Updated March 1, 2024
Disney World is preparing for a lot of changes in 2024.
EPCOT
Every year Disney introduces new things, takes away some of our favorites, and overall is just different than the year prior — that’s why we keep you updated on everything Disney so you’re prepared! If you’re heading to Disney World in 2024, here are some CRITICAL dates you need to know while you plan.
EPCOT Festivals
EPCOT festivals are wildly popular thanks to their entertainment offerings, food options, and more, meaning that the first days are BUSY. You’ll be battling huge crowds and long lines everywhere. If you’re not set on experiencing the festival on its first day, these are days we suggest staying away from the park.
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
While Disney hasn’t released the exact dates EPCOT’s festivals will begin in 2024, we can tell you when they ran in 2023, which may give you an idea to plan around:
- EPCOT International Festival of the Arts (January 13th through February 20th)
- EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival (March 1st through July 5th)
- EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival (July 27th through November 18th)
- EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays (November 24th through December 30th)
runDisney Races
While you may think that runDisney races don’t affect you if you’re not running, that’s simply not the case. These weekends are VERY crowded with people who head into the parks after running, not to mention the traffic that develops outside the parks due to roads closing for the safety of the runners.
Princess Half Marathon Weekend (2023)
Once again, if you’re not participating yourself, we suggest skipping the following dates in the parks (Disney will announce more 2024 dates as the year progresses):
- Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (January 3rd through 7th)
- Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend (February 22nd through 26th)
- runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend (April 18th through 21st)
- Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend (October 31st through November 3rd)
Holidays
It’s no secret that major holidays are big hits in Disney World (Disney World on Christmas Day is a big YES for many people), but minor holiday weekends are as well since many kids are out of school for three-day weekends.
Christmas in Magic Kingdom
Here’s a list of when you can expect larger crowds in Disney World, thanks to it being a holiday and/or a break from school for many kids:
- New Year’s Day (January 1st)
- Valentine’s Day (February 14th)
- President’s Day Weekend (February 17th to 19th)
- Spring Break Crowds (Late March to Mid-April)
- Summer Crowds (Late May to Early September)
- Labor Day Weekend (August 31st to September 2nd)
- Halloween (October 31st)
- Thanksgiving Week (November 24th to 30th)
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (December 24th and 25th)
- New Year’s Eve (December 31st)
January 9th
What’s the big deal with January 9th? Well, LOTS of things, starting with the return of the Disney Dining Plan after over 3 years of being gone.
Passholder Entrance
Additionally, park passes are no longer needed for the majority of park guests!
AAAANNNNDDD… on January 9th, 2024, all-day Park Hopping returned! Anyone who has a park ticket with Park Hopper or an Annual Pass can visit another theme park at any time of day during park hours.
Park Hopping!!
Ever since Park Hopper returned in 2021, it’s been limited to after 2PM each day. That restriction will end on January 9th.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opening Date
Now, don’t get too excited — we don’t have this date YET. But we do know that it will be opening during Summer 2024, you’ll want to stay FAR AWAY if you’re willing to wait to ride.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Construction
This ride revamp is widely anticipated, meaning that hundreds of people will likely be crowding at the gates to be one of the first to ride on opening day.
And there you have it — ten (well, more than that) dates to keep a close eye on for 2024. If you’re interested in being in the parks for any of these dates, you’ll want to plan way ahead and make sure you have your game plan in place. And if you’re the opposite? Plan to stay FAR AWAY!
Hold up for a sec! Before you plan your next trip to Disney World, check out our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here. You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place.
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As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest news!
These 11 MAJOR changes are coming to Disney World in 2024!
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You might think about adding the Food and Wine marathon weekend to your “avoid” dates. Due to school schedules, this weekend was our only option. We stayed at All-Star Movies. When we arrived at the bus stop at 8:05am, the bus queue to Magic Kingdom was already full and wrapping around under the secondary awing and blocking the gift shop entrance. A bus didn’t come for us until 8:50am (45 minutes), at which point several hundred people were waiting for a MK bus.
This was on Sunday morning (Nov 5, 2023) and the bus driver “Mick” said it took him almost an hour to get from Magic Kingdom back down to Movies due to road closures and traffic.