Hi there! Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting theme park news around the Walt Disney World Resort, the Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and other theme parks.
Here are this week’s theme park highlights:
- The Main Street Electrical Parade is ending its run at Magic Kingdom on Oct. 9 and heading back to Disneyland, where it debuted in 1972. The parade, representing classic Disney films such as "Alice in Wonderland," "Cinderella" and "Peter Pan," will return early next year to the Happiest Place on Earth for a limited engagement. The Disney Parks Blog confirmed last week that the very popular Paint the Night parade, along with Disneyland Forever and World of Color Celebrate that debuted as part of its 60th anniversary, would have their final showings Sept. 5. But the blog reported this week that Paint the Night will return on select nights during this Christmas holiday season. There was no announcement about where Paint the Night might go after that, although there are plenty of fans who are hoping it heads to Magic Kingdom. Expect more updates soon!
- The Disney Parks Blog also shared details on the planned east-side entry to the Disneyland Resort, which is set to open in late 2018. Construction is soon to begin on the Eastern Gateway, which will include a new parking structure with 6,800 spaces, a transportation facility and an elevated pedestrian bride.
- Universal Orlando revealed all of its original houses, scare zones and shows for Halloween Horror Nights 26, which we'll be detailing in our guide. Of note, all of the scare zones will be original this year and not based off of a TV series, film or game franchise.
- And it's not too early to be thinking about A Celebration of Harry Potter, which will be returning to Universal Orlando in 2017. An announcement on dates and details are expected soon.
- Elena of Avalor, Disney's first Hispanic princess, made her Magic Kingdom debut earlier this week to much fanfare. She was welcomed by Cinderella and Prince Charming in a castle stage show that will run several times a day for a limited time. Elena will also be coming soon to Disneyland.
That’s it for the theme park news this week. Have a great weekend!
Hoppy planning!
If you’re thinking about a trip to Disney World, make sure to check out the other news, tips and information we post to the blog throughout the week. If you’re ready to plan your trip, we recommend you start with our Orlando Planning Guide.