After more than a year of renovations, Walt Disney World announces the reopening date for Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
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The opening day, which was announced in a Disney Parks blog post, is now May 3, 2026. Walt Disney World is promising that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen with new magic.
“A key part of the refurbishment was installing a new track and refreshed passenger trains,” the post reads. “These updates were carefully planned to preserve the attraction’s classic storytelling and trademark hootin’ an’ hollerin’ energy, while adding new life, movement, and detail to the experience guests know so well.”
The new magic will also include natural caverns full of “phosphorescent pools, shimmering and illuminating iridescent stalagmites (the ones on the floor) and stalactites (the ones on the ceiling).”
“The Rainbow Caverns certainly are beautiful… but they ain’t as friendly as they first appear,” the post continues. “In fact, that menacing rumble from deep within the mountain may be a sign that we ain’t welcome.”
The Walt Disney World crew further promises that there’s more new magic for guests ot discover once Big Thunder Mountain Railroad returns.
Other Changes Made to the Soon-to-Be Reopened Disney World Ride
Along with the new features, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has made some other changes.
The ride lowered its height requirement from 40 inches to 38 inches.
“Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a fast roller coaster-type attraction designed for kids and adults,” the ride’s description reads. “However, some parts of this attraction are bumpy and, in some instances, take place in the dark.”
The ride first opened in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland on September 23, 1980. Just one year after Disneyland’s version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened. The ride was seemingly dedicated to Walt Disney’s love for trains and America’s wild frontier.
“Trains were a part of his whole psyche, I think,” Disney Legend Tony Baxter said in the Disney+ Original series Behind the Attraction. “He had his own backyard railroad with a featured engine—the Lilly Belle—named after his wife. So when Disneyland opened, [there] was a lot about trains, because that was Walt’s hobby.”
He then recalled being asked to bring the ride to Walt Disney World.
“They said, ‘Well, we really liked what you were doing in Florida for that thing called Big Thunder. Could you make that work at Disneyland?’” he said. “I was so thankful that there might be a way to keep it going rather than shutting it down while Space Mountain happened.
“That I said, ‘Well, yeah, sure,'” he added.