NEWS: EPCOT Will Open LATE on These 2 Days in January

EPCOT has a lot of changes and updates on the horizon! The rat will be unavailable for a few days in November, a popular festival is starting soon, and Soarin’ will be flying to new destinations soon.

Spaceship Earth

As we prepare for the updates and food we’re about to enjoy, we noticed that the park will have a delayed opening on two occasions very soon! Don’t be caught off guard and stuck at the park gates. We’ve got all of the information you need, right here.

If you’re starting off 2026 in Disney World, you’ll need to triple-check the park hours! On January 10th and January 11th, EPCOT will have a delayed opening.

EPCOT

The park will open at 10 AM on both days rather than its usual 9 AM time. The change is due to the runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which takes place that weekend.

©Disney

This event is considered the “crown jewel” of the runDisney events because it was the original event. The race weekend offers 5K, 10K, and half-marathon races, with a full marathon also available during Marathon Weekend. Guests can run through EPCOT as well as other Disney World parks during their races, giving them behind-the-scenes sneak peeks!

Each race throughout the weekend sees roughly 20,000+ registered racers, and it sees huge crowds head to Disney World to run and support! The 2026 runDisney Marathon Weekend will take place from January 7th through the 11th, 2026. Throughout the weekend, there will be four races and a runDisney Health & Fitness Expo. In addition to the four races, there are also two challenges you can compete in!

The first one is the Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge. Guests can complete this challenge by completing the half-marathon and the full marathon for a total of 39.3 miles. When you complete this challenge, you will receive medals from both races, as well as a special challenge medal.

The second (and perhaps most famous) challenge is the Dopey Challenge. This is the challenge means you’ll be completing all four races of the weekend. You will run a total of 48.6 miles over the weekend and will receive all four individual race medals, the Goofy’s Race and a Half medal, as well as a Dopey Challenge medal. That means you will be wearing six race medals by the end of race weekend! That’s a huge achievement!

It’s not unusual for the park’s hours and crowds to be impacted during the runDisney weekends, so if your vacation overlaps with these dates, just be prepared! If you’re running in the race, good luck! As always, be sure to keep following AllEars for more Disney news and updates.