Disneyland Paris officially opened Disney Adventure World, its reimagined second park, to the public on March 29, 2026, capping a multi-year, €2 billion transformation with the grand debut of World of Frozen, a new main avenue, a 7.5-acre central lake, and a nightly drone-and-pyrotechnics spectacular. The night before, an invitation-only inauguration ceremony brought together Josh D’Amaro, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, celebrities from around the world, and a special Make-A-Wish milestone that moved the entire crowd to tears.
What Is Disney Adventure World?
Disney Adventure World is the new name and identity of what was previously known as Walt Disney Studios Park, the second gate at Disneyland Paris. The park sits alongside the original Disneyland Paris park and underwent a sweeping redesign anchored by a €2 billion investment announced back in 2018. The transformation added more than 1,000 new Cast Members and drew on nearly 400 suppliers to bring the project to life. The result is a park built around immersive lands that include the brand-new World of Frozen, the existing Marvel Avengers Campus, and Worlds of Pixar, all arranged around a stunning new central lake called Adventure Bay.
The park’s transformation had a symbolic lead-up on March 27, 2026, when French President Emmanuel Macron joined Disney leadership at an event recognizing Disneyland Paris as Europe’s top tourist destination. The resort has welcomed 445 million visits since it opened in 1992, and accounts for 6.1 percent of France’s total tourism revenue. Those are not small numbers, and they put the scale of this opening into sharp context.
The Opening Ceremony: A Night of Frozen Magic and a Make-A-Wish Milestone
The official inauguration took place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at an event presented by Visa. Josh D’Amaro, Disneyland Paris Présidente Natacha Rafalski, and Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum all spoke at the ceremony before the entertainment began in full. Rapunzel, Flynn, and their crew performed a musical tribute to the new Raiponce Tangled Spin attraction. Then the stage literally froze over.
French-American singer Santa took the stage with her ice piano and performed “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2. The emotional peak of the night came when Lou, an 11-year-old whose wish was granted through Make-A-Wish France, joined Santa on stage to sing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” alongside a next-generation robotic Olaf created by Walt Disney Imagineering. That moment marked the 25,000th wish fulfilled for an ill child at Disneyland Paris since 1992. The ceremony closed with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf delivering “Let It Go” against a backdrop of pyrotechnic effects lighting up Arendelle Village and Adventure Bay.
Among the notable guests in attendance were former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, actress Penélope Cruz, actress Teyana Taylor, football legends Wayne Rooney and Olivier Giroud, designer Christian Louboutin, and the full creative team behind Frozen 3, including director Jennifer Lee, co-director Trent Correy, chief creative officer Jared Bush, and songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.
World of Frozen: Everything Inside Arendelle
World of Frozen is the centerpiece of Disney Adventure World, and it is ambitious. The land is built around the Kingdom of Arendelle and features a 118-foot-tall North Mountain topped by Elsa’s Ice Palace. The architecture and landscaping draw directly from Scandinavian design traditions, with building facades decorated in rosemaling, a traditional Norwegian art form. The entire area is organized around a Snowflower Festival celebration that keeps the land feeling alive throughout the day.
The marquee attraction is Frozen Ever After, a musical boat ride through scenes from the films featuring state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics figures and immersive projection technology. Nearby, inside Arendelle Castle, guests can meet Anna and Elsa in person through a dedicated royal encounter experience that includes time in the Portrait Gallery. On Arendelle Bay, a daytime show called “A Celebration in Arendelle” runs several times daily, featuring Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and villagers aboard boats. The music for that show was written specifically for Disney Adventure World by Anderson-Lopez and Lopez.
For dining, Nordic Crowns Tavern offers Nordic-inspired cuisine inside a dining room whose decor traces the history of the Arendelle royal family. Shopping is available at Arendelle Boutique and Fjord View Shop, both carrying Frozen merchandise and exclusive pieces inspired by Scandinavian craftsmanship. Guests can also drop a Snowflower Festival postcard into the village mailbox next to the boutique.
Adventure Way, Adventure Bay, and the Disney Cascade of Lights
Adventure Way is the new main avenue connecting the park’s entrance area to its immersive lands. It is home to Raiponce Tangled Spin, a family attraction that recreates the Lantern Festival from Tangled. Guests spin through sculpted gondolas while the music from the film, including “I See the Light,” plays around them. Adventure Way also hosts 15 new dining locations, including The Regal View Restaurant and Lounge, a table-service experience where guests can meet Disney Princesses wearing brand-new outfits created exclusively for the Paris parks. Several of those princesses, including Belle, Merida, Jasmine, Aurora, Mulan, and Ariel, will rotate through the dining room.
Adventure Bay, the 7.5-acre central lake at the heart of the park, connects all three immersive lands and transforms into a performance venue every night. Disney Cascade of Lights is the park’s first permanent nightly spectacular, featuring more than 380 drones, including world-exclusive aquatic drones, along with water screens, flames, fountains, pyrotechnics, and projections. The show draws on stories from Moana, Mulan, Hercules, Zootopia, Up, and the Marvel Universe. Its original theme song is titled “We Can Be Heroes.” Synchronized mobile fountains with jets rising over 18 meters are coming to the show in the near future, a first for any Disneyland Paris park.
What Comes Next for Disney Adventure World
Disney Adventure World is not finished growing. Construction on a Lion King-themed area began in fall 2025, and it will feature a major attraction combining water-based thrills with next-generation Audio-Animatronics figures built around Simba’s story and the music of the 1994 film. A Disney Princess Cavalcade featuring four parade floats will also begin running on Adventure Bay this summer.
The presence of the entire Frozen 3 creative team at the opening ceremony is worth noting. D’Amaro name-checked Frozen’s reach across parks, cruises, and film in his remarks, and having the songwriters and directors on hand to debut an attraction themed to the first two films suggests Disney is building momentum toward that third chapter with intention.
Disney Adventure World is one of the most ambitious park expansions Disney has executed outside of the United States in a long time. The Frozen land alone rivals anything built in Orlando or Anaheim in recent years, and the Cascade of Lights show sounds genuinely unlike anything currently running at a Disney park. For fans who have been watching World of Frozen take shape for years, March 29, 2026, is the day it finally becomes real.
Stay with Fantasy Land News for full coverage of Disney Adventure World and everything new at Disneyland Paris in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Disney Adventure World open at Disneyland Paris?
Disney Adventure World opened to the public on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The official inauguration ceremony took place the evening before, on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
What is World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World?
World of Frozen is a fully immersive land themed to the Frozen films. It features a 118-foot North Mountain with Elsa’s Ice Palace, the Frozen Ever After boat ride, a royal meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa inside Arendelle Castle, the “A Celebration in Arendelle” daytime bay show, dedicated dining at Nordic Crowns Tavern, and themed shops.
What was Walt Disney Studios Park before it became Disney Adventure World?
Walt Disney Studios Park was the second gate at Disneyland Paris since it opened in 2002. It has now been fully reimagined and renamed Disney Adventure World following a €2 billion investment that added World of Frozen, Adventure Way, Adventure Bay, and 15 new dining locations.
What is the Disney Cascade of Lights show?
Disney Cascade of Lights is the nightly spectacular at Disney Adventure World held over Adventure Bay, the park’s central lake. It features more than 380 drones, including aquatic drones, along with pyrotechnics, water screens, flames, projections, and fountains. The show draws inspiration from Moana, Mulan, Hercules, Zootopia, Up, and Marvel stories.
Who performed at the Disney Adventure World opening ceremony?
French-American singer Santa performed three songs from Frozen at the inauguration ceremony, including “Into the Unknown,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” alongside a Make-A-Wish child named Lou, and “Let It Go” as the grand finale with Anna, Elsa, and a robotic Olaf.
What new attractions are coming to Disney Adventure World in the future?
A Lion King-themed land is currently under construction at Disney Adventure World, with work beginning in fall 2025. It will feature a major attraction combining water-based thrills and Audio-Animatronics themed to Simba’s story. A Disney Princess Cavalcade on Adventure Bay is also scheduled to begin this summer.
*All Images Courtesy of Disney Experiences
