Magic Kingdom Now Runs 8am to 11pm on December 2 and 5 as Disney Adds Early December Hours at Three Parks

If your Disney World trip lands in the first week of December, three of the four parks now have more hours that week. Magic Kingdom now runs from 8am to 11pm on Wednesday, December 2 and Saturday, December 5, which makes both of them 15-hour days, and hotel guests with Early Theme Park Entry can be inside at 7:30am.

BlogMickey spotted the new schedules in the My Disney Experience app on Friday morning, November 13. Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom all changed for dates between Monday, November 30 and Saturday, December 5. EPCOT did not. When we checked a park-hours schedule feed on Friday, it showed the same new times.

Magic Kingdom: earlier mornings on four days

• Monday, November 30: still opens at 9am, but now closes at 11pm instead of 10pm.
• Wednesday, December 2 and Saturday, December 5: opens at 8am instead of 9am, with Early Theme Park Entry at 7:30am instead of 8:30am, and closes at 11pm instead of 10pm.
• Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4: opens at 8am instead of 9am, with Early Theme Park Entry at 7:30am. Day guests still leave at 6pm, because these are Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party nights and the party starts at 7pm.
• Tuesday, December 1: another party night, and its opening stays at 9am for now.

The two party nights that gained the early opening are already sold out. BlogMickey says only December 15 and 17 still had party tickets the last time it checked. With the new schedule, BlogMickey notes that Wednesday and Saturday are now the longest Magic Kingdom days of that week.

The 11pm close on November 30 matches Thanksgiving week, when Magic Kingdom already closes at 11pm on nights without a party, as BlogMickey points out. We covered those Thanksgiving week changes earlier this month.

Hollywood Studios: a half hour earlier on the weekend

Hollywood Studios now opens at 8:30am instead of 9am on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5, with Early Theme Park Entry at 8am. Closing times did not move. The park still closes at 9pm on December 4 and at 7pm on December 5, when Disney Jollywood Nights takes over for the evening. That December 5 party night is already sold out, as we reported earlier this week.

Animal Kingdom: later nights, three in a row

Animal Kingdom now closes at 7pm on Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4, and at 8pm on Saturday, December 5. All three had been listed with a 6pm close. The 8am opening, and 7:30am Early Theme Park Entry, did not change, so Saturday is now a 12-hour day. Guests at select Disney Resort hotels also get Extended Evening Hours at Animal Kingdom on Wednesday, December 2, from 6pm to 8pm.

EPCOT: no change

EPCOT stays at 9am to 9pm every day from November 30 through December 5. Select Disney Resort hotel guests still have Extended Evening Hours there on Monday, November 30, from 9pm to 11pm.

What to do now: if you already have a park reservation or dining plan for that week, look at the new hours in the My Disney Experience app before you set an alarm. From December 2 through 5, an 8am Magic Kingdom rope drop is now an option where it was not before.

Sources

• BlogMickey, Disney World Extends Early December Hours at Three Parks, November 13, 2026
• Parks Magic, Thanksgiving week hours report, November 6, 2026
• Parks Magic, Very Merry and Jollywood Nights sellout report, November 9, 2026

Image credits: WDWMagic (Main Street, U.S.A.), Disney (Tower of Terror), Walt Disney World (Tree of Life).