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The Magic Kingdom will be closing EARLY for one night in January. Will this change any of your plans?
Disney World in January
Visiting Disney World during the month of January is a great time to visit! The holiday crowds have gone away and everyone is back to work and school. Temperatures are also much cooler during this time of year.
It is also a great time to visit because EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts begins during this time! The festival runs this year from January 13th through February 20, 2023. From dozens of food and beverage items to fun photos and live entertainment, this festival is one of my favorites! We are excited to see it return this winter!
January Hours
Here are the hours from January 1st through the 31st.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom will be open from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm on all days from January 1 to January 30th with the exception of January 31. On January 31st the park will close at 4:30 pm. This is likely for the yearly Cast Member event. We saw it close early around this same time last year.
The Magic Kingdom will close at 4:30 pm on January 31st
Here is a little tip. Many guests will avoid the park this day due to the early closing, so it might be a great day to visit the Magic Kingdom!
Remember these are initial hours, and Disney will usually extend them as the dates approach. Guests without park reservations will be able to hop to Magic Kingdom after 2 pm.
On all days, onsite Guests will be able to enter at 8:30 am. On January 4, 11, 18 and 25, deluxe resort Guests can enjoy the park from 10 pm to midnight.
EPCOT
EPCOT will be open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm from January 1 to January 31. Festival of the Arts occurs during this time, so be sure to check Character Locator prior to the festival beginning for all the details! Park hopping to Epcot begins at 2 pm.
All onsite guests can enter as early as 8:30 am. Deluxe resort Guests can visit Epcot from 9 pm to 11 pm on January 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios will operate from 8:30 am to 9 pm every day January 1 through January 31. Onsite guests can ride their favorite attractions as early as 8:00 am.
Park hopping begins at 2 pm like the other parks. Unfortunately, Extended Evening Hours for Hollywood Studios has been rare with only a few nights of them being held since this perk has been offered. Hopefully we will see more in 2023.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom is open to Guests from 8 am to 8 pm from January 1 through 7. If you want to take advantage of early theme park entry, you can enter as early as 7:30 am. The park will be open to Guests from 9 am to 7 pm from January 8 through 31. Guests can take advantage of early theme park entry on those days as early as 8:30 am.
Park hopping begins at 2 pm like the other parks. Unfortunately, Animal Kingdom does not participate in extended evening hours for deluxe resort guests at this time.
Disney Springs
Disney Springs will be open from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm from January 1 to January 31 with the exception of the weekends. On Friday and Saturday evenings, Disney Springs closes at 11:30 pm.
Do you have plans to visit Walt Disney World in January? Will the Magic Kingdom closing early on January 31st affect any of your plans? Tell us in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
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