Lots of openings at theme parks this week
It's time for Theme Park Insider's weekend roundup of industry news, plus a look at the week ahead.
Europa-Park reopens for its summer season today. The German theme park debuts its new Monaco land - the park’s 18th European themed area. Centered around the park’s Silver Star roller coaster, the newly themed and refreshed area includes an exclusive exhibition of cars from Prince Albert II’s collection. The park also has announced that this will be the final year for its Euro-Mir coaster. A new space-themed family coaster will replace the Mack Rides spinning coaster in 2028.
Also opening today is Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies! at Alton Towers. The Zierer Force coaster is the second Bluey-themed attraction to open this week, following the debut of the Bluey’s Best Day Ever show at Disneyland last weekend.
Owner Merlin Entertainments this week also announced that it would bring a Minecraft-themed land to its London-area Chessington World of Adventures next year. [See Minecraft World to debut next year in UK theme park.] The new, £50 million (US$67 million) project will include a Minecraft-themed indoor roller coaster along with block built playscapes and themed retail and dining.
Merlin is hoping that these new attractions, along with the recently opened Galacticoaster rides at Legoland Florida and California can help reverse what was a tough year, financially, for the company in 2025: Attendance drops at top Legoland theme parks in the US.
More openings today: The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is debuting a new “Artemis II: Pathway to the Moon” exhibit, in advance of next week’s planned launch of the crewed NASA mission to circle the Moon. The exhibit depicts mission’s flight path, with displays of authentic Artemis hardware and a Artemis II crew showcase. The exhibit is included with KSC admission.
Six Flags Great Adventure and California’s Great America also reopen today. At Great Adventure, the New Jersey park this week teased its Boardwalk makeover, which will include four rides relocated from the now-closed Six Flags America park, when it opens later this spring. [See Six Flags celebrates New Jersey with new ‘Shoreline Pier’.] But the biggest reopening of the week may have been Universal Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers, which returned on Wednesday, ahead of a planned April 5 return.
In other news this week, Six Flags named a new board chairman after pressure from activist investors. [See Six Flags caves; names new chairman.] Former Bally Technologies CEO Richard Haddrill is the new chairman, replacing Marilyn Spiegel, who will remain on the board.
Six Flags this week also set April 17 as the opening date for the delayed Quantum Accelerator Intamin family launch coaster at Six Flags New England.
Kansas City’s Worlds of Fun announced that its Timber Wolf roller coaster will reopen in June, following a 406-foot retrack by The Gravity Group, using its Engineered Precut Track. The Dinn wooden coaster first opened in 1989.
Over at Disney, Imagineering’s Kim Irvine and animator Eric Goldberg will join former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney stars including Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, and the Jonas Brothers in this year’s Disney Legends class. Disney also has announced ticket sale dates and prices for this year’s D23 event in Anaheim, which will include the Disney Legends enshrinement ceremony as well as big presentations on new projects from the Disney theme parks and studios. [See Bob Iger leads 2026 Disney Legends class.]
Our patent find this week comes from Universal, which describes its plans for a walking animatronic.
Finally, Herschend announced this week that it has completed its acquisition of the Silverwood theme park in Idaho, which had been owned by the Norton family since its opening in 1988.
“Herschend was the only choice for us,” Silverwood Executive Director Paul Norton said. “As a family business, they understand what it means to build something by hand, with your whole heart — and the deep responsibility that comes with serving families and communities. I trust them to carry our legacy forward with the same care and commitment my family has.”
The Week Ahead
Tomorrow is the official opening of the World of Frozen and Adventure Way expansion at the now renamed Disney Adventure World theme park at Disneyland Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Disneyland Paris yesterday with new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro. Disney is boasting that Disneyland Paris (the resort) is Europe’s number-one tourist destination, accounting for 6.1% of French tourism revenue since its opening in 1992. That’s a ridiculous stat, given that France is the most visited country in the world. But it explains why the French president would show up for Disney’s theme park attraction opening event.
(This is not the first time that a French president has visited a Disney theme park, by the way.)
The expansion of the former Walt Disney Studios theme park nearly doubles its footprint, with a new land themed to The Lion King (and another, likely themed to Avatar) still to come. That should help not only to ensure that Disney retains its spot atop European tourism, but also to widen the gap to all competition.
But is the land worth visiting? If you are a Frozen fan in Europe, absolutely. If you are a Disney fan who has been looking for an excuse to visit (or revisit) Disney in Paris, sure. But Hong Kong Disneyland also has a World of Frozen, and Tokyo DisneySea has a superior Frozen-themed boat ride, according to our latest reader survey. So while I expect the expansion to pack the resort with more visitors from throughout France and Europe starting today and continuing through the summer, I would encourage U.S. theme park fans to look at Disney’s entire theme park portfolio to find the best match for them right now.
Until The Lion King land opens, because then, yeah, you will want to visit Disney in Paris.
Monday was supposed to be the kick-off of the first IAAPA Expo Middle East, in Abu Dhabi. The war in the Middle East forced the event’s cancelation until next year. I expected to be bringing you a lot of very exciting news from Abu Dhabi this week, but instead I continue to hope for a swift and just resolution that allows the region to switch focus from the war to the hospitality that IAAPA and its participating attractions were meant to represent.
Monday at Disneyland, the Disneyland Monorail and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin will close for refurbishment, with reopening dates yet to be announced. Next weekend is the Easter holiday, which provides a lull in the schedule of regional parks’ reopenings for the 2026 season.
Refurbishment schedule
January 5: Grizzly River Run closed at Disney California Adventure. No reopening date yet.
January 5 - November 19: Jurassic Park River Adventure closed at Islands of Adventure.
February 17: Jungle Cruise closed at Disneyland. No reopening date yet.
February 22: Impressions de France closed at EPCOT. No reopening date yet.
February 23: Conservation Station and the Wildlife Express Train closed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Reopens as Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station on May 26.
February 27 - May 14: Pteranodon Flyers closed at Universal Islands of Adventure.
March 30: Disneyland Monorail and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin close at Disneyland. No reopening dates yet.
April 6: Toy Story Midway Mania! closes at Disney California Adventure. No reopening date yet.
April 13: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters closes at Disneyland. No reopening date yet.
April 27: Silly Symphony Swings closes at Disney California Adventure. No reopening date yet.
June 1 - 16: Men in Black Alien Attack closed at Universal Studios Florida.
May 4: Pirates of the Caribbean closes at Disneyland. No reopening date yet.
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Robert Niles