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 bad news is that winter is historically ‘refurbishment season’ at Disneyland, and we’re starting to see that. A few closures have already begun, and more keep being added to the schedule for the next few months. The good news is that most of these should wind down before Spring Break, or even Ski Week, for that matter. Here’s the full rundown…
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
- Golden Zephyr – Closed starting March 8, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- Grizzly River Run – Closed starting January 5, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- Incredicoaster – Closed January 5, 2026 through February 5, 2026
- Jumpin’ Jellyfish – Closed February 23, 2026 through March 5, 2026
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! – Permanently closes in 2026
On Pixar Pier, there are a few ride closures. Incredicoaster is now down for refurbishment, but will wrap up within the next few weeks, before mid-winter break. After that but before spring break, Jumpin’ Jellyfish and Golden Zephyr will go down in quick succession.
There’s also the routine refurbishment of Grizzly River Run. This happens annually without fail, and is equal parts refurbishment and taking the ‘you will get wet/you may get soaked’ attraction offline during the coldest months of the year when demand is lowest. Typically, Grizzly River Run reopens by Spring Break, although that could change if the weather forecast is unseasonably warm by Presidents’ Day.
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue will permanently close in early 2026 according to Disneyland. That was announced over the summer, and we initially expected the closure to occur shortly after the holiday season ends.
However, it has been radio silence from Disneyland since then about this project. Our suspicion now is that the closure date has quietly been pushed back from winter to spring, or beyond. At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue stays open through Easter, closing sometime around (or after) April 6, 2026.
Monsters will make way for an all-new Avatar area at Disney California Adventure. This new Pandora destination is expected to feature a boat ride utilizing the ride system from Shanghai Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure.
It will also take up much more space than the Monsters, Inc. ride, taking over the entirety of the Hollywood Backlot and expanding into the current bus loop. We don’t expect the Avatar area to open until the early 2030s.
Next, let’s take a look at the 2026 Disneyland attraction closure calendar…
Disneyland
- Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – Reopening in the Future
- “it’s a small world” – Closed starting January 26, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- Jungle Cruise – Closed starting February 17, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
- Magic Happens Parade – Return TBD
- Paint the Night Parade – Resumes on January 30, 2026
- Sailing Ship Columbia – Closed January 26-29, 2026
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Closed starting January 20, 2026 (Reopening TBD)
The latest addition to the calendar is Jungle Cruise, which is closed starting February 17, 2026. This will likely run through at least early March 2026, as there are construction permits for structural repairs to the ride. Our hope is that it’s back online by Spring Break season in mid-March, but there’s no guarantee of that. This project could last weeks, or months.
Now that Haunted Mansion has reopened, “it’s a small world” has closed for refurbishment. These are annual closures, with the downtime necessary to remove the seasonal overlays and convert the attraction from their “holiday” versions back to normal. This typically takes roughly 10 days to two weeks for each attraction, with the downtime being staggered.
The closure of “it’s a small world” would normally last no more than 2 weeks. However, the attraction is not posting any hours through March 2026. This could be an oversight or Disney not having complete confidence yet in when the ride will reopen; it could also suggest a longer amount of downtime. We’ll keep you posted.
In addition to these ride refurbishments, Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be closed for a multi-week refurbishment ahead of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge timeline shift. Nothing has been announced, but the bar is not posting hours during that timeframe. Less notable, but it also appears Jat Kaa’s Coolers: J1-KC at Resistance Clearing (it’s a snack stand) will also be closed those same dates.
The even bigger news is that the top-rated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction at Disneyland will be temporarily closing this winter for routine maintenance. The Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance refurbishment will start on January 20, 2026; this is right after the busy Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend ends, which is probably not coincidental.
In all likelihood, the target is to reopen Rise of the Resistance before Presidents’ Day weekend. We’ve listed February 13-23, 2026 as one of the 10 Worst Weeks at Disneyland in 2026, which is due to Presidents’ Day/Mid-Winter Break/Ski Week/Mardi Gras.
We had previously been advised that this project should only last a few weeks. However, construction walls have gone up in front of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. So unless something is being done to the marquee, entrance or pavement, it sure seems like Disneyland is gearing up for a longer closure.
There are also a few pieces of entertainment that were paused due to Holiday Time at Disneyland Resort, which has now ended. During the Christmas season, Wondrous Journeys was on hiatus for the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks. It has now returned.
More significantly, Paint the Night Parade paused for “A Christmas Fantasy” parade. However, Paint the Night Parade won’t return until January 30, 2026. (The latter return date is because performers need time to rehearse before resuming the parade; fireworks don’t have performers.)
The Better Together Parade at DCA will not return in 2026.
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 recent 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!