Two new permits suggest some extensive work is coming soon to Storybook Circus in Magic Kingdom. The permits list addresses that resolve to the Big Top Souvenirs gift shop and the Pete’s Silly Sideshow meet and greet. The work is listed as “general construction”, which isn’t exciting in and of itself, but what is exciting is the contractor listed for the work, and the expiration date on the permit. Let’s take a closer look.
Storybook Circus Tent Refurbishment Project
While unconfirmed by Walt Disney World at this time, it looks like the two biggest tents in Storybook Circus will soon undergo a lengthy refurbishment. We’ll start with the “lengthy” part first. As permit watchers are familiar with, standard Notice of Commencement permits expire one year after being filed. However, there is a field to write in an expiration date outside of the standard 1-year expiration. That’s what has happened with these two Storybook Circus permits.
Both newly filed Storybook Circus permits have an expiration date of December 31, 2026. That is some 14 months after they were filed. Such a long timeframe indicates that there is extensive work taking place.
That said, “general construction” doesn’t give us much to go on. That said, the contractor usually offers some insight as to the type of work to be done. In this case, Walt Disney World is turning to Birdair, Inc.
Birdair is a company that specializes in tensile fabric structures around the world. In fact, Birdair has previously been tapped by Disney to create structures for the 70,000 square-foot Cirque Du Soleil building at Disney Springs, the Planet Hollywood Observatory in Disney Springs, and the Coca-Cola building at Disney Springs. Birdair has worked on structures around the globe, including a number of stadiums, including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Heathrow Airport, Under Armor headquarters, and more.
Going back to Walt Disney World, Birdair seems like the perfect contractor for some extensive work on the Storybook Circus tents. The tents were built more than a decade ago, so it’s possible that they’re due for some extensive maintenance.
In fact, the “owner” of the permit is Facility Asset Management (or FAM). FAM is a branch of Walt Disney World that is more concerned with maintenance than anything else. If this work were related to a reimagining, we’d expect to see the owner listed as Walt Disney Imagineering.
We’ve reached out to Walt Disney World for more information about the project, including any potential closures for either the shop or meet and greet. We’ll be sure to share what we learn about the project. As of right now, there are no closures listed for either tent.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
