Hold on to your Mickey ears, because a whole new world awaits!
Disney Is Building a New Theme Park—And It Might Be Its Best One Yet
Published on May 07, 2025
For the first time in forever (or make that 15 years), Disney has announced the development of a new theme park. The last time it did was back in 2010 for Shanghai Disneyland, which subsequently opened in 2016. Any guesses as to where the new park will call home? Here’s a clue: The rendering of the new park promises “a whole new world awaits.”
Read on to find out where the new Disney park will be breaking ground—and where you should plan a future bucket-list trip.
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Where is the new Disney park?
Disney fans surely recognize the lyrics from the hit song from Aladdin referenced in the announcement and are guessing somewhere in the Middle East. But where, exactly? The seventh Disney worldwide resort will be built in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Specifically, it will be located on Yas Island, known to locals as “Entertainment Island,” since it’s already home to four theme parks, including Warner Bros. World and SeaWorld, as well as a theater, marina, golf course and more.
What makes Disneyland Abu Dhabi so special?
“As our seventh theme park destination, it will rise from this land in spectacular fashion, blending contemporary architecture with cutting-edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways,” said Robert A. Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, in the press release. “Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati—an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come.”
Fans will be excited to learn the few details we know. All Disney parks center around a castle, and the rendering of Disneyland Abu Dhabi shows a spiraling, sparkling, crystal-like tower rising above the resort. Another special feature is its waterfront location, which Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said “will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways.”
Disneyland Abu Dhabi will also feature local touches, D’Amaro assured CNN in an interview. “Every time we open a new experience or a theme park … it’s really important not just to take a theme park that might exist somewhere else and plop it into the ground in that new area that we would be going into.” So expect Emirati influences in the park’s design and food. TBD on whether the park will serve the famous turkey legs, but one thing’s for sure, there won’t be any pork because it’s banned in this Islamic country.
Having recently returned from Abu Dhabi, where I spent a day on Yas Island, I have no doubt that this Disney resort will feature the best of the best. Everything in Abu Dhabi is top-notch, from its stunning architecture to its world-renowned dining scene (including four Michelin-starred restaurants) to a mosque that features loads of gold leaf, one of the world’s biggest chandeliers and gorgeous marble mosaics.
Why is Disney opening a resort in Abu Dhabi?
While it might seem far away to us, the UAE is located within a four-hour flight of one-third of the world’s population, including 1.4 billion people living in India. In addition, the airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (a neighboring Arab Emirate state), serve 120 million passengers each year, making the UAE the largest global airline hub in the world.
When will it open?
As you might expect, building a brand new theme park takes time, especially one as spectacular as Disneyland Abu Dhabi promises to be. According to CNN, it is expected to open in the early 2030s. Until then, there’s always Walt Disney World and Disneyland to enjoy—plus, they’re closer to home!
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Sources:
- Disney Parks Blog: “Disney Announces Plans for New Theme Park and Resort with Miral in Abu Dhabi”
- CNN: “Disney announces a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, its first new resort in a generation”
