How to Make the Most Out of Disney After Hours Events

'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. Enjoy little-to-no waits on your favorite attractions at Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. In recent news, even more dates have been added for spring and summer 2024! 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 ... 2024 tickets are now on sale— save some extra green by purchasing through your favorite frogs!)

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Overview
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Should You Attend?

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 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. Be sure to check out some of our park-specific After Hours guides — Magic Kingdom,Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, H2O Glow After Hours — for even more details.

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 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

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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 arriving at 7 p.m. or later, only an event ticket is required. If you'd like to enter before then, you’ll need regular park admission. Park reservations are no longer needed for those with date-based tickets. (Annual passholders may still need to make a 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. On our Magic Kingdom night, the park closed at 10 p.m., the same time as the event started, so just know you may have some crowds up until the event starts.

Before the event starts, we recommend eating 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. We recommend Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios or the fireworks at EPCOT or Magic Kingdom 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

Jungle Cruise
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Pirates of the Caribbean
Swiss Family Treehouse
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Haunted Mansion
"it's a small world"
Mad Tea Party
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Peter Pan's Flight
Prime Charming Regal Carrousel
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
The Barnstormer
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Space Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
TRON Lightcycle / Run (available via standby)

Hollywood Studios

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
Star Tours — The Adventures Continue
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Alien Swirling Saucers
Slinky Dog Dash
Toy Story Mania!
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

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, there are lots of rare characters that rotate throughout the night, such as Stitch, Jimmy Cricket and even Duffy. At Magic Kingdom, you can visit Mickey at Town Square Theater or the princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall. 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

The nighttime fireworks spectacular "Enchantment" is 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, we got to knock off a unique and popular photo opportunity by holding Rapunzel's lantern by the "Tangled" area in Fantasyland — with almost no wait!

At EPCOT, there is an awesome DJ spinning some rad tunes — be sure to hit the dance floor with Chip 'n' Dale!

Disney After Hours Dining & Shopping

While exploring the park after hours, you’ll definitely crave a late-night snack. Included in the cost of event admission are unlimited ice cream treats (Mickey bar, Mickey sandwich and strawberry bar), popcorn and select beverages (bottled water, Sprite, co*ke, Diet co*ke), available at carts stationed throughout the park once the event officially begins.

Most table-service and quick-service restaurants will be closed, but some select locations may remain open. We recommend eating dinner before the event starts so you can easily grab the complimentary snacks as you walk.

Though we don't recommend spending too much time shopping during the event, select merchandise shops may be open during event hours. Limited walk-up availability may be offered at both Savi's Workshop and Droid Depot.

Themed Disney After Hours Events

Disney H2O Glow After Hours

Typically held each summer,Disney H2O Glow After Hours is a separately ticketed event atDisney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. This tadpole-friendly event features DJ dance parties, specialty food and drink, and a chance to enjoy your favorite water attractions glowing at night. Check out our guide to H2O Glow After Hours for all the hoppin' details in case you want to attend in 2024.

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 possibly a park reservation if you're an annual passholder. (Those with date-based tickets do not need a park reservation.)
If you arrive before After Hours officially begins, visit any attraction or show that is unavailable during event hours. For example, we watched 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. 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 are a big TRON fan and would like to experience it without a virtual queue (plus, you're guaranteed a nighttime ride, which is our favorite time to experience the attraction!)
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.

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. Have any questions? Ask away in the comments below!

Related:All the Glimmering Details of Disney H2O Glow Nights

Stay cool!

How to Make the Most Out of Disney After Hours Events — New Dates Added! (2024)