Disney Just Killed Dining at a 55-Year-Old Magic Kingdom Venue—And What’s Replacing It Is Actually Wild

A Magic Kingdom institution is about to stop serving food — and the reason why is a Toy Story experience that nobody quite expected. According to Theme Park Shark, the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland will shut its dining doors on May 16, 2026 to make way for Jessie’s Roundup, a live interactive show starring Jessie, Woody, and friends as part of Walt Disney World’s Cool Kids’ Summer celebration.

The Diamond Horseshoe Has Been Around Since Day One

The Diamond Horseshoe is one of Magic Kingdom’s original venues — it opened alongside the park back in 1971. For decades it hosted live entertainment, including the beloved Goofy’s Country Dancin’ Jamboree, before eventually transitioning into a quick-service dining location serving pulled pork sandwiches and chicken strips.

That dining operation wraps up on May 16. After that date, the space gets completely converted for the summer.

What Jessie’s Roundup Actually Is

This is not a passive show where you sit and watch. According to the announcement, Jessie’s Roundup is a hands-on, activity-driven experience where guests can “craft, dance and yodel your day away alongside Jessie, Woody and friends.”

Think of it as an indoor western revue built for kids — movement, character interaction, crafts, and probably more energy than you’re ready for at 10 AM. The experience runs as part of Cool Kids’ Summer from May 26 through September 8, 2026.

Disney has paired Jessie’s Roundup with other summer programming across the resort — GoofyCore at EPCOT, a new Disney Jr. live show at Hollywood Studios, and Bluey and Bingo character experiences at Animal Kingdom. The parks are clearly leaning hard into high-energy, kid-focused entertainment for the summer months.

The First Live Show at Diamond Horseshoe in Over 20 Years

Here’s the part that’s actually significant: this marks the first time in more than two decades that Diamond Horseshoe has hosted a live stage show. The venue has the bones for it — a real stage, good sightlines, western theming that plays perfectly into the Toy Story aesthetic. Using it as a dining room always felt like a bit of a waste, and Disney is clearly recognizing that.

The fact that they’re bringing performance back to this space, even temporarily, suggests Disney may be rethinking how the venue gets used long-term.

Dining Returns in the Fall

The closure is not permanent. Disney has indicated that the Diamond Horseshoe will return to dining operations after Cool Kids’ Summer concludes in September. So if you were mid-way through planning a fall trip around a meal there, you’re fine — just don’t count on it this summer.

If you have a summer visit planned and were hoping to grab a meal at Diamond Horseshoe, you’ll need to reroute. The good news is Frontierland has plenty of other options, and frankly, watching your kids lose their minds at a Toy Story yodeling show might be a better memory than a pulled pork sandwich anyway.

What This Means for Your Summer Trip

Cool Kids’ Summer runs May 26 through September 8, 2026. Jessie’s Roundup is included with park admission — no separate ticket required based on how Disney has structured similar experiences in the past. If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom this summer with kids who are into Toy Story (and statistically, most kids are), this is worth building into your day.

The Diamond Horseshoe’s location in Frontierland puts it close to Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and the entire Frontierland stretch — easy to fold into your afternoon without major route changes.

Disney has been quietly bringing more live entertainment back to parks that had leaned almost entirely into rides and Lightning Lane queues. Jessie’s Roundup is another step in that direction, and bringing it to a venue with a 55-year entertainment history feels intentional.