The Unexpected Reason Why Disney World Might Be Crowded in Early October

Throughout the year, Disney World hosts some pretty major events!

We’re talking about everything from anniversary celebrations to holiday parties, to special events for fans. There’s so much to check out! And soon, Disney will be hosting a big celebration for HBCU Week!

This year, HBCU Week (which pays tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities) will be hosted at Walt Disney World Resort. This will be the largest-ever HBCU Week with 5,000 high school students from the Southeastern region of the U.S. and beyond attending the college fair, along with nearly 50 HBCU representatives.

During this event, recruiters will be handing out big scholarships and college acceptance letters — what an exciting time! It’s expected that more than $10 MILLION in scholarships will be awarded, which would be an HBCU Week record!

In addition, five schools will be performing at Disney World during the weekend, both in cavalcades at Magic Kingdom Park and the “Battle of the Bands” at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Here’s the full schedule for the weekend:

October 7th at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex:

ESPN First Take Live Broadcast with hosts Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim — Doors open at 8:30AM
HBCU Week College Fair — 9AM-3PM
HBCU Week Lunch and Learn Series — 11AM-2PM

October 8th at Magic Kingdom Park:

HBCU Week Band Parades — featuring Delaware State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Bethune Cookman University, Winston Salem State University, and Alcorn University. Walt Disney World theme park ticket and reservation required.

9:20AM — NC A&T Cavalcade
2:35PM — Bethune Cookman & Winston Salem State Cavalcade
6PM — Alcorn State & Delaware State Cavalcade

Disney notes, “This is an outdoor parade and is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather. Showtimes are subject to change.”

October 9th at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex:

HBCU Week Battle of the Bands — Delaware State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Bethune Cookman University, Winston Salem State University and Alcorn University

- 2PM-6PM ($25 ticket required– you can visit the HBCU week website to get details)

Gates open at 12:30PM, and the event begins at 2PM.

So if you’re traveling to Disney World during the dates of October 7th-9th, keep in mind that things might be a bit more crowded than you might expect. That all takes place just before Columbus Day (October 10th) so make sure you come prepared to face more crowds in the parks. We’ll make sure to update you on the crowd levels that we see in the parks.

Stay tuned to AllEars for more updates on any events happening in Disney World in the coming months. We’ve got EPCOT festivals, EPCOT’s 40th anniversary, and the holiday season coming up, and we can’t wait to share all the details!