If you’re looking for low crowds, complimentary snacks, and an excuse to stay up until 1AM before your mandatory rope drop the next morning, all for an extra price…Disney After Hours might be for you! This ticketed Disney World option gives you the chance to fit lots of rides into little time, perfect for short trips in particular. Here’s everything you need to know about After Hours at Disney World!
2027 After Hours Sales Begin
Guests staying at select Disney Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green can purchase After Hours at Disney World tickets as of September 10, 2026. All other guests can purchase tickets as of September 22, 2026
This post has shifted to focus on the 2027 schedule, but as of this update tickets remain available for two EPCOT events on September 16 and September 24..
What Is After Hours at Disney World?
Disney World After Hours is a series of ticketed events held on select nights at select parks throughout the year. After Hours tickets usually include:
Entry into the park during regular park hours at 7PM
3 hours of event-exclusive, low-crowd access to the park after it closes to day guests
Select complimentary ice cream bars, popcorn, and bottled beverages
The exact hours of After Hours vary, but are typically somewhere in the area of 9PM - 12AM or 10PM - 1AM. Since After Hours guests can enter the park at 7PM, this means they get somewhere between 5 and 6 hours in the park, 3 of which will have the low crowds of only ticketed guests.
Which parks have After Hours?
In 2027, three parks have After Hours—Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios.
Animal Kingdom has previously hosted After Hours, but it hasn’t done so in years. With Tropical Americas land set to open, at least in part, at some point in 2027, we’re hopeful After Hours will return to Animal Kingdom in 2028.
There is another After Hours event—Disney H2O Glow After Hours at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park—that we won’t discuss in this post. It’s worth considering if the water parks interest you, but we won’t cover it in this post.
Is After Hours the same as Extended Evening Hours or Other Events?
After Hours is not the same as Extended Evening Hours. While both are extra nighttime hours in select parks on select nights, Extended Evening Hours is a perk available to all guests of Disney’s deluxe resorts and After Hours is a paid, ticketed event available for anyone to purchase. (Extended Evening Hours is also typically two hours and does not include complimentary snacks and beverages.)
That said, the offerings are similar, and you wouldn’t need to do both at the same park during your visit.
Relatedly, After Hours is also distinct from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and Jollywood Nights. Those are Halloween and Christmas-themed events that are (1) more crowded than After Hours and (2) more focused on unique entertainment and character greetings than on rides.
How Much Does After Hours Cost?
After Hours tickets range from about $159+tax to $209+tax, depending on the park and date. Discounts may be available for DVC members and annual passholders.
Notably, After Hours tickets will usually cost you more than adding a day to your park tickets. So, let’s pretend you’re flying in on Monday at 10AM. You’re already set on going to the parks Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but unsure how to spend Monday. And there’s an After Hours event Monday evening. You have to choose between:
Spending slightly less money to add a day to your ticket and be in the parks as soon as you arrive until park close OR
Spending slightly more money to do an After Hours event after you’ve settled in
How long are waits at After Hours?
Waits vary, but in general you should expect the most popular rides in the park to have waits of around 30 minutes with other rides only having waits of 5 to 10 minutes. The best thing to do to prepare is to visit Thrill Data and check wait time data for recent After Hours events.
2027 Disney World After Hours Calendar
Here’s a look at the dates for After Hours in 2027. In total, there are 56 events, split across Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, between January 11 and August 25 (this ignores the H2O Glow Nights at Typhoon Lagoon).
2027 After Hours dates were announced September 10, 2026. 2026 After Hours dates were announced September 25, 2025.
Magic Kingdom After Hours Dates (January 11 to July 19)
There are 19 Magic Kingdom After Hours events between January 11, 2027 and July 19, 2027. Prices start at $189+tax. Typical hours are 10PM to 1AM and event guests can enter the park at 7PM. Here are the dates:
January 11, 18
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 4, 8, 15
April 5, 12, 26
May 17, 24
June 14, 21, 28
July 15, 19
August through October, Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, followed by Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in November and December. These events are very focused on entertainment and atmosphere and not as good for getting on rides as After Hours.
Hollywood Studios After Hours Dates (January 16 to August 25)
There are 22 Hollywood Studios After Hours events between January 16, 2027 and August 25, 2027. Prices start at $159+tax. Typical hours are 9:30PM to 12:30AM and event guests can enter the park at 7PM. Here are the dates:
January 16, 27
February 13, 24
March 13, 17, 24
April 7, 24, 28
May 19, 26
June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
July 5, 12, 26
August 4, 25
In November and December, Hollywood Studios hosts Jollywood Nights. This event is very focused on entertainment and atmosphere and not as good for getting on rides as After Hours.
EPCOT After Hours Dates (January 21 to August 19)
There are 15 EPCOT After Hours events between January 21, 2027 and August 19, 2027. Prices start at $159+tax. Typical hours are 9:30PM to 12:30AM and event guests can enter the park at 7PM. Here are the dates:
January 21
February 18
April 1, 15, 22
May 6, 13
June 3, 12
July 8, 22, 29
August 7, 12, 19
A Quick Look Analysis of the After Hours Events
Finally, we’ll do a quick analysis of After Hours each of the four parks. It should be noted that in general I don’t consider After Hours to be a good “splurge.” Rather, After Hours usually makes sense only if you have to take a short trip and want to get the most out of it. Essentially, you’re trying to cut a day out of your trip and replace it with an After Hours event.
If you can spend four full days—one in each park, from open to close—in the parks, then I think you’ll find little need for After Hours. And keep in mind you could add Lightning Lane Multi Pass all four days for less than the cost of an After Hours ticket.
With that in mind, let’s go through it park by park…
After Hours at Magic Kingdom Is the Best Value
Because of Magic Kingdom’s extensive ride lineup, After Hours here offers the best value even if prices are a little bit higher than the other events. I think a full day at Magic Kingdom is just about a perfect theme park experience, but there are a few key scenarios in which After Hours here makes a lot of sense:
You want a more relaxing full or half day in the park with key rides saved for After Hours
Your family is older and mostly interested in a few key thrill rides rather than dedicating a full day to the park
You’re really into characters and want to spend the day meeting them, saving rides for After Hours
You might think these three scenarios could apply just as well to the other parks, but they won’t. Those parks are small enough that a full day in them is going to get you close to doing everything, and thus leaving After Hours as a bit unnecessary.
After Hours at Hollywood Studios Is All About Efficiency
Unlike After Hours at Magic Kingdom, After Hours at Hollywood Studios can essentially replace a full day in the park. You might not visit everything, but with good planning you’ll be able to hit the highlights and a majority of the rides.
You’ll miss out on shows that typically operate only during the day, and you’ll have a lot of fun jam-packed into a short amount of time, but if you can’t fit the park into your regular schedule, After Hours at Hollywood Studios can make sense.
After Hours at EPCOT Oversimplifies the Park
The big problem with After Hours at EPCOT is that you’re missing out on the bulk of the World Showcase—EPCOT’s famed journey through 11 uniquely themed country pavilions. Give the park a full day and you’ll have a nice balance of rides, entertainment, and food & drink.
After Hours will help you with some key rides—Test Track and Cosmic Rewind being the top two—but the 9PM to 11PM slot might not be best for the demographic with its heart set on Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
After Hours at Animal Kingdom Rarely Makes Sense
After Hours hasn’t been offered at Animal Kingdom for some time, and it’s easy to understand why. The park is easy to fit into a day and not really tough to fit into half a day. With its ride count only going down until 2027, After Hours here probably won’t be an option for some years.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way. Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide!
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Be sure to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few weeks in advance. Good strategy will keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, EPCOT Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.
Know what to ride with our guides: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, EPCOT rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our Guide to Blizzard Beach and our Guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip.