Why the Weekend AFTER New Year's Day Is One of the BUSIEST Weekends at Disney World

We say it all the time: the winter holiday season is one of the BUSIEST times of the year at Disney World.

New Year’s Eve at Disney World

This causes a lot of folks to celebrate the end of the crowded season at Disney World when they’re celebrating the end of the year. Except… we’re here to rain on your parade just a tiny bit — not to ruin your good mood, but to help you plan. Okay, we’re just gonna rip the bandaid off. The crowds aren’t done just yet, folks.

The first weekend of January is usually when Disney World’s Marathon Weekend takes place. The weekend typically attracts some crowds, as runners and their support crews head to the parks to celebrate their achievements.

Disney World

We’re already getting a glimpse of what these crowds could look like, as park pass reservation availability has already FILLED UP for Annual Passholders.

©Disney

As you can see in the screenshot above, the 5th and 6th of January are totally sold out for Annual Passholders for Magic Kingdom, and the 5th, 6th, and 7th are sold out for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The good news is that as of right now, reservations should be good to go after the weekend, and reservations for EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are good to go all weekend long.

Annual Passholder Magnets

As for regular park tickets, there is still availability for all parks except for Magic Kingdom moon January 6th. We’ll let you know if that changes, though! As of right now, just plan to see a few more crowds than on a typical weekend if you’re heading to Disney World the 4th through the 7th of January.

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