Niles: Crystal ball reveals top theme park stories of 2026 ...Middle East

Santa brought me a crystal ball for Christmas, so let’s use it to preview big news in the theme park industry for 2026. Granted, it looks like this crystal ball might have come from an unsold theme park souvenir clearance sale, so I would not bet any real money on these predictions.

I see the big story in 2026 being construction. Disney California Adventure will be getting started on its new Coco and Avatar rides. The Avengers Campus expansion continues, as the Disneyland Resort also begins work on its new parking garage. In Florida, Walt Disney World is building new rides themed to Encanto and Cars, as well as new lands themed to Monsters Inc. and Disney’s many villains. Up the road at Universal Orlando, work will begin on a new Islands of Adventure attraction that sources have confirmed to me will be themed to Pokémon.

Since customers prefer new rides to construction walls, I would not be surprised to see attendance slip at many top U.S. parks in 2026, as international fans continue to stay away from the U.S. and domestic visitors stay home until new rides debut.

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Around the world, I expect to hear Universal announce that it is licensing a new theme park in Saudi Arabia, likely in the Qiddiya City development where Six Flags is opening this week.

Six Flags Qiddiya City’s new, record-setting Falcons Flight roller coaster will be the big story from that opening, but U.S. coaster fans’ attention soon will turn to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Hollywood when it debuts. This will the fastest coaster at any Universal theme park fans are hoping that it just might end up becoming the best coaster in California.

But the best new theme park ride of 2026 might not come from any park in California or Florida. NightFlight Expedition at Tennessee’s Dollywood will offer a unique experience with the first U.S. installation of Mack Rides’ innovative new Rocking Boat ride system. It’s a roller coaster, raft ride and dark ride all in one, with an original storyline set at nighttime in the Smoky Mountains.

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Disney’s biggest new attraction of the year also is happening outside Anaheim and Orlando. The company is transforming its maligned Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris into Disney Adventure World, with an expansion featuring a World of Frozen land. The park’s new lake will be the site for Disney’s next nighttime spectacular, Disney Cascade of Light, featuring a new generation of show drone technology.

In Mexico, the BON Luxury Theme Park is set to debut north of Puerto Vallarta in 2026. VidantaWorld Nuevo Vallarta is a new player in the theme park game, but offers a promising lineup with Latin America’s first double launch coaster, a Suspended Family Coaster and a Switchback Mine Train from Vekoma as well as an Inverted Powered Coaster and outdoor boat ride from Mack Rides.

Finally, many families will be getting their Christmas wishes fulfilled in 2026 with the opening Universal Kids Resort in Texas, featuring attractions themed to Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and Jurassic World. Happy new year, theme park fans.

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