Why February 23rd May Be the WORST Day to Go to EPCOT

2025 is going to be an exciting time to visit EPCOT!

The park is getting a new Spaceship Earth Lounge and a retheme for Test Track next year, and on top of that, it’ll be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the International Flower & Garden Festival in the spring. So much to check out! But if you’re heading to the park in February, we’ve got a warning.

The Disney World park hours calendar has been updated to show that EPCOT will open LATE on the morning of February 23rd. On that day, the park will open at 10AM.

This is likely due to the Princess Half Marathon, hosted by runDisney. It takes place that morning and will have participants running through EPCOT as part of the race. Opening the park later will allow Disney time to make sure everything is cleaned up and ready to go after the race.

Keep in mind that the Princess Half Marathon race weekend will likely be a very busy time for visiting Disney World. The weekend before the race weekend is also Presidents Day, so you may have groups of people planning that week for their vacations.

February can also be a busy time for cheer and dance competitions in Orlando, which bring thousands of teenagers to the parks. Years ago, February might’ve been known as the “slow” season to visit Disney World, but these days it can be incredibly crowded.