If you were at EPCOT on September 21, 2026, and heard the same Earth, Wind & Fire song blasting every single time you rode Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — no, you weren’t imagining it, and no, the ride wasn’t glitching. Disney did that on purpose, and it’s become a whole tradition at this point.
Here’s the deal. Cosmic Rewind normally runs on a random soundtrack setup, pulling from six songs each time you board: “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps, “Conga” by Gloria Estefan, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls, and “One Way or Another” by Blondie. That’s honestly half the fun of the ride — you never know which one you’re getting, and a lot of guests will ride it two, three, four times in a row just trying to collect them all.
But once a year, on one very specific day, that randomness disappears completely. September 21 is the day every single cycle plays “September” — obviously, since the song literally says “the 21st night of September.” This is year four of Disney doing this, so at this point, EPCOT regulars kind of expect it.
And the changes didn’t stop at the music. A post on X confirmed on September 21 that Disney also skipped the ride’s preshow for the day. Normally, you’d walk through the Wonders of Xandar pavilion first, which sets up the story before you ever get in a vehicle. That step got cut, so guests went straight from the queue to loading. If you already know the ride, no big deal. If it was your first time riding on that specific day, though, you missed a chunk of the story setup that regular riders take for granted.
Naturally, everyone wanted in on this, and the wait times reflected it. According to Queue Times, the posted wait hit a peak of 185 minutes in the evening. Even the early birds weren’t safe — rope drop guests were looking at a posted 140-minute wait the second the park opened.
BYU Florida (@BYUFlorida), posted a photo on X of the Cosmic Rewind entrance surrounded at night, captioned: “Current entrance to the guardians of the galaxy: cosmic rewind.”
If you wanted a shorter wait, there was basically one window: 10:40 p.m., when the posted time dropped all the way down to 50 minutes. That’s thanks to EPCOT’s Extended Evening Hours, running from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., which are only available to guests staying at Disney Deluxe resorts. Fewer people in the park that late meant a much shorter line.
Disney also added a little something extra to eat and drink. Connections Eatery served up the Supernova Sip, a Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired drink, only on September 21. So if you missed it, you’ll have to wait until next year.
So, worth it or not? If “September” is your favorite of the six tracks, this is the one day you’re guaranteed to hear it without leaving it up to chance. Just go in knowing the trade-offs — longer lines all day, a shorter preshow if you’re new to the ride, and honestly, your best bet for a shorter wait is sticking around for Extended Evening Hours if you’re staying at a Deluxe resort. Everything goes back to normal on September 22, soundtrack rotation, full preshow, and all.
How do you like to ride Cosmic Rewind? Let us know down in the comments!
