Thanksgiving Week Hours: What Guests Should Know

By Marcus D. · Thrill rides & Lightning Lane · Orlando, FL

Published November 8, 2026 · Updated November 14, 2026

Walt Disney World lengthened theme park hours for Thanksgiving week, November 22 through November 28, 2026, according to reports published Friday, November 6. Most parks gained at least an additional half-hour compared with the schedule already released, and EPCOT did not change. The park calendar now shows the posted times below.

Holiday week: Thanksgiving week crowd forecast.

The reported edit is a change to hours that had already been posted, not a separate holiday calendar. Coverage put the add at a minimum of 30 minutes for most of the parks.

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, inside that week. The reports apply the longer hours to the full November 22-28 stretch, not to the holiday alone.

EPCOT is the only park the coverage says was left as first posted.

What we know

Updated 1:41 PM ET, Monday, November 9 with new reporting.

• Thursday, November 26: Magic Kingdom is scheduled 8:00 AM–11:00 PM, with no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party that night.
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights this week: Tuesday, November 24, Wednesday, November 25, and Friday, November 27 (7 PM–midnight). Magic Kingdom closes to day guests at 6:00 PM on those nights.
• November 21–22: Animal Kingdom closes at 7:00 PM both nights.
• November 23–24: Regular park hours are 8:00 AM–8:00 PM both days.
• Tree of Life Awakenings: Listed starting at 6:00 PM on November 22, 23 and 24.
• November 25: Extended Evening Hours are scheduled from 6:00 PM–8:00 PM for select resort guests.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom, November 23, 2026: The reported closing time moves from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• November 23 park day: The closing-time extension adds two evening hours.
• Tree of Life Awakenings: The coverage identifies the nighttime projections as an experience guests have more evening time to enjoy; no performance times are specified.

What’s not confirmed

The reports do not say whether the extra time was added at opening, at closing, or split between the two, and they do not say that any park gained more than a half-hour.

Planning around this? Alert me when the wait drops for Tree of Life.

What it means for your trip

Leave EPCOT alone. Reports say those hours did not move, so a rope drop, a Lightning Lane return, or a dining time you already set against the first EPCOT calendar can stay where it is.

For every other park from November 22 through November 28, check the posted open and close for your date before you move a ride or a table. A half-hour at the front of the day changes who needs to be at the rope. A half-hour at the end changes one return window after dinner.

Spend the extra time on one more ride. It is not long enough to add a second park. The half-hour disappears if you use it to change gates.

On Thursday, November 26, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom are all scheduled to operate, and a standard date-based ticket does not need a separate park reservation. Midday is the packed stretch. If your park’s close did move later, the part worth using is the last stretch after that peak, not a 2 p.m. arrival. There is no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party that night — the party nights that week are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (November 24, 25, and 27), when Magic Kingdom closes to day guests at 6 p.m. — so a regular ticket covers the full posted day on Thanksgiving, evening included.

SupaPark’s crowd calendar and hourly ride forecasts show whether that added half-hour is actually a short wait or still the holiday crush, which is the reason to stay for it or to leave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Disney World extend hours for Thanksgiving week 2026?

According to reports published Friday, November 6, 2026, most Walt Disney World parks gained at least a half-hour for November 22-28, 2026, compared with the originally released schedule.

Are EPCOT hours longer during Thanksgiving week 2026?

No. Reports say EPCOT’s operating hours are the same as the schedule first released for November 22-28, 2026.

Is Magic Kingdom open late on Thanksgiving 2026?

Yes. Magic Kingdom is scheduled 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party falls that night, so every daytime ticket covers the full day.

Go deeper — the full guides: Disney World Crowds Today: Where to Go and When · Magic Kingdom Crowds Nov 28–29, 2026: 3/10, Saturday Best · Magic Kingdom Dec 29, 2026: 9/10 Forecast + Best Hours

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.