Disney has announced dates and details for the 2026 D23 Expo, which will return to Anaheim with events throughout the city and at Disneyland Resort next summer. This covers everything we know so far, area hotel recommendations, and more for the ‘Ultimate Fan Event’ that’ll be held a short walk from the parks in Southern California.
As always, we’ll be attending the 2025 D23 Expo and are really looking forward to it. We’ve had a good time at each of the past Expos over the course of the last decade-plus, and enjoy making a wishlist/predictions for the Parks & Resorts presentation, which is what I care about most.
However, the D23 Expo absolutely is not for everyone. The event has its moments, but also the worst aspects of both conventions (sitting around in conference rooms for hours on end) and theme parks (standing around in lines for hours on end). It’s great for fans of celebrities, history, hype, exhibits, cosplayers, and random fandom fun. That’s a very eclectic range of interests, but such is the nature of the D23 Expo. If it isn’t immediately apparent that the D23 Expo is for you…there’s a good chance it isn’t. Don’t try to force it–do Disneyland instead!
Dubbed “The Ultimate Disney Fan Event” and hosted by the company’s Official Fan Club, the 2026 D23 Expo takes place in Anaheim, California from August 14 through 16, 2026, and celebrates the magic and excitement of Disney entertainment past, present, and future.
During the first day of programming during the 2025 Destination D23 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Michael Vargo, head of D23, kicked off the festivities and revealed a number of exciting programming offerings D23 Members can look forward to over the coming year.
Vargo also shared the news that Disney Legend Jodi Benson will be the first official D23 FAN-bassador, engaging with fans and making appearances with D23 throughout the year leading up to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event August 14-16, 2026.
Last year, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event was reimagined to be bigger than ever before. In 2026, the highly anticipated event will again be held at both the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center. This split venue approach worked really well last year. I was skeptical going in, and feared transportation would be a nightmare, but our experience was flawless. In general, operations were far better than ever before, inexplicably so, given that the event was much bigger.
Fans can be among the first to hear exciting announcements during marquee showcases and presentations, and can also look forward to immersive experiences, exclusive shopping opportunities, and extended magic throughout the week leading up to the event, including the return of D23 Day at Disneyland.
Despite increasing in size rather significantly and, presumably, releasing more tickets for sale than ever before thanks to larger venues and splitting ticketing, the previous D23 Expo sold out in record time. The same occurred with this year’s Destination D23. In the past, there had been times when neither of these events sold out at all.
We’d expecting the 2026 D23 Expo to once again have sky-high demand, so keep on eye on ticket sale start dates. It’ll likely be advantageous to be a paid member to D23 and potentially being eligible for presales. Last year’s D23 Expo was a smooth event with lots of positive word of mouth, so we wouldn’t be surprised if tickets are even more competitive for the 2026 D23 Expo. Plus, FOMO is a powerful driver.
Tickets for the spectacular event will go on sale in Spring 2026. Stay connected with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club on social media and through their weekly newsletter to be among the first to hear all of the exciting news to come.
In addition to the dates for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026, Michael Vargo announced even more things for fans to look forward to in 2025, including:
- Exciting new offerings from the D23 Spotlight Series such as a D23 Spooktacular Spotlight event with Walt Disney Imagineering coming to Orlando, FL; a Halloween “Boo-nanza” event in California, featuring a panel of some Imagineering and Walt Disney Archives favorites, themed activities, a DJ, and more; and an event celebrating the second season of the Disney+ Original series Percy Jackson and the Olympians this December in California.
- The next D23 On the Road series, kicking off November 1 and celebrating 35 years of the family holiday classic Home Alone with immersive, interactive screenings in over 18 U.S. cities—bringing D23 directly to the fans.
- The fan-favorite “A Jolly Holiday on the Lot” will be returning to The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA on Sunday, December 14.
- The next D23 Gold Theater virtual event, hosted by Disney Legend Don Hahn and featuring a never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes look at the Haunted Mansion’s transformation overlay that occurs each year as it becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday.
- Details for the all-new Walt’s Los Angeles Tour for D23 Gold Members that will include visits to the Walt Disney Studios lot, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn, the location of Walt’s first studio on Kingswell Ave, and so much more, ending with dinner at one of Walt’s favorite restaurants. More information on Walt’s Los Angeles Tour coming soon.
- Additional dates to be released soon for The Official Walt Disney Studios Walking Tour – Presented by D23, which will feature new interactive tour elements and expanded ticket opportunities allowing D23 Members to purchase up to four (4) tickets as well as full tour buy outs.
Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney is bigger than ever before with an expanded footprint in an all-new location at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, offering fans three days of exclusive programming, limited-edition shopping, and specialty events.
Technically, they’re once again not calling it the D23 Expo for some reason. The official name is “D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.” No one is going to call it that. If you say, “I’m attending D23 colon the ultimate Disney fan event” to your friends or fellow fans and they might respond that you’re the “ultimate Disney colon dweeb.”
It’s just the D23 Expo. I don’t know why they decided to rename it, but I’m guessing it required a bunch of brainstorming sessions to conclude that ‘expo’ had some sort of negative connotation or something. That, or it was just too concise and didn’t have 4-17 words and at least one punctuation mark, as is required pursuant to Disney naming convention mandates.
The 2026 D23 Expo will feature new venues and multiple days of entertainment that brings together the worlds of Disney. That’s everything including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and much more. If you’re wondering what to expect from the 2026 D23 Expo, here’s a rundown of last year’s event. Keep in mind that dates and details are subject to change…
Last year, the D23 kickoff celebration took place at Disneyland Resort on the Thursday before Expo. Both parks welcomed D23 fans from rope drop to late night featuring unique offerings for fans including a custom cavalcade and an energetic dance party at Disneyland, and special photo opportunities, specialty foods, themed merchandise, and more at both Disneyland and DCA. It was very busy.
That Disneyland Day was followed by shopping, exhibits, panels, presentations, from Friday through Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center during the day. The fun extends into the evening at the Honda Center–home to the Mighty Ducks—where bigger marquee shows, such as the Parks & Resorts Panel, were presented.
Here was the Honda Center schedule for last D23:
- Disney Entertainment Showcase: Friday, August 9 at 7 p.m.
- Disney Experiences Showcase: Saturday, August 10 at 7 p.m.
- Disney Legends Ceremony: Sunday, August 11 at 5 p.m.
Again, all of this could change. The Parks Panel could end up being first or last, instead of sandwiched in the middle. But we’d expect these to be the three marquee panels again.
In addition, there was also a special D23 Day at Angel Stadium, where D23 fans are invited to attend the home game earlier in the week. It seems that Disney wants to extend the event as long as possible, which makes sense given that this is the off-season at Disneyland–help pack the park with out of state visitors for D23 Expo!
Other specifics for the 2026 D23 Expo have not yet been announced, but this ultimate fan event is expected to feature 50+ presentations and panels, as well as a flagship exhibition curated by the Walt Disney Archives.
We’re also expecting the massive show floor full of interactive booths and elaborate exhibits from a wide range of Disney brands and partners to return to the 2026 D23 Expo. In the past, there has been everything from sprawling showcases from Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar to intimate displays from Sphero and clothing companies. Truly something for everyone.
One of the neat things about the show floor is the chance to have one-on-one time with Imagineers, animators, and filmmakers who work their respective booths. Then there’s the 7,000-seat Hall D23 that plays host to the biggest panels, which will be joined this year by the 3,000-seat Premiere Stage, and the 1,200-seat Backlot Stage.
There’s also the expanded, 700-seat Walt Disney Archives Stage for presentations curated by the staff of the Archives. It’s unclear how much use each of these venues will get with the addition of the Honda Center.
On the main show floor, the D23 Expo Live! Stage will feature performances, appearances, demonstrations, and more all weekend long. Many of these and other panels will be livestreamed to audiences at home, so it’s not imperative to attend if you want to keep up with what’s happening. However, a lot is not live-streamed, including pretty much anything with archival content, concept art, or extended trailers.
Guests can also enjoy shopping, many featuring D23 Expo-exclusive collectibles, at an assortment of Disney and partner pop-up shops including the D23 Expo Emporium, where the ultimate Disney fans can wait in the ultimate lines. Seriously, the lines are always multi-hour for these stores. I’ve never even set foot in Mickey’s of Glendale during any of the Expos I’ve attended.
As always, there will be a lot of celebrities from the Marvel and Star Wars series and films, along with those appearing in Disney+ content. In the past, those celebrities have included Robert Downey Jr., Christina Aguilera, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Emily Blunt, Angelina Jolie, Robin Roberts, Salma Hayek, Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, and the casts of Star Wars stuff and Marvel movies.
We’d strongly recommend booking your hotel for the 2026 D23 Expo now if you’re planning on attending. That’s right–book it right now, before tickets even go on sale. Just book something that’s refundable in case you get shut out.
If past precedent is any indication, rates will only increase as the event date draws nearer–and some hotels near the Anaheim Convention Center have already seen their rates skyrocket. If you’re seeing this news right as it’s breaking, you might even be able to beat the inevitable dynamic pricing increases once they learn about the event dates.
Refer to our Disneyland Area Hotel Rankings & Reviews for a rundown of the best (and worst) options. Note that it’s not strictly necessary that you book a ‘convention center’ hotel, as pretty much anything on or around Harbor Boulevard is going to be within a reasonable walking distance. You’ll be paying a significant premium for the hotels at the ACC. With that said, we’d strongly discourage you from booking something that requires driving to the convention center–parking in the morning can be a real pain.
Even though it’s nearly a full year away, we’re already looking forward to the 2026 D23 Expo.
Like we said at the top, this event is not for everyone, and if you’re on the fence, it probably isn’t for you. It’s a convention. An exciting convention aimed squarely at Disney geeks with something for everyone in the fandom, including some truly deep cuts. But at the end of the day, still a convention.
If you find yourself mostly excited for blockbuster announcements (and unlike Destination D23, we have incredibly high hopes for the 2026 D23 Expo), you should probably ask whether you want to be there in the room where the news breaks and feel the energy and excitement of the audience–something I live for–or are okay watching along from home. Although you can always tack-on a visit to Disneyland during D23 Expo, it’s generally not the best time for a trip to the parks.
This isn’t to discourage anyone because, again, the D23 Expo is one of the highlights of our entire year. I am already excited and am booking my hotel as soon as I hit “publish” on this. But we also are a special breed of Disney geeks (the convention-going kind), and not everyone is us. Maybe you are, in which case, we highly recommend attending. We’ll see you there!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
Do you plan on attending the 2026 D23 Expo? Excited that the Ultimate D23 Fan Event is returning to Anaheim, California from August 14-16, 2026? Do you agree or disagree with our advice for the D23 Expo? What have been your experiences with crowds and lines at past D23 Expos? Any questions we can help you answer? 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!