If you're walking through Magic Kingdom Park today, enjoy it while it lasts. Regular guests have until 5:30 p.m. before they're asked to leave.
A Corporate Event Takes Over the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is operating on a dramatically shortened schedule today, Wednesday, May 13, and will shut its doors to regular Walt Disney World Resort guests nearly four hours before its typical closing time. The culprit is a full park buyout by the SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference, a multi-day corporate gathering that secured exclusive access to Walt Disney World Resort's most iconic theme park for a private evening event.
The night's entertainment centerpiece is a live Dave Matthews Band performance, for which stage construction near Cinderella Castle was already underway as of Monday.
The conference ran from May 11 through May 13 at the Orange County Convention Center, with the Magic Kingdom Park buyout serving as its closing-night highlight. Tickets to the full SAP event — covering both the convention and tonight's park access — were priced between $1,699 and $2,399 per person and are no longer available.
Tonight's Shows Are Off Limits
For regular guests, Magic Kingdom Park's nighttime entertainment is entirely out of reach this evening. Happily Ever After and the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away electrical parade — if performed tonight — will run exclusively for SAP conference attendees. Any guest without a conference credential will be outside the park long before either show begins.
What to Expect the Rest of the Week
With today's shortened hours pushing a portion of the usual Magic Kingdom crowd elsewhere, Thursday, May 14, is shaping up to be a busier-than-average day at the park. Guests who skipped Wednesday are likely to flood back in on Thursday, particularly in the evening when Happily Ever After and Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away draw their largest audiences.
Arriving early and staking out viewing positions ahead of the crowd is a smart move for anyone with Thursday night plans at the Magic Kingdom.
Walt Disney World Resort makes its park hours available in advance on its official website and through the My Disney Experience app. A quick check of the calendar before any park visit remains the most reliable way to stay ahead of early closures and operational changes.
If you could privately rent out any of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, which one would you choose? Share your dream destination with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
