Let’s talk about what is actually happening at Walt Disney World this weekend, because a lot of people are going to show up Sunday morning, hit a wall of traffic somewhere on World Drive, and have absolutely no idea why.
runDisney is back. The 2026 Springtime Surprise Weekend is in full swing, and if you are visiting Walt Disney World right now without a race bib around your neck, this article is for you.
Here is the short version: roads are closed, EPCOT is opening late, and the people who find out about it in the parking lot are going to have a very different Sunday than the people who read this first.
Now here is the longer version, because you deserve the details.
The 2026 Springtime Surprise theme is Disney duos, which is honestly one of the cuter concepts runDisney has come up with in a while. Friday’s 5K is all about Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from Zootopia. Saturday’s 10K belongs to Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, which, come on. Sunday’s 10-Miler is Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, and if you are doing all three races for the full 19.3-mile challenge, your medal set is Aladdin and Genie. There are also new Genie-inspired Brooks running shoes in the expo merchandise collection and they are already generating a lot of attention in the runDisney community.
The expo opened Thursday at Walt Disney World. Hours are 10 AM to 7 PM Thursday, noon to 7 PM Friday, and 11 AM to 3 PM Saturday. Every runner has to go before their first race to pick up their bib and shirt. Yoga participants are the one exception and can check in at the event location on the day of. For everyone else, it is a required stop, which means the expo is also one more place generating foot traffic across the resort all weekend.
That is important context for why the road closures below hit as hard as they do.
Saturday, April 18: The 10K Closes These Roads
No closures for Friday’s 5K, which is a nice break. Saturday is a different story.
For the 10K on April 18, here is exactly what is closed and when. Backstage Lane at the Red Lot Entrance closes from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM. The Crush Lot Exit Bridge to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:30 AM to 7:00 AM. Epcot Center Drive West to the Epcot Auto Plaza closes from 4:15 AM to 7:00 AM. The EPCOT Parking Exit Loop to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM. Epcot Center Drive West closes from 4:15 AM to 7:00 AM. Overpass Road West at Bonnet Creek closes from 3:00 AM to 9:00 AM. Woodpecker Lane closes from 3:00 AM to 9:00 AM. The World Drive South Ramp to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:45 AM to 7:00 AM.
Most of Saturday’s closures are done by 7:00 to 9:00 AM, so if you are sleeping in before a leisurely EPCOT morning you will probably be fine. Early risers going for rope drop should leave extra time and not count on their normal route being available.
Sunday, April 19: The 10-Miler Closes Basically Everything
This is the one that matters most. The 10-Miler is the longest race of the weekend, it covers significantly more of the resort, and the closures to support it are both more extensive and longer-lasting than anything on Saturday. Some of these roads do not reopen until 10:30 AM. That is not a typo.
For Sunday, April 19, here is the full closure list. Backstage Lane North at the Red Lot Entrance closes from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
Buena Vista Drive East from Osceola Parkway to Cypress Drive closes from 4:00 AM to 8:30 AM. The Buena Vista Drive West Ramp to World Drive South closes from 4:00 AM to 8:30 AM. The Crush Lot Exit Bridge to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:30 AM to 9:45 AM. Epcot Center Drive West from Bonnet Creek to World Drive closes from 4:30 AM to 9:30 AM. The Epcot Center Drive West Ramp to World Drive South closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM. Floridian Way South at the Bear Island Road Exit Ramp closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM.
Overpass Road West at Bonnet Creek closes from 3:00 AM to 10:30 AM. The EPCOT Parking Exit Loops to Epcot Center Drive East close from 3:00 AM to 7:30 AM. The Vista Boulevard Ramp to World Drive South closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM. Woodpecker Lane in the Yellow Lot closes from 3:00 AM to 10:30 AM. World Drive North Ramp to Buena Vista Drive closes from 4:00 AM to 8:30 AM. World Drive South to Buena Vista Drive closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM.
The World Drive South Ramp to Epcot Center Drive East closes from 3:45 AM to 10:15 AM. The World Drive South Flyover Ramp closes from 3:45 AM to 9:30 AM.
That is fifteen separate closures, many of which run past 9:30 or 10:00 AM on a day when guests are trying to get to a park that is already opening late.
EPCOT on Sunday Is a Whole Separate Conversation
Because of the 10-Miler course running through resort property, EPCOT is not opening at its normal 9:00 AM on Sunday. General guests cannot enter until 10:00 AM. Guests with Early Entry access through a Disney resort hotel or eligible partner hotel can get in at 9:30 AM rather than the usual 8:30.
What that means practically: every single guest who would normally spread out across an hour of EPCOT rope drop is instead funneling through the gates at 10:00 AM simultaneously. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will have a line before the park finishes opening. Same story for Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Test Track. The gradual wait time build that experienced EPCOT visitors rely on to sneak onto a couple of rides before the crowds arrive is simply not going to happen on Sunday.
Disney’s own buses, monorail, and Skyliner are also expected to run 30 to 60 minutes behind their normal schedules Sunday morning because of the race operations. So if you are counting on Disney transportation to get you there, build that buffer in.
The honest recommendation: if you can be at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom on Sunday instead, do that. All three parks are running completely normal schedules with zero race impact. If EPCOT on Sunday is already locked into your trip, pivot the day toward the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. The outdoor kitchen booths are excellent right now, the festival atmosphere is genuinely worth lingering in, and a day built around eating your way through World Showcase with Lightning Lane as your safety net is going to beat a frustrating morning of 90-minute standby queues every single time.
Save the Sunday closure list to your camera roll before you leave your resort room. Waze and Google Maps are not always updated fast enough to account for race-day closures in real time, and being the person who already knows which roads are gone is the easiest win of the whole trip. We will be posting live updates throughout the weekend, so check back Sunday morning before you head out and we will have the latest on what the roads and the parks actually look like.
