Disney Posts Shortened Christmas Week 2026 Park Hours
Published October 21, 2026
Walt Disney World has published its initial operating schedule for Christmas Week and New Year’s Eve 2026, covering December 21 through December 31, and separately ticketed holiday events will cut regular park hours short at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. According to reports citing the official website, December 21, 22, and 23 are the dates where party nights shorten the regular day at those two parks.
As of Wednesday, October 21, 2026, these are preliminary listings. Disney may extend hours as the holidays get closer, so treat the current schedule as a starting point rather than a locked itinerary.
Magic Kingdom’s final Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party of the season falls on December 22, running 7 p.m. to midnight per Disney’s event calendar. Daytime guests without separate party admission are required to leave before the event.
At Hollywood Studios, Jollywood Nights takes place December 21 and December 23. Those nights begin at 7:30 p.m., with event ticket holders allowed to enter as early as 5:30 p.m.
The practical upshot is a gap between standard admission and event access. A regular daytime ticket on those dates does not carry you through the evening at the party park.
EPCOT is the obvious evening alternative, with the International Festival of the Holidays and Candlelight Processional running during this stretch. Park Hopper guests can move over, but Disney’s own Park Hopper guidance makes entry subject to capacity — hopping into a park is not guaranteed.
What we know
Updated 1:55 PM ET, Wednesday, October 21 with new reporting.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios — Jollywood Nights on December 21 and December 23; event starts 7:30 p.m., ticketed entry from 5:30 p.m.
- December 21, 22, 23 — the three dates where ticketed parties shorten regular hours at those two parks
- December 21–31, 2026 — the full span of the initial posted Christmas Week and New Year’s Eve schedule
- EPCOT — International Festival of the Holidays and Candlelight Processional available as an evening alternative, subject to Park Hopper capacity
- EPCOT — open until 1:00 AM on New Year’s Eve, the latest close of the four parks.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios — closes 7:00 PM for day guests on Disney Jollywood Nights dates; open until midnight on New Year’s Eve.
- Early Theme Park Entry — 8:30 to 9:00 AM at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios; 7:30 to 8:00 AM at Animal Kingdom.
- Extended Evening Hours — listed for December 23 and December 30, for Deluxe and Club-level resort guests only.
What’s not confirmed
Disney has not said which hours, if any, will be extended as the dates approach. Disney has also published nothing on how many guests will shift parks on those nights, so a crowd surge at EPCOT is a possibility rather than an established outcome.
What it means for your trip
- If December 21, 22, or 23 is your Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios day, decide now whether you’re buying party admission or planning an earlier exit — those are different days with different ride plans, and you can’t split the difference at 6 p.m.
- Lose the evening and you lose Magic Kingdom’s best free ride window. Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad normally soften during and after fireworks; with no late hours, a Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection on one of them earns its keep on these specific dates.
- Don’t bank on hopping to EPCOT as the fallback plan. Capacity limits apply, so if Candlelight Processional or the Festival of the Holidays matters to your group, give EPCOT its own full day in the December 21–31 window instead.
- Advance Dining Reservations for this stretch open 60 days before arrival at 6:00 AM Eastern, and Christmas-week tables go fast. If your target restaurant is already full, a SupaPark dining Drop Watch pings you when a cancellation frees one up — you book it in My Disney Experience.
- Resort guests get Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections 7 days before arrival versus 3 days off-site; on a shortened party day, that head start is the difference between a useful return window and an 8 p.m. one you can’t use.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the last Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in 2026?
December 22, 2026, running 7 p.m. to midnight at Magic Kingdom. Guests staying for the party need separate event admission.
What dates is Jollywood Nights in December 2026?
December 21 and December 23 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with the event starting at 7:30 p.m. and ticketed guests admitted from 5:30 p.m.
Can I hop to EPCOT if Magic Kingdom closes early?
Park Hopper holders can, but Disney’s guidance makes park-hopping subject to capacity, so entry isn’t guaranteed on busy holiday nights.
Go deeper — the full guides: La Hacienda de San Angel: How to Get a Reservation · Where to Sit at Yorkshire County Fish Shop in EPCOT · PizzeRizzo: Where to Sit, and Why You Can’t Request a Table
SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.