EPCOT’s New Year’s Eve festivities descended into chaos on Wednesday, as dangerous overcrowding and a physical altercation marred what should have been a magical celebration. Walt Disney World Resort guests experienced hazardous “body to body” conditions in the United Kingdom Pavilion before law enforcement responded to a fight elsewhere in the theme park.
New Year’s Celebration Draws Maximum Attendance at Disney World
Walt Disney World Resort experiences extraordinary crowds each New Year’s Eve. Three theme parks—Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios—remain open until midnight, featuring regular nighttime shows supplemented by special fireworks and exclusive entertainment celebrating the year’s end.
Magic Kingdom Park frequently reaches capacity limits before midday, with EPCOT close behind. Disney’s Hollywood Studios attracts the “lightest” crowds, but remains packed. Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes at its regular time, as fireworks and extended hours would disturb the animals living at the theme park.
Dangerous Congestion at EPCOT
Several EPCOT World Showcase Pavilions host celebrations timed to midnight in their represented countries. On Wednesday, this tradition created a crisis in the United Kingdom Pavilion.
X (formerly Twitter) user @bioreconstruct witnessed alarming crowd conditions approaching 7:00 p.m. on December 31—well before American midnight but coinciding with London’s countdown to 2026. Massive crowds flooded the U.K. pavilion for the celebration, generating unsafe circumstances.
Safety problem in EPCOT New Year’s Eve celebration at United Kingdom pavilion. Large number of guests stopped in middle of the walkway minutes before 7pm to wait and then countdown midnight in London. Body to body congestion resulted.
Safety problem in EPCOT New Year's Eve celebration at United Kingdom pavilion. Large number of guests stopped in middle of the walkway minutes before 7pm to wait and then countdown midnight in London.
Body to body congestion resulted. pic.twitter.com/8XjXuYFmiW— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 1, 2026
Fight Breaks Out at EPCOT
Violence erupted at EPCOT roughly 30 minutes following the U.K. Pavilion congestion. A physical fight requiring law enforcement intervention occurred, documented by police scanner account @WDWActiveCrime:
🚨 Police Alert 🚓 – 12/31/25 7:37 PM
🚨: Physical Fight at 📍: Disney’s EPCOT
#WaltDisneyWorld #Disney
🚨 Police Alert 🚓 – 12/31/25 7:37 PM
🚨: Physical Fight at 📍: Disney's EPCOT#WaltDisneyWorld #Disney pic.twitter.com/BnGYHJHJh2— Walt Disney World: Active Calls (@WDWActiveCrime) January 1, 2026
Emergency dispatch near Walt Disney World Resort assigns calls to general addresses rather than specific locations within the park. The Google Maps screenshot in the post doesn’t confirm where officers actually responded to the altercation.
Participants in the fight likely faced removal long before midnight—Walt Disney World Resort security routinely requests police issue trespass notices to guests violating rules, resulting in property-wide bans lasting anywhere from a single day to permanent exclusion.
Is spending New Year’s Eve at the Central Florida Disney parks worth it? Share your thoughts with Disney Dining in the comments!
