Disney World park hours usually stay pretty steady, but it’s incredibly important to check them before your trip anyway, because it IS possible for park hours to change unexpectedly.

Hollywood Studios

Sometimes the park hours change is due to a special party, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which closes the park for non-party guests at 6 PM. If that was your day to head into the park and you didn’t check the hours first, you’ll likely find yourself disappointed that you don’t get a full day, even though you paid the same price as if you were getting one. Other times, the parks close early for no publicly stated reason, and that’s exactly why you won’t want to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios on this ONE October day.

If you’re planning a Disney World trip for October, you’ll want to take a close look at October 20th. While the park is usually open until around 9 PM each day, the park will be closing early at 5 PM. Disney has not revealed what the early closure is for, and it’s common that they often don’t disclose such information, so we’re not expecting to see an announcement.

©Disney

These early closures are usually due to private events happening in the parks, which, as you can imagine, is quite expensive. However, we’ve seen large companies rent out the parks for a few hours in the past, and therefore it’s possible that’s what’s happening here as well. Based on past experiences, it’s our assumption that crowds around Hollywood Studios during operating hours will likely be lower than usual, as most people traveling in for their trips want to spend a whole day in the park. This means that for locals, or those who are more interested in lower crowds than having a full day in the parks, it’s a great day to visit. It also means that you can expect crowds to be higher at the other parks, most likely EPCOT and Magic Kingdom.

Hey Buzz!

The same principle applies throughout October 31st for Magic Kingdom during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and will also be true in both Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios during the holiday season this year. Both parks will close early on their respective party days for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights, so planning around crowds does become more challenging.

Phineas and Ferb at Jollywood Nights

Looking for more recent Hollywood Studios news you may have missed? Check out our posts below!

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest Disney World news, so stay tuned to DFB!

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Do you prefer visiting a park on a day it closes early for lower crowds, or visiting a park when you can have the whole day? Tell us in the comments!