Extended Evening Theme Park Hours is an on-site perk for Walt Disney World guests staying at a Deluxe Resorts, DVC Villas, and select other hotels in 2026. This strategy guide covers everything you need to know: eligibility, ride rosters, how it works, and tips for best using the extra time.
In terms of basics, Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (ExEH) is the indirect replacement for Evening Extra Magic Hours and is the current counterpart to Early Theme Park Entry. However, there are a lot of differences between the morning and evening extra time in the parks.
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours is usually offered after regular park closing on Monday nights at EPCOT and Wednesday nights at Magic Kingdom. That schedule does change from time to time, but is accurate the vast majority of the time. See Walt Disney World’s official calendar for specific times for each event night. Note that if regular hours are added causing park closing to occur later, which happens frequently, Extended Evening Hours shifts to after that.
The pool of eligibility for Extended Evening Hours is fairly small. This nighttime benefit is exclusively for guests staying at Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas (Disney Vacation Club units), and other select hotels (currently only the Swan & Dolphin and Shades of Green). Guests staying at Value or Moderate Resorts are not eligible for Extended Evening Hours.
While originally promoted as a special perk for the 50th Anniversary, Walt Disney World has confirmed that Extended Evening Hours will continue throughout all of 2026. There are other updates thanks to official announcements and omissions from Walt Disney World.
Here’s the upcoming Extended Evening Hours schedule for Walt Disney World:
2026 Extended Evening Hours Dates & Times
- Monday, March 2, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, March 4, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9PM – 11PM
- Monday, March 9, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, March 11, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9:30PM – 11:30PM
- Monday, March 16, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, March 18, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9:30PM – 11:30PM
- Monday, March 23, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, March 25, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9:30PM – 11:30PM
- Monday, March 30, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, April 1, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9:30PM – 11:30PM
- Monday, April 6, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, April 8, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9:30PM – 11:30PM
- Monday, April 13, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, April 15, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 9:30PM – 11:30PM
- Monday, April 20, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, April 22, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 10PM – 12AM
- Monday, April 27, 2026 — EPCOT, 9PM – 11PM
- Wednesday, April 29, 2026 — Magic Kingdom, 10PM – 12AM
- Monday, May 4, 2026 — Animal Kingdom, 6PM – 8PM
That’s as far out as the schedule currently goes. These hours are subject to change if normal park hours get extended, which could happen with any of the Magic Kingdom closings during Spring Break season, especially if two Starlights are scheduled. EPCOT hours are seldom extended, so those times are likely set.
As you can see, it’s a pretty consistent schedule, with only one anomaly: May 4, 2026. On that date, ExEH switches to Animal Kingdom from 6pm to 8pm. Here’s hoping the regular park closing time is pushed until 7pm or 8pm so Extended Evening Hours actually happens at night.
It’s unclear why EPCOT isn’t hosting on that date, but the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo Convention coincides with those dates, and Gartner usually does a park buyout for a private event. So our money is on that. This will probably be a one-off, with EPCOT hosting again on subsequent Mondays.
The bigger question is what happens with Extended Evening Hours in Summer 2026.
Last year, ExEH switched from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom for almost all of summer. This schedule change started ahead of Disney Starlight Night Parade’s debut, and continued for most of July through early 2026. There were a handful of Magic Kingdom dates post-July, but not many.
If Starlight is scheduled to have two performances per evening throughout Summer 2026, this will probably happen again. However, a second Starlight showtime isn’t a guarantee. That’s already not happening right now, and winter is busier than summer. Moreover, there were a lot of guest complaints about Animal Kingdom hosting ExEH last summer, as the event was over by 8 pm most nights–before sunset.
Regardless of what happens in Summer 2026, it’s highly likely that Magic Kingdom will stop hosting Extended Evening Hours in Fall 2026. This is due to Party Season, when Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) multiple nights per week from August through December 2026.
In all likelihood, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will host Extended Evening Hours on Wednesdays between September and late October 2026, with Animal Kingdom taking over starting on November 4, 2026 due to the Jollywood Nights Christmas Party that’s hosted at DHS in November and December. From then until early 2026, Animal Kingdom will likely host the second Extended Evening Hours of the week.
In other words, even though the schedule is not yet published that far out, you should plan for Magic Kingdom to not host Extended Evening Hours between roughly September 16, 2026 and January 6, 2027. If it does, consider yourself lucky!
This may seem like a downgrade, but we’ve done Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom a couple of times during the Party Season in the past, and it has been bonkers busy. Moving it over to DHS and Animal Kingdom during those busy stretches is the right move for everyone.
This is especially true when it shifts to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which has several headliners. (Due to the layout of the parks and distance between big rides, we prefer Extended Evening Hours at DHS to EPCOT.) Animal Kingdom is also underrated in the evening, but we’d prefer to just do a normal night there at Christmastime.
This has more or less been the cadence of previous years, with ExEH switching from MK to DHS once MNSSHP kicked into high gear, and then from DHS to DAK once Jollywood Nights started. There might be the aforementioned schedule anomalies on a couple of dates, but that should be the trend for the remainder of the year.
Other such anomalies could occur once DJN and MVMCP wind down, during and around the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But that hasn’t happened in previous years–ExEH moved to Animal Kingdom and stayed there. Although Extended Evening Hours still isn’t as desirable at DAK, at least in November, it occurs entirely at night due to the earlier sunset time.
Turning to a topic of confusion, Extended Evening Hours is distinct and different from After Hours at Magic Kingdom and After Hours at EPCOT. Those are hard ticket events to which anyone can purchase admission. After Hours also lasts longer and includes refreshments.
Although the schedule varies, Magic Kingdom typically hosts After Hours on select Monday and Thursday nights–but not Wednesdays. It’s also worth noting that After Hours prices range from $125 to $175.
By contrast, Extended Evening Hours are “free” for guests staying in the aforementioned hotel tiers, are shorter in duration, and do not include refreshments. After Hours and Extended Evening Hours are also held on different dates. If money is no object, After Hours is unquestionably better, but that’s a pretty big asterisk. We’ll take the “free” event any day of the week over having to pay extra–they’re not that much different.
Early Entry is also different from Extended Evening Hours. Obviously, one occurs in the morning and the other at night. Beyond that, Early Entry is offered at all 4 theme parks every single day, runs for 30 minutes, and every on-site resort guest is eligible, including the third party on-property hotels. For everything you need to know about that benefit, see our Strategy Guide for Early Theme Park Entry at Walt Disney World.
Once again, Extended Evening Theme Park Hours has two types of resort eligibility, occurs two nights per week, is at two parks, and runs for two hours (pretty much everything about the perk occurs in twos).
The other big difference is that you can accomplish a tremendous amount during Extended Evening Hours. We’ve done it at both Epcot and Magic Kingdom, and it’s been great in both parks–eerily uncrowded by the end, with most attractions being walk ons.
With that said, it’s definitely superior at Magic Kingdom, and that’s largely due to the more robust ride roster–and the fact that several headliners are located near one another. Magic Kingdom has as many popular attractions in Fantasyland as is the case in the entirety of Epcot. (Read about one such experience in our Evening Extended Hours at Magic Kingdom Photo Report.)
Speaking of which, a little more strategizing is required in order to knock out Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, Test Track, Soarin’ Around the World, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind during a single Extended Evening Hours in Epcot.
Read about one of our recent attempts at this in Evening Extended Hours at EPCOT Strategy & Report, which offers play-by-play from one night that we did a couple months ago. Still, we had a fantastic time and highly recommend taking advantage of Extended Evening Hours in both parks, if you’re eligible.
Before singing its praises too much, we should probably address the elephant in the room: that “if eligible” asterisk. Many Walt Disney World fans have been critical about Extended Evening Hours for excluding Value and Moderate Resorts.
Their perspective is that it caters to the wealthy or creates two tiers of on-site hotel guests. Obviously, the point about lower tier resorts not being eligible is accurate. The other points are subjective, and the same claims could be made about off-site vs. on-site guests with the Early Entry benefit.
Obviously, no one likes losing access to a perk, but the reason Extended Evening Theme Park Hours are this enjoyable is because it’s limited to a small subset of guests. Evening Extra Magic Hours were crowded to the point of being practically useless and unenjoyable in their last couple of years.
Extended Evening Hours are way better than that, and also superior to the new early entry offering. That’s despite this only occurring two nights per week and thus “consolidating” crowds into that single evening. For the most part, there haven’t been a ton of guests taking advantage of this–and that has been true even during peak season. Extended Evening Hours have been glorious–for those who are eligible.
In any case, we’re not here to debate the fundamental fairness of Extended Evening Hours. Rather, the purpose of this guide is to provide info about the benefit and help you make the most of it.
To that end, potential options for taking advantage of Extended Evening Hours without breaking the bank include doing Disney Vacation Club Point Rentals or booking the Swan & Dolphin Resorts, which are usually roughly the cost of a Moderate Resort.
Another idea that we really like is doing a split stay, splurging on a night at a Deluxe Resort (see How to Do Split Stays at Walt Disney World Hotels) and then doing budget accommodations the rest of your vacation. You could also do a two night-stay, checking in on a Monday and out on a Wednesday, in order to take advantage of both Extended Evening Hours nights.
If you really wanted to go big, pair that with Club Level, taking advantage of the early/late hours and enjoying the club during the middle of the day. You could pretty accomplish every worthwhile attraction in Magic Kingdom or Epcot during the first few hours of the day plus the last few hours of the night.
Do breakfast in one of the Club Level lounges, while also enjoying a pool day and every other food and drink spread (save for desserts). That would be an awesome way to TREAT YO SELF, and could be made possible by cutting costs elsewhere from your Walt Disney World vacation budget.
Next, let’s take a look at the eligible hotels for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours…
Extended Evening Hours Eligible Disney Owned Hotels
Deluxe Resorts
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Disney Vacation Club & Deluxe Villa Resorts
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Cabins at Fort Wilderness – Disney Vacation Club Resort
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Extended Evening Hours Eligible Third Party Hotels
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green
Next, the attractions lineup for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours…
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours Attractions – Magic Kingdom
- “it’s a small world”
- Astro Orbiter
- The Barnstormer
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (closed until 2026)
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- TRON Lightcycle Run
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours Attractions – Epcot
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Test Track
Extended Evening Hours Attractions – Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Seasonal)
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Toy Story Mania!
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Extended Evening Hours Attractions – Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Seasonal)
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Na’vi River Journey
As you can see, not all Walt Disney World attractions are available during Extended Evening Hours. With minor exceptions, these lists are identical to the old evening Extra Magic Hours with headliners being the emphasis.
Moreover, the Extended Evening Theme Park Hours schedule and available attractions are subject to change without notice. Applicable theme park, days and times of operation, attraction and service availability may vary and are subject to change without notice. Subject to capacity and cancellation. [Insert other boring boilerplate caveats.]
Valid theme park admission and MagicBand, Key to the World Card, or Disney MagicMobile pass is required. Guests without the Park Hopper Option or Park Hopper Plus Option must spend the day at the same park where they’d like to enjoy the Extended Evening Theme Park Hours benefit.
To validate eligibility, Cast Members are stationed outside each attraction entrance, scanning MagicBands, hotel room keys, etc. Unlike Early Entry, this happens at every single attraction throughout the night—not just once upon arrival. That’s because other guests are already in the parks–that’s the only feasible way to determine who can ride attractions since the parks are not actively cleared at the start of Extended Evening Hours.
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours Strategy
Strategy for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours is surprisingly simple. Start with less popular attractions and finish with more popular ones. Basically, do rides in reverse order of wait times, while still keeping in mind that 2 hours goes by quickly, meaning you don’t want to waste any of that time on attractions that will have minimal daytime waits (assuming you’re also visiting the same park during the day).
One key to this is coupling Extended Evening Theme Park Hours strategy with Lightning Lane usage, or lack thereof. (See our Guide to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for everything you need to know.) In particular, guests who are eligible for ExEH probably do not need to buy Lightning Lane Single Pass, and should instead backload those attractions into the end of their evening.
Let’s quickly run through what this means for each park.
At Magic Kingdom, your last three attractions should be Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train–with that order making the most sense. Try to time it so you get into line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ~5 minutes before the end of Extended Evening Hours. Disregard the posted wait time, as it’ll almost certainly be significantly inflated to discourage you from doing it.
Then there’s TRON Lightcycle Run.
Doing it at the very end of the evening is the best approach, but you’ll often find that the line is 45+ minutes then. Alternatively, if you don’t mind missing the fireworks, riding then–before the start of ExEH–can be the optimal approach.
At Epcot, the strategy is a tad more difficult because there are only a handful of popular attractions, all of which command decently-long waits during Extended Evening Hours. Conversely, everything else is relatively unpopular and will be a walk-on, but that’s also true during most of the daytime operating hours. With that said, end your evening with Soarin’ Around the World, Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Ideally, you’ll jump into line for the Rat Ride about 5 minutes before the end of the night. The added benefit here is that you’ll be able to take a long, leisurely stroll out of World Showcase with no one else around. You might even be able to go the “long way” around to exit the park–assuming you’re not leaving through International Gateway.
Since Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind switched to standby, we haven’t had a chance to test ExEH strategy. Our expectation is that the optimal approach will be similar to After Hours at EPCOT, where doing it last will be best. This is in large part because the pre-shows are so long that Cosmic Rewind takes up a lot of time from start-to-finish. And demand is high, so pushing that wait until after ExEH has ended is ideal.
When DHS offers another Extended Evening Hours, our recommendation is starting with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, followed by Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, and finishing with Slinky Dog Dash before jumping in line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance right at the very end of the night.
Basically, the idea is starting with the lowest-demand attractions and finishing with highest. It remains to be seen whether Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will participate in ExEH in Late 2026. It’s not on the official list, but it has been open on a hit or miss basis in the past. If it’s not participating, we’d recommend jumping in line for that shortly before official park closing.
Ultimately, that’s everything you need to know about Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at Walt Disney World. What you do earlier in the night doesn’t really matter, so long as you set aside sufficient time for the aforementioned headliners at the very end.
We will continue updating this strategy guide in the coming months as Extended Evening Hours continue to evolve, and as things “settle down” and find their groove. Stay tuned–we’ll continue to cover all of the important planning details and also share more Extended Evening Hours photo reports from our experiences with this new on-site hotel benefit!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at Walt Disney World? Excited to take advantage of the new on-site guest perk or think it’s too short to be useful? Disappointed about the eligibility rules or attraction lineups? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!