Everything Coming to the Disneyland Resort (New Rides, Events & More)
I keep a running list of everything coming to the Disneyland Resort, because honestly, that’s the only way I can keep it straight in my own head. Between new attractions, expansion projects, and the rotating calendar of After Dark parties and seasonal festivals, the resort changes faster than most of us can plan around it.
Disney World tends to get the louder headlines these days, but Disneyland has quietly been building toward one of its biggest stretches of growth in years. I’ve broken this down by area of the resort, current entertainment, what’s freshly opened, and what’s still on the horizon, so you can use it as a real planning tool rather than just a news recap.
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Everything Coming to the Disneyland Resort Right Now
The biggest story at Disneyland right now is the 70th anniversary celebration, which kicked off back in May 2025 and runs through August 9, 2026 (with the Paint the Night parade and Wondrous Journeys fireworks sticking around through August 20). If you’ve been waiting to see this one, you genuinely don’t have much time left, so I wouldn’t put off a visit if it’s on your list.
The celebration includes the “Celebrate Happy” Cavalcade, the returning Paint the Night parade, the Wondrous Journeys fireworks show, the Tapestry of Happiness projection on “it’s a small world,” and a new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics moment inside the Main Street Opera House. There’s also a separately ticketed 70th anniversary guided tour if you want a deeper dive into Disneyland history.
Beyond the anniversary, the resort runs a fairly predictable rhythm of annual celebrations worth building a trip around if you have flexibility. Lunar New Year typically runs from late January through February at Disney California Adventure, honoring Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean traditions with themed food, decor, and the Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession.
The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival usually runs from March through April. Halloween Time stretches from mid-August through October 31 and includes Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Oogie Boogie Bash ticketed party, and Halloween overlays in Cars Land. And Holidays at the Disneyland Resort typically begins in mid-to-late November and runs through early January, with the Christmas Fantasy Parade, “Believe… In Holiday Magic” fireworks, and Disney California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays.
Disney After Dark Parties
Disney After Dark has become Disneyland’s go-to format for ticketed nighttime events, and the resort has been running five or six of these a year: Sweethearts’ Nite in late January and February, a special anniversary-themed party (this year it was “70 Years of Favorites” in March), Disney Channel Nite in April, Star Wars Nite around early May, and Pride Nite in June. If you’re hoping to attend one, I’d recommend following Disneyland’s official events page closely, since exact dates and themes shift from year to year and tickets do sell out.
Disneyland Park
Star Wars: Season of the Force
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge gets its own celebration window in the weeks surrounding May the 4th, complete with a Hyperspace Mountain overlay and Star Wars Nite. The biggest recent update is on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which now features a new mission led by Din Djarin and Grogu, timed to the release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” If you’ve ridden Smugglers Run before and assume you know what to expect, it’s worth giving it another go now that the story has changed.
Bluey’s Best Day Ever!
Bluey and her sister Bingo made their Disneyland debut at the Fantasyland Theatre as part of the 70th anniversary celebration, and this interactive stage show has quickly become a favorite for families with younger kids. Expect music, dance-alongs, character appearances, and themed photo opportunities. If your crew loves the show, build in time, because this one tends to draw a crowd.
Disney California Adventure
Soarin’ Across America
Soarin’ Across America is the newest version of the beloved hang-gliding attraction, part of Disney’s “Disney Celebrates America” campaign marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. It swaps the California-only flyover for a coast-to-coast journey highlighting national landmarks. This one’s been a long time coming for fans of the ride, and I think it’s a smart refresh that keeps the experience feeling new without losing what made Soarin’ a classic in the first place.
World of Color Happiness!
The refreshed nighttime water spectacular at Disney California Adventure is now in its second year, and the opening-night frenzy is well behind it, which makes it a great pick if you want to catch a nighttime show without the launch-week crowds. It’s worth checking showtimes ahead of your visit, since timing can shift seasonally.
Avengers Campus Expansion
This is the project I get asked about most. Avengers Campus is roughly doubling in size with two new attractions under construction: Avengers Infinity Defense, a major E-ticket dark ride where guests battle an alternate, victorious version of Thanos across locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City, and Stark Flight Lab, a simpler flying attraction featuring Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark. Construction has been visibly progressing for over a year, with the connecting canopy structure and show buildings well underway. The Red Car Trolley has also stopped operating to accommodate the construction footprint, so don’t be surprised if you notice its absence while walking through the area.
Disney hasn’t announced an opening date for either ride, and most park insiders expect them to debut together sometime in 2027 or 2028 rather than separately. I wouldn’t plan a trip around this one just yet, but it’s worth watching if you’re a Marvel family.
Coco Attraction
A new boat ride inspired by Pixar’s “Coco” is under construction near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier. Walt Disney Imagineering has said the ride will draw inspiration from Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, with an emphasis on Audio-Animatronics bringing Miguel’s skeletal family to life. Construction is still in its early stages, and current estimates point toward a 2028 opening, with timing connected to an upcoming Coco sequel film. Don’t expect this one for a while yet, but construction will be visible as you walk through that part of the park.
Avatar-Inspired Land
This one’s worth a quick honesty check, because the story has shifted since Disney first announced it. The original plan was for a new Avatar-themed land in the Hollywood Backlot area, inspired by “Avatar: The Way of Water” and its sequels, centered around a boat ride described as having both thrilling and gentle moments as it brings Pandora to life in a new way. It would replace Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue, which has had its closure pushed back multiple times. Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum has confirmed the extended timeline reflects a shift in construction sequencing rather than a cancellation, so the ride is expected to stay open into 2027, with its eventual closure still coming.
More recently, though, reporting has suggested Disney may be reconsidering the project altogether, given the lukewarm box office performance of the most recent Avatar film and uncertainty around future installments. I’ll update this section as soon as there’s anything official, but for now I’d treat this one as genuinely uncertain rather than a sure thing.
Downtown Disney District
Downtown Disney has been in the middle of a years-long refresh, and a lot of it has finally started landing. Earl of Sandwich opened its new, much larger two-story permanent location near the Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage, after years of bouncing between temporary spots. T
he second floor of that building will house Gordon Ramsay at The Carnaby, a 1960s British-themed gastropub, which hasn’t opened yet but is expected sometime this year. Porto’s Bakery & Café is still under construction on the old Earl of Sandwich/La Brea Bakery site.
Other restaurants in the pipeline include Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon, Pearl’s Roadside BBQ, and Bopo Go!, a boba tea concept replacing the longtime Jamba location. Lululemon is also expected to join the district as part of the broader retail refresh.
DisneylandForward
If you’ve heard people mention “DisneylandForward” and weren’t sure what it meant, it’s the city-approved framework that gives Disney more flexibility to develop its existing property through 2035, without needing to specify exact plans years in advance. It’s less a single project and more the umbrella that makes things like the Avengers Campus expansion, the Coco ride, and a new Eastern Gateway transportation hub possible. Most of the heavier infrastructure work, including a new parking structure and pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard, isn’t expected to break ground until later in 2026, so don’t expect to see major visible changes from this one anytime soon.
The Eastern Gateway project itself is worth knowing about, since it’s a meaningful piece of what’s coming. It’s a new parking and transportation hub planned with approximately 6,000 parking spaces, dedicated shuttle and rideshare areas, and improved traffic flow into the resort. It won’t change anything about your visit in the immediate future, but it’s the kind of infrastructure work that should make a real difference once it’s online.
Be sure to check back, as I update this page regularly as new rides, restaurants, and entertainment are announced! And for the most current, official details on dates and tickets, check out the official Disneyland Resort events page, since timing on ticketed events especially can shift.
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