Disney simply unveiled information about what enthusiasts will revel in at the display flooring on the 2026 D23 Expo, together with the jam-packed day at Disneyland forward of without equal fan match. Listed below are the D23 highlights for Parks & Inns enthusiasts, together with what we’re anticipating to peer highlighted for Walt Disney International within the blockbuster Imagineering sales space.
This 12 months will characteristic the most important display flooring in D23 Expo historical past, with expanded new & returning studies, together with buying groceries alternatives and over 50 panels and presentations, all through the fan match August 14, 15, and 16, 2026 on the Anaheim Conference Heart. With full-day Sunday D23 Fan Passes nonetheless to be had, together with Afternoon-Handiest Passes for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it’s nonetheless imaginable to wait the 2026 D23 Expo, too.
There’s numerous stuff at the display flooring, like Surprise’s TVA Enjoy and Pixar’s fortieth Anniversary sales space. Let’s get started with the primary match, which is the preferred Disney Studies pavilion. In a time of remarkable enlargement, the “Imagineering: Horizons” sales space returns to the development and invitations enthusiasts to discover their greatest pavilion ever showcasing the development shaping Disney Parks around the globe. This unique revel in provides visitors an up‑shut take a look at the folk, the method, and the chances dropped at lifestyles via Imagineers.
D23 is obscure about what Imagineering: Horizons will characteristic, however our expectation is that it’ll be heavy on fashions. That’s hardly ever a ambitious prediction, because it’s normally the case. As you may recall, the 2024 model of the sales space had a number of fashions, however a couple of of them weren’t put in till after the Parks Panel. This was once a express mistake.
Because of the fashions, that are what each parks fan sought after to peer, handiest being showcased for one-third of the D23 Expo, crowds have been modest at the first couple of days and completely bonkers at the ultimate day. Our not-so-bold prediction is that Disney gained’t make this identical mistake once more. Fashions will virtually surely be provide within the Imagineering sales space from day one, that means that we’re almost certainly going to get some profitable information out of the D23 Expo prior to the development even begins.
Additionally prior to the development even begins, it’ll be D23 Day at Disneyland on Thursday, August 13, 2026. Listed below are complete information about that…
D23 Day at Disneyland
D23 Day at Disneyland Hotel units the degree for the 2026 D23 Expo, formally kicking off without equal fan party weekend on Thursday, August 13, 2026. The day additionally options the go back of the Disney Jr. Let’s Play! Celebration at Disney California Journey, providing stay leisure, persona studies, and interactive actions for all visitors, together with preschoolers and their households.
Starting at park opening on August 13, 2026 and whilst provides final, visitors getting into Disneyland or DCA with legitimate park admission would possibly obtain a unfastened Mickey Mouse ear hat that includes the D23 Day at Disneyland Hotel emblem and commemorative information map. Notice that restricted amounts are to be had, and so they incessantly move speedy.
Seize a seat alongside the parade path to peer the Disney Legends Cavalcade, taking place at Disneyland at 1:30 p.m. See if you’ll spot all 23 characters as they make their approach down Primary Boulevard, U.S.A., with the Disneyland Band and make a choice Disney Legends, who’ve been identified for the original and impactful legacies they’ve created at Disney.
Stay your eyes peeled for Merlin from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ The Sword and the Stone and Blue Fairy from Disney Animation’s Pinocchio, who you might come across whilst wandering thru Fantasyland in Disneyland.
Tomorrowland Terrace in Disneyland will characteristic tune from day to nighttime. From 2 p.m. to six p.m., younger youngsters and their households can boogie down with Sew and a few of his pals at “Sew’s Interplanetary Seaside Celebration Bash.” Within the night time, stay the ones dance strikes grooving all through the “Disney+ Hulu Throwbacks Dance Celebration” from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
There may also be more than one D23 Day icon photograph places, situated at The town Sq. at Disneyland, Pixar Pier in California Journey, and in Downtown Disney. And photograph cubicles within the Hollywood Backlot in California Journey and Fantasyland Theater in Disneyland will be offering D23 Day-themed photograph strips for an extra price.
As a part of the festivities, all park visitors with legitimate park admission and theme park reservations on Aug. 13, 2026, would possibly obtain complimentary limitless virtual downloads of Disney PhotoPass pictures taken that day.
Disney PhotoPass carrier will be offering amusing Magic Photographs you’ll in finding that day.
There may also be a number of products collections launched for D23 Day at Disneyland starting August 13, 2026. The ones come with the D23 Day Emblem Assortment, Disneylandia Assortment, Hunchback of Notre Dame thirtieth Anniversary, Alice in Wonderland seventy fifth Anniversary, and D23 Medallions.
There may also be novelty pieces, naturally. Take house the Haunted Mansion Hatbox Ghost Popcorn Bucket, a brand new novelty that can be purchased for a restricted time starting August thirteenth, at Harbour Galley, Hungry Undergo Barbeque Jamboree, Popcorn at Frontierland and Popcorn at New Orleans in Disneyland, and at Popcorn at Grizzly Top Airfield and Popcorn Close to Carthay Circle Eating place in California Journey. To be had whilst provides final; prohibit two (2) in keeping with particular person, in keeping with transaction. No reductions follow.
This Haunted Mansion Hatbox Ghost Popcorn Bucket is certain to be common; the primary of many lengthy strains for products over the weekend.
Because the end result to the day, a restricted choice of enthusiasts would possibly give you the option to wait the stay efficiency of “Disney Princess: The Final Live performance Birthday celebration” in Disney California Journey on August 13, 2026.
This efficiency brings in combination the most important accumulating of Disney Princess ability ever assembled, celebrating the long-lasting tales throughout animation, live-action, degree, and tune. Attendance might be very restricted and require further steps.
This one-of-a-kind live performance will become the evening with dazzling lighting, sweeping projections, and sky-high fountains making a actually immersive international the place the tune, magic, and legacy of Disney Princesses shine like by no means prior to. Lovers can movement the live performance on Disney+ and watch it on The Superb International of Disney on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
“Disney Princess: The Final Live performance Birthday celebration” Main points:
- Time: Digital queue enrollment starts at 12:00 p.m. PST. Live performance efficiency occasions are 8:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. PST
- Location: Paradise Gardens Park, California Journey
A digital queue affirmation, wristband and legitimate admission for California Journey are required to take part on this revel in. Visitors can request to enroll in the digital queue during the Disneyland app at 12:00 p.m. PST on August 13, 2026 after getting into DCA, or Disneyland with a sound Park Hopper price ticket.
You’ll be assigned an admittance staff when becoming a member of a queue. When your staff is known as, and also you obtain a push notification, continue to Hyperion Theater Courtyard between 4:00 p.m. and six:00 p.m. to scan your price ticket or access code to pick out up your wristband.
Digital queue admittance teams are extraordinarily restricted and to be had whilst provides final. Wristbands will handiest be allotted to visitors who’ve bought a digital queue admittance staff access code and feature signed a filming liberate shape.
This would be the best digital queue at Disneyland in years. I’d think the princess live performance digital queue will replenish straight away, leaving numerous annoyed enthusiasts close out. We’d advise in opposition to doing DCA on these days particularly for the live performance, as maximum visitors almost certainly gained’t be capable to attend. Believe it icing at the cake in case you get fortunate and rating a place, however don’t have this be the root in your talk over with. Call for might be sky-high.
Talking of which, one query we incessantly listen from readers is questioning about D23 Day at Disneyland crowds. We’ve been within the parks on parts of these days because it’s been a factor, and automatically went on Thursdays even previous to it having an professional title.
Suffice to mention, it’s busy. Enchantment wait occasions are measurably increased, however even past that, there’s simply extra crowding and congestion than you’d in finding on a standard Thursday this time of 12 months at Disneyland. That is very true across the particular leisure and cavalcade.
Typically talking, you’ll be expecting increased crowds August 12-15, 2026, as mirrored in our recently-updated 2026 Disneyland Crowd Calendar purple flag dates. In our revel in, it’s worse within the lead-up to D23 Expo than it’s all through the development or after. Friday evening is particularly dangerous. I will be able to’t talk to how busy Saturday evening was once final 12 months, as I used to be on the Honda Heart for the Parks Panel–but it surely was once slammed.
Now let’s circle again to hide the opposite highlights of the 2026 D23 Expo display flooring that could be of passion to DTB readers…
D23 Display Flooring Highlights
The Walt Disney Corporate will deliver the most efficient of its storytelling to the expanded display flooring, providing an opportunity for enthusiasts to immerse themselves in liked movies, presentations, and streaming. Right here’s a rundown:
- The Disney+ Hulu Enjoy brings streaming to lifestyles like by no means prior to. The distance includes a signature 4D theater, unique products, a collectible thriller pin quest, and customized subscription fortify, along immersive photograph alternatives encouraged via Percy Jackson and the Olympians, FX’s American Horror Tale, Camp Rock 3, The Simpsons, Handiest Murders within the Construction, Surprise Tv’s VisionQuest, and extra.
- Surprise Studios will captivate visitors at the display flooring with an epic activation entitled Surprise Studios’ TVA Enjoy: Your Subsequent Task. Lovers will as soon as once more sign up for the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and step into the Surprise Cinematic Universe in an immersive walkthrough revel in throughout other worlds, each acquainted and new.
- The Lucasfilm pavilion will go back with a thrilling array of photograph ops, props, and costumes from present and upcoming tales set in a galaxy some distance, some distance away. Visitors will even give you the option to enroll in hearth chats with the filmmaking groups in the back of a few of their favourite Celebrity Wars presentations and flicks. Lovers will also be a few of the first to peer LEGO Celebrity Wars: The Mandalorian all through a unique screening on the Anaheim Conference Heart, including to the improbable Lucasfilm studies enthusiasts will see during the development.
- Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios also are becoming a member of forces for a must-see animation revel in at the display flooring, inclusive of a unique party of Pixar’s fortieth anniversary. Artist demonstrations, autograph signings with some best filmmakers, fan giveaways, and interactive presentations that includes the most recent movies from those iconic animation studios—together with the approaching Disney’s Hexed and Disney Animation’s Frozen 3, in addition to Disney and Pixar’s Gatto and Incredibles 3—make this pavilion one to talk over with over and over.
- Mundo Pixar: The D23 Enjoy will deliver a unique preview of its globally traveling immersive exhibition to the development, inviting visitors to step inside of a few of their favourite Pixar tales. From unforgettable photograph moments to a devoted products store, visitors will revel in life-size units encouraged via one of the studio’s maximum liked movies.
- The Avatar Enjoy welcomes visitors to adventure during the attention-grabbing wonders of Pandora. Step right into a lush, bioluminescent international, revel in an immersive 4D second, and discover a gallery of movie artistry that showcases the craftsmanship in the back of bringing the Na’vi tradition and Pandora to lifestyles.
- At make a choice occasions during the day, Bluey and Bingo might be to be had for pictures in The Bluey Film sales space—for actual lifestyles. Reservations are required for an opportunity to satisfy Bluey and Bingo.
- Visitors too can have fun the brand new Simpsons film—in theaters September 3, 2027—with amusing, shareable photograph moments to commemorate D23: The Final Disney Fan Tournament.
Further fan-favorites come with an all-new exhibition from the Walt Disney Archives. Walt Disney Archives: Uncrated will make its debut at the display flooring and invite intrepid enthusiasts to discover an unforgettable adventure into the huge and hidden warehouses of the Walt Disney Archives—areas up to now reserved for get admission to to Disney archivists, on my own. Visitors can have the danger to discover themed presentations that includes shipments of iconic props, costumes, and puppets from some liked movies, tv sequence, and theme parks, which span generations of historical past at The Walt Disney Corporate.
Upfront of the Tremendous Bowl on ESPN and ABC this season, enthusiasts can revel in the fun of a Tremendous Bowl victory thru ESPN’s immersive “We’re Going to the Tremendous Bowl!” activation, that includes photograph alternatives, stadium-inspired environments, a confetti-filled victory party, and souvenir virtual content material and giveaways, together with an unique ESPN Tremendous Bowl D23 pin.
Disney Theatrical Staff will highlight its increasing portfolio of stay studies, from Broadway productions and enviornment excursions to immersive studies, thru a show off that includes unique units, costumes, props, thought artwork, and dynamic video content material. The revel in will be offering enthusiasts unique first seems to be at upcoming initiatives, behind-the-scenes demonstrations, and stay shows led via hosts, together with Disney on Broadway megastar Ryan McCartan, offering an insider’s take a look at the inventive procedure in the back of Disney’s stay leisure.
Lovers too can have fun 125 years of the lifetime of Walt Disney via exploring Walt’s circle of relatives tales from The Walt Disney Circle of relatives Museum in San Francisco, Walt Disney Place of birth Museum in Marceline, and the Walt Disney Birthplace in Chicago; see presentations of Walt’s famed vintage cars from the Walt Disney Archives; mirror on Disney Legends of the previous who labored along Walt; meet different pals of D23 together with the Disneyana Fan Membership; and extra.
Making plans a Southern California holiday? For park admission offers, learn Pointers for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site motels in our Anaheim Resort Evaluations & Scores. For the place to devour, take a look at our Disneyland Eating place Evaluations. For distinctive concepts of items that’ll toughen your shuttle, take a look at What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Holiday Making plans Information. In the end, for guides past Disney, take a look at our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seaside, and heaps of different puts!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you bring to mind the 2026 D23 Day at Disneyland lineup? Taking a look ahead to seeking to rating a place within the digital queue for the princess live performance, looking at the cavalcade, or getting unfastened ears? Predictions as to which fashions will seem at the display flooring? Do you settle or disagree with our review? Any questions? Listening to from you is part the thrill, so please proportion your ideas within the feedback!
