Walt Disney World's biggest fans anticipate many changes at the resort in the new year. Disney Parks Blog, the official communications channel sharing official parks news and announcements, recently provided new details about additions coming to Walt Disney World in 2025. Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro unveiled many of these changes earlier this year at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California.

These changes come on the heels of a busy past few years. Since 2022, Walt Disney World opened headliner attractions such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle/Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. While this year does not include any new land or ride openings, multiple smaller-scale but highly anticipated projects will keep fans busy.

Travel experts who love the Disney World theme park as much as any other fan highlight the changes in 2025 they look forward to the most. When planning a vacation to Disney World in the new year, keeping these opening timelines in mind will help families experience the latest offerings. Travelers must also consider upcoming ride closures as Disney World prepares for major multi-year projects beginning in 2025.

Attraction Closures and Openings

This year marks the beginning of significant changes at the Walt Disney World theme parks. At Magic Kingdom, the Liberty Square Riverboat and Rivers of America section of Frontierland will permanently close to make way for a new area inspired by the Pixar Cars franchise. Officials have yet to announce an exact timeline for when these changes will commence in 2025.

Over in Disney's Animal Kingdom, DinoLand U.S.A. heads towards extinction in the new year. Several of the land's rides will close in January, with the land closing in phases to make way for a new land inspired by what Disney Imagineers dub the Tropical Americas – Central and South America featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones. DinoLand's flagship attraction, DINOSAUR, will remain open throughout 2025 before its permanent closure at some point in 2026. The Tropical Americas land opens in 2027.

Test Track, a popular thrill ride at EPCOT, closed last summer to make way for a new version, reopening in late summer. This third iteration of the attraction features an all-new storyline and integrates man's journey with motion into new show scenes.

Gavin Doyle, founder of Mickey Visit and best-selling author of Disneyland Secrets, highlights how the new version of Test Track strengthens EPCOT's ride offerings. "That is a super fun ride system, so it will be exciting to see what new story they can introduce there. I am pleased that the ride is closed for over a year because that signals they are doing some real work to improve this attraction."

New Entertainment and Dining

For fans of Walt Disney World's parades and entertainment, 2025 marks a period of exciting changes. For the first time in years, guests at the Magic Kingdom will see a nighttime parade making its way down Main Street, U.S.A. The parade, called Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, debuts in the summer. The parade features floats inspired by Disney animated films such as Moana, Peter Pan, Frozen, and Pinocchio.

Theme park journalist Megan duBois highlights Disney Starlight as the number one thing she looks forward to the most at Disney World for 2025. "The concept art reminds me of the nighttime parade at Tokyo Disneyland, which is so cute," says duBois. She notes the lengthy hiatus between nighttime parades performing at Magic Kingdom emphasizes how dramatically the evening environment will change in the park once Disney Starlight debuts.

Parades and special Disney firework shows draw a crowd to the Disney theme parks as one of the most popular entertainment offerings. In many fans' eyes, Disney Starlight's debut eclipses the excitement felt when a new ride opens.

"Though there is no huge new ride opening at Walt Disney World in 2025, there are quite a few big additions that I am excited about," says Doyle. "The new nighttime parade will be a ton of fun. I was thrilled to hear them announce this."

In addition to the parade, a brand-new stage show, Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After , will premiere at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the summer. The show features a cast of popular villains from Disney animated films, including Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent.

Two new lounge spaces serving food and drinks will also welcome its first guests at Walt Disney World in 2025. Spaceship Earth Lounge, inspired by the flagship EPCOT attraction, opens in late spring. The second lounge, themed after the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Magic Kingdom, will open in late 2025.