2025 was a pretty incredible year for the theme park industry. Every year brings new attractions, new experiences, and, most importantly, new food to theme parks around the world, but how often do adventure-seekers get something as big as a brand new theme park? Not often enough, to say the least.
Yes, any year-end look at the best new additions to themed entertainment has to include the elephant (or in this case, dragon) in the room, Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe theme park. While it absolutely was the biggest new addition to the to the industry, and arguably the best one, it certainly wasn’t the only thing worth celebrating in 2025. But let’s present it with its flowers before shifting the spotlight to other debuts.
Epic Universe Is Worthy Of The Hype
Expectations were high when it was officially announced that Universal Orlando Resort was adding a third gate (I won’t call the Volcano Bay Water Park a theme park, and you can’t make me). Expectations were so high that it was probably fairly unlikely that the actual finished product would meet them. And yet it did. Epic Universe is a must-do for any theme park fan.
I got to visit Epic Universe before most people, and I experienced every attraction Epic Universe had to offer. In short, it’s worthy of the hype. It has two of the greatest dark rides ever created in Monsters Unchained and Battle at the Ministry of Magic. It has deeply immersive lands that bring to life multiple popular worlds from your favorite films and video games. But even the non-IP-focused areas are well done and fun to experience. It’s a truly incredible achievement.
The Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic Is Something Special
On the opposite end of the scale, quite literally, we go from a massive theme park to a single animated figure. However, this is no ordinary figure, Walt Disney: A Magical Life brought the founder of the Disney company himself to life in a way that was previously impossible. It was also more than a little controversial.
While the physical design of Walt isn’t perfect, the face mould, it has to be said, doesn’t look exactly like him; it speaks with his voice, and it moves in such a real way that you don’t focus on the parts that don’t work as well. From a technical standpoint alone, it’s a massive leap forward for Disney’s industry-leading audio-animatronics. A second Walt audio-animatronic is slated for Walt Disney World, and if it improves on the original, it will truly be something special.
Fan Fest Nights Was An Incredible New Universal Event
I used to be down on hard ticket events at theme parks. They frequently cost more than a standard ticket, while offering guests limited access to the attractions for fewer total hours. And yet, over the last few years, I have attended several of them, and I have become a believer. Many of them offer experiences you simply can’t have during a normal theme park day that are not to be missed.
This year, I attended Universal Studios Hollywood’s famed Halloween Horror Nights for the first time, but the event that I loved was Fan Fest Nights, which took the proven HHN concept and applied it non non-horror franchises. Being able to stand on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D and actually walk the town square of Hill Valley from Back to the Future was absolutely incredible, and worth the price of any ticket.
The John Wick Experience Puts You In The World Of John Wick
Themed Entertainment is about making you feel like you’re part of your favorite stories. Theme parks largely do an impressive job of this for the short period you’re in a line and on a ride. A ride on Tron: Lightcycle Run can make you feel like you’re on The Grid, but it takes something a bit more immersive to make you feel like you’re John Wick.
The John Wick Experience opened in Las Vegas early in 2025, and it’s one of the experiences I had this year I would absolutely go back and do again. It brought the world of John Wick and the Continental Hotel to life in a way no theme park attraction could have accomplished. You become part of a real story, interacting with other Hotel employees, solving puzzles, while experiencing set pieces derived from the films. You get to fire a gun and even have a drink at the Continental bar. Your room is ready.
Disneyland’s 70th Celebration Is The Greatest Hits (And More) Of Modern Disneyland
It’s hard to believe that Disneyland turned 70 years old in 2025. A birthday that significant requires a big party, and Disneyland is currently throwing one that will last until August 2026. For the most part, this celebration has involved bringing back popular entertainment from years past, like the exquisite Paint the Night parade and the Wonderous Journeys nighttime spectacular.
However, there are some truly great new additions as well. World of Color: Happiness may not be the best version of Disney California Adventure’s nightly spectacular, but the truth is, there has never been a bad World of Color. The Tapestry of Happiness, however, is an absolute highlight. The show is projected on the side of It’s A Small World, and it’s a beautiful presentation that runs through the history of Disneyland, including calling out great attractions that are long gone, and celebrating the people who made them. It’s my favorite part of the entire 70th Celebration and absolutely not to be missed.
2025 has been great, but 2026 is setting up to be just as great. Universal will open yet another new theme park, Universal Kids Resort in Texas. Bluey is coming to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World next year. Both resorts will offer brand new versions of Soarin, to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, to celebrate the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The Fast & Furious franchise is finally getting the roller coaster it deserves, but the best new ride at any theme park next year may actually be found at Dollywood. Thank you, 2025, but I can’t wait to experience what’s next.
