Hi there! Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting theme park news around the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and other theme parks.
- Get ready for a spooktacular Halloween season at Disneyland Resort, running from Aug. 23 to Oct. 31, 2024. Here are the major highlights slotted for this year:
- Haunted Mansion Holiday Returns: New for this year, access will be available via virtual queue only due to the reimagining of the queue.
- Mickey and Friends in New Festive Attire: Mickey, Minnie Mouse and friends will don new outfits featuring skeleton inspirations and colorful patchwork patterns.
- "Mickey’s Trick and Treat" Show: Enjoy this family-friendly sing-along show at the Disney Theater in Disney California Adventure Park, which will be available as a daily offering throughout the season for the first time.
- "Halloween Screams" Nighttime Spectacular: Featuring spooky projections and special effects, "Halloween Screams" is viewable from Sleeping Beauty Castle, the "it’s a small world" facade, Rivers of America, and along Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland Park. Fireworks will be shown on select nights.
- Oogie Boogie Bash: We've finally got ticket release deets! Tickets go on sale starting June 25 for Inspire Magic Key holders, June 26 for all Magic Key holders and June 27 for all guests.
- It's alive! Mmmhahahah (said in our Franken-froggy laugh)! On June 20, Universal Orlando Resort unveiled exciting details about the upcoming Dark Universe land at Universal Epic Universe, set to open in 2025. This monsters-themed area is one of the five unique worlds that will be part of the new theme park. Visitors will enter Dark Universe through Celestial Park, arriving at the edge of the eerie village of Darkmoor. Dark Universe will feature two attractions, immersive dining experiences, monster meet and greets and unique shopping experiences that include the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience. You can learn more by visiting our Universal Epic Theme Park guide and Dark Universe posts here.
- Universal Studios Hollywood introduced a new haunted house, "Dead Exposure: Death Valley," for Halloween Horror Nights 2024. This house, inspired by a similar attraction at Universal Orlando, features a secret lab experiment gone wrong. This results in radioactive zombies escaping just as visitors arrive. "Dead Exposure: Death Valley" is the second of eight haunted houses announced for the event. Halloween Horror Nights 2024 will take place on select nights from Sept. 5 to Nov. 3, 2024.
- Universal Studios Hollywood is expanding The Studio Tour to celebrate its 60th anniversary. From June 22 to Aug. 11, 2024, visitors can enjoy new photo opportunities at Universal Plaza. This includes the iconic time machine from the "Back to the Future" films. Guests can get a close-up look and pose for photos with other memorable attractions from the park's history.
- USA! USA! Disney World has announced the schedule for its 2024 Fourth of July fireworks and entertainment. "Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky" will light up the sky at Magic Kingdom on July 3 and July 4 at 9:20 p.m. DJ dance parties will be held in front of Cinderella Castle and around the park during extended hours — July 3, 8 a.m. to midnight and July 4, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. EPCOT will feature a patriotic fireworks display, "The Heartbeat of Freedom," following the new nighttime show, "Luminous The Symphony of Us," on July 4 at 9 p.m. For more ways to celebrate, check out our guide for all the Fourth of July hoppenings at Disney World.
- Ahoy Matey! Disney Cruise Line has revealed its itineraries for Fall 2025 to Spring 2026. Four ships — Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, Disney Treasure and Disney Dream — will sail to Disney's island destinations, Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. For a tropical getaway, you can set sail from the Pacific Coast and Gulf of Mexico in late 2025 and early 2026. Additionally, the Disney Wonder will offer cruises across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific from October 2025 to February 2026. Holiday cruises, including Halloween on the High Seas and Very Merrytime sailings, will also return in 2025. Bookings open to the general public on June 28. For more details, visit our Disney cruise itineraries page. And psst! Did you know the Frog Family offers exclusive Disney Cruise Line savings with no booking fees? Ribbit!
- On June 17, Test Track closed its doors for the scheduled reimagining. In September 2023, Disney announced plans to reimagine Test Track at EPCOT for the third time. Disney shared that "Disney Imagineers and Chevrolet teams are drawing inspiration from the original World of Motion to bring a sense of optimism to the new version of Test Track." Chevrolet will also continue to be a partner. Concept art for the updated exterior of the attraction was released in April 2024. There is no reopening date yet, but Test Track is expected to be open sometime in 2025.
- SeaWorld Orlando, known as the Coaster Capital of Orlando, announced the grand opening of its new attraction, Penguin Trek! Set to open July 7, 2024, this family launch coaster is located in the new Antarctica Realm. Riders will board snowmobile-style cars for a ride through the icy wilderness of Antarctica. The coaster features two launches, speeds up to 43 mph and a 3,020-foot track that is both indoors and outdoors. SeaWorld Orlando Pass Member previews begin July 2.
That's gonna do it for theme park news this week!
Hoppy planning!
