D23 2026: Everything Announced for Walt Disney World

D23, Disney’s fan convention, ran from 14 to 16 August 2026 in Anaheim. It is where Disney announces what it is building, and this year Walt Disney World got the biggest slate in years.

Four new lands, a long-promised repair fans had stopped believing in, and firm details on rides that had only been rumours. Here is all of it, and what it actually means for planning a trip.

The short version

Verified 18 August 2026. Disney gave firm dates for very little of this, and where no date was given we have said so rather than guessing.

Magic Kingdom is getting two new lands

Villains Land

The name is now official. The premise is a corrupted wishing well that has drawn Disney’s villains together, with Maleficent, the Evil Queen and her Magic Mirror named in Disney’s announcement.

Two rides. A Maleficent coaster racing through the enchanted briar around her mountaintop fortress, which Disney says uses elements its Imagineers have not attempted before. And a Magic Mirror dark ride into a Mirror Realm, built with physical set pieces and special effects, according to Disney.

Full detail in our Villains Land guide.

Piston Peak National Park

The Cars land, going into Frontierland where Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat used to be. Themed as an American national park, in the heavy timber and stone “Parkitecture” style.

Cars Ridge Run Rally is an off-road racing attraction with vehicles whose tyres and suspension physically react to the terrain, climbing the mountain and running through a geyser field. Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along is a demolition derby with a school-bus-sized animatronic of Miss Fritter.

See the Piston Peak guide.

Carousel of Progress comes back late spring 2027

It closed on 6 July 2026 for its first major update since 1994, and Disney expects it back in late spring 2027.

All four scenes are being updated, with the settings now covering the 1960s, the 1980s, the turn of the millennium and a possible future. Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston are voicing Mom and Dad, and a new Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney appears in the opening.

The Yeti is finally being fixed

This announcement drew the loudest reaction.

Expedition Everest’s Yeti has stood motionless under a strobe light since the late 2000s. Disney has never said why. Fans named it the Disco Yeti. Disney has now confirmed it is being brought back to life.

Gloria Gaynor came on stage to sing “I Will Survive” as a send-off. No timeline was given. Our full write-up is here.

Animal Kingdom: Tropical Americas

Eleven acres, replacing DinoLand. Two headline attractions.

Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto has no height requirement and puts you in vehicles made from furniture brought to life by Casita, past what Disney says are more than 50 animals. Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow and Diane Guerrero are reprising their film roles.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent is set in an ancient Maya temple, and is the first Disney attraction to use Harrison Ford’s likeness for its Audio-Animatronic.

More in the Tropical Americas guide.

Hollywood Studios: Monstropolis

Parts open in 2027. The Monsters Inc door coaster will be Disney’s first suspended coaster at any of its parks, and its first with a vertical lift.

The land also gets the Glob Theater, Harryhausen’s restaurant with an Audio-Animatronic sushi chef, Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza, the Monsters University Alumni Club and a shop called the Scareporium. See the Monstropolis guide.

EPCOT: Dreamfinder returns to Journey Into Imagination

Dreamfinder is coming back to Journey Into Imagination, alongside Figment. Disney announced the return without detail or a date, but for long-time EPCOT fans the confirmation alone was the headline.

What this means if you are planning a trip

Nothing here changes a 2026 trip. Every new land is 2027 at the earliest, and 2 of the 4 have no announced year at all.

Frontierland stays disrupted. Piston Peak is being built where Rivers of America was, so construction walls in that part of Magic Kingdom continue.

Do not book a 2027 trip around an opening date. Disney announced very few, and theme park schedules move. Watch our refurbishment tracker, which we update as dates firm up.

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