2025 is going to be a, well, interesting year at Walt Disney World to say the least. From anticipated new offerings rolling out to a multitude of closures eventually on the horizon, we have a lot of new things to look forward to (and a lot of things to say goodbye to) as we enter the new year. This series of articles will be going month-by-month to keep everything chronological and concise, starting in January of course.
Disclaimer: Most of the info present in this article can be found in "The Timeline" on the website. If you'd like a shorter, more basic version of what to expect in the upcoming year, be sure to check out the 2025 Timeline. Unlike this article, I designed the Timeline to be a living, breathing web-page that will be constantly evolving with new announcements, news coverage, and the pace of construction. Be sure to check it out!
So, with all of that out of the way, let's begin!
January 2025
January is a big month for Walt Disney World, especially for closures. There are a multitude of attractions scheduled to undergo moderate to extremely lengthy refurbishments, and our first one on the list is certainly no exception.
Monday, January 6th
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom in Frontierland will close for a very lengthy refurbishment. In fact, Disney has stated that the attraction is not scheduled to reopen until sometime in 2026.
The reason for this refurbishment? Well, there's a lot. For starters, it is expected that the entirety of the rollercoaster track will be getting ripped up and completely replaced, which is no easy task. If you're a frequent rider on Big Thunder, you know it is not the smoothest of coasters, so a track replacement is much needed.
Another highly expected (and basically confirmed) update is that Walt Disney World's Big Thunder Mountain will finally be getting the explosive dynamite scene during the third and final lift hill. For context, Disneyland's version of Big Thunder has had an impressive and very cool exploding dynamite scene during the third lift hill of the attraction for almost a decade at this point, and it's been a rumor for years that Walt Disney World's version was bound to also get it. Disney stated that the refurbishment will see the installment of some "new magic," and the dynamite show scene is most likely what they're referring to here. It is also possible that we may be getting some noticeable enhancements to the queue line as well, but that remains unconfirmed at this time.
As for when in 2026 Big Thunder Mountain may reopen, we don't exactly know just yet. At the time of writing this, we do have some clues as to when the refurbishment may end, as per a recent construction permit that was filed by Walt Disney Imagineering. The permit in particular has an expiration date of March 13th, 2026, which is probably not by accident. Considering that Disney will be replacing the entire track, adding in new show scenes, and even possibly updating the queue, a 14-month long refurbishment seems likely. If we look at when Disneyland's Big Thunder underwent the same refurbishment back in 2016, the refurb took about the same time. On another note, it would also make a lot of sense for Disney to get the attraction back online just in time for the 2026 Spring break crowds. Either way, a reopening date of March 13th, 2026 is not confirmed, but is likely, and it's a date to keep on your radar.
Also on Monday, January 6th, the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT will also close for refurbishment. Unlike Big Thunder, this refurb will only be lasting about 2 months, with an end date of March 15th, 2025. At this time, the reasons behind this quick refurbishment are unknown, but we're probably not looking at anything substantial. Maybe a refresh of a few show scenes or a new paint job in some areas, but this is just speculation.
Wednesday, January 8th
Only 8 days into 2025 and Walt Disney World will be experiencing its third refurbishment, but this one comes as no surprise. At Animal Kingdom, Kali River Rapids will be undergoing its annual Winter refurb and will reopen on March 15th, 2025 (the same day as the Gran Fiesta Tour). The attraction undergoes this refurbishment every year for annual maintenance. After all, this is the "you will get wet" water attraction at Walt Disney World, so consistent upkeep of the attraction is more important than ever.
Monday, January 13th
We'll take a break from the refurbishments really quick and talk about a major, permanent closure coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom. As many of you know, Dinoland U.S.A will soon be going extinct to make way for a new land themed around the Tropical Americas. In order to make way for this expansion, construction on the land will be happening in phases. As such, the first phase of work will begin in January when the DinoRama section of Dinoland closes permanently. This includes Triceratops Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures Gift Shop. The rest of the land will remain open for the foreseeable future.
By closing Chester and Hester's DinoRama first, it is likely that demolition will take place the first half of the year before we start to see any actual construction happen, but only time will tell. This section of the Tropical Americas land will be home to the Encanto attraction, which Disney is literally building straight from the ground up. Starting work on this first makes a lot of sense, as the rest of the land will be much less construction-heavy. For example, the Indiana Jones attraction is just going to be a simple retheme of the already existing DINOSAUR, and Restaurantosaurus will be rethemed to a large Hacienda.
But now going back to refurbishments. Also on Monday, January 13th, Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom will be going under refurbishment. Unlike Kali River Rapids and Big Thunder Mountain, this refurb comes as a sudden surprise, especially considering the vague timeline. Disney stated that the attraction will not reopen until the Summer of 2025, and reasons for this refurb remain unknown.
While the refurbishment will most likely address maintenance issues - especially considering one of the two elevators to get up to the attraction has been out of commission for almost a year at this point - another possibility is potential visual changes. Disney has been making some slow but noticeable changes to Tomorrowland over the past few years as it aims to steer further away from the 1990's Space Port theme, and reverting back to a more timeless, sleek 1970's aesthetic. If any visual changes occur, we're probably talking a new coat of paint to the ride vehicles and maybe even the surrounding planets, but it's really anybody's guess.
Wednesday, January 15th
While not a big date construction-wise, January 15th is a very historical day, as Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary!
While I won't delve into too many details here, I'll note a few fun facts about the attraction. Space Mountain opened at the Magic Kingdom on January 15th, 1975 as Walt Disney World's first-ever rollercoaster. It's kind of rare nowadays for the Magic Kingdom to have something that Disneyland originally didn't have, but yes, Florida's Space Mountain is the OG. Disneyland's opened two years later in 1977.
Opening in 1975 also makes sense as to why WDW's Space Mountain commonly goes by the nickname "Starport 75." Additionally, Space Mountain is currently the oldest still-operational rollercoaster in the entire state of Florida. It was also the first rollercoaster in the world to be completely programmed by computers, which was a big stride in the 70's.
Before I go on a tangent on more useless fun facts of my favorite Disney attraction, just know that January 15th is a very historical day. I don't think Disney is actually doing anything to celebrate the anniversary minus a few pieces of merchandise, but it's an important day that deserves to be recognized nonetheless.
Friday, January 17th
The first festival of the year will officially kick off at EPCOT - the 2025 International Festival of the Arts! The festival is scheduled to run up until Monday, February 24th, giving you a good 5 weeks or so to experience EPCOT's most underrated festival in my opinion.
As far as festival festivities go, you can expect your usual shopping, dining, photo opportunities, and of course, Disney on Broadway performances. In fact, this takes us into the one new thing that Festival of the Arts will offer this year, which can be found inside CommuniCore Hall.
According to Disney, CommuniCore Hall will host a brand new Disney on Broadway exhibit during the festival (see concept art above). More specifically, the exhibit will be called "Once Upon a Stage: 30 Years of Disney on Broadway." Here's the statement released by Disney:
"At CommuniCore Hall, experience the magic of Broadway both on and off the stage in this walkthrough exhibit celebrating three decades of Disney on Broadway. Discover costumes and props from your favorite stage musicals, then venture behind-the-scenes to see how the classic animated films “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” were reimagined for the Broadway stage."
I don't know about you, but this sounds like something really fun that I think guests will love. Hopefully this exhibit will also help breath some much-needed life into CommuniCore Hall, which in my opinion, has not been living up to its full potential ever since it debuted last Summer. Many guests including myself have been very underwhelmed by the addition, especially after seeing it operate through both the 2024 Food and Wine Festival and Festival of the Holidays. In short, the building needs help, and this might just be the thing to help fix it... temporarily.
Monday, January 20th
In 2025, January 20th is Inauguration Day here in the United States. As such, the Hall of Presidents over at the Magic Kingdom will be closing for refurbishment.
Based on the 2024 U.S Presidential Election outcome, Disney will need to make some adjustments to the show by moving the Donald Trump audio-animatronic figure back to the center of the stage. As for the current Joe Biden animatronic, the easiest solution would be for Disney to just simply swap the two places of the animatronics.
As for how long the Hall of Presidents will be closed, we don't know just yet. In the past, it has usually taken Disney around 8 - 9 months to update the show and add in a new animatronic, but this time is different. This is the first time ever where Disney will not have to add in any new animatronics because the president has been re-elected for a non-consecutive term. It's just a matter of swapping places.
Keeping all this mind, this refurbishment in theory, should not take Disney long at all. At the absolute latest, Disney should aim to have the show reopened by the late Spring or early Summer season, but even I think that's pushing it. Considering how many closures are scheduled to happen at the Magic Kingdom in just January alone, Disney will need to have as much capacity present in the park as they can, and that includes the Hall of Presidents.
Please note that I am mentioning this update in this article simply because it's going to happen, and Disney themselves have confirmed the change as well. The Hall of Presidents is not meant to be a political attraction. It is in honor of Walt Disney's patriotism and the tradition that Walt Disney World has continued for over 50 years. Change is coming, but remember that these changes to the attraction are always in honor of Walt.
If you thought that was a lot of news, that just wraps up January! But don't worry, February is shaping up to be a much quieter month... for now. A guide to Walt Disney World in February 2025 will be dropping soon, so stay tuned!
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