Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii told guests a national TV production will film on its beach Jan. 23 to 28, 2027. American Idol has filmed there almost every year since 2019.
Some Aulani guests could end up with a front-row seat to a TV taping this winter.
Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, is emailing guests that a “national television production” will use part of the Ko Olina beach from Jan. 23 through Jan. 28, 2027. The notes went to guests with reservations on those dates and to their travel agents, according to WDW News Today and WDWInfo.
Activities and amenities stay open along the rest of the beach. Guests may see or hear the production, but there shouldn’t be any noise between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Disney hasn’t named the show. Fans have a pretty good guess, though: ABC’s American Idol, which has filmed at Aulani almost every year since 2019.
Here’s ABC’s look behind the scenes at a past Aulani round:
How many times has American Idol filmed at Aulani?
Seven times, starting in 2019. Here’s the run:
2019 (Season 17): a Top 40 showcase that aired March 31
2020 (Season 18): a Hawaii showcase that aired March 29 and April 5
2022 (Season 20): the Top 24, which aired April 10 and 11
2023 (Season 21): the Top 26, which aired April 16 and 17
2024 (Season 22): the Top 24, taped Feb. 7 and 8, with mentors Tori Kelly and Jelly Roll
2025 (Season 23): the Top 24, taped Feb. 11 and 12
2026 (Season 24): a brand-new “’Ohana Round” with the Top 30, plus Top 20 shows that aired in March
The 2021 season skipped Hawaii, and those rounds stayed in Los Angeles. Filming has run about a week before. In 2025, Honolulu TV station KITV reported that Idol’s crew was at Aulani from Feb. 6 to 13.
Why do fans think the Aulani filming is American Idol?
Mostly the timing. Idol used to tape at Aulani in February. Last season moved things up.
For Season 24, Idol threw a premiere party at Aulani on Jan. 26, 2026, then filmed in Hawaii on Jan. 29 and 30.
This new window, Jan. 23 to 28, lands right in that same late-January stretch. It also helps that Idol airs on ABC, and both ABC and Aulani belong to Disney.
Still, until Disney or ABC says so, it’s an educated guess. The email itself only says a national TV production.
Who are the American Idol Season 25 judges?
Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie are all coming back, with Ryan Seacrest returning as host. Bryan let it slip at a Sept. 24 concert in Nashville, and Deadline and Billboard followed with reports.
Richie and Bryan have judged every season since ABC revived the show. Underwood, who won Season 4 back in 2005, joined the judges’ table in 2025, so this will be her third season in the chair.
Season 25 airs in 2027 on ABC, but there’s no premiere date yet. American Idol started on Fox in 2002 and ended its first run there in 2016. ABC brought it back on March 11, 2018, so Season 25 will be the show’s 10th on ABC.
What is Disney’s Aulani resort like?
Aulani is Disney’s resort on Oahu, in Ko Olina on the island’s west side. It opened Aug. 29, 2011, with 351 hotel rooms and 481 Disney Vacation Club villas on 21 acres. Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde led the design, with a focus on Hawaiian culture and stories.
The resort is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, which has already brought a Stitch popcorn bucket and mug.
Ko Olina’s beaches and lagoons are public in Hawaii, so the production is borrowing a stretch of sand that guests and locals both use. Aulani is giving guests a heads-up three months out.
Guests with stays from Jan. 23 to 28 should keep an eye out for more details from Aulani as those dates get closer.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
WDW News Today (Oct. 26, 2026), the guest email and filming dates
WDWInfo (Oct. 26, 2026), who got the email and Disney’s silence on the show
Chip and Company (Oct. 27, 2026), the American Idol report
Disney Parks Blog (2022 and 2023), Idol’s earlier Aulani rounds
ABC7 New York (2026), the ‘Ohana Round
Entertainment Now (Jan. 2026), the Season 24 premiere party at Aulani
WFTV (Sept. 2026), the Season 25 judges
KITV (Feb. 2025), Idol’s filming dates at Aulani
ABC on YouTube, the Aulani behind-the-scenes video
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