Every holiday season, the Walt Disney World Resort welcomes guests from around the world eager to experience the magic of the season. But as 2025 draws to a close, visitors can expect an especially eventful winter at Magic Kingdom Park—a year defined by change and renewal.
Throughout 2025, Disney’s Experience division has launched an ambitious wave of updates across its Florida parks. The most significant work, however, has taken place inside Magic Kingdom, where the park is undergoing what Disney describes as its largest overhaul since opening day. Frontierland has seen the most dramatic transformation, with the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island permanently closing to make way for new developments.
At the heart of this reimagining is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the beloved Frontierland attraction known to generations as “the wildest ride in the wilderness.” Since its debut, the runaway mine train has whisked guests through rocky caverns and dusty canyons, bringing Disney’s classic blend of thrills and storytelling to life.
The attraction temporarily closed at the start of 2025 for an extensive refurbishment and will return in 2026 with refreshed effects, brand-new scenes, and enhanced storytelling. Disney has teased concept art that points toward a fully reimagined adventure, part of a larger expansion that will include Piston Peak National Park and a Villains-themed area.
Tomorrowland is also in transformation mode. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin—an interstellar mission where guests team up with Buzz to defeat Emperor Zurg—closed in August for enhancements. When it returns in 2026, guests will encounter updated ride vehicles and a new scene introducing “Buddy,” an original Star Command robot developed by Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios.
With both Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin closed, a significant portion of Magic Kingdom’s guest capacity is temporarily offline. Attractions like the Liberty Belle Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island, once ideal for a mid-day break, are also unavailable. As a result, the 2025 holiday season is expected to bring heavier crowds throughout the park—especially during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Thanksgiving week may provide an early look at how operations adapt to the influx of guests. While the holiday season may feel more crowded than usual, it’s also a time of anticipation. Magic Kingdom is poised to emerge from its transformation with new experiences that celebrate the park’s rich storytelling legacy while looking boldly toward the future.
