Summary
'Sup! Tad here. Free, unlimited popcorn and ice cream plus staying up super late is basically my jam, so I toadally love attending Disney After Hours Events. While previous years' events took place at Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, in 2023, After Hours events will be offered at Disney's Hollywood Studios — Galaxy's Edge, here I come! Black Spire Outpost will be open to guests after hours, including access to Rise of the Resistance. Get ready for those nighttime Millennium Falcon and lightsaber photos! In this guide, we cover everything you’d need to know, so you can decide if an After Hours event would be a good fit for you — as well as our top tips for attending. (Psst ... tickets are on sale now — save some extra green by purchasing through your favorite frogs!)
Disney After Hours Events Overview
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. Yipee! 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 throughout the night!
These three-hour nighttime events typically happen during non-peak periods, and batches of dates are released throughout the year. These events are first returning to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom in spring 2023.
They may have a similar name, but it’s important to point out that Disney After Hours events are NOT the same as Extended Evening Hours. The extended evening theme park hours are a new benefit for Disney Deluxe Resort hotel guests that allows them to stay in a park a few hours later than normal park hours. This offering is exclusive to deluxe resorts and does not require a separate purchase beyond valid park admission, unlike Disney After Hours events.
Disney After Hours Dates & Tickets
Disney After Hours returns in spring 2023 with select nights at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. At Magic Kingdom, the event takes place from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., while the Hollywood Studios event lasts from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Both locations allow you to enter as early as 7 p.m. with just an event ticket.
Magic Kingdom Park
- Monday, Jan. 9, 2023
- Monday, Jan. 16, 2023
- Monday, Jan. 23, 2023
- Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023
- Monday, Feb. 20, 2023
- Monday, Feb. 27, 2023
- Thursday, March 2, 2023
- Monday, March 6, 2023
- Monday, March 13, 2023
- Thursday, March 16, 2023
- Monday, March 20, 2023
- Monday, March 27, 2023
Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023
- Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023
- Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023
- Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023
- Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023
- Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023
- Wednesday, March 8, 2023
- Wednesday, March 22, 2023
- Wednesday, March 29, 2023
- Sunday, April 2, 2023
- Wednesday, April 5, 2023
- Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Tickets are on sale now! Undercover Tourist tickets for Disney After Hours events range from about $130-$140 per person, plus tax.
Arriving at Disney After Hours Events
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., a cast member will give you a special event wristband when you check in at the entrance. 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 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. 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.
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.
Below, we've detailed what was open at Magic Kingdom during previous events, as well as those that are confirmed to return for 2023 at both Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Magic Kingdom
- Astro Orbiter
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (confirmed for 2023)
- Disney Princess Greetings at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Haunted Mansion (confirmed for 2023)
- it’s a small world (confirmed for 2023)
- Jungle Cruise (confirmed for 2023)
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Peter Pan’s Flight (confirmed for 2023)
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (confirmed for 2023)
- Space Mountain (confirmed for 2023)
- Splash Mountain
- Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
Hollywood Studios
Confirmed attractions for 2023 include:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Mania!
And hopefully, more to come!
Disney After Hours Characters
Character meet-and-greets are also available at every After Hours event. However, character greeting locations may be limited. At Magic Kingdom, you could meet the princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall in previous years. You can expect that character greetings will be more limited during the party than in daytime hours, so if characters are a priority, hop to it during that early entry period!
Disney After Hours Food, Drinks and Merchandise
While exploring the park after hours, you’ll definitely crave a late-night snack. Included in the cost of event admission, unlimited ice cream treats, popcorn and select beverages (bottled water, Sprite, Coke, Diet Coke) will be available at carts stationed throughout the park. Most table-service and quick-service restaurants will be closed, but some select locations may remain open.
Themed Disney After Hours Events
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
Here are our top tips for attending 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. For example, we made sure to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom during our extra pre-event time while they were still open!
- 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. We highly recommend figuring 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 hopping 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?
We’ve laid out all the details before you, and now it’s time for you to decide. 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 tadpoles. My sister, Lily, did not come with me on this one, since she's little and heads to bed so early. Instead, my dad, Leap, and I headed in to take advantage of all of the thrills and ice cream we could handle. He and I are already counting down the days until we can head back to an event in 2023 at Hollywood Studios!
Overall, you're bound to have a great time in a nearly empty park with unlimited snacks no matter which event 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. Have any questions? Ask away in the comments below!
Related: All the Glimmering Details of Disney H2O Glow Nights
Stay cool!
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