TouringPlans Travel Beat 10-26-2025

At Travel Beat we have all the “other” news from the last week or so—the stuff that wasn’t big enough to stop the presses for. What did the newsroom bring us this week? Bullets are just ahead if you’re in a hurry, and more details follow below. Don’t forget to check out the Headline News Recap, in case there was something you missed!

• Disney Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary
• The Destiny Is On the Way to Fort Lauderdale
• Enchant Key Goes to Renewal Only Status
• Magic Kingdom Fireworks Schedule Updates for Christmas Week
• EPCOT Festival of the Arts Dates Announced for 2026
• Rumors: Is a Drone Show Coming to Disneyland?
• Characters Added to 2025 Jollywood Nights Lineup
• Universal Mardi Gras Dates Announced for 2026
• Magic Kingdom Was World’s Most Visited Theme Park in 2024
• Jollywood Nights 2025 Menus Released
• Headline News Recap

Can you guess which story inspired this week’s cover image? Leave your guesses in the comments!

Disney Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary

America will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, and Disney has a few things in store for the birthday bash, with a new initiative called “Disney Celebrates America.” It begins on Veterans Day 2025, which is when we expect announcements about the 2026 Military Salute. And it runs through the July 4, 2026 weekend, when Disney will expand the showing of its Independence Day fireworks spectacular to three full days.

Look for “Disney’s Celebrate America! — A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky,” to play on all three nights of the holiday weekend, July 3-5, at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park. And if you can’t make it to the parks, Disney will be streaming the fireworks as part of a 24-hour “Disney Celebrates America” broadcast across its linear and streaming platforms.

The Destiny Is On the Way to Fort Lauderdale

It’s official! The Disney Destiny has departed Eemshaven, where she was officially handed over to Disney Cruise Line. Next stop, Fort Lauderdale.

Enchant Key Goes to Renewal Only Status

At Disneyland, the Enchant tier of Magic Keys, which had been on sale since August, went to renewal-only status this week. The two highest-tier keys, the Inspire and Believe Keys, will go on sale soon. Go-Go-Go! Magic Key Pass Sales Return November 4, 2025

Magic Kingdom Fireworks Schedule Updates for Christmas Week

Up until late December, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade are only for guests of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But when the parties are over, these seasonal events take over from the regular park entertainment for a short while. This week, Disney confirmed that Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks will be shown instead of Happily Ever After beginning on December 22. There are no announcements yet about the parade, but we expect that to switch over on the same date.

EPCOT Festival of the Arts Dates Announced for 2026

If you’re heading to Disney World between January 16 and February 23, 2026, good news! You’ll be there during the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. If you’ve never been, most activities at this EPCOT Festival are free with your park admission, and several are hands-on. Find all the details in our guide to the event: Guide to the 2026 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

Rumors: Is a Drone Show Coming to Disneyland?

Drones have been seen in the sky over Golden Oak Ranch in Santa Clarita, CA, in the last week, prompting speculation that Disney is working on a show for Disneyland Park. Check out the video posted to Instagram by @socaloutdoorexplorer, below!

 

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A post shared by SoCal Outdoor Explorer (@socaloutdoorexplorer)

Characters Added to 2025 Jollywood Nights Lineup

The first Jollywood Nights event is on November 8, and it’s coming up fast! Disney added a few new faces to its already-announced character roster, including Life Day Chewbacca, Partysaurus Rex, Bing Bong, and Miguel from Coco. Disney also shared that this year’s party parting gift will be a Jollywood Nights ornament, pictured above.

Universal Mardi Gras Dates Announced for 2026

Are you ready to party? Universal Orlando has released dates for its 2026 Mardi Gras event, which will be held from February 7 through April 4, 2026. Most Mardi Gras activities – parades, food stalls, and entertainment – are included with your park admission. If you’ve never been, our event guide has the full details: Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 Guide

Magic Kingdom Was World’s Most Visited Theme Park in 2024

The 2024 Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) annual report on park attendance is out, and Magic Kingdom tops the list worldwide, with Disneyland in second place. Parks in Japan and China, including Universal Studios Japan and Disney parks in Tokyo and Shanghai, sit in the #3-7 spots, with two more Disney World parks and Disneyland Paris rounding out the top 10. Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure are in positions 13 and 14. The full list of the top 25 worldwide is below.

Jollywood Nights 2025 Menus Released

No party is complete without treats, and the full set of savory and sweet menu items has been released for this year’s Jollywood Nights event. Look for party food like the new-this-year Kermit Mint Whirl and Miss Piggy Strawberry Glam ice cream sundaes from Hollywood Scoops, below, along with plenty of returning favorites. And yes, that includes the Dinosaur Gertie cookie. See Disney’s full guide here.

Headline News Recap

As part of Disney’s 250th Anniversary tribute to America, we’re going to get a brand new film for Soarin! Get Ready to Go Soarin’ Across America in 2026

There was also some exciting news out of Universal Orlando this week: 2026 tickets have been released, and limits on Epic Universe for multi-day tickets have been lifted. Universal Orlando 2026 Tickets Now On Sale

That’s it for this week’s Travel Beat. What news are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!