After Hours events are returning as soon as once more beginning in January 2025 at three of the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks! This put up shares dates, pricing, and different particulars concerning the low-crowds particular occasions at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, plus our suggestions about when to do and not do them, and a fast have a look at this yr’s laborious ticket occasions to this point.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. In case you aren’t aware of Disney After Hours, these late-night, individually ticketed occasions allow you to get pleasure from a Walt Disney World theme park for 3 further hours after common park hours. After Hours occasions embody “free” treats resembling ice cream, popcorn and choose drinks (air quotes round free because you’re paying for a ticket and it’s presumably constructed into the price).
Disney After Hours will begin on January 6, 2025 at Magic Kingdom; January 22, 2025 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; and February 27, 2025 at EPCOT. The one park not taking part in After Hours is Animal Kingdom, which might be as a result of its preliminary experiment with the providing didn’t go so properly. Individuals did appear to get pleasure from Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom final Get together Season, however that’s a “free” occasion for sure on-site company, so there’s a distinction in expectations between that and the dear After Hours events.
The principle promoting level of Disney After Hours occasions is that the variety of tickets for these occasions is proscribed, which implies decrease wait occasions for a few of your favourite points of interest. In contrast to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Get together or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together, these After Hours evenings are marketed as low crowds occasions.
Occasion occasions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Occasion occasions at Magic Kingdom and at EPCOT are from 10 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. You may get a head begin on points of interest by coming into the park starting at 7 p.m. to squeeze much more enjoyable out of your midnight merriment with household and buddies.
Let’s check out points of interest, occasion date ranges, ticket costs, and different particulars for After Hours at Walt Disney World in 2025…
After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Throughout After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you may play in Andy’s yard in Toy Story Land, be part of the resistance with Chewbacca in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and embark on a whimsical journey aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, amongst different favorites.
The 2025 After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will happen on:
- January 22 and 29
- February 12 and 19
- March 5 and 26*
- April 1* and 30
- Could 14 and 28
- June 4,11 and 25
- July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30
- August 6, 20 and 27
- September 3
*On March 26 and April 1, Disney After Hours will run from 10 p.m. till 1 a.m.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, points of interest embody:
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Slinky Canine Sprint
- Toy Story Mania!
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
See our Information to After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for full dates and particular ticket costs, technique, and extra.
After Hours at Magic Kingdom
At Magic Kingdom, you may experience a number of the most mesmerizing points of interest below the evening sky like TRON Lightcycle Run and Tiana’s Bayou Journey–each obtainable through standby queue–in addition to Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice, Area Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and plenty of extra!
The 2025 After Hours at Magic Kingdom events will happen on:
- January 6, 13, 20 and 27
- February 3, 10, 17 and 24
- March 3, 17, 24 and 31
- April 7 and 28
- Could 5, 12 and 19
At Magic Kingdom, this implies you may get pleasure from greater than 20 standard points of interest with decrease wait occasions, together with the next:
- TRON Lightcycle Run (standby line supplied)
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey (standby line supplied)
- Area Mountain
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice
- Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
And lots of extra!
See our Information to After Hours at Magic Kingdom for full dates and particular ticket costs, technique, and extra.
After Hours at EPCOT
Bask within the vibrant glow of Spaceship Earth as you expertise the magic of EPCOT after darkish. Take pleasure in your favourite points of interest like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After and Soarin’ Across the World.
The 2025 After Hours at EPCOT will happen on:
- February 27
- Could 8 and 29
- June 19 and 26
- July 10, 24 and 31
- August 7, 14, 21 and 28
- September 11 and 25
The next is a listing of a number of the points of interest obtainable throughout EPCOT After Hours:
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Remy’s Ratatouille Journey
- Frozen Ever After
- Soarin’ Across the World
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
- Residing with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Pals
- Spaceship Earth
See our Information to After Hours at EPCOT for full dates and particular ticket costs, technique, and extra.
2025 Disney After Hours Ticket Costs & Gross sales Dates
Disney After Hours ticket costs vary from $175 to $185 (plus tax) for Magic Kingdom, $155 to $175 (plus tax) for EPCOT and $155 to $185 (plus tax) for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Annual Passholders and Disney Trip Membership members can get pleasure from the good thing about specifically priced tickets at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.
Tickets go on sale for company staying at choose Walt Disney World Resort resorts, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Motels, and Shades of Inexperienced on September 4, 2024. For all different company, tickets will go on sale September 10, 2024. Dates received’t begin promoting out (if in any respect) till December on the earliest, so there’s completely no sense of urgency to purchase instantly.
All you should do is choose your evening, choose your park and revel in your after-hour exploration. To study extra about Disney After Hours occasions, go to the official web site: DisneyWorld.com/AfterHours.
Be aware that After Hours nonetheless doesn’t imply the tip of the free Prolonged Night Hours. Whereas initially promoted as a particular perk for the fiftieth Anniversary, Walt Disney World has confirmed that Prolonged Night Hours will proceed all through all of 2025 for company staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, or different choose resorts.
About the one factor which may change is the schedule, with modifications alongside the traces of what we’ve seen for Get together Season. However even that’s uncertain, as After Hours doesn’t trigger Magic Kingdom to shut at 6 pm like MNSSHP or MVMCP.
For those who’re eligible for it, we extremely advocate Prolonged Night Hours. It’s inferior to After Hours, but it surely additionally doesn’t price further. On condition that, it’s troublesome for us to justify (or advocate to others) paying extra for After Hours. For more information on the free ‘model’ of this perk, see our Information to Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney World.
As you’re planning forward for 2025 Walt Disney World holidays, one factor to remember is that ordinary park hours aren’t simply topic to alter, however completely will change. We’ve heard from a few upset readers who purchased After Hours tickets on the idea of shorter common hours, solely to have hours throughout their journey dates prolonged.
Don’t be stunned when common working hours are prolonged. This totally will occur. Walt Disney World at all times releases “boilerplate” hours which might be just about meaningless, with the three parks that do After Hours open from 9 am to 9 pm. These are nearly by no means the ultimate hours, which begs the query: why launch them within the first place?!
Truthfully, this can be a double-edged sword. If Walt Disney World does prolong park hours by a major quantity (11 pm or midnight Magic Kingdom closing), it means they’re forecasting excessive attendance. If they don’t prolong park hours in any respect, it means they’re forecasting low attendance…and also you most likely received’t want After Hours within the first place.
Suffice to say, don’t use at the moment posted park hours as a foundation for making a call to purchase (or not purchase) After Hours tickets. You’re greatest off buying tickets to the occasion since you need to attend for enjoyable, not since you want to attend on account of hours or expectations about crowds. There are different methods to beat crowds. After Hours is greatest seen as a quasi-VIP splurge that makes for a neater and extra pleasant park expertise.
We’ve executed each single After Hours occasion that Walt Disney World has held, from the themed ones (Villains, Halloween, Christmas) to those vanilla ones at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (again in 2018 by early 2020) and once more inside the final yr, together with the newer After Hours at EPCOT.
For essentially the most half, our experiences have been constructive, though coloured by a bit by annoyance that what was as soon as free now prices cash. At this level, that’s simply the story of Walt Disney World. Magic Kingdom used to shut at midnight on even reasonably crowded days, and on lots of those self same nights, had Additional Magic Hours till 3 a.m. (Night Additional Magic Hours was once 3 hours lengthy).
This was even the case throughout the Nice Recession when attendance was decrease than it’s now, so daytime crowds have been comparatively gentle. Now, attendance is considerably increased (by a number of thousands and thousands of company per yr), and common park hours have been diminished by a number of hours per day. Extra individuals crammed into fewer hours, which doesn’t compute.
Nonetheless, we’ve (begrudgingly) purchased the After Hours tickets prior to now as a result of we’ve felt that the events are price it as quasi-VIP experiences for a extra approachable worth. As famous above, After Hours is similar to the Halloween and Christmas events, albeit with considerably decrease crowds and minus the seasonal leisure. In truth, we’ve been so happy with this occasion in earlier years that it made our Finest Worth Splurges at Walt Disney World Checklist.
You would possibly discover these assessments are prior to now tense. Ticket costs are up fairly considerably for the After Hours events, by roughly $10 to $36 relying upon the date and park as in contrast to a few years in the past. For a lot of the ones we’d have the option or need to attend, the will increase are $20 to $30. That’s simply an excessive amount of for us to justify–however we’re additionally Annual Passholders who’ve been to the parks and executed each attraction a whole bunch of occasions (properly, save for the most recent ones).
Whereas we do anticipate future 2025 After Hours occasions to promote out, we will’t assist however surprise if no dates have but as a result of others like us have reached their breaking level. Whilst we actually benefit from the occasion and have really helpful it prior to now, the costs are simply too excessive for us–we’re out. Possibly we’re alone in that and different followers will fortunately pay the upper costs, however judging by crowds on the first few occasions this yr, it doesn’t seem to be it. Subsequent events throughout busier or hotter occasions of yr have bought out, however not almost to the identical extent as in earlier years.
What we would pay to attend is themed After Hours occasions. Though not branded as such, that’s form of what Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Get together is–a hybrid laborious ticket get together and After Hours occasion. Likewise, there was the aforementioned Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom pre-closure, in addition to the one-off Christmas and Halloween occasions in Magic Kingdom.
All of these supplied distinctive hooks along with restricted capability and quick traces. As followers who’re repeat guests to Walt Disney World, that’s what we want so as to have the ability to justify doing these occasions at $150+ worth factors. In any other case, the worth simply isn’t there for us.
We’ve been begging for a Disney Afternoon or 90s Nostalgia Nite at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. That’s the theme we all know would “communicate to” the notorious Childless Millennials–or Disney Adults of the parental or kid-free selection–with disposable revenue and sentimentality for his or her early life.
I’d additionally love a reprise of the Pirate & Princess Events, which may promote fairly properly if given a second likelihood (they failed as a result of they launched throughout the Nice Recession and pre-social media–not on account of high quality). Past that, it looks like there’s numerous potential to faucet into the nostalgia of APs and DVC members by bringing again Needs and different extinct leisure on a restricted time foundation.
For those who’re a first-timer or rare Walt Disney World customer, your calculus most likely differs from ours as Annual Passholders who’re within the parks recurrently. Primarily, the worth proposition of After Hours is whether or not 6 hours (3 with low crowds, 3 with low to reasonable crowds) is healthier than 10-12 hours within the parks throughout the day. Even for those who used an environment friendly itinerary for Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios throughout these regular working hours, the reply to that was once sure.
With that stated, the equation has modified with Lightning Lanes, in addition to Early Entry and Prolonged Night Hours (at Magic Kingdom, a minimum of). No less than two of this stuff are controversial, however might be extremely advantageous–particularly at Magic Kingdom. Then there’s Early Entry at DHS, which is much less divisive and gives an incredible head begin.
The opposite factor that it’s essential to not overlook is the timing of After Hours. That is good or dangerous, relying upon your perspective. For a lot of dad and mom, it’s a complete nonstarter, because the prime time for the occasion is post-bedtime for a lot of youngsters.
For others, it’s an enormous upside when contemplating the truth of Florida climate. Humidity might be oppressive and the noon solar might be draining. At evening, the solar is down and it feels higher. That’s one of many explanation why we love After Hours in the summertime months. The climate could be very totally different firstly of the yr, however being within the parks at evening continues to be nicer.
In the end, that’s my foundation for reluctantly recommending After Hours at Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios to first-timers or rare Walt Disney World guests with restricted trip time and more money for splurging. (We don’t advocate After Hours at EPCOT to anybody.)
The After Hours occasions are unquestionably costly, but in addition a great way to get quite a bit executed at Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios with out waking up on the daybreak for Early Entry or criss-crossing the park whereas utilizing Lightning Lanes. Most significantly, After Hours occasions are friction-less.
You don’t want some grand technique or plan-of-attack for experiencing a ton of points of interest throughout these laborious ticket occasions. They provide a quasi-VIP expertise with out having to be accompanied by a tour information–better of each worlds! On high of that, After Hours happens at evening. Clearly. Level being, you’re getting the most effective of climate, crowds, wait occasions and (on account of all three) simply common pleasantness. You’re prone to get pleasure from After Hours a terrific deal, particularly as in comparison with a traditional day within the park.
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Your Ideas
Have you ever attended After Hours at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or EPCOT? What did you consider the occasion? Will you be shopping for After Hours tickets for 2025? Would you attend, or is it too dear? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!