Disney is building a brand new theme park, and while it is still a few years away, the details coming out of Abu Dhabi are worth getting excited about. Disneyland Abu Dhabi was officially announced in May 2025, and the project is moving forward on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates, home to some of the world’s most ambitious entertainment destinations.
The park is being developed by Abu Dhabi entertainment company Miral, the same group behind Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World on Yas Island, with Walt Disney Imagineering designing the experience. Bob Iger himself visited the site in January 2026, posting photos and saying “Walking the site of what will one day be Disneyland Abu Dhabi! Lots of work ahead, but all very exciting.” The location was also featured in the behind-the-scenes Disney Worldbuilders documentary, giving fans their first real glimpse at the ground-level reality of the project. As of April 2026, early site preparation work is visible, with temporary structures on-site and construction activity expected to ramp up by mid-to-late 2027.
So when will it actually open? No official date has been announced, but Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro has indicated the project could take “a year or two to design, and another four to six years to build,” which points to a realistic opening window somewhere between 2030 and 2033. Disney confirmed in its Q2 2026 earnings report that “the strategic logic of our Abu Dhabi plans is unchanged,” which is as close to a green light as fans are going to get for now.
What makes this park particularly exciting is what Disney has promised it will be: “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.” The park is expected to integrate Emirati cultural elements throughout, feature a modern castle design unlike anything Disney has built before, and showcase the most advanced technology in the company’s history. Thousands of jobs are expected to be created, and with the park positioned within a four-hour flight of one-third of the world’s population, the global reach of this project is unlike anything Disney has attempted before.
It is early days, but Disneyland Abu Dhabi is real and it is coming. Let us know in the comments what you think about this new Disney park!
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