The clock is ticking for Walt Disney World Resort guests with plans for Magic Kingdom Park on Wednesday. If you haven't adjusted your itinerary yet, now is the time.
What's Happening on May 13
Magic Kingdom Park will close to regular guests at 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday, May 13, nearly four hours ahead of its normal closing time. The culprit is a full park buyout by the SAP Sapphire & ASUG Conference, which has reserved the entire original Central Florida Disney park for a private evening event featuring a live performance by the Dave Matthews Band.
Every guest without a conference badge will be shown to the exit by 5:30 p.m. That includes anyone holding a standard Walt Disney World Resort theme park ticket, regardless of how long they've been in the park or what they still had planned for the evening.
Fireworks and the Parade Are off the Table
The most significant casualty of the early closure for regular guests is the loss of Magic Kingdom Park's nighttime entertainment. Happily Ever After and the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away electrical parade — if they run at all that evening — will be performed exclusively for SAP Sapphire & ASUG Conference attendees. There is no alternative viewing option for Walt Disney World Resort guests who are asked to leave the Magic Kingdom at 5:30 p.m.
How to Adjust Your Plans
The right move on May 13 depends largely on what kind of ticket you're working with. For guests holding single-park tickets, Magic Kingdom Park is best avoided that day. A park day that ends before dinner isn't the experience most guests are paying for, and the other three Walt Disney World Resort theme parks will be operating on full schedules.
Park Hopper ticket holders are better positioned to make May 13 work. With the private event clearing out the evening crowds, daytime attendance at the Magic Kingdom is expected to run lighter than usual, making it a reasonable first stop for squeezing in a few rides before the 5:30 p.m. deadline and then hopping to EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, or Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park for the rest of the day.
One more thing worth keeping in mind: the days immediately surrounding Wednesday's closure are likely to see a surge in crowds at Magic Kingdom Park. Guests who skip May 13 tend to redistribute to May 12 and May 14, which means longer waits, fuller walkways, and tighter dining availability, especially during the evening hours when nighttime entertainment draws its biggest audiences.
Walt Disney World Resort updates theme park hours on its official website and in the My Disney Experience app. A quick check before finalizing any park day plans is always the easiest way to avoid surprises like this one.
Has this early Magic Kingdom Park closure impacted your Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Tell Disney Fanatic about your experience in the comments!
