Hollywood Studios Closing at 5 p.m. on October 20
Published October 12, 2026
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will close to regular day guests at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, four hours ahead of its usual 9 p.m. closing time, according to reports published Monday, October 12. The early close is tied to a private evening event connected to the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2026, which runs October 19–22 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.
As of Monday, October 12, the posted schedule for that day still has Hollywood Studios opening normally: Early Theme Park Entry at 8:30 a.m. and regular opening at 9 a.m. The lost time is all on the back end of the day.
The private event is reportedly scheduled from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the conference’s own materials describing the full park as reserved for attendees. Regular guests will need to be out before that gathering begins.
October 20 is not the only date with a schedule change this month. Magic Kingdom closes to non-party guests at 6 p.m. on several nights for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, including October 22, 23 and 25, and EPCOT’s opening is pushed to 10 a.m. on October 23 and 25 for Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend.
What we know
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios — closes to regular guests at 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 20, instead of 9 p.m.
- Hollywood Studios — Early Theme Park Entry at 8:30 a.m., regular opening 9 a.m. on October 20.
- Private event at Hollywood Studios — reportedly 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., tied to the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2026 (October 19–22, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin).
- Magic Kingdom — non-party guests must exit by 6 p.m. on multiple Halloween Party nights, including October 22, 23 and 25.
- EPCOT — delayed 10 a.m. opening on October 23 and 25 for Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend.
What’s not confirmed
Disney has not issued its own statement on the Hollywood Studios buyout, and the reporting comes from a single outlet. Nothing has been announced about how the early close affects evening entertainment on October 20, whether Lightning Lane purchase or pricing is adjusted for the shortened day, or what happens to any dining reservations booked after 5 p.m.
What it means for your trip
- If October 20 is your Hollywood Studios day, treat it as a morning park. Be at the tapstiles well before 8:30 a.m. if you have Early Theme Park Entry, and point yourself at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror first — those are the ones you can’t make up later.
- Check any dinner reservation inside the park on that date. A 5:30 p.m. table at Hollywood Studios is not going to work.
- Plan a second park for the evening and confirm its hours before you commit, since Magic Kingdom and EPCOT both have their own changes that week.
- Stack your Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections early. Return windows that land after 5 p.m. are wasted on this date, so refill toward the middle of the day rather than the end.
- SupaPark’s wait-drop alerts are useful on a compressed day like this — when a headliner craters, you get pinged instead of checking the app every ten minutes.
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.