UPDATED June 3, 2025

In May 2025, The Walt Disney Company announced that it will build a seventh landmark theme park in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

This announcement comes as The Walt Disney Company announced a partnership with Miral, “Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences.”

Disney Collaboration with Miral

Disney will be working with Miral, an Abu Dhabi company that creates destinations and experiences, to bring the new theme park to life. Miral will fully develop and build the new resort while Disney and its Imagineers will lead creative design and operational oversight.

Miral has developed other attractions in Abu Dhabi, such as SeaWorld Yas Island, Warner Bros. World Yas Island, and more.

Following the initial announcement, in an interview with Dubai Eye 103.8, Miral Group CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, DBA commented on plans for the new park. While Al Zaabi did not go into detail about the specific lands, characters, or attractions planned for Disneyland Abu Dhabi, he did reveal that the park will be the “most innovative” and “most advanced” theme park yet.

Additionally, Al Zaabi noted that the park will be indoors. Miral’s CEO explained that he wants the arrival process at Disneyland Abu Dhabi to be “as convenient as we can” so that guests can easily arrive and enjoy as many rides as possible. (If the park is 100% indoors, as Al Zaabi alluded, this would be a first for Disney. While all Disney theme parks incorporate a large portion of indoor experiences, every existing theme park features outdoor attractions.)

Disneyland Abu Dhabi Location

Disney revealed that the Abu Dhabi theme park will be located on Yas Island on the waterfront. Yas Island is a “world-class destination for entertainment and leisure, connecting travelers from the Middle East and Africa, India, Asia, Europe, and beyond.” According to Disney, the theme park “will combine Disney’s iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture.”

Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences, said, “Our resort in Abu Dhabi will be the most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio. The location of our park is incredibly unique – anchored by a beautiful waterfront – which will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways. This project will reach guests in a whole new part of the world, welcoming more families to experience Disney than ever before. Ultimately, it will be a celebration of what’s possible when creativity and progress come together.”

Disney points out that the UAE is located within a four-hour flight of one-third of the world’s population, “making it a significant gateway for tourism.” According to Travel and Tour World, India is one of the largest sources of tourism for UAE.

“Bringing a Disney theme park resort to Yas Island marks a historic milestone in our journey to further advance the island’s position as a global destination for exceptional entertainment and leisure,” said Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, Group CEO, Miral. “Together, we are creating a place of boundless innovation, where the vision of our leadership continues to inspire the world.” The development of unique experiences will support sustained economic growth in Abu Dhabi and beyond.

Further Comments from Disney

The Initial Abu Dhabi Announcement

Disney CEO Bob Iger commented on the news, stating, “This is a thrilling moment for our company as we announce plans to build an exciting Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, whose culture is rich with an appreciation of the arts and creativity,” adding, “As our seventh theme park destination, it will rise from this land in spectacular fashion, blending contemporary architecture with cutting edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways.”

Iger referred to the park as Disneyland Abu Dhabi, and Disney confirmed the new theme park resort will offer:

• Signature Disney entertainment;
• Themed accommodations;
• Unique dining and retail experiences;
• Storytelling in a way that celebrates both the heritage of Disney and the futuristic and cultural essence of Abu Dhabi.

Additional Disney Commentary About Disneyland Abu Dhabi

Further, in an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger said, “And I will also say this is far more ambitious than anything that’s been built here. And that will be reflected not just in the size and in the quality, but in the sheer scale and in the — I think, diversity and I guess the array of experiences that will be offered. We’re not talking about anything small or anything in a box or this will be a significant theme park that we’re putting here.”

Chairman of Disney Experience Josh D’Amaro added, “Yeah, it’ll be much larger than anything that’s currently here now. And I think to Bob’s point, and you can see it in some of the renderings that we’ve released, we’re being incredibly ambitious in terms of the architecture, use of indoor and outdoor space. One of the great things about the piece of land that we’ll be building on is it’s right up against the water. And so we’ll be pulling water into this resort. We really haven’t had an opportunity to do that anywhere else in the world. So this will be incredibly different from anything that’s around it.”

D’Amaro also  said the new theme park will “take all the great stories that we have and deliver them to consumers and fans in completely new ways, dynamic ways, immersive ways, in ways that will keep them coming back time and time again. And so by virtue of the fact that this is our latest resort, it will be our most technologically advanced.”

Iger spoke about how the new theme park will look different from other Disney Parks, too. He said, “This will not look like any other theme park that we’ve built. Obviously, it’ll have a lot of our IP and there’ll be a lot about it that is familiar. Certainly Mickey Mouse is going to appear as Mickey appears in places all over the world. But you look at the architecture here and you look around at Abu Dhabi’s planning for the future. This park will be very consistent with that. And that’s exciting to us.”

Timeline for Disneyland Abu Dhabi

Disney hasn’t revealed too many details about the new park, but in an interview with CNBC, Iger gave some insight into an expected timeline, sharing: “We’re not pinning down a date yet. It typically takes us between 18 months and two years to design and fully develop and approximately five years to build but we’re not making any commitments right now.”

If that is the timeline for building the new park, it seems like it could be opening around 2032, give or take.

Disney teased that further details will be announced as the project progresses, and we will continue to share updates right here on Disney Food Blog.

Click any of the links below for the latest news about Disneyland Abu Dhabi:

3 HUGE Theme Parks Have FAILED in Abu Dhabi. Can Disneyland Still Succeed?

CONFIRMED: Disneyland Abu Dhabi Will Be an Indoor Theme Park

When Will Disneyland Abu Dhabi Open?

Disney Fans Raise Concerns Over Controversial Abu Dhabi Park Announcement

CEO Bob Iger Says Abu Dhabi Is the “Perfect Place” for Disney’s NEW Theme Park