July 7: Walt Disney Imagineering and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Collaborate on Tiana’s Joyful Celebration
This past weekend at Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, creatives from Walt Disney Imagineering and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis announced our collaboration to continue bringing Princess Tiana’s story to life in Tiana’s Joyful Celebration, a nationwide traveling exhibition.
The Essence Festival of Culture is an annual celebration of African American culture and music, held in New Orleans every summer. It features a mix of musical performances, cultural experiences, and community engagement activities. The festival, which began in 1995, has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in the United States.
Along with Jennifer Pace Robinson, President and CEO of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, I had the pleasure of revealing these two additional concept sketches highlighting the immersive fun guests will have when the exhibition launches in Indianapolis starting March 2026. We’re excited to share those two renderings with you here now on the blog.
Check back for more updates as additional cities are announced for this exciting exhibition.
July 3: Tiana’s Joyful Celebration Announcement and First Rendering
We’re cueing up the zydeco tunes because Princess Tiana’s celebration will continue beyond the parks. That’s right, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is excited to announce Tiana’s Joyful Celebration!
In collaboration with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Tiana’s Joyful Celebration is a traveling exhibition that extends Princess Tiana’s story to a fully immersive museum experience.
Beginning March 7, 2026, the exhibition will first launch at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and then starting in 2027 travel to 12 additional cities near you during a nationwide tour.
Help Tiana Prepare for Her Community Celebration
The Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction launched at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort last year. In the spirit of the attraction, the exhibition will take visitors on a journey where they discover a series of fun, interactive, multi-sensory experiences inspired by the music, food and people of New Orleans.
In this magical adventure, Princess Tiana is celebrating her community by throwing a parade. Tiana’s friends, critters included, have been working hard in Tiana’s childhood neighborhood to prepare for the big day. But when the day arrives, they learn that their timeslot begins earlier than anticipated and need the entire community and critter friends to put the finishing touches on the floats to make it in time.
Guests will receive a call for assistance, learning Tiana needs help with décor, music, food, costumes and more. Everyone must come together and contribute their unique talents–a bit of their special spice– to pull the parade together on time. From music and crafts to cooking and community spirit, you’ll be immersed in the diverse and vibrant world of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebrations as you help Princess Tiana.
The shared vision of Walt Disney Imagineering and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis aims to celebrate culture and embrace creativity through uniting the storytelling of one of Disney’s beloved princesses and educational excellence to create an unforgettable family experience.
So Much More to See at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis ignites joy, wonder and curiosity by creating powerful learning experiences for children and adults. It is the world’s largest children’s museum with 485,000 square feet of public space, including five floors of indoor exhibits and 7.5 acres of outdoor space in the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience.
Named the best children’s museum in the country by USA Today for three years in a row, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is home to 14 permanent exhibits, including Dinosphere®, the museum’s most popular exhibit with an immersive collection of real dinosaur fossils and an active working paleontology lab. Founded in 1925, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2025.
Follow @waltdisneyimagineering and @childrensmuseum on social media to stay up to date on tour stops, behind-the-scenes content and the grand opening in Indianapolis. This is one celebration you won’t want to miss.
