I Explored Epcot After Hours
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When the clock struck 9:30
Epcot transformed from its typical nighttime atmosphere into a party. A blend of old and new Disney hits sang through speakers throughout the park.
I stopped for a moment to take it all in.
Incredibly low wait times, unlimited snacks, and fun photo-ops awaited me for three exclusive hours of nighttime Disney magic.
Epcot After Hours opened up a whole new world of possibilities for enjoying Disney.
Once upon a time
I heard about Disney’s After Hours event through social media a couple years ago.
After Hours is a nighttime event where you can enjoy Disney World theme parks past their official closing time.
When all the daytime guests leave after the fireworks, you get the whole park to yourself. This event happens on select nights throughout the year.
Reviews I’ve read in the past for this event were mixed. Some people loved the lower crowd levels for the rides. Other people missed the daytime offerings like certain shows and daytime parades.
I knew that I’d just have to see what After Hours was like for myself.
Well, low and behold, the opportunity dropped in my lap during a family trip to Orlando earlier this summer.
Going to After Hours was spontaneous
I didn’t even know I was going to Epcot After Hours until I saw the event tickets that afternoon.
The day started out as a fun day of activities and relaxation at our Marriott resort. By noon, the day grew hot and humid. My brother and I decided to wait to venture out of the resort until after the weather cooled down.
I was scrolling on Instagram looking for fun things to do in Orlando when an ad for Disney World After Hours popped up.
It was meant to be!
Epcot was offering an After Hours event that same day, and tickets were still available. My brother and I talked it over, bought our tickets, and headed off to the park.
Good to know before you go
If you’re headed to Epcot After Hours, keep this information in mind to make the most of your visit.
After Hours tickets are limited and sometimes they sell out in advance. Disney sells a limited number of After Hours tickets to make sure the park isn’t filled to capacity.
You can enter the park a couple hours before the event starts. Our tickets let us enter Epcot at 7pm even though the event started at 9:30pm. This meant we actually got five and a half hours to explore. Not bad at all!
After Hours ticket prices can vary like how daytime park ticket prices vary. My ticket cost $190 after taxes. It was in the same range as the daytime Epcot tickets that day.
The World Showcase is partially open during After Hours. Not all the countries are accessible during the evening event. On my visit, these pavilions were open:
France
United Kingdom
Canada
Mexico
Norway
The Ratatouille, Frozen, and Three Caballeros rides in the World Showcase were open during the event. The rest of the countries were gated off, so you couldn’t walk through the whole showcase.
Select dining options are available. There are food carts throughout the park with unlimited popcorn, ice cream sandwiches, and bottled drinks. It’s included in your ticket price, so eat as much as you want!
Other dining options were:
Connections Eatery
Connections Cafe
World Discovery Hot Dog Cart
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Yorkshire County Fish Shop (until 11:00pm)
Rose & Crown Pub
If you want to dine at other restaurants or try cultural dishes in the World Showcase, get to the park before 9 and go to the showcase first.
Select shopping options are available. Same as for food options, only some stores are open during the event.
The Creations Shop
ImageWorks—The “What If'“ Labs
Treasures of Xandar
Mission: SPACE Cargo Bay
Test Track Gear Shop
SeaBase Gift Shop
Plaza de los Amigos
If you want to get a souvenir from a country pavilion that will be closed during the event, make that one of your first stops when you get there at 7pm.
You get a wristband when you check in for After Hours. If you’re coming specifically for the event, you get a wristband when you enter the park. If you buy a daytime ticket to Epcot plus the event ticket, you can check-in with a cast member inside the park before the event starts to get your wristband.
Our Arrival
We got to Epcot a little after 7pm. After Hours guests had a specific check-in area with wristbands and handouts listing all the event’s experiences and offerings.
I appreciated the event handouts. Had all the info for what to explore.
There was so much to explore:
All the rides
World Nature’s Journey through Water
A dance party hosted by a DJ in World Celebration
Musical performances at the Canada Mill Stage
Folk music performances in Mexico
Character meet and greets
Photo-ops throughout the park
Way more activities than I was expecting.
I had the impression from online reviews that this event was mainly to access rides. It was nice that Epcot provided a mix of the entertainment and attractions. It felt like a mini nighttime festival.
First stops on our list
Before After Hours began, we set out to get some Dole Whip, hopefully riding an attraction before the fireworks, and buy a pair of ears from Mexico.
Good to know: Epcot’s World Showcase has beautiful ears representing each country. You can’t find those ears at the Creations Store or Disney Springs.
I found a pair of ears that went perfectly with my outfit!
Not long after getting my ears, Epcot announced the fireworks would be starting soon. The energy in the World Showcase changed instantly.
Bigger crowds
Longer ride wait times
Longer restaurant lines
Everyone was excited to squeeze in the last few moments of their park day. I totally understood. Typically, I’d be right in there with them. Today was different, though.
I had until after midnight to get in my Epcot fun.
Sidenote: I’ve been dealing with some chronic sinus issues, so I couldn’t be too close to the fireworks. We headed to Connections Eatery for dinner. I ate while my brother watched the fireworks outside.
I ordered the General Tso Tofu Salad.
It was delicious, crispy and flavorful! Lots of tofu and edamame for protein. Eating that plus some garlic fries energized me for our After Hours adventure.
The park came alive after dark
I loved seeing the Epcot Ball’s vibrant colors all night.
I noticed the difference in the park’s energy instantly.
As we left Connections Eatery and headed deeper inside the park, most guests were heading home. The thinning crowds made walking through the park much faster.
Epcot transformed from its typical nighttime atmosphere into a party vibe. A blend of old and new Disney hits sang through speakers throughout the park.
I stopped for a moment to take it all in.
Incredibly low wait times, unlimited snacks, and fun photo-ops awaited me for three exclusive hours of nighttime Disney magic.
And off we went
What better way to start After Hours than with one of Epcot’s most epic rides…Living with the Land. What can I say? It’s iconic.
That ride was a total walk on and so was
Soarin’,
Ratatouille,
Figment,
and Spaceship Earth.
Ratatouille especially blew my mind. My brother and I have tried riding this attraction on our last two trips to Epcot, but the line was always too long. We bailed one time and didn’t even attempt standing in line the other visit.
This time was different.
When I say we walked on, I mean literally walked right to the ride vehicle. And we got stickers!
Waits for Test Track and Cosmic Rewind weren’t too bad either considering how long they get during the day. Still, we chose to do single rider to maximize our time.
A lot of people went straight for Cosmic Rewind during After Hours. The family my brother rode with said they had been riding the rollercoaster all night long.
Test Track’s line was an hour when we walked up. Single rider was less than a 15 minute wait.
Getting on rides was a breeze. No Lightning Lane preplanning. No long wait times. No standing in line in the heat. Totally worth it.
A Magical Epcot Adventure
The event’s vibes were top tier. The DJ’s music kept up the energy. It didn’t matter where you were in the park. We were all jamming out to the same songs together.
Everybody was singing and dancing.
My brother and I sang the high notes from “Into the Unknown” with a cast member outside of Spaceship Earth.
We watched a performance at the Canada Mill Stage.
We even saw Goofy hitting the dance floor at World Celebration!
And speaking of the characters, if you know a kid or kid at heart, they’d love the easy access to characters after hours.
At our event, I saw Minnie taking pictures in France, Mickey was posing with the Walt Disney Statue in front of the Epcot Ball, and Goofy was hanging out in World Celebration.
Again, a very short wait to meet them. On a regular day, you could easily wait an hour or longer to get character photos. At After Hours, you could see all three iconic characters quickly.
Good to know: The handout didn’t specifically list which Disney characters would be attending After Hours. I’m not sure if there were more characters in other parts of the park. If you’re interested in seeing specific daytime characters like Mulan or Jasmine, check the characters’ schedules to see if they have meeting times between 7-9:30pm.
If you’re like me and love taking a cute picture, the Disney PhotoPass Photographers were also available.
I know I keep saying it…there was no wait. I walked up just as one group finished and got a cute photo in front of the Ball. The photographers had two creative lighting effects. It added a fun glow to the nighttime setting.
The photo’s special effect matched my outfit and ears perfectly. What are the chances!?
The event’s food cart service was excellent.
Freshly popped popcorn all night. I got to have my first Mickey ice cream sandwich and all the water I needed. It was much cooler than during the day. Still the extra waters were helpful for the Florida humidity.
All the cast members were so nice. We stopped and talked to several cast members throughout the event, dancing and chatting about all things Disney.
Memories Magically Made
Before we knew it, After Hours was coming to an end. We took pictures, enjoyed our snacks, and soaked up the vibes on our way out the park.
It was a shorter day at Epcot but no less amazing.
What I loved about After Hours most was how it created space to relax. It didn’t take a lot of planning or strategy to have a great time.
On a regular visit, I’d have to stop more frequently for snacks and water, to cool down indoors, calculate wait times, and maneuver around crowds.
We checked off the same amount experiences (or more) that we’d enjoy on a regular park visit in half the time. This event let us experience everything we love about Epcot and gave us space to try new things.
Endless Possibilities
My trip to Epcot felt straight out of a movie, magical and unexpected. Thanks to After Hours, I have a whole new way to explore Disney World.
Depending on what you’re looking for in your Disney visit, After Hours could be the perfect answer. If you’re here for the vibes and lower crowds, the magic of After Hours is endless.
Check Disney World’s After Hours webpagefor details on upcoming After Hours nights.
