Disney World Announces New Hurly-Burly Night Club, Restaurant & Retail Coming to BoardWalk in 2026!

Following multiple vacancies, months of rumors and construction, Walt Disney World has finally announced a new lounge, restaurant, and retail coming to the BoardWalk. Here are full details, concept art, and more. Plus, our commentary explaining why we’re incredibly optimistic about the upcoming additions, but now WDW needs fix the one big problem preventing this from being a ‘Second Springs’ caliber destination.

We’ve been tracking for a while. Last month, we reported on mystery projects at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, which resulted from visible construction happening inside the vacant venues that used to house Jellyrolls, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, and Promenade Art Gallery. This came after a mystery bulletin appeared late last year on the Walt Disney World website, indicating that there’d be construction at the BoardWalk through late 2026.

Back when this was first announced, we speculated about what the project might entail. Now we know that BoardWalk is finally getting ‘phase two’ of its bigger picture resort reimagining, similar to what Grand Floridian has received over the last year following an extended hiatus in that well-received hotel overhaul. Let’s start with the official announcement from Walt Disney World…

New experiences are on the horizon at Disney’s BoardWalk, set to open starting in late 2026.

Disney’s BoardWalk has long been known for its timeless charm, lively atmosphere and unique mix of dining, shopping, and nightlife. Inspired by turn-of-the-century coastal boardwalks like those found in Atlantic City and Coney Island, this waterfront promenade remains a favorite place to relax and play along Crescent Lake.

These additions are part of the continued evolution of Disney’s BoardWalk, bringing new excitement while preserving the heart of what makes it so special. Check into Disney’s BoardWalk Inn or stop by for a night out after visiting EPCOT right next-door and you’ll find that there’s always something enchanting waiting to be discovered at Disney’s BoardWalk.

Here’s what’s on the horizon at Disney’s BoardWalk starting later in 2026…

Hurly-Burly Lounge & Night Club

Tucked along the waterfront, Hurly-Burly will welcome guests for fun-filled afternoons and glamorous evenings inside a historic seaside theatre with a vibrant BoardWalk story that spans over a century.

During the afternoon, guests can drop by for family-friendly activities like trivia and other games led by a charismatic host. By night, Hurly-Burly will transition into a live music venue, welcoming guests 21-and-over to unwind with classic, coastal-inspired cocktails and tasty light bites, while enjoying a variety of musical entertainment that perfectly complements the BoardWalk’s other unique offerings.

Whether you’re stopping by for a round of daytime trivia or an evening of seaside serenades, Hurly-Burly is the sort of spot you’ll find yourself visiting again and again for both the flavorful refreshments and the lively atmosphere.

Our strong expectation is that Hurly-Burly is replacing Jellyrolls, which closed last spring.

There is no project entry for a Jellyrolls replacement in the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) database, despite that project being the most visible of the bunch. There’s been demolition and/or construction at Jellyrolls for most of 2026, with workers hauling in and out materials.

Beyond what I’ve captured, there was this photo that allegedly shows the interior of Jellyrolls has been gutted, with plumbing and utilities work being done. Given the state of that interior, work has also been ongoing at Jellyrolls for at least a few months. While I haven’t seen inside the building, it’s evident even from the outside that something major is happening inside the former Jellyrolls/future Hurly-Burly nightclub.

For roughly the last year, there’s been a persistent rumor that Jellyrolls would be replaced by a jazz club or speakeasy. Even having heard this credibly a while ago, I’m still shocked that it’s actually happening. I never figured this was the proposal that would actually get greenlit. Usually ambitious concepts like this are proposed and appear to be what “everyone” involved actually wants…only to fall throw during the feasibility phase.

What a huge win for the BoardWalk, and fans of more adult, sophisticated entertainment. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the final product here be a cross between the Edison (in substance) and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar or Trader Sam’s (in style), but with a prohibition-era jazz club as the theme. If Disney can concoct a merchandising component (like tiki mugs), that would be another big win; Trader Sam’s is a license to print money.

Making this a mixed-use venue that will welcome families during the day and transform into a nightclub (or whatever they choose to call it–that term probably is construed as un-Disney) is a savvy move. Hurly-Burly should offer something for everyone. We’re already looking forward to taking our toddler here in the afternoon this Halloween or Christmas (fingers crossed).

Basin Soap Shop

Basin is bringing a new retail experience to Disney’s BoardWalk. Rooted in the resort’s classic boardwalk heritage, Basin on the BoardWalk will offer a sensory shopping experience that feels both timeless and distinctly new.

Inside, you’ll discover a curated collection of handcrafted products made with quality ingredients, including natural soaps, botanical bath salts, bath bombs, body butters, lip salves, shampoo and conditioner bars, and more.

The location will also feature interactive elements that make the experience especially unique, including a custom bath tea blending counter, a make-your-own-soap station, and a soap embossing press for a personalized finishing touch.

It is our expectation that Basin is Project Bubbles, located at the former Promenade Fine Art Gallery, which closed last October. The CFTOD database info indicates that the space is roughly 2,300 square feet in size, which means it uses the same footprint as the previous galleries.

Without question, this is the least exciting project of the trio. Walt Disney World has partnered with a number of bath products companies over the years, and there are already Basin shops at both Disney Springs and the Grand Floridian, which seem reasonably popular. (At least, in terms of foot traffic. I don’t know how strong sales are…but there are two of them!)

There will now be three Basin shops, so I doubt this is particularly exciting news to Walt Disney World fans. Nevertheless, it makes sense. Even if it’s not exciting, it’s a nice little space and we often stop in for a free handwashing, which is more than I can say about the previous occupants of this venue.

There’s probably also significant overlap between Cake Bake’s core demo and prospective purchasers of soap. I still think a champagne bar would’ve made more sense and been more fruitful here, but Basin is probably the easier, faster, and safer bet.

Counter Service Restaurant Tease

According to Walt Disney World, there’s even more to come along the promenade! Specifically, a new quick-service restaurant is also coming soon to Disney’s BoardWalk and more on that will be announced later in Summer 2026.

It is our expectation that this new counter service restaurant is Project Amazon, located at the former Big River Grille & Brewing Works, which was a table service restaurant and sports bar that closed back in January 2024.

Although it’s not evident from my photos above and below, a lot has been happening at Big River over the last few months. There was a moveable barricade up recently, there’s been audible noise inside, and construction crews have been spotted coming and going. Something is already happening, beyond just the Project Amazon entry.

While Hurly-Burly bar and nightclub is undoubtedly the most ambitious project of the trio, there are a lot of Walt Disney World fans (and especially DVC Members who own or often stay at BWV) who are going to go nuts for a new counter service restaurant.

Honestly, we didn’t think this would happen. Although that’s at the top of wish lists among guests who actually stay at the BoardWalk, we’ve written previously that Walt Disney World likely views it differently. Large-scale food courts are a feature of all Value and Moderate Resorts, but not Deluxes.

I’m skeptical that this will be a straightforward food court without a hook. One possibility is a multi-purpose offering similar to Geyser Point or Wailulu Bar & Grill. In between counter service and table service, efficient, family friendly, and indoor/outdoor water views. This type of family-friendly option has proven immensely popular with guests, and it would fill a major void at Crescent Lake.

Or maybe it’ll be more like Primo Piatto at Disney’s Riviera Resort, along with the attached Bar Riva. That’s a fantastic one-two punch, both are best-in-class at Walt Disney World. If this concept can replicate that, it will be a huge success, drawing guests from all around Crescent Lake (and perhaps beyond).

One reason I’m still skeptical that Walt Disney World would do a straightforward counter service restaurant here is because the existing ones around Crescent Lake aren’t that popular.

That could be because they’re underwhelming but could also be due to a lack of demand. Having access to so many dining options all around Crescent Lake, not to mention a short walk away in World Showcase, is a significant limiting factor on demand.

If BoardWalk is going to get a fast casual restaurant, it probably needs to be one with “magnet” status that can draw guests from the parks and surrounding resorts. Something like Portillo’s or D-Luxe Burger, both of which were suggested in our list of Top 10 Restaurant Replacement Concepts at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort.

My gut is that this counter service location will either end up being one of the most exciting in all of Walt Disney World or completely phoned-in, with almost no middle ground. That either they’ve realized something like a second pizza window is “good enough” and would alone do big bucks, or letting an outside vendor bet big on it.

Given that Hurly-Burly nightclub is pretty much the best-case scenario for a Jellyrolls replacement, we’re going to choose the optimistic outlook here. The fact that Walt Disney World is only teasing the quick-service restaurant with more news coming later this summer suggests to me that it’s possibly a third party operating participant in this location. That plans are not completely finalized or the outside vendor isn’t quite ready to make an announcement.

If it were an in-house concept by Disney, my suspicion is that they’d want to announce the trio all at once. But that’s just a guess, and perhaps a bit of wishcasting as I’d really like to see my beloved Portillo’s come to Walt Disney World!

Project Timelines

At this point, Walt Disney World has only announced that Basin and Hurly-Burly are opening sometime in 2026. There’s no timeline for the counter service restaurant, and an announcement later in summer suggests it’s further away.

When it comes to Hurly-Burly and the counter service restaurant, an opening this fiscal year feels unlikely given the scale of construction, but who knows. October is the start of convention season, and that’s big business for the Crescent Lake resorts. There will be the desire to have these venues open by then if at all possible.

Failing that, a Veterans Day target seems likely to have everything open in time for the start of the Christmas season. In all likelihood, those are targets as opposed to firm deadlines. Just look at how long Cake Bake took! Even the Basin project is probably a bit more involved than just turning over the retail space since it involves an ‘interactive soap experience,’ which presumably requires water.

Work is clearly already happening on all three of these projects, and has been for a while. I’m just glad that two of these are opening in 2026. It’s already been a long wait!

Our Commentary

This is exciting news! Although it’s coming about a year later than we’d like, it’s fantastic to hear that Walt Disney World has big plans to breathe new life into the promenade with brand-new dining concepts. The third Basin outpost is obviously less noteworthy, but still, it beats a vacancy!

There’s a ton of untapped potential at the BoardWalk. It has just needed the right unique concepts that tourists and locals would go out of their way to seek out. At minimum, Hurly-Burly will offer that. Even if it’s nothing like Trader Sam’s in a substantive sense, it’ll likewise be a destination-worthy nighttime venue.

As an unbiased outside observer (e.g. parent to a toddler) who would be better served by almost anything else, I’m still incredibly excited for Hurly-Burly. It sounds like an ambitious and adult concept that’ll feature live entertainment and has tremendous potential to revive the BoardWalk.

Something like this is badly needed, and I’m pleasantly surprised that Walt Disney World is going with a concept this ambitious. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves with effusive praise since it’ll come down to execution, but our initial impression is incredibly positive and we’re optimistic about the bigger picture implications of something like this getting greenlit.

Disney’s BoardWalk Comeback?!

Disney’s BoardWalk isn’t the counterprogramming to Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs) that it was envisioned as back in the 1990s and hasn’t been in a while. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that two of these three tenants could change that, building on the success of Cake Bake Shop and, to a lesser extent, Blue Ribbon Corn Dog (a shocking fan-favorite).

There are still times when BoardWalk is absolutely hoppin’, but it certainly isn’t a huge hangout for locals. Walt Disney World’s restrictive resort parking rules have seen to that. It’s easier to park at BoardWalk than a monorail loop resort, but it still isn’t simple or straightforward, and comes with the risk of being denied entry.

More than anything else, parking is the biggest problem with the BoardWalk not serving as a secondary entertainment area at Walt Disney World. Despite the local population of Central Florida exploding in the last decade, the BoardWalk is less popular (as a destination, not a resort) than it was in the late 1990s. (This might upset Jellyrolls and Big River fans, but I would argue appeal of the tenants is the second biggest issue. Perhaps even the #1 problem.)

It’s sad that Walt Disney World has allowed BoardWalk to languish, and there’s really no good excuse for it. Whatever problems the BoardWalk has are self-induced by Disney, and fixable with different choices. There’s no reason they can’t handle parking differently, making it simpler and easier!

New BoardWalk Parking Policies?

Here’s hoping that Hurly-Burly bar will be accompanied by new parking policies for the BoardWalk. What’s most needed is something predictable. We would propose paid parking with validation, similar to what is used at Downtown Disney (and most big city venues of this nature).

It may seem odd to fixate on parking, but this news is coming hot on the heels of Walt Disney World Closing the Free Parking Loophole via New Bus & Boat Rules at Disney Springs. That change has been controversial, but largely applauded by Walt Disney World guests who stay on-site.

Regardless, it’s hard to envision Walt Disney World getting more restrictive with parking at Disney Springs, and then at the same time, getting more lax with a lot that is walkable to two theme parks. The practical reality is that isn’t going to happen, so another approach is needed.

Hopefully Walt Disney World has already given this thought, and plans on implementing something before Hurly-Burly bar opens. The good news, at minimum, is that Disney’s BoardWalk (and Crescent Lake as a whole) has more built-in bandwidth than the Polynesian, so it should never have the problems that Trader Sam’s exacerbated at the Poly.

Even with minimal parking, the BoardWalk is connected to thousands of hotel rooms via the Skyliner gondolas, and there are another few thousand rooms that are walkable in the Crescent Lake Resort Area. Many of these house high-spending convention-goers and other free spending guests.

Cake Bake Shop already serves as proof-of-concept for this. Despite a lot of complaints and criticism over pricing, fan forecasts that concept was doomed to fail weren’t just greatly exaggerated, they were flat-out wrong. Every time I stay at or visit the BoardWalk, including a random shoulder season weeknight for these photos, Cake Bake is slammed. Meanwhile, the other end of the promenade is a ghost town.

It also helps that the BoardWalk is within walking or boat distance of both EPCOT’s International Gateway and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The right concept can do big business at the BoardWalk, so long as guests are given enough of a reason to walk over here.

The district could certainly sustain a few new tenants (especially complementary ones). They just need to be exciting concepts that will draw guests beyond those staying at BoardWalk. With the right additions, business could boom at the BoardWalk, helping revitalize and elevate the area to destination-worthy ‘Second (Disney) Springs’ status.

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Your Thoughts

What do you think about Hurly-Burly bar, Basin soap shop, and the unnamed counter service restaurant? Expect these to be superior replacements to Jellyrolls, Promenade Art Gallery, and Big River Grille & Brewing Works? What is most needed in the Crescent Lake Resort Area? Think something more adult would help revive the BoardWalk, or should Disney focus more on family-friendly options for BoardWalk? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!