While the Holiday Season may be here, theme park fans are humming “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” for a different reason: IAAPA!
©Dollywood
The IAAPA Expo – the annual industry trade show event put on by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions – took place from November 17th through the 21st in Orlando, featuring major announcements from theme park major players, including Legoland and SeaWorld.
Some of the major announcements made this year include:
More information on Galacticoaster, the new attraction coming to Legoland Florida in 2026. The space-themed coaster will reach up to 40 mph, feature ride vehicles that seat four passengers in one row, and feature a new character named Space Creature.
Furthermore, according to Rob Smith, chief operating officer of Legoland Merlin Entertainments Group, the ride will also feature customization elements. “You get on board your spacecraft, and as you get ready for takeoff, your spacecraft, with you sitting in it, is projected onto technology screens before you launch into space.”
©Legoland
He went on to explain that there are more than 620 combinations of decorative vehicle elements, including nose, wing, and tail color. Smith continued, “It’s not just about Lego play. It’s about Lego imagination. Merlin is always finding new ways to make every visit unique.”
Meanwhile, fellow Central Florida theme park SeaWorld made a splash of their own at IAAPA. The park showed off the ride vehicle for their upcoming dark ride SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep. The suspended attraction, which the park calls the “most ambitious ride” in its history, is themed to a journey taking guests to different parts of the ocean. The suspended ride vehicle will be able to rotate 360 degrees, swing back and forth. SeaWorld’s Conner Carr – Vice President of Rides & Engineering – told the Orlando Business Journal at the event, “There’s no track below you, because there’s no track below you in the ocean. The fluid motion truly makes it feel like you are flying through the water.”
SeaWorld is counting on SeaQuest — which is being designed and manufactured by major ride maker Vekoma (which designed Tron: Lightcycle Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train amongst others) — to bring in a new audience to the park. According to Carr, “This is one of those experiences that we hope everyone sees, whether they’re local or if they live on the other side of the world. They see what we’re building and go, ‘That’s one of a kind, and it’s a world first, so I’m going to fly across the world because I need to go ride SEAQuest.’ And I can tell you — it’s going be that level of a ride.”
Other new attractions and ride vehicles showcased at IAAPA 2025 include:
- The amphibious ride vehicles for Nightlight Expedition, the hybrid coaster/whitewater raft ride coming to Dollywood. The attraction will allow guests to “soar over the Smoky Mountains, plunge into whitewater rapids, climb a mountain range, and explore a bioluminescent lake.”
- The Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) ride vehicles for Tormenta Rampaging Run, the new dive coaster coming to Six Flags Over Texas.
- The Dodge Charger-themed ride vehicles for Universal Studios Hollywood’s upcoming Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift attraction were once again on display, building further anticipation for the coaster’s 2026 debut.
©Universal
The 2025 IAAPA convention showcased some of the most anticipated rides and attractions coming to theme parks in 2026. Stay tuned to DFB for more theme park news!
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Disney is falling behind the competition.
I appreciate the news, but I wish the headline clarified that none of these are at Disney properties, not even the foreign ones :(.