In case you missed it, Cinderella Castle is getting a makeover!
©Disney
That’s right! The pink is out and grey is back in! During Destination D23 in August 2025, Disney shared the Magic Kingdom icon would be getting a new paint job, and we finally know when we can kiss the pink goodbye.
Disney has finally confirmed that the Cinderella Castle makeover will begin in January! The project will begin with draining the moat around the castle, and then painting will begin. Worried about getting photos in front of the castle without cranes? Don’t worry — cranes should be lowered by 12 PM (noon) each day at the latest. It’s expected to be complete later next year.
NEW: Disney will begin repainting Cinderella Castle in January. The project will start with draining the moat around the castle to prepare for painting. Once work begins, cranes will be lowered and out of sight by noon each day. Work is expected to be completed later next year. pic.twitter.com/fpbB7mDTuw
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) December 21, 2025
The iconic castle will be returning to its original color scheme of blues, grays, and gold accents, which we haven’t seen since 2020, when the castle was repainted to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary. During the Disney fan event, Disney Imagineers shared, “Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom is getting a new color palette, inspired by the classic and original look of the castle. The updated paint will feature grays, creams, blues, and touches of gold, aiming to enhance the castle’s architecture.”
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom in 2019
While we’re excited about this change for purely aesthetic choices, it also has its practical enhancements! One of our team members’ parents, who has a professional background in projection mapping, shared a little secret with us: the best color to project designs on is gray, so the projections should pop a lot more after the change than they did on the pink paint.
Happily Ever After
If you don’t know what projection mapping is, no worries! When you’re watching Happily Ever After, the fireworks show in Magic Kingdom, we always recommend trying to get a spot where you can see the front of the castle instead of just looking up at the actual fireworks. Disney projects tons of designs onto the walls of the castle, which help bring different storylines to life, and that’s projection mapping.
Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom
It brings the show to life and adds a story element that wasn’t available during nighttime shows before projection mapping. It’s a huge reason why we like to get spots close to the castle early! When Happily Ever After returned to the park in 2023, they added even more projection mapping down Main Street.
Projection mapping on Main Street!
The return of the original color scheme means the projection should be even clearer and easier to see since it’s shown on a more basic color, versus the pink. Even though they look incredible now, we are pretty thrilled to see the differences when the colors come back. We don’t know how long it will take them to paint the castle, but we do know that it took several months to turn it pink. (Although the COVID-19 Pandemic did occur during the change, so that could have prolonged the change.)
Cinderella Castle!
During the last paint job, Disney did confirm that Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Cinderella’s Royal Table would stay open so we’re hoping for the same pattern this time around. We’re eager to see Cinderella Castle change again (as she has done again and again over the last 50 years). Be sure to keep following DFB for more Disney news and updates.
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Do you know how it will effect the projections show during painting? Will they keep it going or just fireworks?
Hi Beth! Disney has confirmed that the repainting of Cinderella Castle will not stop the projection show. The nightly Happily Ever After fireworks show, which includes castle projections, will continue with only minor adjustments while the work is in progress.
The projections and enhancements from Main street is absolutely incredible and should be included in the 7 most beautiful pictures ever.