Most people visiting Walt Disney World this weekend booked their trip months ago. They picked their parks, made their dining reservations, and maybe even pre-loaded their Lightning Lane selections. What a significant number of them almost certainly did not account for is that this particular weekend, Walt Disney World is also hosting one of the most logistically disruptive events on its annual calendar.
The 2026 runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend is not a background event. It is a full resort takeover. Thousands of runners, plus the partners, parents, and children who travel with them, are spread across Disney property right now, and the infrastructure required to safely run races through a functioning theme park resort at 5:00 in the morning has real consequences for everyone else who happens to be visiting at the same time.
That infrastructure is road closures. Lots of them.
The theme for this year's Springtime Surprise is Disney duos, and the racing lineup reflects that throughout. Friday's 5K is paired with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from Zootopia. Saturday's 10K features Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Sunday's 10-Miler puts Joy and Sadness from Inside Out front and center. Runners who take on all three earn a fourth medal for completing the full 19.3-mile Aladdin and Genie challenge, and new Genie-themed Brooks running shoes are part of the merchandise collection available at the expo. The expo itself opened Thursday at Walt Disney World and runs through Saturday, April 18, with hours of 10 AM to 7 PM today, noon to 7 PM Friday, and 11 AM to 3 PM Saturday. Every participant must attend at least one day before their first race to collect their bib and shirt.
All of that context matters because it explains the scale of what is happening on property. But if you are not a runner and you are simply trying to get to a park on Saturday or Sunday morning, what matters most to you right now is which roads are closed, when they open back up, and how that changes your morning.
Saturday, April 18: 10K Road Closures
No closures have been announced for Friday's 5K. Saturday is a different story.
For the 10K on April 18, the following roads are affected. Backstage Lane at the Red Lot Entrance is closed from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
The Crush Lot Exit Bridge to Epcot Center Drive East is closed from 3:30 AM to 7:00 AM. Epcot Center Drive West to the Epcot Auto Plaza is closed from 4:15 AM to 7:00 AM. The EPCOT Parking Exit Loop to Epcot Center Drive East is closed from 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM. Epcot Center Drive West is closed from 4:15 AM to 7:00 AM. Overpass Road West at Bonnet Creek is closed from 3:00 AM to 9:00 AM. Woodpecker Lane is closed from 3:00 AM to 9:00 AM. The World Drive South Ramp to Epcot Center Drive East is closed from 3:45 AM to 7:00 AM.
The bulk of Saturday's closures lift between 7:00 and 9:00 AM. If you are targeting EPCOT at rope drop Saturday, give yourself extra buffer time and do not assume your usual route will be available.
Sunday, April 19: 10-Miler Road Closures
Sunday is where the closures get serious. The 10-Miler covers significantly more ground than the 10K, and the closure list is proportionally longer. Many of these roads do not reopen until well into the morning, some as late as 10:30 AM, which is right when most non-racing guests are trying to arrive.
Here is the full list for Sunday, April 19. Backstage Lane North at the Red Lot Entrance closes from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM. Buena Vista Drive East from Osceola Parkway to Cypress Drive closes from 4:00 AM to 8:30 AM. The Buena Vista Drive West Ramp to World Drive South closes from 4:00 AM to 8:30 AM. The Crush Lot Exit Bridge to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:30 AM to 9:45 AM. Epcot Center Drive West from Bonnet Creek to World Drive closes from 4:30 AM to 9:30 AM.
The Epcot Center Drive West Ramp to World Drive South closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM. Floridian Way South at the Bear Island Road Exit Ramp closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM. Overpass Road West at Bonnet Creek closes from 3:00 AM to 10:30 AM.
The EPCOT Parking Exit Loops to Epcot Center Drive East close from 3:00 AM to 7:30 AM. The Vista Boulevard Ramp to World Drive South closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM.
Woodpecker Lane in the Yellow Lot closes from 3:00 AM to 10:30 AM. World Drive North Ramp to Buena Vista Drive closes from 4:00 AM to 8:30 AM. World Drive South to Buena Vista Drive closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM. The World Drive South Ramp to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:45 AM to 10:15 AM. The World Drive South Flyover Ramp closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM.
That is not a short list, and the overlap with normal park arrival time is significant.
What Non-Racing Guests Actually Need to Know
Beyond the road closures themselves, Sunday at EPCOT carries an additional complication that catches a lot of guests off guard: the park is opening late.
Because of what it takes to run the 10-Miler safely through resort property, EPCOT will not open to general guests until 10:00 AM on Sunday instead of the standard 9:00 AM. Guests staying at a Disney resort hotel or eligible partner property can enter at 9:30 AM through Early Entry rather than the usual 8:30 AM.
That hour matters more than it sounds. The guests who show up expecting to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or Frozen Ever After at rope drop are going to find that everyone else had the same idea and they all walked through the gates at the same moment. Wait times at the headliners will be long from the first minute the park opens. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and Test Track will be no different.
Disney transportation is also expected to run behind schedule on Sunday morning. Buses, the monorail, and the Skyliner are all subject to delays estimated at 30 to 60 minutes beyond their normal windows. That compounds the road closure problem for guests who are driving and planning to use resort transportation for the last leg of the trip.
If your plans for Sunday are flexible, this is a good day to pivot to Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, or Disney's Animal Kingdom. All three will run on normal hours with no race-related impact. If EPCOT on Sunday is non-negotiable for your group, build the day around the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival rather than a strategy that depends on beating the crowds at rides. The festival booths and outdoor kitchens are genuinely great right now, and that approach will hold up much better than a wait-time-focused game plan on this particular Sunday.
Honestly, save a screenshot of the Sunday closure list to your phone before you leave your hotel room. GPS apps are not always updated quickly enough to reflect race-day closures, and knowing ahead of time which roads are gone will save you a frustrating loop around property at 9 AM. We'll have live updates on park conditions and transportation throughout the weekend — bookmark the site and check back Sunday morning before you head out.
