New MagicBand+ Coming to Walt Disney World for the Resort’s 50th Anniversary

Just when we thought MagicBands may have been on their way out, Walt Disney World surprised us by announcing a new, and interactive, generation of these super convenient wristbands just for the resort’s 50th anniversary! The new MagicBand+ is set to debut in 2022, and we cannot wait to see what’s in store for them.

With the new MagicBand+, Guests will be able to interact with theme parks like never before. The bands will continue to work for hands-free theme park admission, shopping, and resort room entry, Disney PhotoPass collections, and more, plus a host of new interactive features.

Some of the new interactive features include the ability to “play like a bounty hunter” by discovering virtual bounties while wandering through Black Spire Outpost at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (We have to wonder if they might come in handy for something aboard the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, too, then? No mention of that in Disney’s announcement, though.)

In all four Walt Disney World theme parks, Guests will be able to interact with the golden character statues, known as the “Disney Fab 50 Character Collection,” by using their bands. And while we do not know all of the details yet, we did learn that nighttime spectaculars will come with new experiences for Guests wearing a MagicBand+ as their bands will light up to complement what is happening above during Harmonious at EPCOT and Disney Enchantment at the Magic Kingdom.

MagicBands have been around in multiple versions since 2013, and for many Guests they have become a staple of the Walt Disney World experience in making things run easier during their vacations. The new MagicBand+ will continue this tradition, being made available for purchase by all Guests next year with discounted pre-arrival rates for Disney hotel Guests and new and renewing Annual Passholders.

The current version of MagicBands will remain available to Guests, too, as well as Disney’s MagicMobile service that allows MagicBand features to operate on smart phones and devices for park entry and resort room access.

We are expecting more announcements like this one coming from Disney the rest of the week for the 50th anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World, and will be back to update this most once there are more details on the latest version of Disney’s MagicBand!