Four months after closing one of Magic Kingdom Park’s most recognizable Fantasyland buildings, Walt Disney World Resort has finally shown its hand. A brand-new structure is now visible above the construction walls.
Pete’s Silly Sideshow Gets a New Look
The original Pete’s Silly Sideshow tent had been showing its age for some time before Walt Disney World Resort pulled the plug in January, with visible tears in the roof making a refurbishment increasingly inevitable. Construction walls went up around the building almost immediately following its closure, and the project has been quietly progressing ever since.
On April 29, WDWNT shared a photo capturing the payoff: a brand-new two-toned red tent roof rising above the construction barriers in Storybook Circus, confirming that the replacement structure is now in place. The refreshed building maintains the circus aesthetic that has defined the Storybook Circus section of New Fantasyland since the area opened.
Walt Disney World Resort has not announced a reopening date for Pete’s Silly Sideshow or its adjoining merchandise location, Big Top Souvenirs. The gift shop sits inside its own tent structure, and based on current construction activity, Disney appears to have plans for that roof as well.
Pete’s Silly Sideshow has served as the home base for circus-themed character meet-and-greets with Daisy Duck, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Minnie Mouse since the New Fantasyland expansion debuted at Magic Kingdom Park. When the tent closed indefinitely in January, all four characters shifted to outdoor meet-and-greet locations within the Storybook Circus area, where they continue to greet Disney Park guests today.
How Guests Are Affected Right Now
Beyond the character meet-and-greet shuffle, the free “Smellephants on Parade” experience — a self-guided scavenger hunt involving scented elephant statues scattered throughout Storybook Circus — has been temporarily modified, with two of the eight elephants now sitting behind construction walls. During the refurbishment period, Magic Kingdom Park guests need only locate six elephants to earn a free sticker, rather than the usual eight.
Have you noticed any other changes at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with Disney Dining in the comments!
