The fan favorite after hours events are back at Walt Disney World! You can spend extra time in the parks on select nights starting January 4, 2023. But are the Disney World After Hours events worth it? Here’s what you need to know before buying your event tickets.
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What Are Disney World After Hours Events?
The first thing to know: this is an extra charge as it is a specially-ticketed event. You will need to buy a ticket for the After Hours events if you want to stay in the parks after the official closing time.
What do you get for the price of the ticket?
- Disney keeps the parks open for an additional 3 hours for these specially ticketed events. While 3 hours doesn’t sound like a lot, you can pack a lot of magic into that time when the park is practically empty!
- Free snacks! In carts located around the park, you’ll be able to snack to your heart’s (or stomach’s) content. Included in the ticket are all the free ice cream novelties, popcorn, and select beverages you can enjoy.
Which Parks Are Included In the After-Hours Events For 2023?
The current schedule includes events at two theme parks: Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
2023 Magic Kingdom After Hours Dates and Prices
This event takes place on select nights from January 9, 2023, to March 27, 2023.
Magic Kingdom events will take place from 10 pm to 1 am on the following nights:
Event Date | Price (Excludes Tax) | Price for Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members (Excludes Tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, January 9, 2023 | $135 | $105 |
| Monday, January 16, 2023 | $159 | $129 |
| Monday, January 23, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
| Thursday, February 16, 2023 | $159 | $129 |
| Monday, February 20, 2023 | $159 | $129 |
| Monday, February 27, 2023 | $155 | $125 |
| Thursday, March 2, 2023 | $159 | $129 |
| Monday, March 6, 2023 | $155 | $125 |
| Monday, March 13, 2023 | $155 | $125 |
| Thursday, March 16, 2023 | $155 | $125 |
| Monday, March 20, 2023 | $155 | $125 |
| Monday, March 27, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
2023 Hollywood Studios After Hours Dates and Prices
This event takes place on select nights from January 4, 2023, to April 19, 2023.
Hollywood Studios events will take place from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am on the following nights:
Event Date | Price (Excludes Tax) | Price for Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members (Excludes Tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, January 4, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
| Wednesday, January 11, 2023 | $129 | $99 |
| Wednesday, January 18, 2023 | $139 | $109 |
| Wednesday, January 25, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
| Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, March 8, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, March 22, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, March 29, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
| Sunday, April 2, 2023 | $139 | $109 |
| Wednesday, April 5, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, April 19, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
When (and Where!) Do After Hours Event Tickets Go On Sale?
All after hours event tickets can be purchased on Disneyworld.com.
Tickets go on sale starting October 4 if you have a hotel reservation during the event dates and October 7 for everyone else.
Are Disney World After Hours Events Worth It? (2023)
We know this can be subjective, but we’re breaking it down for you.
Ultimately your family and how they like to experience theme parks will determine if these events make sense for you.
But this might help make that decision.
The Hours- The REAL Hours- In The Parks
We’ll admit that at first sight, the cost does not seem to make the after-hours events worth it.
Three hours doesn’t look like a lot on paper.
But you can actually enter the parks with an after-hours ticket starting at 7 pm each night.
Technically, you could double your park time if you enter after 7 pm with 3 of those hours being with much lower crowds.
Disney World After Hours Worth It If You Like Skipping Rope Drop
If you or your family are more night owl vs rope drop people, this is a great way to save a full-day ticket.
Chill by the resort pool during the day, take a nice afternoon nap, and hit the After Hours event running right at 7 pm.
Teens and Tweens may get the most out of this kind of theme park experience.
Ride All The Rides
Do you put value on riding attractions as many times as you’d like with little wait?
Never can grab Slinky Dog Dash? We hear you.
And forget about paying for a single Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane– you could potentially have unlimited rides during an after hours event.
We attended the first Hollywood Studios After Hours event on January 4.
Within the first by 9:40, we walked onto Mickey and Minnies Railway, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, and entered the Rise of the Resistance pre-show.
Despite showing 30 minutes, we were on and off Slinky Dog in less than 10 minutes.
And that Rise of the Resistance wait time? It was completely accurate.
We walked right into the room where Rey tells us about the mission.
Disney After Hours Events: Are They Worth It In Snacks Alone?
Do you enjoy the free snack offerings (like Mickey Bars and popcorn)?
Bring a big backpack with you and take some sodas, water, and popcorn home with you.
We suggest eating those Mickey Bars inside the park, however!
Are You An Annual Passholder Or DVC Member? Discounts, Baby!
The After Hours event tickets are nicely discounted for those with APs and DVC memberships.
You may want to take a peek at the days, pricing, and do the math to see if these Walt Disney World After Hours Events are worth it for you.
Bottom Line: Should You Go?
So do we think the Disney World After Hours Events are Worth It?
We think there’s some huge value in experiencing a low-crowd Disney World park.
Heck, the summer of 2020 was glorious when it came to crowd levels (not so glorious for the reason why, of course).
The After Hours crowds felt very similar.
This photo was taken at about 10 pm from the main street of Hollywood Studios.
We took this picture on our way to Rise of the Resistance around 9:35 pm.
No one was in one of the busiest sections of the park on a normal day!
If you want to make sure you can get everything in but only have a short time to do it, these events are absolutely worth the price of admission in place of a full-day ticket.
We feel that Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom allows you to get the best bang for your buck attractions-wise with an After Hours ticket.
So are the After Hours Events worth it? We say heck yeah!
Show up early, stay late, and Disney-On!
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Patty Holliday has been running Disney since 2011. She knows just about every tip, trick, and hack there is to cover the runDisney Magical Miles at Disney World and Disneyland. She knows every mile isn’t *always* magical- but with training, tips, and a little bit of pixie dust, they can be a lot of fun! You can also find her at noguiltlife.com and noguiltfangirl.com