Disneyland next month is moving outside performing groups and adding a new entertainment feature to a normally closed area of Frontierland.

The Disney Performing Arts program will host community performing groups and run education sessions in the Festival Arena, which is normally closed in the back of Frontierland. The program is moving after the May 1 closure of Carnation Plaza Gardens, where performances normally run.

An average of 18 groups, such as junior high string ensembles and high school choirs, usually perform on the plaza stage, which sits at the end of Main Street, U.S.A. near Sleeping Beauty Castle, said Kevin Rafferty Jr., a Disneyland Resort spokesman. The plaza is closing to undergo a transformation into the Fantasy Faire, a princess meet-and-greet area that will open next year.

In Frontierland, the Festival Arena also will begin hosting a new entertainment event, called Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree starting Thursday, May 3. The jamboree will include music, dancing, crafts, pin trading and characters in Western wear, according to the Disney Parks blog.

The jamboree will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the summer.

The Festival Arena, which sits behind the Big Thunder Ranch area, previously hosted a show based on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

More recently, it has carried temporary entertainment features, including Family Fun Weekends and a sneak peek at "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" last year.