10/31/2023
Disney After Hours Events
First appearing in 2016, Disney After Hours events turn Disney World parks into a whole new world. You get to see the parks come to life under the stars, and you don’t have to deal with large crowds or the mid-day Florida heat. It’s a win-win! On the other hand, Disney After Hours is a time-limited, separately-ticketed event, so you also have to consider whether it’s right for your schedule and budget.
Disney After Hours events allow guests to stick around the participating parks after normal park hours with limited crowds. That means you’ll encounter little-to-no lines while you wait for rides, character meet-and-greets and other experiences at the parks. Plus, you'll get complimentary popcorn, ice cream and bottled beverages during the official event time!
These three-hour nighttime events typically happen during non-peak periods, and batches of dates are released throughout the year. They were first offered at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom during spring 2023. Hollywood Studios added more dates for the summer, while EPCOT kicked off June 1, 2023.
Disney After Hours is back for 2024 with select nights at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. The event takes place from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Hollywood Studios and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. You may enter as early as 7 p.m. with only an event ticket.
Magic Kingdom
• Thursday, January 11, 2024
• Monday, January 15, 2024
• Monday, January 22, 2024
• Thursday, February 1, 2024
• Monday, February 5, 2024
• Monday, February 12, 2024
• Thursday, February 29, 2024
• Monday, March 4, 2024
• Monday, March 18, 2024
• Monday, April 8, 2024
Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Wednesday, January 10, 2024
• Wednesday, January 24, 2024
• Wednesday, February 21, 2024
• Monday, February 26, 2024
• Wednesday, March 20, 2024
• Wednesday, April 3, 2024
• Wednesday, April 10, 2024
EPCOT
• Friday, February 2, 2024
• Thursday, February 8, 2024
• Thursday, February 15, 2024
• Thursday, March 7, 2024
• Thursday, March 28, 2024
• Thursday, April 4, 2024
Even though Disney After Hours officially starts sometime between 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. (depending on the event), event guests are able to enter the parks as early as 7 p.m. You’ll definitely want to take advantage of that extra time! If you'd like to enter before then, you’ll need regular park admission and a theme park reservation.
If you arrive at (or after) 7 p.m., head to the specific event turnstiles where you'll receive a special event wristband. But if you have regular park admission and you’re already inside the park for the afternoon, you won’t have to go all the way to the entrance. There are typically stations inside the park with cast members distributing wristbands. Just be on the lookout for special event signs!
Once the park closes, guests without wristbands are directed toward the front to exit the park. There are typically 30 minutes to an hour from when the park closes to when After Hours officially starts to allow for this transition. Expect some overlap, especially near the front of the park as they are leaving at the beginning of the event, but the process happens fairly quickly. Depending on the park hours, there may not be any transition time.
Before the event starts, it’s recommended that you eat dinner if you have not done so previously. Most restaurants are closed during After Hours, plus you'll want to maximize your event time. The overlap with regular park hours is a great time to do anything not open during the event. Try Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios or the fireworks at EPCOT as the perfect time filler.
Disney After Hours Rides and Entertainment
As one of the most significant perks of Disney After Hours, you’ll be able to hop right onto your favorite rides with no — or very short — lines. However, it’s important to note that while most rides will be available, not all attractions will be open during the event. (Note that during the possible transition time from park close to event start, you can hop on any available ride by showing your event wristband. Ride wait times will not appear in the My Disney Experience app during this time, but all event attractions should remain open).
If you're headed to Magic Kingdom, you'll want to note that TRON Lightcycle / Run, intends to implement a standby queue during the After Hours events.
Here's what's open during the events in 2024:
Magic Kingdom
• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
• Haunted Mansion
• "it's a small world"
• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Tron Lightcycle / Run
• and more!
Hollywood Studios
• Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
• Star Tours — The Adventures Continue
• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Toy Story Mania!
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
EPCOT
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Soarin' Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• Journey Into Imagination With Figment
Note that the World Showcase section from China through Morocco is closed during the event, so you'll need to go from Norway, Mexico, the entrance to World Showcase, Canada, the United Kingdom and then France.
At these events, you're able to enjoy nearly every ride, either before or during the event! Most rides are typically under a 10-minute wait, often even a walk-on!
Characters at Disney After Hours
Character meet-and-greets may also be available at every After Hours event. However, character greeting locations may be limited. At Hollywood Studios, we saw Chip 'n' Dale around Centerstage and Woody and Bo Peep at Toy Story Land. You can expect that character greetings will be more limited during the party than during daytime hours, so if characters are a priority, hop to it during that early entry period!
Entertainment at Disney After Hours
At Hollywood Studios, enjoy additional showtimes of both projection shows at the Chinese Theater — Disney Movie Magic at 11:25 p.m. and Wonderful World of Animation at 11:45 p.m. You can also watch the first showtimes during regular park hours, which we recommend to maximize your ride times. At EPCOT, there is an awesome DJ spinning some great tunes — be sure to hit the dance floor with Chip 'n' Dale!
The nighttime fireworks spectacular "Enchantment" is coming back just for Disney After Hours events at Magic Kingdom. If you come early on event nights, you can catch both "Happily Ever After" and "Enchantment". It's double the fun!
PhotoPass photographers are also available at select locations during the event. At Magic Kingdom, try a unique and popular photo opportunity by holding Rapunzel's lantern by the "Tangled" area in Fantasyland — with almost no wait!
Themed Disney After Hours Events
Disney H2O Glow After Hours
Typically held each summer, Disney H2O Glow After Hours is a separately ticketed event at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park. This kid-friendly event features DJ dance parties, specialty food and drink, and a chance to enjoy your favorite water attractions glowing at night.
Disney Villains After Hours
Disney introduced a wicked twist to the After Hours events in summer 2019. At Magic Kingdom, malevolent music and frightful lighting took over the park as Disney Villains took centerstage! Like any other After Hours event, guests had exclusive three-hour access to over 20 attractions after the park closes, but the event also featured a special stage show, a character cavalcade, a live DJ and specially themed ride overlays. The spooky event returned in spring 2020, as well. No word yet on if this themed event will return in the future.
Tips and Strategies for Disney After Hours Events
Arrive at 7 p.m. for early access during normal park hours. You’ll want to maximize your time during the event, and this allows up to two or three extra hours that you can spend inside the park before the event officially begins. (Remember that you can get in at 7 p.m. with just your After Hours ticket. If you want to get there earlier, you'll need to have valid admission and a park pass reservation.)
If you arrive before After Hours officially begins, visit any attraction or show that is unavailable during event hours. Maybe watch Fantasmic while at Hollywood Studios. At EPCOT, be sure to enjoy the World Showcase pavilions during regular park hours, as most of the countries are roped off during the event.
Eat dinner before you arrive. While snacks and drinks are provided, only select food locations remain open. You’ll probably want to spend more time in line for rides and character meet-and-greets anyway!
Prioritize your options. Figure out which rides or experiences are must-dos and tackling those as soon as you get there. Three hours pass by in the blink of an eye!
Start with your #1 must-do experience and continue to move from one part of the park to the next. You don’t want to lose precious time going back and forth from opposite sides of the park.
Don’t hesitate to take a short break. You might feel pressured to get everything done in the short amount of time you have, but don’t get so overwhelmed that you don’t enjoy the experience. (Plus, a break is the best time to eat a Mickey ice cream bar.)
Is Disney After Hours Worth It?
Whether Disney After Hours is worth it truly comes down to whether it’s right for your family, schedule and budget. To sum it all up, these are the main pointers to consider.
After Hours could be a good fit if ...
• You want to hop on those popular rides with minimal wait times.
• You want to avoid long lines, large crowds and the daytime heat as much as possible.
• You're a huge Star Wars fan. Honestly, with this year's event taking place in Hollywood Studios, we think it's an incredible opportunity to visit with shorter wait times AND get a fun nighttime ambiance.
• You're only visiting Disney World for a short vacation and you just want to hit the highlights. This event can help squeeze in a park that you otherwise might miss due to your schedule's time constraints.
After Hours might not be a good fit if ...
• You want to experience everything that a park has to offer. Many shows stop performances after the daytime hours, and some rides are not available during After Hours events.
• Your budget can't accommodate the extra ticket cost.
• You have babies or really small children.
Overall, you're bound to have a great time in a nearly empty park with unlimited snacks no matter which park you choose!
If you're ready for a fun night at the parks, be sure to get your Disney After Hours tickets before they sell out.