Cinderella Castle transformation | Pre-construction update
Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World will be restored to its original paint scheme of white and blue; bookmark this page to track the transformation over time.
In 2020, the iconic Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom lost its instantly recognizable blue and gray paint job in favor of a rosegold-esque makeover with bright blue turrets and gold accents. Love it or hate it, Disney announced at the 2025 Destination D23 that Cinderella Castle will see a return to form, bidding adieu to its rosegold era and reentering the age of white and blue.
Over the coming months, the Magic Kingdom icon will see a lot of work and we’ll document the entire process!
January 2026: One last look at the rosegold castle
This is it. Nearly six years later, we are in the last year of the rosegold castle’s reign. We took a closer look around the castle to take in some of the details before work begins later this month.
Some of the gold paint on the entrance arch is starting to peel, so the return of the blue and white could not come sooner!
This was the last holiday season the rosegold castle will see. You can see how fast and noticeable the fading of the pink on the castle happens when beat on by the Florida sun day in and day out. The blue and white paint would fade just the same, but it didn’t look nearly as unbleached as the castle does now.
Months before the repainting was announced, we captured pictures of the castle when it look its most gorgeous, sunrise.
When the Florida sun starts to rise over the Magic Kingdom, before it becomes unbearably hot, the pink and gold on Cinderella Castle shine in the most regal fashion. It’s an emotional moment when there’s not many people around. Just you, your loved ones, and the castle. These are the moments that will be missed the most when looking back on the castle’s rosegold era.
Dream Lights …?
One of the biggest complaints when it came to holiday offerings on the castle after the park came back from the pandemic closure was the noticeable lack of twinkling lights. Known as the Dream Lights, the castle used to be covered in these white lights resembling ice or snow draped on the castle each holiday season from 2007-2019. I’m emotional just writing about it. With the change in the castle’s color scheme back to its original white and blue, I wish with all my heart, this was the last year we see Cinderella Castle without this fan-favorite offering. The projections that replaced the Dream Lights just don’t invoke the same emotions.
Photos by Blake Taylor
Are you excited to see a return to form for Cinderella Castle or are you going to miss the rosegold? Let us know in the comments below!
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