New Tiana’s Joyful Celebration Exhibit Now Open in Indianapolis

Tiana’s Joyful Celebration Exhibit Brings New Orleans Magic to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Princess Tiana’s story is stepping beyond the bayou and into a brand-new immersive experience for families. Disney has teamed up with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to debut Tiana’s Joyful Celebration, a colorful, hands-on exhibition inspired by the spirit of New Orleans and the beloved heroine from The Princess and the Frog. The exhibit officially opened March 8 and will run through January 3, 2027, inviting guests to step right into the middle of a lively Mardi Gras season celebration.

Related: Try the New March DOLE Whip Flight at Disney Springs

The experience, created through a collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and the museum, places guests in 1928 New Orleans as preparations are underway for a neighborhood Mardi Gras parade. Inside Tiana’s Co-Op, Princess Tiana and her friends discover the parade will start earlier than expected, and they need help from the community to finish their festive floats in time. That’s where visiting families come in, joining Tiana, Prince Naveen, and their bayou friends to bring the celebration to life.

Guests can dive into several interactive activities designed to capture the music, food, and creativity of New Orleans culture. Visitors can decorate colorful parade floats, join Prince Naveen in the Bayou Community Band to experiment with rhythm and sound, or stop by Eudora’s dress shop to design masks and costumes fit for Mardi Gras. Kids can even create pretend sno-ball flavors with Mama Odie and step into Tiana’s kitchen to prepare her father’s famous gumbo through playful cooking activities.

The celebration continues with music and movement as families learn how to dance in a traditional New Orleans second-line parade. Guided by step-by-step tutorials from a New Orleans dancer, guests can join the finale float and feel like they’re part of the parade themselves. From crafting and cooking to music and dance, the exhibit encourages hands-on exploration and creativity at every turn.

Tiana’s Joyful Celebration marks the first museum exhibition dedicated to Princess Tiana and draws inspiration from the story and themes introduced in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Imagineers designed the experience to highlight Tiana’s values of community, determination, and creativity while introducing families to the vibrant traditions of New Orleans culture.

The exhibit also emphasizes accessibility and inclusion, featuring bilingual signage in English and Spanish along with accessible elements including ASL and Braille. It is recommended for children ages 6 to 10 and their families, though Disney fans of all ages will likely enjoy stepping into Tiana’s world.

Related: Disney Couple Rents Out Cosmic Rewind for Epic Wedding Welcome Party

Admission to the exhibit is included with regular entry to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which is the largest children’s museum in the world with 485,000 square feet of interactive exhibits. The museum recently celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025 and has been named the best children’s museum in the country by USA Today for three consecutive years.

After its run in Indianapolis, Tiana’s Joyful Celebration will continue on a five-year national tour, bringing the Mardi Gras magic to at least a dozen more cities across the United States including stops in California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and beyond.

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

Let our friends at Get Away Today help you book your next Disney or Universal Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.