diff --git a/functions.php b/functions.php
index b4c0411..bfd7d2e 100644
--- a/functions.php
+++ b/functions.php
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ function polestar_setup() {
 	 */
 	add_theme_support( 'editor-styles' );
 
+	// Disable WP 5.8+ Widget Area.
+	if ( apply_filters( 'polestar_disable_new_widget_area', true ) ) {
+		remove_theme_support( 'widgets-block-editor' );
+	}
+
 }
 endif;
 // polestar_setup
diff --git a/readme.txt b/readme.txt
index afd51a7..44d7394 100644
--- a/readme.txt
+++ b/readme.txt
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Contributors: Puro
 
 Tags: one-column, two-columns, left-sidebar, right-sidebar, custom-background, custom-colors, custom-menu, custom-logo, featured-images, footer-widgets, full-width-template, post-formats, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready, blog, e-commerce
 
-Tested up to: 5.7
+Tested up to: 5.8
 Requires at least: 4.7
 Requires PHP: 5.6.20
 License: GPLv2 or later
@@ -152,6 +152,9 @@ Released under [GPL version 2](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0
 
 == Changelog ==
 
+= 1.7.0 - 22 July 2021 =
+* Disabled WP 5.8 Block-Based widgets editor. Can be re-enabled using `add_filter( 'polestar_disable_new_widget_area', '__return_false' );`.
+
 = 1.6.0 - 27 May 2021 =
 * Updated logo lazy loading exclusion function.
 * Updated featured image lazy load function.
diff --git a/sass/style.scss b/sass/style.scss
index 223e388..3fb67b3 100644
--- a/sass/style.scss
+++ b/sass/style.scss
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Author URI: https://purothemes.com/
 Theme URI: https://purothemes.com/themes/polestar/
 Description: Lead the way with Polestar. It's fast loading, responsive, lightweight and flexible design is perfectly suited for building dynamic pages with SiteOrigin's Page Builder and selling with WooCommerce. Ecommerce features include a menu mini-cart and product quick-view. Polestar features a sticky header, beautiful header search, scroll to top and just the right amount of Customizer theme settings. Page level settings let you adjust the theme layout on a page by page basis, perfect for landing pages. If you run a blog, Polestar is ready with awesome features including a full-width posts slider integrated with Jetpack Featured Content, an author box and related posts section. For assistance, check out our <a href="http://purothemes.com/documentation/">theme documentation</a> (http://purothemes.com/documentation/) or ask a question on our <a href="https://purothemes.com/support/">support forum</a> (https://purothemes.com/support/).
 Version: dev
-Tested up to: 5.7
+Tested up to: 5.8
 Requires at least: 4.7
 Requires PHP: 5.6.20
 License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
diff --git a/style.css b/style.css
index dd3631b..1d83f5f 100644
--- a/style.css
+++ b/style.css
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Author URI: https://purothemes.com/
 Theme URI: https://purothemes.com/themes/polestar/
 Description: Lead the way with Polestar. It's fast loading, responsive, lightweight and flexible design is perfectly suited for building dynamic pages with SiteOrigin's Page Builder and selling with WooCommerce. Ecommerce features include a menu mini-cart and product quick-view. Polestar features a sticky header, beautiful header search, scroll to top and just the right amount of Customizer theme settings. Page level settings let you adjust the theme layout on a page by page basis, perfect for landing pages. If you run a blog, Polestar is ready with awesome features including a full-width posts slider integrated with Jetpack Featured Content, an author box and related posts section. For assistance, check out our <a href="http://purothemes.com/documentation/">theme documentation</a> (http://purothemes.com/documentation/) or ask a question on our <a href="https://purothemes.com/support/">support forum</a> (https://purothemes.com/support/).
 Version: dev
-Tested up to: 5.7
+Tested up to: 5.8
 Requires at least: 4.7
 Requires PHP: 5.6.20
 License: GNU General Public License v2 or later