Holy moly, Florida just threw a massive wrench into Disney World’s Presidents Day weekend plans. Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida is recognizing Presidents Day as an official STATE holiday for the first time ever in 2026, which means every single state employee in Florida gets February 16 off work. And you know what a ton of them are going to do with that unexpected three-day weekend? Head straight to Disney World during what was ALREADY one of the most expensive and crowded weeks of the entire year.
DeSantis dropped this bombshell at a news conference in Vero Beach on January 30 while talking about Florida’s plans for America 250, the big celebration happening for the nation’s 250th birthday this summer. “You know, they have Presidents Day, and it’s actually federal. Florida does not recognize it,” he said. “But this year for America’s 250, we’ll recognize Washington’s birthday, not just federally, but as a state holiday. So our state offices will be closed, our state employees will be able to have the day off, which I know they’re not going to complain about.”
Nope, state employees definitely won’t complain. But Disney World guests who already booked trips for that weekend? They might have some feelings about this. Because here’s the deal: Presidents Day weekend was ALREADY projected to be one of Disney’s worst weeks to visit in 2026. We’re talking $199 Magic Kingdom tickets (that’s SIXTY DOLLARS more than the cheapest days), massive crowds from school breaks across the country, and families from cold states flooding Florida for warm weather. And now you’re adding thousands of Florida state workers and their families who suddenly have a long weekend? This is going to be CHAOS.
Disney’s computer algorithms that set ticket prices based on predicted crowds didn’t account for Florida suddenly giving its entire state workforce an extra day off. So either Disney is going to raise prices even MORE for February 16 (which, ouch), or they’re just going to let the parks get absolutely PACKED beyond what they originally anticipated. Either way, anyone visiting that weekend is in for a rough time.
What Even IS Presidents Day?
Quick history lesson because apparently not everyone knows this: Presidents Day (officially still called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government, even though literally nobody calls it that) happens on the third Monday in February. It honors George Washington, whose actual birthday is February 22, and also Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12.
Washington’s Birthday became a federal holiday way back in 1885, making it the first federal holiday to honor a specific person’s birth date. Then in 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Law that moved it from February 22 to the third Monday in February to create long weekends. Because the holiday lands between Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays, everyone started calling it Presidents Day even though that’s not the official name.
In 2026, Presidents Day falls on Monday, February 16. Federal workers have ALWAYS had this day off. But Florida state employees? They’ve been working on this Monday every single year. Until now. DeSantis just gave them 2026 off as a one-time thing for the America 250 celebration, and it’s about to make Disney World absolutely INSANE that weekend.
Why This is TERRIBLE News for Disney Guests
Okay so let’s break down why this is such a big problem. The February 13-22 period was already flagged as one of the WORST times to visit Disney World in 2026 based on crowd projections and pricing. Magic Kingdom single-day tickets hit $199 during this window, which is literally the same price as CHRISTMAS. That’s how expensive and crowded Disney expects it to be.
Those high prices exist because Disney’s fancy algorithm looks at school calendars, federal holidays, weather patterns, and historical data to predict when crowds will spike. Presidents Day brings families from all over the country because kids have off school and parents can use the federal holiday for a long weekend trip. Northern families especially love escaping to Florida in February because it’s still freezing up north but gorgeous in Orlando.
Disney set those $199 prices expecting heavy crowds from out-of-state visitors. What they DIDN’T expect was Florida suddenly adding its entire state workforce to the mix. And here’s why that matters more than you might think: Florida residents can make LAST-MINUTE decisions to go to Disney. Someone from New York has to book flights and hotels months in advance. But a Florida state worker who just found out they have Monday off? They can literally decide Friday night to drive to Orlando for a quick weekend trip. That unpredictability is going to create crowd surges Disney’s algorithms didn’t account for.
Plus, think about all the Florida residents with annual passes who already visit regularly. Now they’ve got an extra day to hit the parks during a long weekend. And families throughout Florida who usually avoid expensive peak weeks might reconsider because hey, unexpected three-day weekend, why not?
The Presidents Day Problem Was Already BAD
Even WITHOUT this state holiday announcement, mid-February was already a nightmare time to visit Disney. School districts across the entire northeastern United States schedule winter breaks around Presidents Day. We’re talking New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut – basically every cold state sends families to Florida during this exact week.
February weather in Central Florida is PERFECT. Temps in the 60s and 70s, low humidity, basically ideal conditions for being outside all day at theme parks. Compare that to summer when you’re dying in 95-degree heat with humidity that makes you feel like you’re breathing soup, or even spring break when afternoon thunderstorms roll through every single day. February is genuinely great weather, which is exactly why so many people want to visit then.
The combination of perfect weather, widespread school vacations, and the three-day weekend from the federal holiday creates the ultimate storm for Disney crowds. And families with school-age kids don’t really have a choice about when to visit if they want to go during the school year without pulling kids out of class. So they’re FORCED into these expensive peak weeks, and Disney knows it, which is why they charge premium prices.
America 250 Is the Reason for This Madness
DeSantis tied this whole state holiday announcement to America 250, which is the nationwide celebration happening for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. President Trump created a federal task force in January 2025 to plan massive celebrations, and individual states have their own commissions to organize local events.
Florida decided their contribution to honoring America’s 250th birthday would be giving state workers a day off to celebrate George Washington. Which, cool for state employees, but BRUTAL timing for Disney World crowd management.
There’s also a chance that America 250 brings additional patriotic tourism to Florida and Disney throughout 2026. Disney might do special programming or limited-time experiences related to American history and the anniversary, which would attract even MORE visitors beyond normal levels. So the Presidents Day weekend could see crowds driven by both the normal holiday patterns AND special anniversary tourism.
What This Means If You’re Going That Weekend
If you already booked a Disney trip for February 14-17 before this announcement, you need to mentally prepare for BIGGER crowds than you were expecting. We’re talking longer wait times for every single attraction, more packed walkways, harder to get dining reservations, more competition for Lightning Lane selections, the whole deal.
Your best bet is to get to the parks at rope drop (official opening time) and hit the most popular attractions in the first couple hours before wait times go absolutely bonkers. Like, Space Mountain might be 30 minutes at 9am but 120 minutes by noon on a day like this. Those early morning hours are CRITICAL.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass (Disney’s paid skip-the-line systems) can help, but even those get more competitive during peak periods. You’re paying extra money to skip SOME lines, but you’re still going to be dealing with crowds everywhere else in the parks.
And honestly? Set your expectations appropriately. You’re paying $199 per ticket during one of the most crowded weeks of the year. You’re not buying a less-crowded experience – you’re buying ACCESS during a time when everyone else also wants to be there. If that sounds miserable to you (which, valid), consider visiting literally any other week.
When You SHOULD Visit Instead
If you have ANY flexibility at all in your schedule, avoid Presidents Day weekend like the plague. Early February before the holiday rush is WAY better. You get the same perfect weather, way lower prices (Magic Kingdom tickets drop to like $164), and manageable crowd levels. You can actually walk through the parks without playing human bumper cars.
Late February after schools go back is even better for crowd levels. Families go home, regular work schedules resume, and the parks empty out significantly. You’ll still have decent weather and you won’t be paying premium prices to fight through massive crowds.
September and early November are also solid options if you can handle slightly warmer/more humid weather. Crowd levels hit annual lows, prices drop, and wait times for attractions are dramatically shorter. Yeah, you might deal with afternoon rain in September, but is that really worse than paying $60 extra per ticket to stand in 2-hour lines?
The Florida Resident Wild Card
Here’s what makes this state holiday announcement particularly unpredictable: Florida residents live close enough to Disney that they can make spontaneous decisions. It’s not like booking a trip from California where you need flights and hotels and months of planning. A family in Tampa or Jacksonville can literally wake up Saturday morning and decide to drive to Orlando for the weekend.
Annual passholders are going to take advantage of that Monday off. Locals who usually do day trips on random weekends now have three days to work with. And because so many Florida residents work for the state (teachers, university employees, DMV workers, state agency staff, etc.), you’re talking about a HUGE pool of potential visitors who just got surprise time off.
Disney can’t really account for this kind of last-minute local surge in their crowd projections. Their algorithms are designed around people booking trips in advance, not thousands of locals making impulse decisions the week before.
Look, if you’re a Florida state employee who’s super excited about this extra day off, I’m genuinely happy for you. But PLEASE consider doing literally anything other than going to Disney World that Monday. Go to the beach. Sleep in. Binge a new show. Do anything that doesn’t involve paying $199 to be sardined into theme parks with approximately 80,000 other people who had the exact same idea. Your sanity will thank you.
