Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland (Chinese: 香港迪士尼樂園) (abbreviated HKDL; also known as HK Disneyland or Disneyland Hong Kong) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It opened to visitors on Monday, September 12, 2005, at 13:00 HKT, the second Disneyland in Asia to open after Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, with Shanghai Disneyland later opening in 2016. Hong Kong Disneyland is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks, which is a joint venture between Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in which they respectively own 52% and 48% currently. It is the most visited theme park in Hong Kong, followed by Ocean Park Hong Kong. Disney attempted to avoid problems of cultural backlash by incorporating Chinese culture, customs, and traditions when designing and building the resort, including adherence to the rules of feng shui. Notably, a bend was put in a walkway near the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort entrance so good qi energy would not flow into the South China Sea. The park consists of eight themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, and World of Frozen. The park has a daily capacity of 34,000 visitors — the lowest of all Disneyland parks. History Early history Penny's Bay was filled in to provide land for the construction of Hong Kong Disneyland. The bay was previously undeveloped except for the Cheoy Lee Shipyard, which opened in the 1960s. The city's chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, was instrumental in introducing the Disneyland project to Hong Kong. When the SARS epidemic devastated the city's economy in 2003, it was hoped that the new Disneyland would help boost confidence in Hong Kong's tourism industry. Hong Kong Disneyland had one of the shortest construction periods of any Disneyland-style theme park. On 12 January 2003, more than 400 guests celebrated the groundbreaking of Hong Kong Disneyland after the finishing of land reclamation in Penny's Bay. The audience included Tung Chee-hwa; Michael D. Eisner, former chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company; Bob Iger, president of The Walt Disney Company; and Jay Rasulo, former president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. On 23 September 2004, a special "castle topping ceremony" was held in the park to commemorate the placing of the tallest turret on Sleeping Beauty Castle. On 12 September 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland was officially opened to the public. The opening ceremony was officiated by Zeng Qinghong, who was then the vice president of China. To help Hong Kong Disneyland grow, the Chinese government had deliberately slowed down the development of Shanghai Disney Resort, which was first conceived in the early 2000s. Expansion In January 2012, Hong Kong Disneyland has been in the process of negotiating with the Government of Hong Kong to invest its HK$5 billion profit for new attractions. Further details of the expansion would be announced within a 12-month period from January 2012. A shopping complex and new hotels would be taken into consideration for the new expansion plan. In Hong Kong financial secretary John Tsang's 2013–14 budget speech, he announced that a new night time parade: "Disney Paint The Night Parade", as well as an area featuring characters from the Marvel Universe, will be built in Hong Kong Disneyland. On 8 October 2013 then Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Thomas O. Staggs confirmed the development of the Iron Man Experience. On 17 February 2014, Hong Kong Disneyland announced its 2012–13 financial results as well as a plan for the third hotel at the resort. The third hotel would be the largest hotel at the resort, featuring 750 rooms with an adventure and exotic theme, and would cost HK$4.26 billion to build. The third hotel, Disney Explorers Lodge, opened on 30 April 2017. Hong Kong Disneyland was also built with the space for a second park directly across from the entrance to the current park. Disney has not yet announced that the second park is in development. Land is also available for additional hotels other than the three current, but the common thought is that the second park will be built before a fourth hotel. However, it was announced in September 2020 by the Hong Kong Government that Hong Kong Disneyland's option to purchase the 60-hectare expansion site next to the existing park will not be extended after its expiry on 24 September 2020 as it is unable to commit to using the site in the near future. On 22 November 2016, the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong Government announced plans for a multi-year, HK$10.9 billion expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland. The proposed expansion includes a Frozen-themed land (announced for 2021), a Marvel-themed land (opening in phases from 2018 to 2023), a redesigned castle to succeed Sleeping Beauty Castle and hub (announced for 2020), a reimagined attraction (announced for 2021), a new Moana stage show (announced for 2018), and live entertainment. On 24 May 2018, Hong Kong Disneyland opened the first project part of the multi-year expansion: Moana: a Homecoming Celebration, an atmosphere stage show performed daily at the newly built Jungle Junction venue in Adventureland. The park also gave more information on the coming projects as well as the revised dates for these projects: the shooting dark ride Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, replacing Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, opened in 2019 and the new expanded castle will be unveiled in 2020, in time for the park's 15th anniversary. Park officials also confirmed the rumors that the future Frozen-themed land will feature a copy of Epcot's Frozen Ever After and a family roller coaster named Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, replacing the previously announced Dancing Sleighs ride, and that the area was opened in 2023. On 26 January 2020, the park closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic along with Ocean Park Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland Park. It remained closed for nearly five months, reopening on 18 June 2020. It was the second worldwide Disney park to reopen after Shanghai Disneyland. It reopened with similar strict rules as Shanghai Disneyland, which included limited guest attendance, social distancing, temperature checks, and mandatory wearing of face masks. Hong Kong Disneyland closed again from 15 July to 25 September 2020 due to a heavy upsurge in domestic cases. After reopening for approximately two months, it was announced the park would close for a third time on 2 December 2020 due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region. The park reopened on 19 February 2021. The park closed for the fourth time on 7 January 2022 due to the rising number of cases of the Omicron variant, and reopened on 21 April 2022. In 2023, Hong Kong Disneyland expanded again and created the world's first and largest "Frozen" theme park – "World of Frozen", which officially opened to tourists on 20 November of that year. Timeline Park layout and attractions Hong Kong Disneyland is located on Lantau Island. The park is divided into eight themed lands. On entering a land, a guest is completely immersed in a themed environment and is unable to see or hear any other realm. The public areas occupy approximately 27.4 hectares (68 acres). When the park initially opened, it consisted of only four themed lands instead of the traditional five themed lands found in Disney's castle parks: Main Street, USA, designed to resemble an early 20th-century Midwest town. Fantasyland, bringing to life characters from fairy tales and Disney films. Tomorrowland, an optimistic vision of the future. Adventureland, featuring jungle-themed adventures. When the park opened, it did not contain Frontierland, the traditional fifth theme land. In 2012, Grizzly Gulch (Cantonese: 灰熊山谷) opened as the park's equivalent to Frontierland. On 30 June 2009, Donald Tsang, the then Chief Executive of Hong Kong, announced that an expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland had been approved by the Executive Council. The park received three new themed lands — Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point and Toy Story Land — all located outside the Disneyland Railroad track, south of the current area. Toy Story Land, based on the Disney·Pixar film series Toy Story. Opened 18 November 2011. Grizzly Gulch, reminiscing an abandoned mining town set amidst mountains and woods. Opened 14 July 2012. Mystic Point, heart of a dense, uncharted rain forest where supernatural events take place. Opened 17 May 2013. On 2 May 2017, the Executive Council approved another multi-year expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, adding two new themed lands — World of Frozen and Stark Expo — to the park. World of Frozen, themed to the popular Disney franchise Frozen. Opened on 20 November 2023. Stark Expo, inviting guests to combat villains with Marvel superheroes. Opening in TBA. On 25 February 2025, HKDL Managing Director Michael Moriarty approved a 20th-anniversary expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, introducing the Pixar Entertainment Experience to the park. Lands of Hong Kong Disneyland As of 2025, Hong Kong Disneyland has eight themed lands, each with different attractions, live entertainment, meet and greet, dining and boutiques. One future land, Stark Expo, has been announced. Main Street, USA Inspired by the Main Street, USA in Disneyland, the buildings of this Main Street are almost identical to those in Anaheim. Like other Disney theme parks, Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street, USA serves as the entrance of the park. The decor is small-town America from the years 1890–1910. Though being very similar to Anaheim's main street, the theme is heavily influenced by European immigrants. Plaza Inn — which has the identical exterior design as the one in Disneyland — mimics a classical Chinese eatery that was created by a wealthy American couple who were infatuated with Chinese culture. Another restaurant, the Market House Bakery is reminiscent of a bakery founded by a Viennese pastry chef who brought the world's most famous desserts from the Austrian imperial court. Unlike Main Streets from other parks, Main Street at Hong Kong Disneyland is built mainly of wood instead of stone and there are no horse-drawn streetcars. At the end of Main Street is the Castle of Magical Dreams. Opened in 2020, it is double the height of the park's original Sleeping Beauty Castle. The nodes of the castle are integrated with symbols relating to 13 princesses. The castle forecourt features a show stage and viewing area for the new daytime stage show and nighttime spectacular, "Follow Your Dreams" and "Momentous". The new walk-through attraction "Duffy and Friends Play House" opened in 2023. The nighttime spectacular “Momentous: Party in the Night Sky!”, the stage show “Disney Friends Live: Party at the Castle!”, and the largest day parade in Hong Kong Disneyland’s history, “Friendtastic!”, began on June 28th, 2025. Fantasyland Fantasyland features the Castle of Magical Dreams (which replaced the Sleeping Beauty Castle) as its icon. The attractions in this area include Mickey's PhilharMagic, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and It's a Small World. There is also Fantasy Gardens where costumed Disney characters can be met, and a Fairy Tale Forest. The Fantasyland is also home to the "Mickey and the Wondrous Book" stage show. Tomorrowland Tomorrowland at Hong Kong Disneyland is themed to a SpacePort which features an emphasis on metallic trim, dominated by blue and purple hues. Since the opening of the park, unique attractions have been added into the Hong Kong's Tomorrowland. To celebrate the park's 10-year anniversary and coinciding with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Space Mountain was permanently rethemed to Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain. The first ever Marvel attraction in a Disney theme park, The Iron Man Experience, opened on 11 January 2017 in an area previously envisioned for a Star Tours-type attraction. The land also featured Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters on opening day, but that was replaced with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, which opened on 31 March 2019. Hong Kong Disneyland announced that the attractions will be become part of Stark Expo along with an unnamed Spider-man ride. Adventureland Hong Kong Disneyland's Adventureland is the biggest among all Disney parks. It features a large island area home to Tarzan's Treehouse, which is circled by the Jungle Cruise (Jungle River Cruise) — much like the Rivers of America in most Frontierland theme areas (and under the name of Rivers of Adventure). The Adventureland is also home to the "Festival of the Lion King" stage show. The stage show "Moana: a Homecoming Celebration" debuted on 25 May 2018 at Jungle Junction. Toy Story Land Opened on 18 November 2011, Toy Story Land is the first new themed land since the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005. It is located to the west side of the park, behind Fantasyland. Toy Story Land is themed using bamboo to act as giant blades of grass surrounding the area. The themed land makes use of characters from the Toy Story movies, such as an enlarged Woody, Rex, an oversized paper plane, and Luxo Jr. Toy Story Land was marketed by the park as an "Asia exclusive". For some time its only counterpart was Toy Story Playland at Walt Disney Studios Park in Marne-la-Vallée, France. After Toy Story Land’s popularity in Hong Kong, it dolled out across the other Disney Parks in the world, with one at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando opening in June 2018 and one in Shanghai Disneyland opening on April 26, 2018. The main attractions include Slinky Dog Spin, Toy Soldier Parachute Drop, and RC Racer. Grizzly Gulch Opened on 14 July 2012, this land is the Hong Kong equivalent of Frontierland and Critter Country. The land is themed to an abandoned mining town called "Grizzly Gulch", set amidst mountains and woods. The centrepiece structure is Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, inspired by Grizzly Peak in Disney California Adventure Park. The town was set to be founded 8 August 1888 — the luckiest day of the luckiest month of the luckiest year — by prospectors looking to discover gold. Mystic Point Opened on 17 May 2013, Mystic Point is a themed land set in 1909 at an adventurer's outpost established in 1896 in a dense, uncharted rain forest surrounded by mysterious forces and supernatural events. The site features Mystic Manor, home of Lord Henry Mystic, a world traveler and adventurer and his mischievous monkey, Albert. World of Frozen A land behind Fantasyland hosts two rides themed to the movie Frozen. World of Frozen is set in the fictional Kingdom of Arendelle. The land features two rides, a dark ride similar to Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, and a sleigh-style family rollercoaster, called Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs. "Playhouse in the Woods" is a live interactive show based on the film Frozen 2. It was originally set to open in 2020, but the opening date was delayed to 20 November 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stark Expo On 22 November 2016, it was announced that Tomorrowland would be partly transformed into a Marvel-themed area, as part of a massive six year expansion plan. The first ever Marvel attraction in a Disney theme park, The Iron Man Experience, opened on 11 January 2017 in an area previously envisioned for a Star Tours-type attraction. The replacement of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters by an attraction featuring Ant-Man and The Wasp, named "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!" for 2019 and the construction, on the former Autopia site, of a major E ticket attraction, "Avengers Quinjet", based on the Avengers franchise, which was originally set to be completed by 2024. At D23 2024 on 10 August 2024, the Avengers Quinjet ride was cancelled to make way for a new unnamed Spider-Man attraction. Pixar Entertainment Experience On 25 February 2025, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort unveiled plans for a significant expansion of their theme park, introducing a new Pixar Entertainment Experience. An "all-new, exclusive Pixar Entertainment Experience" is set to be added to the park. Hong Kong Disneyland released a map pinpointing the location of this experience between Toy Story Land and the World of Frozen. Entertainment and celebrations Seasonal entertainment, such as "Magical Year After Year", "Duffy and Friends Play Days", "Marvel Season of Super Heroes", "Pixar Water Play Street Party!", "Disney Halloween Time"and "A Disney Christmas", are held in the park to celebrate events. Live entertainment Momentous “Momentous” is a nighttime spectacle for Hong Kong Disneyland. This nearly 30-minutes performance includes numerous multimedia elements, including: castle projection, music, fountains, flames, lasers, and fireworks. 3D projection will cover the entire Castle of Magical Dreams and Main Street, U.S.A.. Friendtastic! The largest daytime parade in Hong Kong Disneyland’s history, “Friendtastic!”, it will feature more than 100 performers, including 11 groups of Disney characters and 11 carnival floats. The carnival floats include Garden of Musical Friendship, Zootopia, Big Hero 6, Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Turning Red, Inside Out, Up, Encanto, Duffy and Friends, and Castle of Magical Dreams. Disney Friends Live: Party at the Castle! “Disney Friends Live: Party at the Castle!” is a concert-style castle stage show that brings together popular Disney characters such as Mickey and friends, Duffy and friends, and Disney princesses, all dressed in exclusive 20th anniversary costumes. The show incorporates a new 20th anniversary theme song, LED installations, giant balloons and colorful banners. Mickey and the Wondrous Book "Mickey and the Wondrous Book" is a live stage show that premiered in Storybook Theater at Hong Kong Disneyland on 17 November 2015, as part of its 10th anniversary celebration. A spectacularly unique “Happily Ever After” show has been created to bring to life new and classic Disney stories and movies in an exhilarating, musical revue stage production like no other! Presented in Disney's Storybook Theater. Festival of the Lion King "Festival of the Lion King", an original interpretation of the Disney animated film The Lion King, is a Broadway-caliber short-form stage musical performed live. It uses the concept of tribal celebration in combination with ideas from Disney's parades. Swing into jungle fun with acrobats and fire dancers as Simba, Timon and Pumbaa come to life in a musical extravaganza. Presented in Theater in the Wild. Playhouse in the Woods "Playhouse in the Woods" is a live interactive show based on the film Frozen II in World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland. Nestled deep in Arendelle Forest, Anna and Elsa have opened the doors to their childhood hideaway, the Playhouse in the Woods. Here, you will be joined by Anna and Elsa in a novel and engaging theatrical experience where you play a part in the story, and discover your connection to the elemental spirits. Moana: A Homecoming Celebration "Moana: A Homecoming Celebration" is a live interactive show based on the film Moana in Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland and premiered on 25 May 2018. Moana will sail to Hong Kong Disneyland and appear in an all-new atmosphere stage show. Jam-packed with inspirational music, dancing, puppetry and storytelling, it recounts Moana’s adventures to restore the heart of Te Fiti. Come and be a part of the story as you live the adventure of Moana! Presented in Jungle Junction. Amenities Hong Kong Disneyland gives out free birthday badges to people celebrating their birthday, celebration buttons, and 1st visit buttons for first time park attendees. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, free Disneyland themed stickers were given out in the park and hotels. Visitors could ask cast members for these exclusive stickers. Stickers were themed by Disney characters, movies, and rides within the park. As of September 2025, there are cast members around the park and hotels who wear lanyards for pin trading. Guests are required to have previously bought a pin to trade with these cast members. Hong Kong Disneyland: The Grand Opening Celebration Album Hong Kong Disneyland: The Grand Opening Celebration Album was the soundtrack for the grand opening ceremony of Hong Kong Disneyland at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Much of the album are Cantonese or Mandarin cover of theme songs of animated Disney films. The package contains a DVD featuring music videos. The album does not contain any music used in the park. Track listing Released: 2 September 2005 Label: Sony Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) Language: Cantonese and Mandarin Status: Out of print Jacky Cheung – "Let the Wonder Soar" (讓奇妙飛翔) (Cantonese) Twins – "It's a Small World" Eason Chan – "A Whole New World" (from Aladdin) Karen Mok – "When You Wish Upon a Star" (from Pinocchio) Twins – "Mickey Mouse Theme" Jolin Tsai – "Under the Sea" (from The Little Mermaid) Kelly Chen & Kellyjackie – "On a Date With Him to Disneyland" (他約我去迪士尼) Nicholas Tse – "Bare Necessities" (from The Jungle Book) CoCo Lee – "Colors of the Wind" (from Pocahontas) Joey Yung – "Undying True Love" (from Beauty and the Beast) Kelly Chen – "Reflection" (from Mulan) Harlem Yu – "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (from The Lion King) Jacky Cheung – "Let the Wonder Soar" (讓奇妙飛翔) (Mandarin) DVD Subtitles: Traditional Chinese Region Code: All region "Let the Wonder Soar" (讓奇妙飛翔) music video – Jacky Cheung "On a Date With Him to Disneyland" (他約我去迪士尼) music video – Kelly Chen & Kellyjackie Cars trailer The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe trailer Chicken Little trailer Sky High trailer New English Theme Song: Love The Memory – Jordan Powers, Jason Maters & Tony Ferrari Public transport MTR The park is accessible on the MTR via the purpose-built Disneyland Resort line, a themed shuttle train service between the Disneyland Resort station adjacent to the park, and Sunny Bay station, where passengers can transfer to the Tung Chung line for access to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, or Tung Chung. The line runs modified Metro Cammell M-Trains on the 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) non-stop route. The trains run fully automatically without drivers. The first train of the day from Sunny Bay station to Disneyland Resort departs at 06:15 and the last train at 00:45. Bus Long Win Bus operates 3 regular routes to the Disneyland Resort Public Transport Interchange in front of the park. Route R8 is a circular route running between Disneyland and the Lantau Link Toll Plaza Bus Interchange. The latter can be accessed by any of the routes with the A or E prefixes (e.g. A11 or E32), and is always the first stop after crossing the Tsing Ma Bridge. It is the only all-day route serving the park, and is jointly operated with vehicles from Citybus. Two additional regular routes, running on weekends and public holidays only, provide direct service between other places in the New Territories and Disneyland. They are route R33 to Tuen Mun station, connecting to the MTR, and route R42 to Tai Wai station via Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin. For both routes, one trip departs towards Disneyland in the mornings and the return trip departs approximately 20 minutes after the evening fireworks display. In addition to the above regular trips, seven special routes (including one cross-harbour route) operate to and from Disneyland before and after special events at the park, of which two are operated by Citybus and the other five by Long Win Bus. Certain midday and late evening trips of Citybus route B5 between the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge Hong Kong Port and Sunny Bay station are routed via Disneyland. Criticisms 2005/2006 overcrowding problems Just before the grand opening, the park was criticised for overestimating the daily capacity. The problem became apparent on the charity preview day on 4 September 2005, when 30,000 locals visited the park. The event turned out to be a disappointment, as there were too many guests. Wait times at fast food outlets were at least 45 minutes, and wait times at rides went up to 2 hours. Although the park's shareholders and the Hong Kong Government set pressure upon the park to lower the capacity, the park insisted on keeping the limit, only agreeing to relieve the capacity problem by extending the opening time by one hour and introducing more discounts during weekdays. However, the park stated that local visitors tend to stay in the park for more than nine hours per visit, implying that the mentioned practices would do little to solve the problem. During the Lunar New Year 2006, many visitors arrived at the park in the morning bearing valid tickets, but were refused entry, because the park was already at full capacity. Some disgruntled visitors, mainly tourists, attempted to force their way into the park by climbing over the barrier gates. Disneyland management was forced to revise their ticketing policy and designated future periods close to public holidays as 'special days' during which admission would only be allowed through a date-specific ticket. Ticket prices during the week were changed to reflect cheaper prices. Meanwhile, weekend prices were raised. The prices were changed in an attempt to crowd-control so the crowds would be more even throughout the week and therefore the lines would not be as bad on weekends. Public relations On 24 November 2005, the park's 100th day of operations, Disney announced that the park had well over 1 million guests during its first two months of operation. In response to negative publicity locally and to boost visitor numbers, Hong Kong Disneyland offered $50 discounts for admission tickets to holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards in the period before 2005 Christmas. Also, from March to June 2006, the park offered Hong Kong I.D. card holders the opportunity to purchase a two-day admission ticket for the price of a single day ticket. Attendance The significant decline in attendance between 2020 and 2023 is due to the COVID-19 regulations imposed in Hong Kong, which included, during several periods, temporary closure of the Resort, reduction in Park capacity, quarantine measures and vaccinations required for visitors entering Hong Kong. In popular culture In the 2012 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic comedy film Podaa Podi, a song depicting the relationship between a father and son, written by Vaali and sung by Silambarasan himself, was shot with him and his 1 year old nephew Samarth at Hong Kong Disneyland, making it the first Tamil film to be shot there. The hit Indian sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah filmed episodes 1470 to 1478 at Hong Kong Disneyland, where various show characters experienced the attractions. The music video for the song "Boss" by Mirror was filmed at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2021. The Philippine film Call Me Mother became the first Southeast Asian film and third film globally to be filmed at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2025. See also Tokyo Disneyland Shanghai Disneyland List of lands at Disney theme parks References External links Official website