Your Complete Guide To The New Year’s Eve Festivities In Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom is a classic choice for families wanting to ring in the new year in Disney World. Often considered the most family friendly park for those with younger children, Magic Kingdom is open from 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM on New Year’s Eve, giving guests plenty of time to ring in the New Year.

The nighttime spectacular, Fantasy in the Sky, will be taking place on both December 30th and December 31st. Both days will offer two showtimes of this special firework show, the first at 6:30 PM and the second at 11:50 PM. This firework show is truly magical and only happens to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

In addition to the New Year’s Eve firework show, guests will also be able to enjoy other holiday specials during the day. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will still be strolling down Main Street U.S.A. with December 31st being its last day of shows. Guests can watch this parade at 12 PM and 3:30 PM. Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show will also be wowing guests at 7:45 PM, 9:00 PM, and 10:00 PM.

Epcot is considered the best park to be in for New Year’s Eve for multiple reasons. The hours are the same as Magic Kingdom, 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM, there are plenty of attractions for both young kids and adults, Epcot also offers two firework shows on New Year’s Eve, you can buy alcohol in the park, and the layout of Epcot is the best for managing crowds.

As we said, Guests will be treated to two firework shows on New Year’s Eve. The first will be Harmonious at 6:30 PM and the second will be the Countdown Fireworks that begin at 11:54 PM. In addition to the fireworks, Spaceship Earth also features a countdown timer for those who are hoping to be close to the exit when midnight strikes.

In addition to the fireworks, there will be plenty of New Year’s Eve parties going on throughout the World Showcase. Various pavilions have DJ dance parties in them, so that you can dance the year away. In each country’s pavilion there will also be an announcement when it hits midnight in that country. It is a fun way to celebrate the New Year over and over again in one night. Finally in American Gardens Theatre guests will be treated to a variety of live performances throughout the night.

As it is every day of the year, there are a ton of places for guests to enjoy eats and drinks from around the globe in between riding some fan favorite attractions.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the only park that will not be open until midnight. The park will be open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also will not have any kind of nighttime spectacular like fireworks so that the animals that call this park home are not disturbed.

What Animal Kingdom lacks in the late night fun, it certainly packs into the earlier part of the day. There are typically New Year’s Eve themed eats around the park and in the past years there have been family friendly DJ dance parties in DinoLand U.S.A., Asia, and Discovery Island. Animal Kingdom would be the perfect choice for families with little ones who will be turning in early this New Year’s anyway.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 8:30 AM to 12:00 AM on New Year’s Eve, but although the park closes at midnight, there is always some leeway when it comes to leaving the park. Guests will need to make their way out of the park after midnight but will still be able to ring in the new year inside of Hollywood Studios.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios does not offer a special nighttime firework show for New Year’s Eve, but instead guests will be treated to a DJ dance party in front of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. In addition, Fantasmic! will be offering two showtimes on December 31st, the first at 8:00 PM and the second at 9:30 PM. This is a great option to get some fabulous fireworks without having to stay in the park until midnight or those who want to enjoy both fireworks and dancing into the New Year at the dance party.

New Year’s Eve in the Walt Disney World theme parks is definitely one of the most popular times, and as such park reservations are already sold out for some parks, and limited for others. They can also be a pricey way to spend the evening if you are not taking advantage of Annual Passholder discounts, many of which are not active for special Holiday meals at Disney World. One way to get some Disney fun in on New Year’s Eve without being in the parks is to head over to Disney Springs.

Disney Springs will be open from 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM on New Year’s Eve. Even though there will not be a firework show, you will still be able to enjoy the day with tons of shopping and delicious dining options, some of which may offer special New Year’s Eve menus. Although the Christmas Tree Stroll will have technically ended, the trees will still be up at Disney Springs as well for guests to enjoy on December 31st.