There are a couple of new developments that shed light on what, exactly, the Bluey “experience” is that’s coming to Walt Disney World, as well as when in Summer 2026 we can expect to experience the experience. This shares new details about the construction permit and casting call for the Bluey thing coming to Animal Kingdom.
In case you missed it, the debut of Bluey at Walt Disney World was first announced in late 2024, and was slated to happen last year. After a full year of radio silence, Walt Disney World announced that Bluey is finally coming to Florida, with the popular pups making their first-ever appearances in Animal Kingdom as part of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER (not to be confused with last year’s Cool Kid Summer) in 2026.
Actual details about Bluey and Bingo in Animal Kingdom were first shared about one year later as part of Walt Disney World’s 2026 Calendar of Events. The curtain was inched back a bit further with this week’s news about Cool Kids’ Summer 2026. Throughout all of that, we still haven’t heard any concrete dates or details (nor have we seen concept art–what’s floating around is for Disneyland, not Walt Disney World.)
Thus far, all Walt Disney World has officially announced is that, beginning in Summer 2026, guests will be able to take a fun excursion to Conservation Station in Animal Kingdom to play and dance with Bluey and Bingo!
Play some of your favorite games from Bluey episodes with a fun animal twist, like butterfly keepy uppy. Grab the whole family and snap some pictures alongside your Blue Heeler pals to remember this one-of-a-kind adventure.
Plus, as part of your wild excursion, step outside to discover an experience with animals native to Bluey’s home country of Australia! (This part alone is huge if Walt Disney World ‘invests’ in new animals or exhibits, as it suggests they’re still committed to the theme and mission of Animal Kingdom. Here’s hoping they keep that energy up for Tropical Americas!)
The latest development is a new casting call posted by Disney Live Entertainment seeking Host Actors for the new Bluey and Bingo offering at Animal Kingdom.
The listing is looking for high-energy performers to host and lead some of Bluey’s favorite games with fun animal twists. Performers should be comfortable hosting large groups, working with children, and improvising during the interactive experience.
The casting call also seeks a video audition, and includes the following monologue:
Hello! Hello! Welcome to Conservation Station! I’m [NAME] and joining me are my pals Kaitie and Mark.
We’re the P.A.C.K. team – Playful Animal Crew for Kids! Who wants to be part of our Play P.A.C.K.?
You do? Awesome. Alright, if you want to be part of our P.A.C.K. you have to answer two questions. First question… Do you love animals?
Yes! Okay second question…do you love to play?
Yes! You got both answers right! Welcome to the Play P.A.C.K! We love to play…animals love to play…what do you say we play some fun excursions – that’s what we call games – inspired by some of our favorite animals!
Great! Before our first excursion let’s warm up our play muscles!
This gives away some story details about the Bluey experience, such as P.A.C.K. team (Playful Animal Crew for Kids) premise. I’d apologize for the lack of a spoiler warning, but I doubt many families are overly concerned about the story pretenses for the dance party and play experience.
It’s more about when the Bluey experience will start, and what else it might entail beyond dancing and games than anything else.
As for the when, the casting call also provides some insight into the timeline. Applications will be accepted through January 23, 2026, with in-person callbacks held February 27, 2026 in Orlando. Most notably, the casting call indicates that rehearsals begin early May 2026.
When sharing more details about Cool Kids’ Summer, which begins on May 26, 2026, Walt Disney World was careful to not give that as the start date for the Bluey experience, differentiating it and a couple other offerings from Cool Kids’ Summer “exclusive” entertainment. That suggested to us that the Bluey thing could potentially begin earlier, or even later.
Rehearsals starting in early May 2026 pretty much rules out the Bluey experience beginning earlier. That’s about the minimum timeframe needed to make a May 26, 2026 debut, even with a fairly straightforward dance party and play-driven experience. May 26th is now the odds-on favorite date for the Bluey debut, with an outside chance of it slipping into June 2026.
As for more about the “what” of the Bluey experience at Animal Kingdom, the other new development is the filing of a construction permit that pertains to Conservation Station.
The Notice of Commencement was filed by Disney Live Entertainment (a rarity in our coverage of construction permits) as opposed to Walt Disney World Facilities Asset Management or Walt Disney Imagineering. It’s unsurprising that Disney Live Entertainment is filing the permit, as they’re responsible for retrofitting the venue to make it suitable for some sort of show.
The permit is assigned to common WDW contractor Maddox Electric Company. The scope of the work includes the installation of a new transformer, a disconnect, as well as 100-amp and 200-amp panels for future relay. My understanding of electricity is minimal at best, but I’d hazard a guess that whatever this Bluey thing is will need some sort of show lighting.
When envisioning this Bluey thing, the GoofyCore Hall takeover of CommuniCore Hall is the obvious point of comparison. But it’s also possible that this is going to be indoors and outdoors, reminiscent of that plus the Encanto show in CommuniCore Plaza.
Conservation Station currently closes early, and that could change with the introduction of Bluey. It’s thus possible that some outdoor show lighting is necessary for the dance party and show components of the experience.
There have also been scattered rumors about Affection Section being replaced by the Bluey experience. That would be disappointing but unsurprising; a loud and energetic dance party and play experience may not mesh well with a petting zoo. (Despite Disney having a very similar offering with Big Thunder Ranch at Disneyland for years. If you never experienced that, you missed out–it was glorious.)
Honestly, I’m having a tough time visualizing where this Bluey experience is going to go at Conservation Station without replacing something. There are unused areas indoors that would be suitable if this were simply a meet & greet. But it isn’t.
Either it’s going to be indoors and take over most of the atrium as part of an awkward retrofit, or it’s going to be outdoors in the common space, potentially replacing Affection Section in the process. Squeezing it in outdoors without losing anything is also possible, but given the popularity of Bluey, it just seems like they’re going to want to give this more breathing room.
It thus seems likely that something is probably going to be removed in the process of adding Bluey, with the Affection Section petting zoo as the most logical cut. Then again, there have been rumors of Affection Section’s demise in the past, and it’s always survived. Hopefully that’s the case here, once again.
Best case scenario from my perspective as a non-understander of electricity is that the goats stay, Bluey gets added, and Maddox does a massive amount of electrical work to prepare Conservation Station to host a revived version of the Heeler Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
If Walt Disney World is really serious about drawing a crowd out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, then goats + Bluey + Christmas lights are the very obvious winning formula. Give us that trifecta and watch Animal Kingdom attendance soar to over 10 million guests per year!
(I’m only half-kidding. There are very few places at Walt Disney World that could host a large-scale Christmas light display even a fraction of the size of the defunct Osborne Lights due to crowding and congestion issues. Conservation Station might be one of the suitable locations.)
As we’ve discussed previously, Walt Disney World locating the Bluey and Bingo experience out at Conservation Station in Animal Kingdom is a bold move. It is, without a doubt, the in-park location that the fewest fans have visited; which is to say that if there’s anything in the parks you have not done as a WDW regular, it’s most likely to be Conservation Station.
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Conservation Station is located at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, which is accessible only via the Wildlife Express Train. Trains depart periodically, with the last from Harambe Station at 4:30 PM. Conservation Station offers animal-themed activities, conservation methods you can do at home, and more.
Current highlights of Conservation Station include the Veterinary Treatment Room, where you can see Disney caring for animals; the Nutrition Center, where experts prepare meals for animals; critter windows with bugs and stuff; and the Science Center to learn about what Animal Kingdom scientists are working on.
Walt Disney World has mixed things up at Conservation Station over the last several years, adding meet & greets and offerings for the Lion King. It’s also been repeatedly rumored as on the chopping block, but its remote location and challenging access makes it an illogical candidate for replacement. Realistically, nothing “too popular” could be placed back here due to the logistics of transporting guests by train to Conservation Station.
We seldom visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch for this reason, but when we do, we always say “we should visit here more often” after making the trek out. It’s a nice little area to escape the crowds and the animal procedures are truly fascinating to watch–I wish there were a way to see the schedule of them in the My Disney Experience app.
And yet, almost every time we’re presented with the opportunity to go back, we decline because it’s too much of a hassle or time-consuming. I would imagine that many Walt Disney World fans share similar sentiment–thinking Rafiki’s Planet Watch is underrated based on their rare visits, but mostly not opting to go back very often. No matter what people might say, they essentially “vote with their feet.” Conservation Station has been a ghost town every time we’ve visited.
All of this is precisely why it’s a bold bet on Walt Disney World’s part to put Bluey and Bingo back here. Presumably, the thinking is that Bluey will draw people back to this underutilized space while also adding some friction to manage demand for the hugely popular pups.
It’s also a savvy move for those reasons. Bluey and Bingo are so popular that families will jump through the hoop of the Wildlife Express Train to see them. At least, for the most part. There are definitely some who won’t–or who simply won’t realize Bluey is back there.
My hope is that Walt Disney World makes it worth everyone’s while. Hopefully this is ambitious as “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” in Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland, and not just the characters dancing without much more. Cool Kid Summer punched above its weight and this Bluey thing will likely get a boost from the Disney+ marketing budget, so I’m fairly confident Walt Disney World can deliver something strong here. We can’t wait to experience it!
Ultimately, Animal Kingdom is the park most in need of new programming to entice guest visits. It’s going to be a rough year-plus for the park once Dinoland and DINOSAUR close completely, and Zootopia: Better Zoogether definitely is not enough to pick up the slack.
With Tropical Americas unlikely to debut until late 2027, there’s an almost 2 year window when it would behoove Walt Disney World to really double-down on entertainment for Animal Kingdom to help fill the gap.
Bluey will definitely help, but we’re hopeful that it’s just the first of many additions…culminating in the Osborne & Heeler Family Spectacle of Christmas Lights, Pettable Goats and Dancing Dogs (see above unofficial photorealistic artist rendering). C’mon Walt Disney World, give the people what we want for once! Maybe then TIME will give Disney its rightful crown of the #1 Most Iconic American Company!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about Bluey coming to Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World? Will this Bluey experience be a good addition to Conservation Station? Enough to get you to take the Wilderness Express Train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch? How many hours would you wait for the train to get to the Osborne & Heeler Family Spectacle of Christmas Lights, Pettable Goats and Dancing Dogs? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? 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!
