Planning to spend a full day at Disney World? Not so fast.

If you’re headed to Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios later this year, you’ll want to check your dates twice. Several nights this fall and winter will see the parks closing early to regular guests due to after-hours events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and Jollywood Nights. If you’re not attending these special-ticket events, that means getting booted out before the nighttime fun begins.
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Let’s break down exactly which days you’ll need to plan around so your trip doesn’t get cut short without warning.
Magic Kingdom – Early Closures for Halloween and Christmas Parties
This is the big one. Anytime Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is scheduled, Magic Kingdom will close early for day guests. The official party start time is 7:00 PM, but the park will actually close to non-party guests at 6:00 PM on these nights. That means no fireworks, no night rides, and no late dinner reservations unless you have a party ticket in hand.

Here are the dates to watch for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in 2025:
- August: 15th, 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 29th
- September: 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 28th, 30th
- October: 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 28th, 30th, 31st
That’s a total of 38 nights where the park will shut down an hour earlier than usual. So if you’re hoping for a long evening in Magic Kingdom during spooky season, you’ll want to avoid those dates—or grab a party ticket.

And the early closures don’t stop when Halloween ends. The switch to holiday season happens fast at Disney, and Christmas parties start right on November 7th.

Here are the early closure dates for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party:
- November: 7th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 25th, 26th, 28th, 30th
- December: 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 21st
That adds 25 more nights where Magic Kingdom will close at 6:00 PM unless you’re sticking around for Very Merry. Be especially careful if you’re planning for Thanksgiving week or early December—those can be popular travel windows with high park demand and early closures baked in.

Hollywood Studios – Early Closures for Jollywood Nights
It’s not just Magic Kingdom this year. Disney’s Hollywood Studios will also be hosting after-hours events with Jollywood Nights making its return in 2025. This event kicks off at 7:30 PM, but once again, the park will close to day guests at 6:30 PM on event nights.

Here are the Jollywood Nights early closure dates:
- November: 8th, 15th, 17th, 22nd, 24th, 29th
- December: 1st, 6th, 10th, 13th, 17th, 20th, 22nd
That’s 13 nights where Hollywood Studios shuts down early. That means no nighttime views of Galaxy’s Edge, no Fantasmic!, and no late-night rides through Hollywood Boulevard unless you’ve got an event ticket.

It’s also worth pointing out that Jollywood Nights falls mostly on weekends and just before major holidays, which are already pretty popular times to be in the parks. Translation: higher crowds in the morning and earlier crowds leaving in the evening.
What This Means for Your Trip
If you’re a non-party guest, these early closures can sneak up on you. You could go in thinking you have all day in the park, only to get funneled out by 6:00 PM. This can especially throw off your plans if you’re trying to hit fireworks, snag a late dinner, or fit in a second round of rides before heading out.

Here’s what we recommend:
- Double-check your dates now if you’re visiting anytime from mid-August through late December.
- Plan your Magic Kingdom days on non-party nights if you want the full experience, especially nighttime shows and extended hours.
- Stack your reservations and park days smartly, and consider park hopping in the evenings to a park that isn’t closing early.
- If you’re thinking about buying party tickets, now you’ve got all the dates to help decide which night works best

We’ll keep you posted if Disney adds or adjusts any of these dates. Until then, keep this post bookmarked and share it with anyone in your group who’s planning the trip with you.
As always, be sure to keep following AllEars.Net for more Disney news and updates.
Learn more about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party here!Â
Will you be heading to one of the parties this year? Tell us in the comments!Â
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