Disney World at night (and after regular park hours) can be a GAMECHANGER!

With the cost of Genie+ rising, massive crowds during certain times of the year, and staving off the heat on top of all of that during the summer months it’s easy to see why so many people would opt to do an after-hours event at Disney World instead. Lucky for you we’re naming off every single one!

We get it– spending a full day at Disney World can be challenging. Maybe you’re not someone who enjoys the higher temps and the heat, doing a full rope drop to close through the day to see all that the park has to offer, or maybe you just prefer a later start to get it all in. Maybe you’re looking for something just a little different than the regular day-to-day with limited crowds. If this is you, there are a few kinds of options available for those who want a different kind of experience in the Disney World parks without missing out on most of the daytime offering

Disney World offers several after-hours exclusive offerings throughout the year to help you get a different perspective in the parks. Let’s take a look at EVERY option that’s available to you!

Disney After Hours

Disney World is currently selling tickets for several Disney After Hours events held in the EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom parks. Each of these special ticketed events allows you 3 extra hours to extend your park day (or just get a later start to the park) to take advantage of the rides and attractions throughout the park.

Since there’s a limited number of tickets sold for these events, if you’re attending you can expect lower crowds and lower wait times than the regular park day. In addition to the lower wait times, attending one of these events will include snacks with your admission like popcorn, ice cream, and bottled drinks.

You’ll be able to snag those at select snack carts throughout the park during the event. These events are held on select nights from January 10th- April 10th, 2024 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with prices ranging from $155 to $175, January 11th – April 8th, 2024 at Magic Kingdom with prices ranging from $155- $175, and at EPCOT February 2nd- April 4th, 2024 with prices ranging from $149-$159. Exclusive groups like Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members are eligible for discounted ticket pricing for these events.

H2O Glow Nights at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

Disney’s H2O Glow Nights is the ultimate summer fest! This event is held at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park and packs in all the sand, water, and laughs there is to be had. There’s also a TON of entertainment around the park including multiple DJs and dance room and exclusive characters available for meet and greets.

A few snack items are included with your event admission like packs of fruit, ice cream, and fountain soda beverages but there are a few party-exclusive snacks that can be purchased from the quick-service restaurants during the event.

We’re still waiting on more information for 2024, but this event is typically held on select nights through the summer months and can sell out quickly.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

This special ticketed event is Disney World’s exclusive Halloween party to scream over! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party brings the frights, chills, and thrills to your evening!

Here you’ll enjoy full roam of Magic Kingdom at night once the party starts with fewer crowds, party exclusive snack offerings to purchase, rare characters and a few familiar friends meeting in their Halloween costumes, party-themed perimeter fireworks, dance parties, an immersive stage shows with Disney villains, and of course the iconic Mickey’s Boo To You Parade.

There’s even exclusive party merchandise for sale that usually sells out quickly for popular items like event shirts, spirit jerseys, and special edition pins.

If that wasn’t enough to thrill you for the night complimentary candy stations are scattered throughout the park and you’ll be able to trick or treat until you’re ready to drop! Just be sure you know how to get all that candy back home with you afterward.

We’re still waiting on this year’s schedule for dates and pricing but this is an event that usually sells out pretty quickly so you’ll want to snag those tickets early to secure your preferred party date.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Celebrate with the holliest and jolliest at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom. Arguably the most popular after-hours event held at Disney World this party really knows how to make your holiday season merry and bright.

There’s so much to do outside of the regular park rides and attractions like the Cookie and beverage stops for special party-exclusive treats like eggnog, hot cocoa, and apple cider, the merriest stage show in front of Cinderella Castle, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime fireworks, snoap that “snows” down Main Street U.S.A., and catch a glimpse of Santa and a few of your favorite Disney friends in Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade!

This is another party offering that we’re waiting to get more information on for 2024 dates and pricing but it’s one of our favorites so we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we do when these parties are planned and tickets go on sale.

Disney Jollywood Nights

The newest holiday offering to hit the scene was at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this past year for Disney Jollywood Nights. In its debut year party attendees were treated to all the rides and attractions around the park along with exclusive party treats and snacks that were available for purchase during the event.

While it’s a family-friendly event admittedly it felt like it was a more mature after-hours event that adults tended to appreciate more with rare characters like Phineas and Ferb, Duffy, and Pinocchio, 2 showstopping entertainment offerings with Holidays in Hollywood and What’s This: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Singalong, colorful laser projections for Sunset Seasons Greetings on the Hollywood Tower Hotel, the swanky Twilight Soiree, and more.

Best of all though we saw the return of the beloved Jingle Bell Jingle BAM to conclude the night’s event offerings and we couldn’t have been happier to see it make its appearance back at Disney World. This party opened to mixed reviews but certainly made for a splendid night if the old Hollywood glam at Christmas vibe calls to you!

We’re not sure yet if Disney plans to bring this event back next year, but we’ll keep you posted once we learn more about when it will be offered next.

DVC Moonlight Magic Events

If you’re really big into exclusivity these are some of the HARDEST after-hours parties to secure simply because they’re not available to everyone to get in. These complimentary Moonlight Magic after-hours events are offered to Disney Vacation Club members and their visiting friends and family only.

While you don’t have to be staying at a Disney World hotel to attend, it will allow you the first chance to get into the FREE event… yes, free. If you’re not staying at a Disney World hotel during the dates these parties are offered, no worries, Disney offers a second sign-up that allows you to vie for your spot. The only catch to this is you need to be an eligible Disney Vacation Club member, which is basically Disney’s version of a timeshare, or one of their family/friends registered to attend with them.

Not only are they in such high demand due to the exclusivity, but they’re some of the best opportunities to meet very rare characters like Tarzan and Jane, Flick and Atta from A Bug’s Life, and so many more. You’ll still have the opportunity to enjoy the park’s rides and attractions during the event with the help of a few DJ dance parties, complimentary snack vouchers, and sometimes even some party-exclusive gifts like DVC-themed popcorn buckets.

We’ve even seen EPCOT highlight a DVC exclusive fireworks show for last year’s event which was an especially cool offering! The price as we mentioned is free but you’ll need to make sure your DVC membership qualifies for membership extras and that you’re fast enough to secure a spot once the registration windows open. The catch here is each membership is only eligible for 1 party date per park so you won’t be able to sign up for a party for the same park during the same year more than once. For 2024 DVC has announced Moonlight Magic parties for Disney’s Animal Kingdom on February 27th and April 3rd, EPCOT on January 25th and March 1st, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon on June 4th and July 11th, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 27th, 2024.

As you can see there are so many ways to do Disney World at night and different offerings to fit your preferences. Be sure to stay tuned with us for the latest updates when we learn more about these after-hours event dates and tickets!

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Are you planning on attending a Disney after-hours event this year? Tell us which ones you’re looking forward to most in the comments below!