Every year, the global attractions industry gathers in November at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida to reveal whats next in rides, technology and guest experiences. IAAPA 2025 is not just a showcase of new attractions, its a preview of where the industry is heading for the foreseeable future. From major ride unveilings and next gen attractions and operational advancements, the expo reflected an important shift towards design, immersion, and data powered operations.
The NavFile Team spent the day on the show floor capturing live press conferences and ride unveilings, new technology, and the overall experience that defines the future of global attractions and entertainment. In this article, we cover the highlight ride announcements, show floor tech, and what it means for operators, developers and fans across the industry.
Above: a photo of one of the 2025 IAAPA Expo entrances at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Photo by the NavFile Team.
Ride Launches and Press Conferences
Dollywood Unveils NightFlight Expedition at IAAPA 2025
One of the most anticipated moments at IAAPA Expo 2025 came from Dollywood, as the park officially revealed details of its next major water based attraction during a packed show floor announcement. Developed in partnership with Mack Rides, the project was presented as a high capacity, family focused water ride designed to blend modern engineering with immersive storytelling.
NightFlight Expedition is scheduled to open in 2026 and represents the largest single attraction investment in Dollywood’s history.
Dollywood and Mack Rides unveiled the custom amphibious ride that will carry guests through a bioluminesence Smokey Mountain Adventure. Designed to interact with multimedia projections, dynamic lighting, and onboard and offboard audio, this five-plus minute attraction shows just how far modern water attractions have evolved past tradition flume rides. This ride system was just awarded the 2025 Amusement Today Golden Ticket for Best New Innovation for Mack Rides new design.
NightFlight Expedition is being built inside a fully enclosed, temperature controlled facility in Dollywood’s Wildwood Grove area, allowing the attraction to operate independent of seasonal weather. This experience combines multiple ride elements into a single journey making it one of the most ambitious hybrid family attractions ever announced by the park.
Above: a photo of the Mack Rides and Dollywood NightFlight Expedition unveiling at the 2025 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida. Photo by the NavFile Team.
Above is a photo of The Dollywood Company President being interviewed by Ashley Webster of Fox Business at the 2025 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida. Photo by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
SeaWorld Orlando Unveils SEAQuest at IAAPA 2025
Another exciting unveiling at IAAPA 2025 was SeaWorld Orlando’s new rail based vehicle, SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep. This is a “first of its kind” suspended dark ride set to debut in 2026. The reveal took place in partnership with Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, marking the first time SeaWorld has collaborated with the company on a major ride. The SEAQuest vehicle departs from traditional dark ride designs entirely. Guests board a suspended, little yellow and blue submarine inspired craft that travels along an overhead rail, allowing the vehicle to pitch and sway as it moves through the attraction. Instead of relying on fixed track movement alone, the vehicle’s motion is actively choreographed with sound, lighting, and environmental effects to simulate a true descent beneath the ocean’s surface, which SeaWorld describes as an “Unforgettable Journey Beneath the Waves.”
For SeaWorld Orlando, SEAQuest represents a shift toward immersive, story driven experiences that prioritize atmosphere just as much as ride mechanics. As development continues toward its 2026 debut, the project stands as a strong example of how modern theme parks are blending technology, motion, and narrative to create the next generation of family oriented attractions.
Above: a photo of the SeaWorld Orlando SEAQuest ride vehicle by Vekoma at IAAPA Expo 2025. Photo by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
Six Flags Over Texas Unveils Tormenta: Rampaging Run at IAAPA 2025
The final major ride announcement tied to the IAAPA Expo 2025 came from Six Flags Over Texas, where the park confirmed its newest headline attraction, Tormenta: Rampaging Run. The project was revealed simultaneously on the IAAPA show floor and at the park itself, showing how coordinated the announcement was for both IAAPA attendees and Six Flags fans alike. Built by Bolliger and Mabillard, Tormenta will become the first giga dive coaster ever produced by the company and one of the tallest and fastest dive coasters in the world when it opens next season.
Unlike the immersion or story drive designs and focus seen in the Dollywood or SeaWorld Orlando unveilings, Tormenta leans fully into scale, speed, and raw thrills. Rising more than 300 feet above the park, riders will be sent over a 95 degree beyond vertical drop of 179 feet, accelerating to a top speed of 87 miles per hour. The layout stretches 4,199 feet of track, the longest ever built for a B&M dive coaster, and includes a towering Immelmann inversion at 218 feet, the highest of its kind in the world.
For Six Flags Over Texas, Tormenta represents a clear statement as the park looks towards its next chapter of large scale development. The simultaneous reveal at the park and on the IAAPA show floor show how important and central Tormenta is to the brands future plans. While other IAAPA 2025 unveilings showed emphasis on immersion and storytelling. Tormenta stands high on the opposite end delivering spectacle and thrills through height, speed and record setting engineering. Altogether these three major unveilings highlight how the industry is advancing on all fronts at once from cinematic experiences to exciting thrills.
Above: an image of the unveiling of Six Flags Over Texas Tormenta: Rampaging Run at the 2025 IAAPA Expo in Orlando. Photo by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
Above is a photo of Jonathan Smith of Bolliger & Mabillard being interviewed in front of the Tormenta Roller Coaster vehicle at the 2025 IAAPA Expo Orlando, Florida. Photo by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
Baseball Attractions Growing
Baseball over the past few years has been on display at the IAAPA Expo. Last year HitTrax and Home Run Dugout both had interactive booths showcasing their full batting and baseball experience systems. This year, IAAPA Orlando also featured Batbox, who has their own batting simulation system geared toward use in a sports restaurant.
Above is an image of the HitTrax Suite Baseball Simulator booth at the 2025 IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center. Photo taken by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
The NavFile team and David Aughinbaugh II, VP – Global Strategy, tested out all three batting simulators. You can see David taking a few swings below in the video. Baseball attractions have been of interest to NavFile as the organization
IAAPA 2025 What This Year Means for the Future of Attractions
IAAPA Expo 2025 didn’t just reveal some exciting up and coming headline rides, it demonstrated the scale and excitement of the attractions industry itself. The event closed with a record breaking turnout: 38,520 verified attendees (out of 43,840 registered), 25,598 qualified buyers representing 20,316 buying companies from 102 countries, and more than 1,100 exhibitors filling over 565,000 square feet of exhibit space. This level of participation shows parks, suppliers, operators, and fans alike are all more than just optimistic they are actively investing into new bold attractions, upgraded experiences and emerging technologies. From the family friendly ambition of NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood to the immersive oceanic journey of SEAQuest at SeaWorld Orlando, to the record breaking thrills at Tormenta: Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas. IAAPA 2025 gave an exciting look to how broad and diverse the future of attractions will be.
With a fitting finale, the expo ended with a spectacular drone show that reminded every attendee why the attractions industry thrives not just on rides, but on spectacle, emotion, and experiences.
Above: a photo of the Mattel Barbie Hot Wheels entrance at the 2025 IAAPA Expo in Orlando. Photo taken by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
Above is a photo of the 2025 IAAPA Expo Night Drone Show from the North Hall of the Orange County Convention Center in Florida. Photo by David Aughinbaugh II for NavFile.
Below is an overview video covering day 2 at the 2025 IAAPA Expo.
