Disney is creating SO many new things for the theme parks at Disney World. From Villains Land to Monsters, Inc. Land to the Tropical Americas Land, there will be so many exciting new attractions, experiences, and restaurants in the next few years. To say we’re excited is an understatement!
Encanto is coming to Animal Kingdom!
Even though we have so much to look forward to, we have a pretty good feeling that one Disney World park is going to be EMPTY in 2026. We love this park so much, but we gotta be honest here. It’s not looking good for Animal Kingdom in the new year.
We know new rides, entertainment, and more are on the horizon for Animal Kingdom, so why in the world would we think it will be empty in 2026? Well, for starters, all the new and exciting things probably won’t be opening for quite some time. There has not been a timeline announced for the opening of Pueblo Esperanza, but if we had to guess, we would bet it will be several YEARS until we’re stepping into the land of the Tropical Americas.
Construction walls at Animal Kingdom
Dinoland, U.S.A., will be completely extinct after February 1st, 2026. That means no Dinosaur ride, no TriceraTop Spin, no Boneyard, and no Restaurantasaurus. These rides and restaurants will all be permanently closed, leaving a dinosaur-sized gap in the ride offerings at Animal Kingdom.
DinoLand, U.S.A.
Once they have totally boarded up these rides, only Expedition Everest, Na’vi River Journey, Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Kali River Rapids will be open.
DINOSAUR
Of course, there are more things to do at Animal Kingdom besides the rides. There are nature walks where you can see many different species of animals, the new Zootopia: Better Zoogether show, Pandora (totally an attraction all on its own), Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and more. But with Dinoland, U.S.A. closed, this is looking like a half-day park for many visitors in 2026.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
You might get lucky in 2026 with fewer crowds in Animal Kingdom, but it’s possible that you could see higher wait times since everyone will be congested at the five options, especially since all five rides are generally popular ones. We’ll be watching Animal Kingdom in 2026 to see how the closure of Dinoland affects it. In the meantime, we’ll be anxiously awaiting the new attractions and experiences in Pueblo Esperanza!
For more Disney news, keep following Disney Food Blog.
Alert! Animal Kingdom Changes FOREVER Next Year
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We go to WDW 2-3 times a year. We love Animal Kingdom’s Safari ride and the Festival of The Lion King. We haven’t been in Dinoland in 10 years and won’t miss it.
I hope you’re right. I’m going to be there in March. I go for the animals and never go near Dinoland. It would be lovely to have short lines & small crowds!
I have been following your blog for 2.5 years. Can you survey your readers regarding EPCOT’s Food and Wine festival in November when all the other parks are in the Christmas/Holiday spirit. Who is the Grinch who thinks “Food and Wine” are more popular than “Christmas”. People pay $200 for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party the first part of November but when they go to EPCOT, they don’t get to hunt for Olaf or try the Cookie tasting.
In 2024, I went to Disney World the week before Thanksgiving. EPCOT was Food and Wine which I had been to in “SEPTEMBER”. This year I went the day after Thanksgiving and got to enjoy all the things in EPCOT that I missed last year. Christmas is the “BEST FESTIVAL” of the park with the Candlelight Concert, Cookie Tasting and Finding Olaf. I didn’t have time to try the special Christmas events in the other countries but they seemed very interesting and I would have liked to spend more time enjoying them.
Do you have any influence on Disney World to change EPCOT to begin the Christmas/Holiday Festival to start at the same time as all the other parks especially when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights start.