Orlando keeps adding to its lineup faster than almost any destination on earth. AttractionTickets.com breaks down what's genuinely new in 2026, what's now fully open after last year's headline launches, and where to spend your time at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, LEGOLAND Florida, and beyond the parks.
Quick takeaways:
- Universal Epic Universe is in its second full year and now offers 14 days of unlimited park-to-park access on AttractionTickets.com's Universal Orlando All Parks Ticket.
- Walt Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are both open, with Big Thunder's height requirement lowered to 38".
- SeaWorld's Expedition Odyssey, Busch Gardens' Wild Oasis, and LEGOLAND's SEA LIFE Florida Aquarium all opened in 2025 and are now firmly part of the line-up.
- Blue Man Group has a brand-new, custom-built home at ICON Park, open since 1 May 2026.
- LEGOLAND Florida's first indoor coaster, Galacticoaster, has been open since February 2026.
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Epic Universe
Universal Epic Universe opened its gates in 2025 as Universal Orlando Resort's fourth park, anchored by five lands: Celestial Park, Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. Inside Dark Universe, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment remains one of the most talked-about attractions at the resort.
The biggest practical change for 2026: AttractionTickets.com's Universal Orlando All Parks Ticket now includes 14 consecutive days of unlimited park-to-park access to Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Epic Universe and Universal Volcano Bay, up from the single day of Epic Universe access offered in 2025. If you're arriving between 20 October 2026 and 24 March 2027, Volcano Bay closes for refurbishment, so you'll book the Universal Orlando Three Park Adventure Ticket instead, which covers the same 14-day access to the other three parks.
New for summer 2026: Universal has confirmed Universal Celestial Goodnight, an all-new nightly fireworks and fountain spectacular at Epic Universe, launching 7 July 2026 and best viewed from the Celestial Park waterfront.
New Universal Hotels
If you want the chance to be one of the first people to stay in a brand-new Universal Orlando Resort hotel, 2026 is the year you should book your stay. You can now book a stay at Universal Stella Nova Resort, Universal Terra Luna Resort and Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, which place you right at the heart of the action, with Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel having its very own entrance to Universal Epic Universe!
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opened 26 May 2026 at Disney's Hollywood Studios, sending guests speeding to help The Electric Mayhem make their biggest concert yet.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened 3 May 2026 at Magic Kingdom after a 16-month refurbishment, with a new underground Rainbow Caverns sequence and a height requirement lowered from 40" to 38".
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run picked up a new Mandalorian and Grogu mission on 22 May 2026, sending crews to track down ex-Imperial officers across three destinations.
The Walt Disney Studios Lot, the reimagining of the former Animation Courtyard, opened its courtyard on 26 May 2026. The indoor Magic of Disney Animation experience is still targeting late summer 2026, with no confirmed date yet.
If your last trip predates mid-2025, these are also now part of the regular Walt Disney World line-up:
- Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away - the first nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom since the Main Street Electrical Parade ended in 2016
- Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After - stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios' Sunset Showcase, with Captain Hook, Maleficent and Cruella de Vil
- Test Track presented by General Motors - reopened at EPCOT on 22 July 2025, reimagined with a new queue, new scenes and a new musical score
SeaWorld Orlando
Expedition Odyssey
Expedition Odyssey opened 9 May 2025 - an indoor flying theatre experience that takes guests soaring over Arctic glaciers and the Aurora Borealis before bringing them face-to-face with real beluga whales and walruses, including Uki, a rescued walrus calf who now lives in the attraction's habitat.
Busch Gardens
Wild Oasis
Wild Oasis opened 6 June 2025 in the park's Jungala area — a rainforest-themed realm with the Treetop Drop tower, the multi-level Canopy Climb, a multi-species animal habitat and an interactive scavenger hunt.
Edge of Africa's Lion & Hyena Ridge
Edge of Africa's Lion & Hyena Ridge, announced for Spring 2026, still has no confirmed opening date on Busch Gardens' own site at the time of writing. When it opens, it will nearly double the existing Edge of Africa footprint to almost 35,000 sq ft.
LEGOLAND® Florida Resort
SEA LIFE Florida Aquarium
SEA LIFE Florida Aquarium opened 23 May 2025 inside LEGOLAND Florida, with more than 3,000 animals across 150+ species and a "Theme Park Under the Sea" design exclusive to this location.
Galacticoaster
Galacticoaster, the resort's first indoor coaster since 2011, has been open since 27 February 2026 in the new LEGO Galaxy land, letting riders customise their own spacecraft before it appears on-screen mid-ride.
Orlando
Blue Man Group is back in Orlando after a multi-year absence, now in a custom-built, 578-seat theater at ICON Park that opened 1 May 2026. The new production blends classic Blue Man routines with material created specifically for this venue, following a 14-year run at Universal CityWalk that ended in 2021.
For something different, Hamlin House Paddle & Social Club opened in February 2026 in Orlando's SoDo district - a members-only pickleball and dining club with seven courts. It's not a casual drop-in visit, but it's a sign of how fast Orlando's entertainment scene keeps growing beyond the parks.
Want to experience all this and more in 2026? Book now for 2026 arrivals, including our Orlando combo tickets that will give you access to up to 13 different parks across Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and the SeaWorld Parks.
