Whether your travel plans bring you to Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort in 2026, you’re sure to run into some exciting seasonal events or new and enhanced offerings to enjoy. If you’re considering planning a Walt Disney World vacation, you’ve come to the right place — as someone who writes about theme parks for a living, I make it my business to make sure you’re as informed as possible when planning your next trip!
The name of the game at Walt Disney World for 2026 is ride reopenings following extended closures complete with “plused” magic. With technology improving faster than ever before, the parks have been refurbishing fan favorite attractions in ways that make it seem as if a brand new ride was moving in. Of course, there are plenty of brand new offerings in the works, like the Tropical Americas land coming to Animal Kingdom in 2027. In the meantime, however, there is still plenty to look forward to — here’s a roundup of what you can expect at Walt Disney World in 2026 by season.
Year-round offeirngs
No matter when you visit Walt Disney World in 2026, you can take advantage of the Kids Free Dining Plan offer. Under this promotion, kids ages 3 through 9 can enjoy the Disney Dining Plan completely free with a room at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel and the purchase of an adult Disney Dining Plan for each guest ages 10 and up.
There’s always at least one or two great ways to save on a Walt Disney World vacation no matter what time of year you choose to visit. Keep your eyes peeled on Disney World’s Special Offers page for the latest discounts and promotions.
Be on the lookout for one of the biggest changes coming in 2026 at Disney Springs: the opening of Level 99, an interactive play space for adults featuring “real-world, interactive social gaming with physical and mental challenges”. While it’s tailored to adults, I’m sure big kids will get a kick out of it, too. Level 99 currently has locations open in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia. An opening date has yet to be announced.
READ MORE: SHOULD YOU GET THE DISNEY DINING PLAN ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION?
Early 2026
2026 will begin as all years do at Walt Disney World: with the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend followed by the kickoff of the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.
The festival celebrating all things visual, culinary, and performing arts will return daily January 16 through February 23. The EPCOT Festival of the Arts comes with the DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert Series, limited-time food and beverage items available for purchase, scavenger hunts, photo ops, and more.
February brings with it the reopening of Frozen Ever After at EPCOT. When the ride reopens, it will feature enhanced Audio-Animatronic figures similar to the ones seen on Frozen Ever After at Hong Kong Disneyland and the version soon to arrive at Disneyland Paris.
An exact opening date has not been announced as of this writing, but we can confirm Frozen Ever After will be back in action sometime in February.
READ MORE: WORLD OF FROZEN IS COMING TO DISNEYLAND PARIS IN 2026
Spring
As the temperatures begin to warm up in Central Florida, EPCOT comes alive with beautiful topiaries and flower displays with the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. It was just announced that the 2026 Flower and Garden Festival will take place daily from March 4 through June 1.
Like other EPCOT festivals, Flower and Garden also features limited-time bites and sips themed to the spring season (think bright, citrus and floral flavors), the Garden Rocks Concert Series, and more.
Spring marks the return of two popular Magic Kingdom rides that had extended closures starting in 2025. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen in the spring of 2026 with a new storyline and enhanced visual effects.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will also reopen sometime in the spring. The fan-favorite Tomorrowland ride will now have new ride vehicles, blasters, targets, scoring system (say hello to limitless high scores!), and a new show scene with a new character named Buddy.
Disney After Hours will also begin in the spring season at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney After Hours is a hard-ticketed event that gives guests the chance to enjoy the parks after the posted closing time with lower wait times on attractions, complimentary snacks, and character meet and greets.
READ MORE: SHOULD YOU BUY A TICKET TO DISNEY AFTER HOURS?
Summer
Summer is going to heat things up in many ways at Walt Disney World. While those temperatures climb, so do the latest offerings, starting with Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run being updated with a brand new storyline centered around Din Djarin, a.k.a. The Mandalorian, and Grogu.
The updates coming to Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run include new responsibilities for riders, most notably the Engineer, who will now be responsible for looking after Grogu.
Big changes are coming to The Land Pavilion at EPCOT just in time for the unofficial start to the summer season. Soarin’ Across America will open in time for Memorial Day Weekend ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Soarin’ Across America is a limited-time offering, so be sure to visit over the summer if you want to check this new version out!
Later in the summer, the biggest ride change of the year takes the stage and goes live: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will open sometime in the summer, replacing its Aerosmith-led predecessor. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will continue to operate into 2026, with a closing date yet to be announced. With the Muppets taking over in the summer, it shouldn’t have that long of a downtime.
Looking to enjoy some Banana Ball? You’re in luck, because Banana Ball is coming to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex May 29 and 30. The exposition will feature the the Loco Beach Coconuts in a dynamic battle against the Party Animals.
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy Disney World’s water parks, and the free water park promotion will return for a limited time in 2026. While the exact dates have yet to be announced, guests staying at a Disney World Resort hotel can enjoy complimentary admission to one of Disney World’s water parks — Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach — on their arrival and check in day.
H2O Glow After Hours returns in the summer of 2026 as well, giving guests the chance to purchase tickets to a special after hours event at Typhoon Lagoon. Event dates will be announced at a later time.
We also learned that Cool Kids’ Summer is returning in 2026 with new limited-time fun. This past year saw offerings like dance parties, early morning character meet and greet opportunities, and more to give kids the coolest summer ever.
Kids have even more reason to visit Walt Disney World in the summer: Bluey and Bingo will finally arrive to the parks to greet guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Bluey and her sister Bingo will be at the Conservation Station greeting guests, along with the chance to play and dance with them. Guests will also be able to experience animals native to Bluey and Bingo’s home country of Australia during this time.
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! will debut in the summer season at the newly enhanced Walt Disney Studios area of the park. This is the stage show that’s currently running at Disney California Adventure.
In late summer, The Magic of Disney Animation will open at Hollywood Studios. The space will be home to new offerings such as an indoor playground for kids inspired by the original “Alice in Wonderland” concept art from Disney Legend Mary Blair.
This new indoor experience will also feature Off the Page!, a new meet and greet area featuring six characters and backdrops themed to the animation studio departments: story, background/layout, hand drawn animation, computer animation, lighting, and effects.
READ MORE: IS SUMMER THE BEST TIME TO VISIT DISNEY WORLD?
Fall
Fall starts extra early at Walt Disney World. While these offerings technically start in the summer, there’s no denying these are autumn staples at Walt Disney World. Pumpkins appear in Magic Kingdom starting in early August, with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party typically starting in the second week of the month. This year’s party had its first event on August 15, so we can expect 2026’s offerings to begin around that time.
Later in August, we’ll see the return of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. In recent years the festival has returned just before Labor Day Weekend, with the 2025 festival starting on August 28.
Follow along as we get closer to next year’s festival to learn more about dates, the Eat to the Beat Concert Series lineup, and more.
READ MORE: TECHNOLOGY WILL BE FRONT AND CENTER AT DISNEY PARKS IN 2026
Holiday and early winter
The year always goes out with a bang, and we can expect the same in 2026 with the return of holiday season favorites. The flagship event is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, taking place on select evenings at Magic Kingdom. This year’s Christmas parties began on November 7, and we can expect next year’s offerings to follow a similar pattern.
Right around the same time as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicking off is the start of Disney Jollywood Nights, the after hours event taking place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney Jollywood Nights had its first event in 2025 on November 8, and we can expect a similar timeline for 2026.
The end of November brings with it the final EPCOT festival of the year, the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. This festival traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving, which in 2026 would be Friday, November 27.
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is perhaps best known for the nightly Candlelight Processional, featuring a lineup of guest celebrity narrators.
Whether you choose to attend a hard-ticketed after hours event, eat your way around the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, or you simply take in the sights and sounds of the season at the parks and resorts, I truly believe that there’s no wrong way to visit Walt Disney World during the holidays.
READ MORE: START BUDGETING YOUR 2026 DISNEY WORLD VACATION
Walt Disney World by the Seasons: When to Visit in 2026 was originally published on The World of Spark.
