50+ New Things Coming to Disney World You Can't Miss in 2025 & Beyond

Upcoming Disney World Additions

• 🎢 Magic Kingdom is set to receive a new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak National Park, taking over Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America, with closures starting July 7th.
• 🏴‍☠️ A new lounge, Beacon Barrel, themed to Pirates of the Caribbean, will open in Adventureland in late 2025, offering family-friendly drinks and bites.
• 🎃 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party returns from August 15th to October 31st, featuring new offerings like Mickey and Minnie meeting together in Halloween costumes.
• 🗺️ A free Year in Disney World PDF calendar for 2025 is available, detailing extended evening hours, crowd predictions, and special holidays.
• 🎮 Level 99, an interactive social entertainment experience with physical and mental challenges, is opening at Disney Springs, featuring over 60 challenge rooms and dining options.
• 🏨 Disney's Lakeshore Lodge, a new Magic Kingdom Area Resort Hotel and Disney Vacation Club resort, is slated to open in 2027 on the former River Country site.
• 🥂 GO82, an adults-only (21+) lounge with a Spaceship Earth theme, opened June 4th, 2025, offering specialty drinks and bites, with advanced dining reservations required.
• 🌴 Pueblo Espironza in Animal Kingdom will transform the former Coronado Springs area, highlighting tropical Americas and featuring an Encanto-themed ride.
• 🚀 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Magic Kingdom will close in August for a significant refurbishment, reopening in 2028 with upgraded ride vehicles, blasters, and interactive targets.
• 🏰 A new Villains-themed land is in development for Magic Kingdom, promising dark and ominous attractions, dining, and shopping experiences inspired by various Disney antagonists.

Epcot and Hollywood Studios Updates

• 🚗 Test Track in Epcot is undergoing a reimagining, expected to open late summer, taking inspiration from World of Motion.
• ✨ Disney Starlight Dream the Night Away, a new nighttime parade, will debut at Magic Kingdom on July 20th, 2025, featuring new stories and floats.
• 🏖️ Stormalong Bay, the popular pool at Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, is set to reopen soon after major refurbishments concluding in June 2025.
• 🚀 Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Hollywood Studios will feature new missions with The Mandalorian and Grogu, along with new Star Wars destinations, launching in May 2026.
• 🗺️ An Indiana Jones ride is coming to Pueblo Espironza in Animal Kingdom, featuring a new story set after the discovery of a Maya Temple.
• 🚗 The new Piston Peak area in Magic Kingdom will include two Cars rides: one with wild terrain and another for younger racers, plus a new character, Ranger J. Audabon Woodlor.
• 🚢 Beacon Barrel will feature two main seating areas: 'The Mess' and 'The Captain's Quarters', with themed decor and interactive elements.
• 🍽️ Pueblo Espironza will include a large quick-service restaurant, and a third attraction, a carousel featuring characters like Kevin from 'Up', is also planned.
• 🎶 The Voyage of The Little Mermaid at Hollywood Studios has been reimagined as 'The Little Mermaid, a musical adventure', with updated staging and new focus on storytelling.
• 👻 Monstropolis is set to take over Muppets Courtyard in Hollywood Studios, featuring Disney's first suspended coaster and a new theater show.
• 🌍 Zootopia: Better Together will replace 'It's Tough to Be a Bug' at Animal Kingdom, taking guests on an adventure through different biomes from the film.
• 🍣 A potential Harry's Japanese restaurant from Monsters, Inc. may open in the new Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios.
• 🎆 GO82 will offer a private fireworks experience for adults (21+) with views of Epcot's 'Luminous, the Symphony of Us' show for $179 per person.
• 😈 Magic Kingdom's Villains Land will feature dining, shopping, and potentially meet-and-greets, with inspiration from characters like the Queen of Hearts, Jafar, and Maleficent.
• 🎢 The Villains Land concept art suggests two potential rides, including a large-scale roller coaster and an attraction through a cavern with waterfalls.
• 🎸 Rock & Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios will be re-themed to feature The Muppets, becoming a rock and music festival experience.
• 🎭 The Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After show is running on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios, where villains present their cases to the audience.

Resort and Festival Updates

• 🏨 Bay Lake Tower, Copper Creek Villas, and Polynesian Village Resort are undergoing refurbishments through 2025 and 2026.
• 🏨 Port Orleans Riverside is refurbishing guest rooms in the Magnolia Bend area from April 2025 to January 2026.
• 🍲 Epcot's Food and Wine Festival returns August 28th to November 22nd, with new food booths, merchandise, and events.
• 🎃 Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights are expected to return with new festive entertainment and offerings.
• 🏖️ The free water park perk for resort guests continues through 2025 and will return in Summer 2026.
• 👨‍🏫 Phineas and Ferb are meeting guests at Epcot from June 1st to June 28th.
• 🍦 Everything Pop at Pop Century Resort has reopened with a brighter design and new food options, including a Mickey ice cream truck sundae.
• 🥩 Bourbon Steak Restaurant by Chef Michael Mina will replace Shoulless Steakhouse at the Swan and Dolphin hotels mid-summer.
• 🏨 Pop Century Resort guest rooms are undergoing refurbishment from late March 2025 to mid-February 2026.
• 🍽️ California Grill at the Contemporary Resort is celebrating its 30th anniversary with returning classic menu items until May 2026.
• 🎬 A new theater show is planned for the Monstropolis area in Hollywood Studios.
• 🎢 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be closed until late 2026 for a major refurbishment, including track replacement and new effects, with subtle updates to fit the Piston Peak area.
• 🏞️ The Piston Peak area will feature car-themed architecture, lower windows, and numerous water elements and shade.
• 🎠 A carousel featuring characters like Kevin from 'Up' will be part of Pueblo Espironza in Animal Kingdom.
• 🧑‍🍳 Destination D23 will take place at Coronado Springs Resort from August 29th-31st, 2025, with potential for major news announcements.