning of EPCOT’s changes coincided with the general tide shift all forms entertainment were pushed through in the late 90s/early 2000s. If you look back you’ll see MASSIVE changes in film, music, and even literature. The parks, Disney and Universal all the way down to your Sox Flags and Cedar Fairs were not immune to this and all also started undergoing major changes. EPCOT’s changes didn’t happen in a vacuum.

HMFJun 12, 2026

I know that this is a macro take here but I do conflate the decline of EPCOT as a concept with the decline of education and the rise of anti-intellectualism in the United States as well as a loss of any hope for the future in most cases pretty much the inevitable result of the direction we have been heading since after 9/11 really.

HMFJun 12, 2026

So, Rome did build the first world wide web?

Disstevefan1Jun 11, 2026

You are in good company. TWDC often blames the guests/fans. ;) ;) ;) ;) And then there is my favorite, "In response to guest demand" when they want to make a change. ;);););)