The Cinderella Castle repainting project is nearly complete at Magic Kingdom, and recent showtime updates would suggest that the project will be wrapped up next month. Here’s the latest on the project, along with a look at changing showtimes for Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire. Could this mean the end of the Cinderella Castle repainting project is just around the corner?
Cinderella Castle Repainting Project Ending in May 2026?
The Cinderella Castle repainting project began back in late January after an entertainment schedule change. The two are related, with Disney wanting to ensure that Mickey and friends weren’t dancing around the stage in front of Cinderella Castle with cranes and repainting taking place behind them. As a reminder, Disney has had cranes extended during morning hours, ensuring that they’re all retracted by noon each day to allow for afternoon and evening crane-less photos of Cinderella Castle.
Essentially, the entertainment showtime shift has sort of been a reliable tea leaf to read as it relates to the status of the repainting project. Soon, the entertainment showtimes will change again, signaling a major milestone in the repainting project.
We’ll start with a look at confirmed changes before staring into the tea leaves to try to ascertain what the changes mean.
MICKEY’S MAGICAL FAIRE SHOWTIME CHANGES | May 2026
Starting May 10th, morning showtimes return for Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire. Here’s a look at the current showtimes, followed by the May 10th change.
Current showtimes:
- 12:45pm, 1:55pm, 3:55pm
- 5:25pm, 6:30pm
New showtimes beginning May 10th:
- 11:10am
- 12:30pm, 1:50pm, 4:00pm
- 5:15pm
Turning to speculation, it would stand to reason that if morning showtimes were not allowed while cranes were extended for the repainting, then the return of morning showtimes means the departure of cranes. At least, the end of cranes operating in an extended position before noon, as has been the case for a few months now.
While Walt Disney World hasn’t announced an official end date for the Cinderella Castle repainting project, all of the available evidence suggests that the project will wrap up next month, if not sooner. In fact, we haven’t seen cranes in regular use on recent visits to Magic Kingdom, suggesting that the current phase of work is taking place during overnight hours.
Walt Disney World has not made an announcement as it relates to the return of characters for the Let the Magic Begin welcome show, but that’s another milestone that we’re keeping an eye out for.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!