Hong Kong Disneyland is Disney’s little park that could. It’s the least-visited castle park in the world, with one-third the numbers of Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, or Tokyo Disneyland. It has lower attendance than every single Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort park, ahead of only the abysmal Walt Disney Studios Park.
Although WDSP is also getting an Arendelle area next year, that’s where the comparisons to HKDL begin and end. Otherwise, Hong Kong Disneyland is charming–similar to Disneyland in California from a bygone era. For years, Hong Kong Disneyland was a bit of a paradox: home to a couple of the best attractions in the world, but otherwise having a weak ride roster by castle park standards. It was a park we cherished, even if we knew it couldn’t stand among the top tier castle parks.
That has changed. Hong Kong Disneyland is no longer the Casey Junior of Disney theme parks. It’s not the scrappy little park that “thinks it can.” It’s the park that can–and does. Which is precisely why we named Hong Kong Disneyland as our #1 Disney Destination for 2025. And guess what? Hong Kong Disneyland still isn’t done, and Disney’s charming little park is going to continue blossoming into its own, and receiving significant investments and expansion in 2025 and beyond…
Let’s start with the next phase of expansion plans, which were revealed during a presentation about HKDL’s business results for the fiscal year of 2024 and the latest resort developments by Michael Moriarty, Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
During this, Moriarty elaborated upon what was first announced during last year’s D23 Expo. That an extended Marvel-themed area featuring a new attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort as part of its multi-year expansion. The premise is that the brightest minds from the Avengers are working together and bringing new pavilions to the Stark Expo to showcase their most recent inventions and technologies.
Peter Parker (a.k.a Spider-Man), the newest Stark Industries intern, is among one of them and will also be the host to demonstrate the latest breakthrough. Undoubtedly, the presence of Spider-Man will also attract one of the most formidable villains, who wreaks havoc at the scene. Peter will need all the help he can get to protect his brand-new technology while saving guests caught in the middle of the showdown.
The upcoming new project marks the third major addition to the immersive Marvel-themed experience with an extended area in Tomorrowland at Hong Kong Disneyland, and will include all-new entertainment, shopping and dining offerings. It will further expand the epicenter of the Marvel Super Heroes at Hong Kong Disneyland, which began almost a decade ago.
The Marvel saga at Hong Kong Disneyland began with Tony Stark choosing Hong Kong as the Asia headquarters of Stark Industries. The park also became the home of the Stark Expo, showcasing the largest and latest high-tech creations of Stark Industries. That included the launch of the Iron Man Experience in 2017 and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle in 2019.
It was slated to include an Avengers E-Ticket by now (technically, it was supposed to open 2 years ago), which was slated to be the Quinjet attraction concept that was also announced for Disney California Adventure. Pre-COVID, that attraction would be cloned and built at both HKDL and DCA to spread development costs. A lot has changed since, and now the parks will each get unique Marvel attractions. Autopia even closed to make way for construction. Almost a decade later, it’s finally happening. And that’s not all.
The map above confirms what was safe to assume, that the expanded Marvel area expansion will replace Autopia.
The easily-developable portion of this expansion pad is large, probably big enough for two attractions as opposed to just the one Tower of Terror-style drop attraction themed to Spider-Man. It’s entirely possible that there could be another dark ride back here, or even a roller coaster.
As you can see from the 2016 development map below, there’s a ton of space back here. They could easily do an expansion a la TRON Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom. (Not necessarily that ride–just how that goes over the train tracks.) With the success that Hong Kong Disneyland has seen in the last couple of years, I fully expect something else to be greenlit for this space.
The totally-new news is that Moriarty announced “an all-new, exclusive Pixar entertainment experience” is coming to Hong Kong Disneyland as the park continues the magic beyond its 20th Anniversary. (Suggesting to me that this will open in 2026 or later.)
As for what this Pixar entertainment experience could be, a good guess is probably something similar to “Together: A Pixar Musical Adventure” in Paris. This stage show at Walt Disney Studios Park/Disney Adventure World takes you on a journey through the wonderful worlds of Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and many other movies from Pixar.
Personally, I don’t think Hong Kong Disneyland needs another stage show…or another montage show…but guests there seem to love the existing shows, so it makes sense from that perspective. This is another reasonably sizable expansion pad, and could easily house Toy Story Mania or Slinky Dog Dash. But given what’s popular (and what isn’t) at HKDL, I suppose entertainment makes more sense. At the very least, I’d like to see them finally connect World of Frozen to Toy Story Land. That was the original plan (see above map), but there are currently restrooms
On a much smaller scale note, “Duffy and Friends Play Days” have returned to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort through May 7, 2025.
This popular special event features everything from a time-limited Duffy & Friends-themed train to sweet treats and an all-new merchandise collection, as well as new character costumes, plush photo ops themed to ride vehicles (including Mystic Manor’s Magneto-Electric Carriages!) and more.
Frankly, given the success of Duffy & Friends at Hong Kong Disneyland, it seems like only a matter of time before the characters get their own dark ride. There’s probably space between the current meet & greet building on Main Street and Festival of the Lion King, and if not, definitely in the dead corner of Adventureland next to Grizzly Gulch.
Disney has also pulled back the curtain a bit more on the upcoming Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary celebration. “The Most Magical Party of All” will start in June 2025 and be a year-long celebration.
The brand-new “Friendtastic!” daytime parade is the largest ever in scale at HKDL. Jumping into a party atmosphere, this long-anticipated parade will be full of spectacular theatrics, positive energy, and toe-tapping beats.
Featuring 11 party floats with 11 groups of beloved Disney friends—including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and many others alongside parade dancers adorned in vivid costumes—guests can immerse themselves in the excitement, and grooving to the beats.
Hong Kong Disneyland has shared a first-look at the Encanto float that recreates the Madrigal Casita, with Mirabel, Isabela, Luisa, and Bruno all appear on the float.
Most Walt Disney World and Disneyland fans probably don’t care much about any of this, so if you’ve stuck with the article this far, I’ll include this: the last time Hong Kong Disneyland got a new parade, it was the “exclusive” Paint the Night Parade over a decade ago for the park’s 9th Anniversary.
In reality, Disney had created two versions of Paint the Night, and less than a year later, the second rolled down Main Street at Disneyland for the Diamond Celebration. I’m not suggesting the same will happen here (I doubt Disneyland gets a new daytime parade anytime soon), but it wouldn’t surprise me. Walt Disney World could use new daytime entertainment, and Disney does love to spread development costs out. This sentiment applies not just to the parade, but pretty much all of the entertainment being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland’s 20th Anniversary.
Ultimately, we are really excited to return to Hong Kong Disneyland later this year for the 20th Anniversary celebration. It’s the park we are looking forward to visit for personal enjoyment more than any other–at least until TDR can get its act together and resume regular operations. Even though 95% of you will never visit, we’ll continue spreading the gospel of HKDL for the sake of the ~5% who eventually will heed our advice and go.
We absolutely adore this charming castle park, and think it’s the perfect add-on during a trip to Asia, perhaps for the new Disney Adventure cruise ship or visits to other theme parks in the region. One thing to note is that, from a practical planning perspective, we absolutely do not recommend visiting in the summer for the celebration kick-off (see Best & Worst Times to Visit HKDL). My hope is that there’s even more coming for Halloween and Christmas, and it’ll be possible to double-dip on the 20th and those holiday festivities.
If you need more to “sell” you on Hong Kong Disneyland, there’s so much more you can’t miss at year-round–including attractions and entertainment exclusive to the park. From the unique Castle of Magical Dreams and the world’s first Frozen-themed land, World of Frozen, to the thrilling Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars and extraordinary Mystic Manor (both entries on Sarah & Tom Bricker’s Top 15 Disney Attractions Worldwide). Hong Kong Disneyland is a great place that deserves to turn into a destination park for international Disney fans.
For the rest of your planning needs, consult our Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide. It covers everything you need to know for a visit to HKDL, including reviews, strategy, packing, and more. If you’re visiting the city as well, please consult our Hong Kong City Guide on TravelCaffeine, our non-Disney planning site.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the expansion plans for Hong Kong Disneyland? Will you be visiting for the Most Magical Party of All? If you’ve been to any of the Disney Parks in Asia, how do you think HKDL stacks up? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of this charming little castle park? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
