It’s the holiday season in Disney World!

We’ve seen decorations in the parks, hotels, and Disney Springs, special food items for the season, and even went to the Disney Very Merriest After Hours event. While there is a lot of focus on Christmas right now in the parks, we can’t forget about another upcoming holiday — New Year’s Eve! This is usually one of the busiest days of the year in Disney World, so let’s break down what New Year’s Eve will look like this year.

Park Hours

Let’s start out with one of the most important things — when the parks are actually open on New Year’s Eve! Last year, all 4 parks closed pretty early on the holiday, but you’ll be happy to hear that most of them will be open much later this year. Let’s take a look:

• Magic Kingdom — 9AM-1AM
• EPCOT — 10AM-12AM
• Hollywood Studios — 9AM-12AM
• Animal Kingdom — 9AM-7PM

As you can see, all of the parks except for Animal Kingdom will be open until Midnight, so you can ring in the New Year inside the parks!

In addition to the theme parks, Disney Springs will be open from 10AM to 11:30PM on New Year’s Eve.

Crowds

New Year’s Eve is a super crowded time at Disney World usually. And, it looks like this year will see crowds as well, because park pass reservations are currently booked for every park except Animal Kingdom.

More availability could open up, so we’ll keep you updated on that. But, if you’re planning to park hop, just know that you might run into the issue of the park you’re hopping to being at capacity! We would recommend getting to your second park right at 2PM (as early as you can park hop), that way you lower the risk of people flocking to a certain park to be there at Midnight.

Entertainment and Dining

This year, fireworks are BACK at both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT! The Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks will take place at Magic Kingdom on December 30th and 31st at 11:50PM. But, Enchantment will still be shown that night as well, just at 6:30PM.

At EPCOT, the New Year’s Countdown Fireworks will take place on December 31st at 11:54PM, with Harmonious happening at 6:30PM that night.

Over in Hollywood Studios, a high energy DJ dance party will take place in front of the iconic Chinese Theater on New Year’s Eve.

There will also be a countdown moment to 2022!

As of right now, there is no nighttime entertainment happening at Animal Kingdom, but we’ll be on the lookout for any news!

Over in Disney Springs, City Works Eatery & Pour House announced they will host “Brew Year’s Eve,” which includes special entrees along with beer pairings, a champagne toast, party favors, and more. Reservations are available on OpenTable. This could be a great option if you want to celebrate the New Year in Disney World but don’t want to deal with those massive park crowds!

The Edison in Disney Springs is also having a New Years Eve celebration! The New Year’s Eve gala will have live entertainment, an open dance floor, and food, of course. It kicks off at 8PM on December 31st and will feature performances from The Sound Society Radio Show, The Pearls burlesque trio, stilt walkers, an aerialist, a DJ, and more.

Some of the food you can expect includes buffalo chicken sliders, prime rib, crab cakes, loaded mashed potatoes, chocolate cake, and key lime pie bites. Alcohol will be available via the cash bars, but a champagne toast at midnight is included in admission. Tickets can be found on The Edison’s website and start at $25 for general admission and $150 dollars for reserved seating. If you buy a general admission ticket, you cannot enter the event until 10:30PM.

And, over at Ragland Road Irish Pub, you can ring in the New Year twice! On New Years Eve, you can get a complimentary glass of champagne to ring in the Irish New Year at 7PM ET (midnight in Ireland) and then another when it’s midnight here! The all-day menu will be served and the house band and Raglan Road Irish Dancers will be performing. You can make your reservation online today!

At House of Blues in Disney Springs you can celebrate New Year’s Eve with a special party starting at 10PM hosted by DJ Rincon, who will play today’s Top 40 hits. Earlier in the day there will also be free live entertainment. The New Year’s Eve party at House of Blues is free. You can also get a VIP package for the event if you’d like. Click here to learn more.

STK Orlando at Disney Springs is also doing something special for New Year’s Eve! There will be a live DJ throughout the night and a champagne toast at midnight. They will have their regular a la carte menu available, but they will also have some New Year’s Eve specials like Wagyu from around the world and a caviar presentation. You can make reservations over the phone or online here. Take a look at the special menu below!

And, at Jaleo in Disney Springs’ West Side, there will be a special menu served to celebrate the new year. The New Year’s Chef’s Tasting Menu will include guest favorites and tapas available for one-night-only! It’s $95 per person or you can order the dishes a la carte. There will also be a DJ starting at 10PM, a Cava toast at midnight, and party favors to take home. You can make a reservation over the phone or online right now.

Another thing that has happened in the past at Disney are some hotel parties you can attend while the clock strikes 12. These parties didn’t happen last year due to the global pandemic, but here are some details on the events from 2019 in case they are brought back for this year. Reminder: NONE of these have been announced for this year yet.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort:

Over at the Contemporary, there will be a special event called A Golden New Year’s Eve in Wine Country at California Grill.  The restaurant’s Napa Room will be transformed into a speakeasy and have a slight-of-hand magician performing while you drink wine pairings and custom crafted cocktails.

Then, in the Sonoma Room, you can visit Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Baby New Year Donald! A DJ and a roaming violinist will also be playing at the event. Between the 2 rooms, you’ll find 50th Anniversary food stations which will have things like seafood that honors the legacy of California Grill chefs. Enjoy the trip down memory lane as you dine on some favorite offerings from the last 50 years. Here’s a look at some of the menu highlights:

• Chilled Appetizer Station
• Chilled Seafood Bar 
• Caviar Station with Potato Blinis 
• Smoked Beef Tartare 
• Chilled Golden and Candycane Beet Salad 
• Wood Burning Station
• Perigord Black Winter Pizza 
• Duck Char Sui Bao 
• Sushi Station
• An array of maki, sashimi, nigiri and a collection of original sushi creations
• Hot Seafood Station
• Lobster Ravioli 
• Plancha Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops 
• Seared Ahi Tuna 
• From the Grill and Rotisserie
• Grilled Porcelet 
• Oak Fire-grilled Beef Tenderloin with Truffle Sauce 
• Rohan Duck Breast 2 Ways 
• Sweet Treats from our Disney’s Contemporary Resort Pastry Chefs
• 5 Magical Bites – 50 Years in the Making 
• Banana Butterscotch Buzz 
• Valrhona Molten Lava Cake 
• Florida Citrus Cream Puffs 

As you eat, you can check out the ice sculpture featuring both the 50th Anniversary and California Grill logos. And finally, you can experience the first moments of 2022 as you watch the fireworks spectacular from Magic Kingdom.

The event takes place on December 31st, 2021, with check-in time starting at 7PM and the event going from 7:30PM to 12:30AM. To make a reservation, you can call (407) 824-2013. The cost of the event is $700, including tax and gratuity, with full payment due at the time of booking. Cancellations must be received at least one day prior to event to avoid being charged full price.

Additionally, Disney Vacation Club Members staying at Bay Lake Tower can enjoy visiting the Top of the World Lounge on December 30th and the 31st!

Here is a look at some of the events that the Contemporary has held in the past, that have not been announced for this year, but we’ll be on the lookout!

• Disney Countdown to Midnight
• Disney Ink & Paint Club
• Pixar Party: A New Year’s Eve
• An Elegant Evening Under the Stars at California Grill

Disney’s Riviera Resort:

• Mezzanotte at Topolino’s: An Italian Masquerade

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort:

• Feliz And Nuevo: A New Year’s Eve Party at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn:

• Disney’s BoardWalk Countdown at Atlantic Dance Hall

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa:

• A New Year’s Eve Celebration at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hosted by Narcoossee’s

In addition to these events, we’ve also seen special celebrations happen at a couple hotels around Disney. Nothing has been announced for this year yet, but here’s what celebrations looked like in 2019.

• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort: French Quarter — New Year’s Eve Celebrations included a campfire, glass decorating, and All That Glitters: A New Years Celebration in the lobby courtyard.
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge — Three Days of New Years Celebrations included a pool party, movie screenings, a fireworks watch party, a holiday scavenger hunt, a New Years’ Eve Bash, and more.

With New Year’s Eve celebrations returning back to normal around the country this year, we have a little more hope that some events could be announced at Disney World! Even Times Square in New York City is allowing its annual New Year’s Eve celebration to happen again, with the ball drop and everything — the event is only open to vaccinated people.

We also want to remind you that the holiday decor will still be up all around Disney World! The parks, resorts, and Disney Springs keep their Christmas and other decorations up through New Year’s Eve and Day (and usually the very beginning of January). So, don’t worry about missing out on seeing some of your favorite trees or that giant gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian!

But, one thing that will NOT be available on New Year’s Eve is EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays. The festival ends on December 30th, so if you want to try some food from the holiday kitchens or catch one last showing of the Candlelight Processional, make sure to get to the park before New Year’s Eve!

That’s what to expect for New Year’s Eve this year in Disney World! We’ll keep you updated if any additional celebrations or events are announced, or if more park pass availability is added, so stay tuned to DFB for news.

Click here to get our FREE exclusive printable for all of this year’s holiday snacks in Disney World!

Will you be in Disney World for New Years Eve? Let us know in the comments!