This year we celebrate 250 years of America! And of course Disney has to get in on the fun in the parks. America 250 in Disney World has already kicked off and I have no doubt this 4th of July will be incredible! Disney is calling this “Disney Celebrates America”. From ride overlays to food and drink offerings, the red white and blue is going strong in Disney World. The festivities kicked off on Veterans Day 2025 and run through July 4th, 2026. Sam Eagle is poised to finally get his 3 hour finale celebrating all nations but mostly America this time, no minute and half time limits!
Soarin’ Across America
Just a couple of weeks ago we had the reopening of Soarin’ in EPCOT. The ride has a new itinerary to celebrate America’s 250th here in Disney World! Instead of flying all over the world, we get to soar all over the US. From the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore, and the Bayou to DC you get to see some fantastic sights! All the signage and trivia in the queue is themed to America as well. This is such a fun way to celebrate America 250 in Disney World!
Special Military Ticket
Disney always has special priced tickets for our military but this year they did something a little different. In addition to the regular military tickets, they offered a year long pass! As part of the America 250 in Disney World celebration, eligible service members could purchase a year long pass for $499-$529 and have unlimited access to the 4 parks from January 1 – December 18th, 2026. They only black out dates are two weeks for peak spring break time and a week at Thanksgiving. The $499 ticket is a regular Park Hopper ticker and the $529 includes water parks and golf!
A few things to note, this ticket is available to active duty or retired service member, national guardsmen, reservists, Coast Guard and 100% Disabled Veterans. The service member can purchase this ticket for themselves and their immediate family at any US military base ticket office and Shades of Green resort here in Disney World. This is essentially a half priced annual pass for the year with less black out dates!
Disney Celebrates America Special
To celebrate America 250 in true Disney fashion, there will be a TV special! This is a Multiplatform event running for 24 hours from July 3rd to July 4th. You will be able to find it on ABC, Disney+, Hulu and more. Over multiple channels and platforms you will see Disney Celebrates America specials highlighting America’s history, and the mantra of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness! I have no doubt these will be amazing!
Food & Drinks
No celebration of America’s 250 in Disney World would be complete without special food and drinks! These are all so cute and I can’t wait to try them! Over in Hollywood Studios you will find the Rosie the Riveter Red Velvet Cupcake! Same Eagle has his own popcorn bucket AND shortcake dessert. Because who else would you want to see celebrating America? There are patriotic beignets, Mickey cinnamon rolls, and more! You can see a full list here!
America 250 Collection
NO celebration is complete without merch!! The America 250 in Disney World collection looks like it is going to be super cute! What better way to commemorate America’s 250th birthday than with an adorable Mickey plush, ornament or pin? So very cute and they are still announcing and releasing more so stay tuned! There are Spirit Jerseys, hats, shirts, pins, pretty much everything you could possibly want, naturally.
Conclusion
The entire celebration of America 250 in Disney World will culminate on the 4th of July with the Disney Celebrates America fireworks show in Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth lit up in her patriotic best in EPCOT and I am sure some other surprises! I love to see this milestone celebrated in so many fun ways in the parks. Soarin’ Across America was fantastic and a great way to showcase all the different and beautiful places America has to experience. I feel like there should be a Sam Eagle meet and greet happening at the America pavilion, you hear me Disney?? Hey they gave us Statler and Waldorf on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster so we have a chance here!
I hope you get to come celebrate America this year in Disney World! What better depiction of the American dream can you get than Walt Disney and what he created? Such a testament to true American grit, determination and that no matter where you start you have the opportunity to go far and succeed! Thank you all for reading along and have a red, white and blue magical day!