Having a magical time at Walt Disney World is something many of us never want to end. In actuality, if parks like Magic Kingdom didn’t close, many of us would probably only need a short nap to make it all 24 hours.
Think about it: being able to ride Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tron, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean all night long! Sounds like a dream come true!
Well, it’s happened before, and we’re curious if Walt Disney World would ever consider leaving Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, or Hollywood Studios open for 24 hours again.
Disney World Open and Close Times
Typically, on a typical day, not including any potential early theme park entry promotions, Disney Parks at Walt Disney World open between 8–9 a.m., with the exception of the World Showcase, which typically opens around 11 a.m.
Related: Dining at Magic Kingdom: What You Need to Know
Many folks arrive before opening, ready to take on the sights and sounds of Main Street, U.S.A., or with plans to stack as many Lightning Lane reservations as possible.
Magic Kingdom, arguably, Disney World’s most famous park, typically closes at 11 p.m., giving guests the park plenty of time to enjoy all of the magical fun.
However, despite taking advantage of early entry and late closure, it can still be a formidable task to try and attempt each and every attraction at Magic Kingdom in one visit.
High crowds and the need for daily rest make getting everything done almost impossible. It’s even more difficult at Animal Kingdom as the park usually closes earlier than its sister locations due to the animals that call Disney World’s youngest theme park home.
Making the Most of Your Day
There’s so much to see and do around the Walt Disney World Resort that it often feels like it could take a lifetime to do everything! As for Magic Kingdom Park, which is full of nostalgia-inducing attractions and rides, there are around 40 attractions, meaning you’ll need a lot of time to fit them all in; 24 hours seems like it would be sufficient.
Related: Walt Disney World Resort Significantly Reduces Park Operation Hours
For this reason, many take advantage of Disney World’s Genie + system, buying up Individual Lightning Lane reservations to secure their times on popular rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Some even go as far as paying for late-night magic by purchasing late-night parties or even tickets, while others opt for finding reservation opportunities that include an extra magic hour perk. Even then, guests are still constricted by park hours, even when promotions like extended evening hours are in effect.
24-hour Open Access to Magic Kingdom
Imagine, if you will, it’s 3 a.m., and you’ve just hopped off of Space Mountain and are now headed over to Liberty Square for a nice, relaxing showing at the Hall of Presidents.
Sounds amazing, right? Also sounds like a pipedream, but what if I told you that it’s happened before?
That’s right, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park has stayed open for 24 hours before, ignoring their typical park hours, and provided around-the-clock magic and entertainment to guests.
According to AllenAcNguyen1 on Reddit, back in 2012, Disney World hosted a 24-hour event at Magic Kingdom, entitled “One More Day of Magic,” to celebrate Leap Year on February 29!
Is the Magic Kingdom open for 24 hours on February 29th?
byu/AllenAcNguyen1 inWaltDisneyWorld
A little bit of research proves this amazing fact to be actual! Although Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Individual Lightning Lanes, and other relatively newer Magic Kingdom concepts didn’t exist yet, guests were able to spend an entire 24 hours at Magic Kingdom!
Will Disney World Ever Stay Open for 24 Hours Again?
With the knowledge that Disney Park has stayed open to guests for 24 hours, the question quickly becomes, “Will Disney World ever host this type of promotion again?”
Related: Disney’s ‘Happily Ever After’ Performs Late Night Show
The short answer is that it’s almost impossible to know. However, if Disney World did decide to host another 24-hour event, according to respondents, Disney heavily promoted this event.
There’s a catch, though; others were quick to point out that much like “Night of Joy,” the event was extremely tough on Cast Members. Being open for 24 hours is a tough ask of any business, much less one the caliber of Disney World.
So, with that in mind, we can probably assume that Magic Kingdom Park., or any other Disney Park for that matter, will likely not operate on a 24-hour clock again, despite a Leap Year.
They also did 24 hours of summer in May of 2015. I was there for that one. A lot of fun was had but the resort hotels were extremely noisy that night. The parks closed for a couple
Of hours the next morning. The day after all of the parks were very quiet for many hours after opening!
They also did in in May of 2014 called it Rock Your Disney Side. We were there for it and they actually opened up 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, my daughter and I stood in line for about 2 hours to ride it since it was our last night there.
What’s waste of time article like all your others. Read it to end with an old Reddit post and “we don’t actually know”