REMINDER: EPCOT Park Hours Are CHANGING Soon

If you’re planning a trip to EPCOT soon, there’s something you should know!

2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

The holiday season has arrived in Disney World. The Disney World parks and hotels are decorated. Over at EPCOT, the International Festival of the Holidays kicks off the day after Thanksgiving and runs through the end of the year, and it’s a big draw. That’s why Disney is updating EPCOT’s park hours.

Starting November 28th, EPCOT will be closing at 9:30 PM each night instead of its usual 9 PM closing time. This will accommodate heavier crowds during the holiday season.

This change lasts through December 30th. On New Year’s Eve (December 31st), EPCOT will be open until 1 AM. Then, starting January 1st, the park is scheduled to go back to its 9 PM closing time.

Festival of the Holidays crowds

The change to a later closing time typically happens each year during the Festival as people flock to EPCOT to check out the food booths, the holiday storytellers, and of course, the iconic Candlelight Processional. The Candlelight Processional takes place in the American Adventure Pavilion and has multiple shows each evening, so keeping the park open later helps to better accommodate that offering.

EPCOT Candlelight Processional

The Festival of the Holidays has a LOT to do and see, and it can be difficult to fit everything in in one day. Just watching all the entertainment and meeting Santa Claus could take several hours, and that’s not even mentioning the time that you’ll need to do rides and try the food booths. Of course, we’ll be going to the festival on the first day, so we can bring you the rundown of the must-dos and the must-try foods.

Festival of the Holidays

We’ll keep you in the loop with any other park changes coming soon, especially as we head into the holiday season.

And if you’re hoping to plan a trip to EPCOT soon, we recommend using our friends over at Small World Vacations. They are experts in planning Disney World vacations and have years of experience — plus, their services are complimentary!

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World updates!

Click Here for Updates on the Festival of the Holidays!

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