D23 Unveils 2026 Events and Exclusive Premium Items

New offerings for Gold Members include priority access to the fan event and an all-new premium item selection.

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has rolled out its 2026 calendar, highlighted by an all-new selection of collectible premium items and the much-anticipated return of its biggest fan celebration.

What’s Happening:

  • The headliner for the year is D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, returning to Anaheim, CA, from August 14–16.
  • In a new benefit, D23 Gold Members on Essential, Choice, and Complete plans will receive priority access to purchase tickets for this signature event.
  • Leading up to the fan event, D23 Day at Angel Stadium will return on Wednesday, August 12. Attendees will receive a special Mickey Mouse bobblehead (2,300 of which will be a rare gold variant), and Gold Members can purchase discounted game tickets starting Monday, November 24, 2025.
  • In screening news, Gold Members will be among the first to see the new documentary Disneyland Handcrafted from filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, which premieres on Disney+ and Disney YouTube in early 2026.
  • The special premiere screening will take place on the big screen at The Walt Disney Studios Lot in Burbank, CA, on January 8, with tickets going on sale Friday, December 5, 2025.

A New Wave of Exclusive Collectibles

  • Gold Members on a Choice or Complete Plan will receive the 2026 Membership Kit plus their choice of exclusive D23 Premium Items. The 2026 Premium Item options include:
    • A Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Mouse Collector Statue, created to celebrate D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
    • A Loungefly x Disney Oswald Backpack & Ears Bundle.
    • An exclusive RSVLTS x Disney Shirt featuring beloved Disney characters.
    • A D23 Gold Member 10-Piece Pin Box Set featuring new original designs.

Year-Round Magic and Milestones

D23 will keep the magic moving throughout 2026 with an array of year-round programming:

  • D23 On the Road – The popular traveling interactive screening series returns, following successful 2025 tours. The next title announcement is slated for 2026.
  • Anniversary Celebrations – The club will celebrate milestone anniversaries for classics like High School Musical (20th), Beauty and the Beast (35th), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (65th), and Alice in Wonderland (75th).
  • D23 Spotlight Series – The series will continue with deep dives into Disney history, beginning with a celebration of Disney California Adventure’s 25th anniversary.
  • The Official Tour of The Walt Disney Studios – Returning with more dates and all-new interactive experiences, the member-exclusive tour offers a rare look at the historic studios. Walt’s LA Tour will also return in Spring 2026.
  • D23 Gold Theater presented by State Farm – On Demand. Starting in early 2026, this feature will provide 24/7 access to a growing library of episodes and live interactions with Disney storytellers and talent.
  • Disneyland Resort Savings - 5% off select Disneyland Park Hopper Tickets and multi-day 1-park per day tickets, with the option to add the Lightning Lane Multi Pass at the time of purchase.

Membership Tiers and Benefits

  • D23 will continue to offer three tiers of Gold Membership, each including an exclusive D23 Gold Membership Kit and access to events and discounts:
    • Gold Member Essential ($49.99/year): Includes the Membership Kit (with a $25 event coupon, a commemorative pin, a Pluto magnet, and a special Disney Lorcana Trading Card) and standard Gold Member benefits.
    • Gold Member Choice ($119.99/year): Includes the Membership Kit plus one of the four exclusive Premium Items.
    • Gold Member Complete ($329.99/year): Includes the Membership Kit plus all four exclusive Premium Items.

The Legacy of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A Fantasia Flashback

  • The announcement of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Mouse Collector Statue as one of the D23 Gold Member Premium Items for 2026 is a fitting tribute to one of Disney’s most iconic and enduring images, featured in the 1940 animated masterpiece, Fantasia.
  • Fantasia was Walt Disney's boldest experiment in animation, intended to bring classical music to a wider audience through an immersive, visual spectacle.
  • The segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," set to the music of Paul Dukas’s symphonic poem, is perhaps the film’s most recognizable sequence.
  • The Sorcerer's Apprentice has been a cornerstone of Disney’s fan legacy for decades. The image of Mickey in his red robe and pointy blue hat, conducting the waves and the stars, is used extensively in merchandise, is the icon for Fantasmic! at Disneyland and Hollywood Studios, and is the visual foundation for the Sorcerer’s Hat structure that once stood over the Chinese Theatre at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

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Daniel Kaplan
Daniel loves theme parks — specifically how the narrative of theme park attractions differs from film or books — and loves debating what constitutes a "good" theme park attraction story.
View all articles by Daniel Kaplan