It’s hard to believe that we’re almost done with 2022 and getting ready to look forward to a new year!
You might already be thinking ahead to your 2023 Disney World trip. If you are, there are some very important things you’ll need to know about next year — and what dates they will be occurring.
January
January 1st-March 31st, 2023
Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration will run through the beginning of the year but the last day is on March 31st. That means if you want to see any of the 50th decorations and see the 50th anniversary cavalcade, as well as grab some 50th merchandise and snacks, you only have a limited time to do so.
Early January- Late March
The High Rock Spring Pool at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort will be closed for refurbishment through late March. The On The Rocks Pool Bar will also be closed during this time. All other pools at the resort will remain open.
January 4th-8th
The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend happens on the weekend of January 4th-8th. Note that those guests visiting Disney World that weekend who are not running should note that crowd levels will be higher in the parks and there could be some transportation delays.
January 4th-April 19th
Disney After Hours events will return on select nights between January 4th and April 19th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom.
January 9th-April 23rd
The Feature Pool and whirlpool spas at Disney’s Contemporary Resort will close for refurbishment on January 9th. The water play area and Bay Lake Pool will still be open, though.
January 9th-January 27th
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration will be closed for refurbishment beginning January 9th and ending on January 27th.
January 9th-April 23rd
The Meadow Swimmin’ Pool and whirlpool spa at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will be closed for refurbishment from January 9th through April. The water play area, Meadow Snack Bar, the Wilderness Swimmin’ Pool, and its whirlpool spa will remain open.January 13th-February 20th.
January 13th-February 20th
The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts begins on January 13th and will run through February 20th. During this time, EPCOT guests can dine at a variety of food booths, as well as enjoy festival-related activities and entertainment themed around the visual, culinary, and performing arts.
January 22nd-January 29th
The Disney Skyliner close for refurbishment from January 22nd-29th.
February
February 12th
Super Bowl Sunday happens on February 12th this year. Expect to see a lot of guests celebrating the big day at the parks. The Super Bowl winners also typically visit the theme parks the day after the big game.
February 23rd-26th
The Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend takes place the last weekend in February. Again, this is when we expect to see more gusts in the parks, so prepare for crowds that weekend if you’ll be in Disney World.
March
Early March-Early July
The 2022 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off in early March and runs through July. During this time, guests will be able to enjoy a variety of outdoor kitchens, topiaries, and the Garden Rocks concert series.
Spring 2023
Although we don’t have an exact date yet, Magic Kingdom’s newest ride, TRON Lightcycle Run is scheduled to open in the spring. We also expect the Walt Disney World Railroad to reopen around the same time.
April
April 9th
Easter is on April 9th and usually just before that, EPCOT hosts the Egg-stravaganza Easter Egg Hunt. This is a scavenger hunt that guests can do to hunt down hidden Disney-themed Easter eggs throughout EPCOT. Maps are available for purchase in park shops and those who complete the hunt earn a prize.
April 13th-April 16th
The next runDisney event is the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend. Remember that this will bring extra crowds to the parks during that weekend.
April 22nd
April is Earth Month, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge celebrate by offering Earth Day-themed snacks, activities, entertainment, and more for a limited time during the month. Earth Day officially takes place on April 22nd.
April 29th-30th
The Spring Dapper Day event is scheduled in Disney World for April 29th and 30th. April 29th will take place in EPCOT and April 30th will take place in Magic Kingdom. This is an unofficial event that brings guests to the parks dressed in their best vintage fashion.
May
May 4th
May the 4th is Star Wars Day, and Disney usually celebrates with special limited time snacks, events, activities, and more. You can also expect more guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios to celebrate in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
May 31st-June 5th
Gay Days takes place at Magic Kingdom in June. This isn’t an official event but could bring more crowds into the parks.
June
June 1st-30th
June is Pride Month in Disney World, and there will be a lot of celebrations happening in the parks. In addition to Gay Days, there will be Pride Month snacks, merchandise, entertainment, and more.
July
July-November
The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is one of the biggest festivals of the year, and also the festival that runs the longest. Traditionally, it starts in mid-July and runs through November. This is a great time for foodies to visit Disney World to take an opportunity to eat at all the food booths, as well as enjoy culinary-themed entertainment and activities.
August
August-October
The Halloween season officially kicks off in Disney World in August — expect to see spooky decorations at the parks, Halloween-themed snacks, and the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
November
November-December
November marks the beginning of the holiday season in Disney World. The parks get decorated for Christmas and guests can attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
This is also when the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays occurs, which includes holiday-themed food booths, entertainment, activities, and more.
November 23rd
November 23rd is Thanksgiving Day and will bring some special snacks to Disney World, as well as special Thanksgiving menus at restaurants around the resort.
TBA
There are still some things we don’t have specific dates for, but that we do expect to happen in 2023:
- The Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana attraction is set to open in EPCOT in late 2023.
- Two new areas are set to open in EPCOT around the same time: CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza.
- We also expect the rest of the World Celebration in EPCOT to open in late 2023.
- A Figment Meet and Greet has also been promised for 2023.
- Harmonious will be replaced with a new fireworks show in EPCOT.
- Magic Kingdom is also set to get an updated nighttime show that will somehow incorporate elements from “Happily Ever After.”
- The Hatbox Ghost is set to make his way over to Disney World’s version of Haunted Mansion.
- Disney Springs is set to get a new restaurant: Summer House on the Lake.
- A new bake shop, The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, will open sometime in 2023 on Disney’s BoardWalk.
These are all the official dates and timelines we have for now, but we’ll continue to update this post when more dates are announced. So stay tuned to AllEars for more.
The ULTIMATE Packing List For Disney World In 2023
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Will you be visiting Disney World in 2023? Let us know in the comments!
We will be visiting for a couple weeks in April while not really expecting much of “soon to open” attractions that were mentioned unless it has an official start date attached…
As far as that 50 year joyous anniversary celebration that was advertised and extended an additional (6) months…its apparent Disney is lacking the ability of hosting such an event…
Construction and poor planning along with price increases…meal shrinkage and to hear Bob Iger wasn’t aware of these heavy duty increased prices has me thinking more of the same to come…
Still waiting for that WDW railroad to start up…2 years plus and more excuses….