Planning a trip to Disney World is no easy feat. There are tons of details to manage, from hotels to flights to dining and all the little things in between. One of the biggest questions you’ll encounter is when to actually visit Disney World.
If you’re ready to plan your 2026 trip, you may come across this question, so we’re here to help! No matter what the reason you go to the parks, there’s a time that will work best for your family. Let’s go over some great times to visit!
Looking for help with planning all the details of your trip? We recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!
For Those Looking For Something New:
New experiences are always popping up in Disney World! We’re really looking forward to the Magic of Disney Animation, which is set to open sometime in 2026. However, since we don’t have dates yet, we’ll be able to experience some attractions that already have confirmed dates.
New routes are being added to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run on May 22nd. These new scenes will feature Grogu and Mando and will let you choose where you want to go on your adventure.
At the beginning of 2026, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen with new elements. If you’ve been a fan of the classic attraction from your first ride, you’ll want to visit earlier in the year to ensure you can ride it when it opens. While the changes will be permanent, we know how much fun it is to see them for ourselves instead of through pictures.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether will also be opening on November 7th, so while you’re checking out Big Thunder, don’t forget to make a trip to Animal Kingdom to see the new show in the Tree of Life.
For Low Crowds:
One of our favorite low-crowd times in Disney World is when there are no EPCOT festivals. Most people wait until a festival is happening to plan their trip, and EPCOT is relatively quiet when there are no special food booths. For 202,5, the festival dates were:
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- EPCOT Festival of the Arts — January 17th to February 24th
- EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival — March 5th to June 2nd
- EPCOT Food & Wine Festival — August 28th to November 22nd
- EPCOT Festival of the Holidays — November 28th to December 30th
You should also avoid times during runDisney, which brings on massive crowds for their special races. So far, the dates for those are:
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- Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend — January 7th to 11th
- Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend — February 26th to March 2nd
- Springtime Surprise Weekend — April 16th to 20th
Be careful of going from March to the end of April since that’s spring break time, and the crowds can get huge.
For The “One-Last-Time”ers:
DinoLand U.S.A. will enter extinction in 2026. The final phase, which will include the closure of DINOSAUR, is scheduled for February 1st. If you need to say goodbye to Dr. Seeker one last time, please do so in January before it permanently closes.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith is switching over to the Muppets. Aerosmith will be closing, and the Muppet version will reopen in 2026. While we don’t have exact dates, it’s good to go earlier than later if that’s a favorite ride.
Make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for tips and tricks for your next Disney World trip.
10 DATES TO AVOID MAGIC KINGDOM IN 2026
Are you going to Disney World in 2026? Tell us what you’re looking forward to in the comments.
We will celebrate our wedding anniversary in Orlando Disney on May 20th, 2026.
Between the Epcot festival dates, Marathons and Spring Break, there are only a few low-attendance days each year. I couldn’t find even one continuous week free of any of these crowd-pleasing events.
It used to be so easy…..January-early after the holidays and October-early November. Of course, September was always good for low attendance, but the hot, humid weather the and hurricane possibilities were a negative for that month.