This Disney California Adventure and Disneyland ride refurbishment calendar for 2026 lists temporary attraction closures so you know what won’t be open before planning your vacation. Additionally, info about reimagining projects underway to enhance experiences around the parks.
While no one wants attraction closures during their visit, they are a necessary part of keeping Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in good condition, as routine maintenance, safety upgrades, and attraction improvements are all done during scheduled ride closures. Usually, there are only a handful of simultaneous closed rides, plus new attractions being built.
The good news is that the summer season is now underway, which historically is one of the times with the fewest refurbishments at Disneyland before work really picks up as school goes back into session to prepare for Halloween. While this dynamic is less pronounced than it used to be, it still happens. In fact, Disneyland has reopened a lot of closed venues this summer, effectively increasing park capacity!
Having an idea of which attractions are closed at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure is important, but we recommend consulting our 2026 Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide for more comprehensive info. That covers everything from saving money on park tickets and hotels to where to eat, when to visit, and more.
In addition to scheduled attraction refurbs, unscheduled downtime can also occur during a visit. This usually only occurs for a few hours at a time, so if you find an attraction is closed during your visit to Disneyland Resort and it’s not listed below, it’s likely a temporary closure that will last a few hours. Check with nearby Cast Members to confirm.
Below is a schedule of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure refurbishments, when the closure starts, and when the refurbishment will conclude. To the extent that specific dates are not yet listed, those will be updated once Disneyland Resort provides precise start and/or end dates. The following day will be when the attraction is scheduled to reopen.
Here are the closure schedules for Disney California Adventure and Disneyland…
Disney California Adventure
- Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! – Permanently ended
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind – Finally reopened!
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! – Permanently closes in 2027 (maybe)
- Silly Symphony Swings – Reopens August 28, 2026
- Soarin’ Across America – Now open!
- World of Color Happiness – Recently ended
- World of Color One – Recently resumed
- World of Color (Original) – Returns in Winter 2027
Our latest update is that the wave of ride closures on Pixar Pier is finally seemingly coming to an end. As part of this, Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, Incredicoaster, Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Golden Zephyr, and Toy Story Midway Mania have all returned from refurbishment. Next up is Silly Symphony Swings, which officially reopens on August 28, 2026.
Across from Pixar Pier, one thing worth flagging is that The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is NOT currently closed for refurbishment, nor is one scheduled. There is scrim now surrounding the building, but this is for an facade refresh. The attraction itself is still open, but the entrance can be easy to miss among the construction walls!
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue will permanently close in early 2026 sometime in 2027 according to Disneyland. As the strikethrough suggests, Disney Delayed the Monsters, Inc Dark Ride Permanent Closing Date from 2026 to 2027!
We’ve long been skeptical as to whether the Monsters, Inc. dark ride actually needed to close this year, so this isn’t a huge surprise. For the reasons discussed in that post, we also wouldn’t be surprised if Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue remains open until the Eastern Gateway comes online.
UPDATE: Disney Changes Project Timeline for Disneyland: Adding Tomorrowland, Delaying Avatar. This does not directly impact Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue, but as discussed in that post, it almost assuredly will. With Avatar not commencing construction anytime soon, there’s no reason to close this family-friendly ride unless a staging site is needed for Eastern Gateway. We doubt that. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue is probably safe until 2028 or 2029, potentially beyond.
Next, let’s take a look at the 2026 Disneyland attraction closure calendar…
Disneyland
- Autopia – Closes for electrification in early 2027
- Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition – Reopens September 11, 2026
- Haunted Mansion – Reopened on August 21, 2026
- Indiana Jones Adventure – Closed starting September 8, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- Mad Tea Party – Closed starting September 14, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- Magic Happens Parade – Returns Summer 2027
- Main Street Cinema – Reopens on August 28, 2026
- Mark Twain Riverboat – Closed September 8-11, 2026
- Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn – Unavailable through late September 2026
- Paint the Night Parade – Recently ended
- Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island – Closed starting September 14, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- “Remember… Dreams Come True” Fireworks – Returns in Winter 2027
- Sailing Ship Columbia – Closed September 21-24, 2026
- Wondrous Journeys Fireworks – Recently ended
The latest update is concerns Disneyland putting entertainment into the Disney Vault (Paint the Night and Wondrous Journeys) for Halloween and Christmas. Then, as announced at D23, a few pieces will be removed in 2027 (Remember… Dreams Come True, OG World of Color, and Magic Happens Parade).
Additionally, “Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park” is temporarily unavailable, but is expected to return in late September 2026. This was previously calendared, but was pushed back for whatever reason. It’s unclear why this is happening, but we hope it doesn’t quietly become a permanent cutback. Plaza Inn is a great grabbag of characters for breakfast.
This is a ride that seems to get a refurbishment about every year (sometimes more frequently) and we’d argue that it could probably use more regular maintenance than that. Indiana Jones Adventure has a lot of problematic effects that are routinely broken, and once again is in need of some TLC.
For reference, the last closures of Indiana Jones Adventure were December 1-3, 2025, March 17 to April 24, 2025, September 9-13, 2024, November 27-30, 2023, and January 9 to March 16, 2023. It has had one or two refurbishments every single year (minus 2020, when the parks were closed) since at least 2010.
Many of these projects, including the refurbishment two Septembers ago, were brief closures lasting less than one week. Others were more extensive multi-month projects with more consequential improvements. It’s unclear which kind the upcoming closure is, but Indiana Jones Adventure doesn’t have hours posted through October 3, 2026; that’s as far out as the calendar goes.
The newest closure added to the list is Autopia, which closes for modernization in early 2027. This means ditching the gas guzzlers and swapping them out for electric vehicles.
With the ride’s 10-year sponsorship deal winding down, we’re also expecting an extensive refurbishment and refresh, likely lasting several months. Our best guess is that it reopens after spring break–hopefully in time for Summer 2027!
This modernization comes as Disneyland has reached an agreement with the California Air Resources Board to retire the attraction’s current gas-powered engines in 2027, and replace them with fully electric vehicles. Disneyland paid California $56,250 as part of a voluntary settlement two years ago, and agreed to convert or close Autopia by February 1, 2027. This is a deadline for the refurbishment start date, and is not necessarily conclusive of when it’ll actually begin. Autopia could close earlier; we just know it won’t be open come February 2, 2027!
If you’re considering a trip to Disneyland at the tail end of later in 2026, keep an eye out for refurbishments of Haunted Mansion and “it’s a small world” to be added to the closure calendar.
These are annual projects, with the downtime necessary to install the seasonal overlays and convert the attraction from their normal versions to their holiday overlays. This typically takes roughly 10 days to two weeks for each attraction, with the downtime being staggered.
Refurbishments are typically early to mid-August for Haunted Mansion and late October to mid-November for “it’s a small world” (holiday). Last year’s dates were August 9-21 for Haunted Mansion and October 31 to November 12 for “it’s a small world.”
This year, Halloween Time starts on August 21, 2026 and Christmas starts on November 18, 2026. Those are likely the latest reopening dates for the respective attractions. Likewise, expect ‘mirror image’ closures staggered in Winter 2027 after the holiday crowds depart to remove the overlays.
As noted above, the calendar currently extends through October 3, 2026, so anything with a TBD probably reopens after that. Although we should note that sometimes return dates are scheduled after calendar dates are published, so there are no sure things.
Finally, a few notes about the above refurbishments. Disneyland is notorious for changing its refurbishment schedules, adding or canceling planned downtimes weeks or days in advance. While this practice is still relatively uncommon in the grand scheme of things, it’s worth pointing out because it does happen.
What follows is our philosophy concerning refurbishments, with the specific example of the multi-year Disneyland Railroad refurbishment used to illustrate…
Thoughts on Refurbishments
Nobody likes a favorite attraction to be refurbished during their vacation. It means missing out and potentially not being able to experience the ride for another year or longer, depending upon the frequency of your visits to Disneyland. A couple of years ago, the Disneyland Railroad closed for an extended refurbishment due to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge construction.
At first, we were really disappointed. This might seem like an odd attraction to lament the closure of, but as Southern Californians with Disneyland Annual Passes, this was an absolute favorite of ours. We rode regularly when we wanted to rest our feet, or simply a break from the crowds. With the exception of maybe ‘it’s a small world’, we did Disneyland Railroad more than any other attraction.
However, that initial disappointment pretty quickly gave way to excitement. We began thinking about ways Disneyland Railroad could be plussed, improving the experience for years to come. Disney had already announced that some changes would be made (as the track needed to be re-routed), and we were excited for the prospect of new show scenes or other visuals.
From my perspective, investing in the long-term quality of an attraction is far more important than the temporary satisfaction I’ll get out of riding it on my next visit. This is why it always perplexes me when regulars contend that their vacation will be ruined because their favorite attraction will be closed.
If it’s your favorite attraction and you’re active in the Disney fan community, that means you’ve been to Disneyland before and probably will visit again. It would thus stand to reason that you would want something you love to get the TLC it deserves, and continue to improve.
Disneyland Railroad works as a good example here…in large part because it did receive significant changes and enhancements. (Arguably, the Rivers of America suffered due to being condensed, but that’s another topic for another day–we cover all aspects of this in our New-Look Grand Circle Tour of Disneyland post.)
The point extends to other attractions that have seen similar plussings, but also have more of a problem with effects breaking. Take Indiana Jones Adventure, for example. This is a ride that seems to get a refurbishment about every other year (sometimes more frequently) and we’d argue that it could probably use more regular maintenance than that.
If you are a long-term fan, would you rather experience Indiana Jones Adventure every single visit with 75% of the effects working, or every single visit minus one or two with 95% of the effects working? For me, the answer to that is easy. I’ll take a superior long term experience every time.
Beyond that, there’s the much more compelling justification for regular refurbishments: they are essential for the safety of attractions. While we may think of these attractions as all fun and games that offer a safe sense of exhilaration, that’s when they are properly maintained.
It’s unpleasant to think about, but there have been several preventable deaths in the history of Disney’s parks. During a dark era of Disneyland history, improper maintenance was the cause of death on Big Thunder Mountain. Likewise, years of neglect at Disneyland Paris have led to incidents of injury that could be attributed to a lack of maintenance. In both cases, this has been addressed, and maintenance has improved considerably.
This is not meant to scare anyone or provoke an emotional reaction. Disney’s worldwide safety record is sterling as compared to other park operators. It’s still important to remember that these fun, ‘magical’ places also exist in the real world and use a lot of potentially dangerous elements if safety is not viewed as key.
When it comes to maintenance that is not essential to the safe operation of an attraction, we are left to contemplate what amount of show quality should be accepted. If following a strict Nunis-ian interpretation of the Four/Five Keys, show is an important consideration, and it should always be 100%. This is a nice goal to strive for, but the practical reality is that 100% show quality is an unworkably high threshold sometimes.
In my estimation, this is a good example of balancing guest interests with show quality. Get the effects working that are easily fixable, and find other ways to address effects that are frequently breaking. We’re not talking about safety here, just random effects. Indiana Jones Adventure has had a number of effects disabled or replaced over the years because they were unreliable.
Guests are understandably concerned when it appears an inordinate number of attractions are closing during their vacation, especially out of state visitors. Trips to California are not cheap and are often once in a lifetime experiences; first-timers certainly do not want to miss out on experiences about which they’ve read extensive hype.
With that said, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure ought to be publishing their routine refurbishment schedules several months in advance, allowing guests to plan around closures. Disney plans maintenance well in advance, and this info should be passed along to guests. For the most part, it is.
Obviously, unplanned maintenance can occur, which takes rides out of commission for hours or even days at the last minute. This is an unavoidable part of sophisticated theme park attractions, and there’s no real way to “plan around” this. It just is what it is.
However, the problem with a “not during my vacation” attitude like this is that it’s always going to be someone’s (or tens of thousands of someones) vacation. If Disneyland and Disney California Adventure attractions with show quality issues aren’t close for refurbishments for fear of some guests during a time-limited window missing out, all guests in perpetuity are going to have a lesser experience.
The end result of that thinking is a duct-tapped approach to attraction maintenance, with whatever work that can be done overnight accomplished, and two parks full of attractions with half their effects broken. First-timers would be left wondering why there was so much hype about Disneyland in the first place, as so many components of rides simply don’t work. If you’re reading this as a lifelong fan, well…maybe you wouldn’t have become a lifelong fan if this were actually Disneyland’s modus operandi.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts…
Any questions about the current refurbishments at Disneyland Resort? What do you think about refurbishments at the Disney Parks? Are you more concerned about an improved long-term experience, or do you think “not during my vacation!”? Any other factors you think are worth considering? As mentioned, we think this is a conversation, so please share your ‘refurbishment philosophy’, or any other thoughts or questions you have, in the comments!