Parks Magic Parks Magic: Orlando Theme Park News & Guides

All News

Legoland Florida's Brick-or-Treat Expands 50% for 2026 with 18 Dates and the Return of Monster Skytacular Legoland Florida

Legoland Florida's Brick-or-Treat Expands 50% for 2026 with 18 Dates and the Return of Monster Skytacular

Legoland Florida announced June 4 that Brick-or-Treat 2026 will run 18 select dates from September 5 to October 31, a 50% expansion over prior years and the biggest Halloween season in the park's history. The Monster Skytacular drone show returns on select evenings, joined by The Great Monster Chase 4D Movie, Monster Meet & Greets, and a six-character lineup including Monster Rocker, Spider Lady, Mummy, Zombie Pirate, Scarecrow, and Shark Suit Guy. Included with regular admission and annual passes.

June 8, 2026 News
SeaWorld Orlando's June Pass Member Month Headlines a VIP Ride Night the Eve of Electric Ocean's Debut SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando's June Pass Member Month Headlines a VIP Ride Night the Eve of Electric Ocean's Debut

SeaWorld Orlando's June Pass Member Month kicks off today with a stack of dated perks across SeaWorld and Aquatica. The headline: a Pass Member VIP Ride Night on Thursday June 11, the evening before Electric Ocean debuts to the public June 12. Other June benefits include $20 Aquatica Beach Bucks for Platinum members ($10 for other tiers), $25 guest tickets, exclusive Pass Member Croc Charms June 15-30, and Ultimate Playdate early access at Turi's Kid Cove on select Mondays.

June 1, 2026 News
Hollywood Drift's 170-Foot Spike Begins Rising Over Universal Studios Florida Universal Orlando

Hollywood Drift's 170-Foot Spike Begins Rising Over Universal Studios Florida

Aerial photos this past weekend show the first major vertical construction at Universal Studios Florida's Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift site. The 170-foot spike, roughly the equivalent of a 17-story building, is the signature vertical element of the upcoming 360-degree drifting coaster. Inside Universal published the May 29 aerial set; WDWNT followed with additional photos showing the rapidly rising structure. The coaster is targeting a 2027 debut.

June 1, 2026 News
Walt's Carousel of Progress Has 34 Days Left Before a Major Reimagining Through 2027 Disney World

Walt's Carousel of Progress Has 34 Days Left Before a Major Reimagining Through 2027

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom has 34 days left before its July 5 final performance and a multi-year reimagining that runs through 2027. The Imagineering team announced May 28 that the show is getting four new acts, an off-planet future scene, and the first Walt Disney audio-animatronic at Walt Disney World, while preserving the original family and the Sherman Brothers' anthem. As Memorial Day weekend wraps and Flower & Garden ends today, the clock on the original show is genuinely ticking.

June 1, 2026 News
Pin Tuesday Starting June 2: No Overnight Queueing Allowed Disney World

Pin Tuesday Starting June 2: No Overnight Queueing Allowed

Disney Springs parking garages and rideshare loops will not open until 7 a.m. on Pin Tuesday and other merchandise-event days, starting Tuesday, June 2. Guests who arrive before 7 a.m. will be asked to leave and return when the garages open. The rule applies to the Orange, Lime, and Grapefruit garages and the Watermelon, Strawberry, and Mango surface lots.

May 30, 2026 News
Universal Re-Files Permit Confirming a Third Attraction Coming to Dark Universe at Epic Universe Universal Orlando

Universal Re-Files Permit Confirming a Third Attraction Coming to Dark Universe at Epic Universe

Universal quietly re-filed a permit dated April 28 confirming a third attraction is coming to Dark Universe at Epic Universe. The permit covers Building 1570 under the project codename "Project 680," in the same 15XX block as Curse of the Werewolf inside Dark Universe. The strongest fan rumor: a Bride of Frankenstein-themed ride. Universal has not confirmed the IP.

May 30, 2026 News
SeaWorld Orlando's Pass Member Picnic Returns This Weekend at Sea Harbor Pavilions SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando's Pass Member Picnic Returns This Weekend at Sea Harbor Pavilions

SeaWorld Orlando's Pass Member Picnic returns this Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Sea Harbor Pavilions. Tickets are $10 online (Pass Member portal or ID.me) until the day before, $15 day-of at venue subject to capacity. Eligibility: active Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Florida Platinum Pass Members plus active-duty and veteran military members with valid ID. Park admission and parking are required and not included.

May 29, 2026 News
Sindbad Theater Demolition in Full Swing at Universal's Lost Continent Universal Orlando

Sindbad Theater Demolition in Full Swing at Universal's Lost Continent

Inside Universal reported Wednesday that demolition of the Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Theater at Islands of Adventure is "in full swing." Aerial photos from this week show the 1999 opening-day building gutted, with a massive hole opened in the side of the structure. Memorial Day weekend guests get the first direct look. Lost Continent turned 27 yesterday (May 28); 24 hours later, its biggest building is being torn open.

May 29, 2026 News
Banana Ball Debuts at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Tonight: Coconuts vs. Party Animals Disney World

Banana Ball Debuts at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Tonight: Coconuts vs. Party Animals

Tonight is the first time any Banana Ball Championship League team has played at Walt Disney World. The Loco Beach Coconuts face off against the Party Animals at The Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports for a two-night Friday-Saturday slate. Friday's game streams on ESPN Unlimited and Disney+ per the official 2026 schedule. Behind the scenes, a Sportscape cast crew with a combined 100-plus years at Disney has been prepping The Stadium for weeks.

May 29, 2026 News
Fire & Ice Day 2 Reviews at SeaWorld Orlando: Attractions Magazine Calls It Better Than Soarin' SeaWorld Orlando

Fire & Ice Day 2 Reviews at SeaWorld Orlando: Attractions Magazine Calls It Better Than Soarin'

The first long-form review of Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice landed yesterday from Attractions Magazine, and the verdict is sharp: the new SeaWorld Orlando flying-theater retheme "surpasses Disney's new Soarin' Across America" and "balances tranquil footage with fast-paced moments" with "thoughtful and structured" transitions. The film was shot in Iceland and produced by Flyover (the Vancouver-based attraction-design studio whose FlyOver films are directed by former Imagineer Rick Rothschild, who led the creative development of the original Soarin' Over California). Day 2 wait times and ride profile are now public.

May 27, 2026 News
Hogwarts Always Projection Show Returns to Hogwarts Castle Saturday: 7-Minute Loop Every 20 Minutes Universal Orlando

Hogwarts Always Projection Show Returns to Hogwarts Castle Saturday: 7-Minute Loop Every 20 Minutes

After the Hogwarts Castle scrim came down on May 12, the next big payoff lands this Saturday May 30: Hogwarts Always, the projection-mapping show that walks through a complete Hogwarts school year and crowns a different house at each performance, returns nightly at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Hogsmeade. Shows run every 20 minutes from dusk through park close.

May 27, 2026 News
Bluey's Wild World Virtual Queue Vanishes in Seconds on Day 2: The 10 a.m. In-Park Drop Workaround Disney World

Bluey's Wild World Virtual Queue Vanishes in Seconds on Day 2: The 10 a.m. In-Park Drop Workaround

For the second consecutive morning, the 7 a.m. virtual queue for Bluey's Wild World at Conservation Station filled almost instantly. Families across the country tapped through to "This virtual queue is closed to guests not already in a group." If you can get into Disney's Animal Kingdom for park open, the 10 a.m. in-park drop is the calmer alternative on Day 2 since fewer guests are competing for it. Here's how to plan around it.

May 27, 2026 News
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Loses Universal Express on July 1 Universal Orlando

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Loses Universal Express on July 1

Universal Orlando announced today that Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal's Islands of Adventure will no longer be part of the Universal Express program effective Wednesday July 1, 2026. The ride had only joined Express on Friday May 30, 2025 (six years after its June 13, 2019 opening), making the Express era at Hagrid's 13 months and 1 day long. Universal's statement frames it as an "operational update" to "improve the flow of the experience." No refunds or compensation have been announced.

May 27, 2026 News
Pig Family Travel Adventure Opens at Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida: Passport Stamps and Five Zones Legoland Florida

Pig Family Travel Adventure Opens at Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida: Passport Stamps and Five Zones

The Pig Family Travel Adventure event launched Saturday May 23 at Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida and ran through Memorial Day Monday. Now that media coverage is live, here's how the actual on-site mechanic works: every guest gets a Passport, collects stamps across five themed zones (Australia, China, France, South Pole, USA), and earns a special-edition pop badge for completing all activities (while supplies last). Included with admission, runs select dates through June 28.

May 27, 2026 News
Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice Grand-Opens at SeaWorld Orlando, Replacing Wild Arctic SeaWorld Orlando

Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice Grand-Opens at SeaWorld Orlando, Replacing Wild Arctic

After a 45-day conversion from the original Expedition Odyssey, SeaWorld Orlando's Mack Airific flying theater grand-opened yesterday (Monday May 25) as Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice. The retheme keeps the 30-seat, two-level ride vehicle but replaces the entry experience, pre-show, and high-definition film with a story-driven Arctic-research narrative filmed largely in Iceland. The post-show beluga, walrus, and penguin habitat (including Uki the orphaned Pacific walrus calf) stays.

May 27, 2026 News
Universal Quietly Delays Mega Movie Parade by Two Weeks to June 5 Universal Orlando

Universal Quietly Delays Mega Movie Parade by Two Weeks to June 5

Universal Orlando quietly pushed the Mega Movie Parade's much-hyped return from Saturday May 23 to Friday June 5, with no formal announcement, only a calendar update. Memorial Day weekend guests who built Universal trips around the Blockbuster Summer kickoff arrived to find the rest of the lineup (Spielberg Summer Blockbusters exhibit, Amity overlay) running on schedule but no parade in sight. Here's what we know and what Universal isn't saying.

May 27, 2026 News
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets Opens at Hollywood Studios to Two-Hour Waits Disney World

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets Opens at Hollywood Studios to Two-Hour Waits

The Aerosmith-to-Muppets retheme officially opens to the public today, Tuesday May 26, 2026, and the opening-day demand was exactly as ridiculous as Disney probably hoped: posted standby hit 110 minutes before 8:30 a.m., the queue spilled out behind the Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After construction gate next to Tower of Terror, Lightning Lane sold out, and the Electric Mayhem opened the morning with a courtyard concert featuring John Stamos on bongos. Three other major attractions also opened today (Soarin' Across America, Bluey's Wild World, FØØD by Swedish Chef), but the Muppets coaster is the story.

May 27, 2026 News
Joe Schott Named Walt Disney World President, Closing the Vahle Succession Question Disney World

Joe Schott Named Walt Disney World President, Closing the Vahle Succession Question

Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum named Joe Schott as the next President of Walt Disney World Resort this morning, with Natacha Rafalski moving to lead Disney Signature Experiences and Christophe Murphy taking over Disneyland Paris. Schott, a 40-plus-year Disney veteran who started as a Magic Kingdom Jungle Cruise skipper, returns to Florida after presidencies at Shanghai Disney Resort and Disney Signature Experiences. He succeeds Jeff Vahle by the end of July.

May 18, 2026 News
Captain Cacao Debuts as Epic Universe Meet-and-Greet on the Park's One-Year Anniversary Universal Orlando

Captain Cacao Debuts as Epic Universe Meet-and-Greet on the Park's One-Year Anniversary

Universal confirmed today that Captain Cacao, the original Celestial Park character who has been on merchandise and treat packaging since Epic Universe opened, debuts as a costumed meet-and-greet on Friday May 22, the park's one-year anniversary. The dark-chocolate teddy bear with a white-chocolate star over one eye, an orange-and-gold shoulder sash, and a blue captain's hat finally steps out from behind the Moonship Chocolates counter.

May 18, 2026 News
Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice is Days From Reopening at SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld Orlando

Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice is Days From Reopening at SeaWorld Orlando

Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice is closing in on its reopening at SeaWorld Orlando this week. The flying-theater attraction went dark Friday April 10 for what the park called an "approximately 40-day" conversion, which maths out to this week. The official ride page still reads "Coming this Spring" with a 39-inch height requirement, but ticket-purchase windows already extend to June 30. The same Mack flying-theater vehicle and ride system stays, with an entirely new entry experience, pre-show, film, score, and ride profile.

May 18, 2026 News
LEGO Festival Returns to Legoland Florida July 20 to August 16 with Two New Zones Legoland Florida

LEGO Festival Returns to Legoland Florida July 20 to August 16 with Two New Zones

Legoland Florida's LEGO Festival returns for its second annual run this summer, July 20 to August 16, 2026, with two brand-new themed zones (Thrill Zone and Play Zone) joining the original Music, Creative, and Chill Out zones. Master Model Builder sessions are back, the Battle of the Bands live show returns to the Music Zone, and the whole festival is included with regular park admission. We covered the festival's confirmation in May; this is the full date and lineup reveal.

May 18, 2026 News
Park President Jon Peterson Goes on the Record for SeaWorld Orlando's Electric Ocean 2026: Three Nighttime Animal Shows Join "Hydro Surge" Cirque and "Club SeaGlow" DJ Party SeaWorld Orlando

Park President Jon Peterson Goes on the Record for SeaWorld Orlando's Electric Ocean 2026: Three Nighttime Animal Shows Join "Hydro Surge" Cirque and "Club SeaGlow" DJ Party

SeaWorld Orlando park president Jon Peterson went on the record today about Electric Ocean's summer 2026 lineup, naming three nighttime animal presentations alongside the previously-revealed "Hydro Surge" cirque at Nautilus Theater and "Club SeaGlow" DJ dance party at Bayside Stadium. The full Electric Ocean run starts June 12 and continues through September 7.

May 15, 2026 News
Pteranodon Flyers Spotted Testing on the Jurassic Park Track at Universal's Islands of Adventure: First Public Sign of Life Ahead of the May 22 Reopening Universal Orlando

Pteranodon Flyers Spotted Testing on the Jurassic Park Track at Universal's Islands of Adventure: First Public Sign of Life Ahead of the May 22 Reopening

Pteranodon Flyers, the elevated suspended glider that has been one of Islands of Adventure's most-missed attractions during a months-long refurbishment, has been spotted cycling on its track today, the first public test sign before its scheduled May 22 reopening. The reopen lands on Epic Universe's one-year anniversary, with Blockbuster Summer 2026 launching across the resort the following day, May 23.

May 15, 2026 News
Today is the Last Flight for Soarin' Around the World at EPCOT Before Soarin' Across America Opens May 26: Last Takeoff is Tonight, Passholder Previews Land May 19-20 Disney World

Today is the Last Flight for Soarin' Around the World at EPCOT Before Soarin' Across America Opens May 26: Last Takeoff is Tonight, Passholder Previews Land May 19-20

Soarin' Around the World takes its final flight at EPCOT tonight, closing after today's 9 p.m. operating hours. The ride goes dark May 14-25 for the changeover to Soarin' Across America, the bi-coastal United States 250th-anniversary version of the attraction. Annual Passholder previews land Tuesday May 19 and Wednesday May 20 via standby queue only. Public opens Tuesday, May 26.

May 15, 2026 News
Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle Announces Retirement After a 36-Year Disney Career: From Magic Kingdom Engineer in 1990 to Running America's Largest Single-Site Workplace Disney World

Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle Announces Retirement After a 36-Year Disney Career: From Magic Kingdom Engineer in 1990 to Running America's Largest Single-Site Workplace

Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, capping a 36-year Disney career that started as a Magic Kingdom engineer in 1990. He'll depart in late July 2026. No successor has been named yet. The exit completes the post-Iger leadership cascade that started with Josh D'Amaro becoming Disney CEO in March and Thomas Mazloum taking the Disney Experiences chair on March 18.

May 13, 2026 News
Hogwarts Castle Emerges from Six Weeks Behind Scrim at Islands of Adventure: Fresh Paint, New Two-Tone Towers, and a Reveal Closing in Ahead of Epic Universe's First Anniversary Universal Orlando

Hogwarts Castle Emerges from Six Weeks Behind Scrim at Islands of Adventure: Fresh Paint, New Two-Tone Towers, and a Reveal Closing in Ahead of Epic Universe's First Anniversary

The scrim is coming off Hogwarts Castle at Universal's Islands of Adventure. After about six weeks behind construction wraps that went up in March without prior public announcement, the castle is being uncovered in pieces, with WDWNT reporting painting will "hopefully wrap up within a few weeks," timing that would put the reveal close to Epic Universe's May 22 first anniversary and the May 23 launch of Blockbuster Summer. The refresh includes pale-gray repainting on the towers, a pale-yellow base coat on the crest, and an aged-stone texture technique on the faux walls where crews place moss-shaped elements, paint over them, and peel them away.

May 13, 2026 News
United Parks Q1 2026: Revenue Slips on Weather and International Drop, In-Park Spend Hits a Quarterly Record, Discovery Cove and Pass Sales Called Out as Bright Spots SeaWorld Orlando

United Parks Q1 2026: Revenue Slips on Weather and International Drop, In-Park Spend Hits a Quarterly Record, Discovery Cove and Pass Sales Called Out as Bright Spots

United Parks and Resorts (parent of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove) released Q1 2026 results this morning. Revenue $278.3 million, down 3% year-over-year. Attendance 3.22 million, with roughly 140,000 guests lost to weather and another 80,000 to declines in international visitation. The bright spots: a record in-park per-capita spend of $40.62, pass sales up around 10% in Q1 (about 12% through April 30), and Discovery Cove pacing a double-digit percentage ahead of 2025.

May 11, 2026 News
Tonight is the Final Performance of Universal's Horror Make-Up Show After Nearly 36 Years: Wristband-Only Access at the Pantages Theater Before the "Reimagining" Universal Orlando

Tonight is the Final Performance of Universal's Horror Make-Up Show After Nearly 36 Years: Wristband-Only Access at the Pantages Theater Before the "Reimagining"

After nearly 36 years of fake blood, audience volunteers, and reliable gross-out laughs, the original Horror Make-Up Show at Universal Studios Florida takes its final bow tonight. The Pantages Theater goes dark tomorrow (Tuesday May 12) for a "reimagining" that Universal says will return later this year. Access tonight is wristband-only, first-come-first-served, with no standby queue.

May 11, 2026 News
Magic Kingdom Closes Early Wednesday for an SAP Buyout with Dave Matthews Band on the Cinderella Castle Stage: What to Know for a May 13 Trip Disney World

Magic Kingdom Closes Early Wednesday for an SAP Buyout with Dave Matthews Band on the Cinderella Castle Stage: What to Know for a May 13 Trip

SAP's annual customer conference rents out Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, May 13. The park opens at 8 a.m. but closes to the public at 5:30 p.m., roughly four hours early, before Dave Matthews Band plays a private concert in front of Cinderella Castle for badged conference attendees. Here's what regular-ticket holders need to know.

May 11, 2026 News
First Look at the Updated Smugglers Run Preshow at Galaxy's Edge: Hondo Ohnaka Is Just Straight-Up Stealing the Falcon This Time, with the Mandalorian and Grogu Mission Opening May 22 Disney World

First Look at the Updated Smugglers Run Preshow at Galaxy's Edge: Hondo Ohnaka Is Just Straight-Up Stealing the Falcon This Time, with the Mandalorian and Grogu Mission Opening May 22

The Mandalorian and Grogu mission overlay on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run debuts at Walt Disney World and Disneyland on Friday May 22, and WDWNT just published the first detailed look at the rewritten preshow this morning. Hondo Ohnaka is "borrowing" the Falcon without Chewbacca's knowledge this time, with new dialogue framing the heist as opportunity rather than the original "win-win" arrangement. Annual Passholder park reservations for Hollywood Studios on May 22 are already gone.

May 10, 2026 News