Disney’s BoardWalk Adds Village Green Closure to 2026-2027 Resort Refurbishments

Walt Disney World previously announced construction starting after last Thanksgiving and continuing throughout 2026 and into 2027 at the BoardWalk. The work was originally a mystery, but things have started to come into focus over the last few months with an expansion of the project scope along with announcements of new restaurants, retail, and more.

For starters, let’s cover the construction bulletin for BoardWalk that appears on the official Walt Disney World website. From now through late 2026, refurbishment work will take place in select areas of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. While guests may see or hear work during daytime hours, most resort amenities—including dining, recreation, and merchandise locations—will remain available.

From January 11, 2027, through April 2027, the Luna Park Pool, the Luna Park Crazy Play Area and Leaping Horse Libations at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Disney’s BoardWalk Villas will be closed for routine maintenance. Guests may see and hear work taking place during daytime hours. However, the Villas Pool and the Inn Pool will remain open for Guests to enjoy.

The Disney Skyliner will be closed for routine refurbishment January 24–30, 2027. During this time, complimentary bus transportation will be available. Despite being in 2027, the Skyliner and Luna Park Pool closures were announced a while ago and are pretty much known quantities.

Neither have changed since in scale, scope, or dates. Regrettably, “routine maintenance” means Walt Disney World probably isn’t bringing back the Creepy Clown with Spaghettios Hair. But never let go of that dream!

For reference, the 2027 Skyliner refurbishment was actually calendared last September, so if you’re wondering about 2028 closure dates, you might not have to wait much longer. Walt Disney World has gotten better about scheduling that downtime farther in advance, as the Skyliner is the reason many guests book these resorts.

Village Green Courtyard Closure

The latest update is that the Village Green courtyard will be closed from August 10, 2026 through September 4, 2026. Recreation activities typically offered on the Village Green—including Movie Under the Stars, yoga, and crafts—will be relocated to other locations throughout Disney’s BoardWalk Inn.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Village Green, it’s the large central courtyard facing Crescent Lake. It’s located between Flying Fish and Screen Door General Store, immediately behind the main lobby. There’s not really anything there to speak of, aside from turf and a pavilion on the far side that houses surrey bikes.

Walt Disney World has not revealed the scope of work being done to the Village Green. While we’d love for this to be something exciting like outdoor seating for an open air lounge a la Three Bridges or Geyser Point or a gigantic Portillo’s hot dog stand, we somehow doubt that’s happening.

For one thing, the Village Green serves a lot of purposes. Things like the aforementioned Movies Under the Stars, yoga, crafts, and even the resort’s icon(ish) Christmas tree in November and December. (Thankfully, this project should be long finished before that would typically go up–my photos are of the Christmas tree because that’s all I could quickly locate in my archive.)

It’s also a common spot for characters from “Caravanning ‘Round The World” RV to make appearances, and for kids to burn off steam. For “only” being a large open space, it actually gets a lot of use–perhaps because so many venues are shuttered along the promenade. I think we can all agree housing a hot dog stand is a higher purpose than all of that, but it still seems unlikely.

Our best actual guesses are more boring. One possibility is turf replacement, although the project timeline does seem a tad lengthy for that. Another is underground utilities work. We’ve seen construction trucks and an excavator around the resort from time to time this year, so this could be ongoing work related to that.

Finally, it could be reworking this area to add more seating, shade, or infrastructure so that it’s conducive to outdoor activities during the daytime hours, too. Village Green is great once the sun goes down, but it’s hot and unshaded during the day.

If you’re wondering whether you should switch resorts in light of the Village Green courtyard closure, our tentative answer is probably not. For the most part, this is a matter of practicality. If the ongoing refurbishments weren’t enough to dissuade you from staying at BoardWalk, this shouldn’t really move the needle.

On top of that, so many Deluxe Resorts are in the midst of major projects, so I’m not even sure where to recommend as an alternative. Yacht & Beach Club are more impacted, as are all of the monorail loop resorts, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and more. BoardWalk has a lot ongoing, but it seems like one of the least-bad options in terms of actual guest impact.

That’s everything we know so far about this project. We’re planning on getting out to BoardWalk after it gets started and reporting back on all of the construction progress (assuming there’s anything noteworthy), so stay tuned!

Beyond the projects that are covered by the construction bulletin, there’s more exciting work at the BoardWalk, which we’re anticipating updates on soon. In a normal year, this wouldn’t quite rise to 2026 D23 Expo level news, but new details or concept art could be shared as a quick hit. Here’s a quick rundown of those…

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.

Hurly-Burly is replacing Jellyrolls, which closed last spring.

There’s been demolition and/or construction at Jellyrolls for most of 2026, with workers hauling in and out materials. The interior of Jellyrolls has been gutted, with plumbing and utilities work being done. While I haven’t seen inside the building, it’s evident even from the outside that something transformative 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. Honestly, I never expected it to actually happen. 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.

Making Hurly-Burly a mixed-use venue that will welcome families during the day and transform into a speakeasy is a savvy move. The family-friendly offering is likely to be simple and unambitious, but hopefully it’ll offer a fun diversion for resort days.

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. (Disney’s words.)

Inside, you’ll find 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.

Basin will take over the former Promenade Fine Art Gallery, which closed last October, and is roughly 2,300 square feet in size. This is right off the Village Green courtyard, so perhaps it’s getting an outdoor handwashing station?! Probably not.

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 boring, it’s better than nothing, and that’s the bar at BoardWalk. Basin should be a nice little space for a free (indoor) handwashing.

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. (Clock is ticking on that, Disney!)

It is our expectation that this new counter service restaurant is what’s internally known as Project Amazon (a likely reference to the “big river” in the former name, not a package delivery location planned for the next restaurant), located at the former Big River Grille & Brewing Works, which was a table service restaurant and sports bar that closed back in January 2024.

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, and we’re hopeful this yields an interesting and original restaurant concept.

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.

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).

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 into the future. Our best guess is that the restaurant opens sometime in 2027.

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.

Ultimately, it’s great to see BoardWalk getting a second wave of projects after a sea of closures. This is such a lovely area, and being easily accessible from thousands of rooms, plus both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, give it the potential to be a bustling little district even without adequate parking for locals and off-site guests.

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! Here’s hoping that there are more projects on the horizon in 2027. Getting a specialty scoop shop here would be a big win, and if Walt Disney World is getting a third soap shop, how about a second Salt & Straw?!

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Your Thoughts

Thoughts on the refurbishment of the Village Green courtyard? 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? Agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!