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Disney World's Christmas Week Hours Are Out, and Magic Kingdom Opens at 9am, an Hour Later Than Last Year
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Disney World's Christmas Week Hours Are Out, and Magic Kingdom Opens at 9am, an Hour Later Than Last Year

Michael Travels
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Published

Planning to hit Magic Kingdom between Christmas and New Year's? Right now, the park does not open to everyone until 9am, with Early Entry for eligible hotel guests half an hour before that.

Disney World's park hours for December 21 to 31, the stretch from Christmas week through New Year's Eve, are now posted, WDWMagic reported on Wednesday morning, October 21. The headline number is Magic Kingdom's opening time: 9am every day, where the same week in 2025 opened at 8am.

WDWMagic calls these "early listings" and says they "will almost certainly be extended closer to the date," so treat what follows as the hours posted today, not the final word.

Crowds of guests walking up Main Street, U.S.A. toward a tall decorated Christmas tree in Town Square, with large wreaths with red bows hung on the buildings on both sides

Main Street, U.S.A. and the Town Square Christmas tree at Magic Kingdom during a past holiday season. Photo: WDWMagic

Magic Kingdom

As posted, Magic Kingdom runs 9am to 10pm on most days of the week, with Early Entry for eligible hotel guests from 8:30am. The exceptions:

  • Tuesday, December 22: 9am to 6pm, then the last Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party of the season from 7pm to midnight. Disney's party page lists select nights through December 22, 2026.
  • Wednesday, December 30: 9am to midnight.
  • Thursday, December 31: 9am to midnight.

Compare that with the same week last year, as recorded in ThemeParks.wiki's archive of the December 2025 schedule: Magic Kingdom opened at 8am every day from December 21 to 31, 2025, closed at 6pm on December 21 for a Special Ticketed Event, at 11pm from December 22 to 29, at midnight on December 30, and at 1am on New Year's Eve. So as of today, the 2026 listing opens an hour later every day, closes an hour earlier on the seven nights from December 23 to 29, and ends New Year's Eve an hour earlier. December 30 is unchanged. Two nights flip the other way: December 21 now runs four hours later than last year, when it closed at 6pm for a ticketed event, while December 22 closes five hours earlier for this year's party.

WDWMagic expects that to change, predicting Magic Kingdom will "open earlier (likely 8am) and close later on most nights" once Disney finalizes the schedule. That is a forecast, not something Disney has said.

Close-up of a Christmas tree decorated with popcorn garlands, gingerbread men, rocking horses and red bows, with Cinderella Castle and wreath-hung Main Street buildings in the background under a blue sky

The Town Square tree on Main Street, U.S.A., with Cinderella Castle behind it, during a past holiday season. Photo: WDWMagic

EPCOT

EPCOT is listed at 9am to 9pm daily, with Extended Evening Hours from 9pm to 11pm on Monday, December 21 and Monday, December 28. New Year's Eve runs from 9am to 1am, which WDWMagic says matches 2025.

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios is posted at 9am to 9pm, and 9am to midnight on New Year's Eve. On Monday, December 21 and Wednesday, December 23, the park closes to regular guests at 7pm for a Special Ticketed Event from 7:30pm to 12:30am. Both are Disney Jollywood Nights dates on the Disney Parks Blog list of December dates (5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21 and 23). WDWMagic notes that the park held only one such event between December 21 and 31, 2025, on December 22.

The teal art deco entrance of Disney's Hollywood Studios hung with silver garland, colorful ornaments and red bows, with guests walking toward the turnstiles and palm trees behind

The Hollywood Studios entrance dressed for the holidays during a past season. Photo: WDWMagic

Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach

Animal Kingdom is listed at 8am to 6pm every day of the week, New Year's Eve included, with Extended Evening Hours from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, December 23 and Wednesday, December 30. Last year the park stayed open to 7pm or 8pm on most of those nights, and WDWMagic calls this year's posted hours "conservative."

Blizzard Beach is listed as open daily from December 21 to 31, 10am to 5pm, according to WDWMagic.

A tall Christmas tree decorated with stars, moons and carved animal ornaments stands in front of the Disney's Animal Kingdom entrance sign, with guests walking across the plaza and an American flag at left

The Christmas tree outside the Animal Kingdom entrance during a past holiday season. Photo: WDWMagic

What to do with this

If you are building a Christmas week plan now, plan around the posted hours and check again as the date gets closer. WDWMagic expects longer hours once Disney updates them, mainly at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, while EPCOT and Hollywood Studios should stay roughly as posted.

Would a 9am Magic Kingdom open change your Christmas week plans, or are you betting Disney adds the hour back?

Sources

Image credits: WDWMagic.

Mentioned in this story

Check out our guides for more on each place in this story:

Magic Kingdom EPCOT Hollywood Studios Animal Kingdom Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Disney Jollywood Nights

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