New Year’s Eve Hours Extended at EPCOT to 1 AM

Following a short lull in crowds at the Walt Disney World Resort, we are now seeing holiday crowds in full swing at the resort’s theme parks. While many Disney Guests are not particularly fans of the theme park reservation system that must be used to get access to the parks, the number of sold out days for each park throughout the holiday season and leading up to New Year’s Eve does help give us some indication of what holiday crowds will look like in the second year of the resort’s reopening.

Previously EPCOT was scheduled to close at midnight at the conclusion of the countdown to 2022, however the park’s hours were recently updated to 1 AM. This extra hour will be helpful to give Guests some more time to get in some extra rides, shopping, and make their way out of the park while having an easier time navigating the crowds.

Hours have been extended at the other Walt Disney World theme parks, too, leading up to the holidays and New Year’s Eve. If you have a trip coming up this month, we recommend confirming hours in the My Disney Experience app to see which parks may have extended their hours since you made your reservation.

 

New Year’s Eve events do seem to be slightly toned down compared to previous years at the Walt Disney World Resort, however we are seeing many of the restaurants in Disney Springs, including City Works, plan special events for the occasion. There will also be fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as an exclusive $700 per person celebration at California Grill at the top of Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

While park reservations are sold out for most days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it is always worth checking in case something opens up. At the same time, if you are not set on the holiday events, you may want to look at a visit in early January when the crowds will be lighter and you may still come across some last minute holiday magic around the parks and resorts.