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'''Disney After Hours''' is a series of separately ticketed, limited-attendance evening events at [[Walt Disney World]] in Florida. On select nights, ticket holders keep a theme park for three hours after it closes to daytime guests, with most major attractions operating, waits close to zero, and complimentary ice cream, popcorn and bottled drinks included in the ticket. The events began at [[Magic Kingdom]] in April 2016 and have since been held at [[Disney's Hollywood Studios]], Disney's Animal Kingdom and [[EPCOT]].

== History ==
Disney After Hours was announced in March 2016 as an experiment in premium late-night access. The first events ran at Magic Kingdom on seven nights between April 14 and May 19, 2016, priced at $149 plus tax. Guests stayed for three hours after closing — until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. depending on the night — and could ride attractions including Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, meet characters at Princess Fairytale Hall, and help themselves to ice cream novelties and selected bottled beverages at carts around the park.

The concept survived its trial and returned in subsequent winters at Magic Kingdom. In December 2018 it expanded for the first time, beginning at Disney's Hollywood Studios on December 8 — opening up the newly completed Toy Story Land at night — and at Disney's Animal Kingdom days later. The events were suspended along with the parks in 2020, and a seasonal variant, Disney Very Merriest After Hours, briefly replaced [[Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party]] in 2021, but the standard After Hours format returned across the parks in January 2023.

On June 1, 2023, [[EPCOT]] hosted Disney After Hours for the first time, completing the current line-up of the three parks where the event is now a regular part of the calendar. A water-park relative, Disney H2O Glow After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon, applies the same formula on summer nights.

== Experience ==
An After Hours ticket is not an add-on to a day ticket: it is admission in its own right, and holders may enter the park from 7 p.m., several hours before the event begins. Once the park closes and daytime guests leave, attendance is capped far below normal levels. In practice that turns headline attractions into walk-ons and lets guests repeat favourites, meet characters without long queues, and cross the park freely.

The included snacks are a signature part of the offer. Carts stationed around the park serve ice cream bars and sandwiches, popcorn and bottled soft drinks and water at no extra charge, all included since the original 2016 run. Selected quick-service locations also stay open for purchases, and the parks occasionally add small extras — DJs, dance parties or rare character appearances — that vary by park and season.

Event times follow each park's closing time, typically 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Magic Kingdom and 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. Tickets are date-specific and priced by park and night, with discounts for annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members on some dates.

Disney After Hours is distinct from the resort's party events. Unlike [[Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party]] or [[Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party]], it has no special parade, fireworks show or seasonal storyline; the product being sold is simply the park itself, emptied. It is also separate from Extended Evening Hours, a free benefit for guests of deluxe resort hotels, with which it is sometimes confused.

== See also ==
* [[Magic Kingdom]]
* [[Disney's Hollywood Studios]]
* [[EPCOT]]
* [[Disney Jollywood Nights]]
* [[Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party]]
* [[Walt Disney World]]

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Walt Disney World]]
[[Category:2016 establishments in Florida]]

Disney After Hours - Revision history

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