As Disney continues to make changes following the 2020 closure due to the global pandemic, we have to wonder — what’s next for the Walt Disney Company?
The next few years have a few landmark events coming up, and with lots of people traveling and making vacation plans again, does Disney have any special celebrations in the works? From one anniversary celebration ending to NEW anniversaries coming up, there’s a lot to be excited about, and it’s a great time to start planning your next Disney World trip.
Disney World’s 50th Anniversary
Disney World’s 50th anniversary kicked off on October 1st, 2021, and it will last through March 2023. That’s an 18-month celebration! While Disney has celebrated with new merchandise, entertainment, decor, food, and more, we wonder how the event will end.
After 18 months of celebrating, it’s possible that Disney World will send off the festivities with a bang! Of course, it’s also possible that the last day of the celebration will be business as usual before transitioning to a post-50th anniversary Disney World, but we’re curious to find out how Disney plans to end the celebration.
Read our complete guide to Disney World’s 50th anniversary here!
EPCOT’s 40th Anniversary
EPCOT‘s 40th anniversary is October 1st, 2022, which will coincide with Disney World’s continuing 50th anniversary festivities. In honor of EPCOT’s 35th anniversary in 2017, we saw lots of special food and merchandise, so it’s possible that we’ll see more of that later this year.
Disney also raised the amount of 2017 Food and Wine Festival booths to 35 that year, so we’re wondering if that could mean a record-breaking 40 booths for the 2022 Food and Wine Festival! 😳 For reference, in most years we see around 30-ish booths. In 2021 there were 34!
Also, EPCOT has been undergoing a major transformation since 2019, and progress was somewhat delayed with the Disney World closure in 2020.
Although we know that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is scheduled to open in summer 2022, it’s possible that Disney could be aiming for a goal of completing (or near-completing) construction by the anniversary. What a way to celebrate with a brand new EPCOT!
We haven’t heard any announcements yet about Disney’s plans (or lack thereof) for EPCOT’s 40th anniversary, so we’ll have to wait and see what they might have in store for guests later this year!
Read more about EPCOT’s transformation here!
The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary
In 2023, the Walt Disney Company will observe its 100th anniversary with the “100 Years of Wonder” celebration.
So far, we know that part of this celebration will include a new exhibit featuring many artifacts from the Walt Disney Archives’ collection, scheduled to premiere at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in February 2023.
The Walt Disney Company was founded on October 16th, 1923, so this could be a good reason to plan an October 2023 Disney trip, although there have not yet been any announcements about any in-park celebrations. You can also celebrate by visiting the exhibit, and stay tuned for more news!
We’re hoping that this BIG milestone will mean BIG announcements at the D23 Expo this year! So keep your eyes peeled this September for BREAKING news and subscribe to our newsletter for all of the details.
Read more about the Walt Disney Archives exhibit here!
Animal Kingdom’s 25th Anniversary
2023 will mark another big Disney Park anniversary — Disney’s Animal Kingdom‘s 25th anniversary! Animal Kingdom opened on April 22nd, 1998, and in 25 years there have been many changes to the park.
Recently, the daytime show Disney KiteTails debuted, and we’ve also learned that the Finding Nemo Musical will be reimagined with a story inspired by Finding Dory.
25 years is a pretty major milestone, so it’s very possible we’ll see some kind of celebration at Animal Kingdom! What will that look like so soon after a new show like KiteTails just debuted? No idea. But we’re excited to find out!
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Are you excited for 2022 and 2023? Tell us in the comments!
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