The current typical hours at Epcot are 9AM to 9PM. Hours can vary beyond that—for example, there are some dates with 10AM openings or 9:30PM closes. You can view the official Disney hours for Epcot by clicking this link.
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Epcot After Hours is from 10pm - 1am, with guests able to arrive as early as 7pm. We arrived a little after 7pm and was shown to a special event turnstile - with Cast Members holding signs. Upon entry, we were given event wristbands to ensure we could remain in the park after hours!
Discover a world of possibilities at EPCOT—after the gates close! Experience an evening of magic and thrills with a ticket to Disney After Hours event at EPCOT.
The Disney After Hours at EPCOT event takes place from 10.00pm to 1.00am. You can get a head start on the fun by entering EPCOT at 7.00pm. You do not need a Disney park reservation or additional ticket to enter EPCOT after 7.00pm.
EPCOT is arguably the least family-friendly park at Walt Disney World, so you may not need more than a few hours to do everything of interest if you have small children. With that said, a full day at EPCOT is highly recommended for first-timers.
Unfortunately, there isn't an option for a dining ticket or ticket that only grants you entry to the theme park for part of the day. So if you will be visiting Epcot for dinner, you could definitely spend a full day exploring the attractions, entertainment, dining and magic in the theme park.
Disney After Hours is a specially ticketed event (meaning it's a ticket that is purchased separate from regular park tickets) that allows people to enter Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and stay until midnight or 1 a.m. (ending time varies by date).
Wondering if you can return to EPCOT after leaving? Yes, you can leave Epcot and come back... here's what we did during our afternoon break from Epcot to watch football, eat lunch, and let our kiddo rest with a nap during a recent Disney World Vacation.
Is Disney parking free after 6 p.m. (or 7 p.m. or 5 p.m., etc.)? No, unfortunately. We will say that if you are heading into the lots near closing you will often find the booths closed up or Cast Members will just wave you in, but there is no specific time when parking is “free” so you should always plan to pay.
Suffice to say, EPCOT attendance increases throughout the day because more people arrive than leave, and wait times remain fairly steady for a lot of attractions. From a strategic perspective, the best time to do EPCOT is before noon, not in the afternoon or at night.
Epcot Forever is a temporary show, they run it while they are doing lagoon work so it's short and to the point. It runs at approximately 11 minutes or so each evening, which is perfectly quick for tired families but also may be a bit underwhelming compared to other fireworks spectaculars at Disney.
The EPCOT fireworks showtime is usually 9:00pm, every night. Epcot Forever is a temporary show, they run it while they are doing lagoon work so it's short and to the point.
How much does the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival cost? The festival itself is included in the price of admission to Epcot. This isn't a special ticketed event. If you want to enjoy the special food, merchandise, demonstrations, etc., those come at an extra cost.
As a general rule of thumb the best day of the week to visit EPCOT typically tends to be Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. We would recommend visiting on a Wednesday during the festivals mentioned above.
If you are able to walk past all of the tempting pavilions, (what willpower!) your trip around World Showcase is about 1.3 miles. Sooo, considering the fact that you may have strollers and other obstacles in your way, I would allow 30 minutes just to be safe.
So when should you visit for the lowest crowds, generally? Go on a Wednesday! Fewer guests head to EPCOT mid-week and you can hopefully then walk up to the festival booths without having to wait in long lines. As a bonus tip — make sure to visit the festival booths early in the day.
Go EarlyIf you want to avoid long lines there's no simpler way than to wake up early and get to the park before it opens. Whether you have access to early entry or not, being at the park entrance before it opens will save you lots of time. Usually, you can get in 2-3 rides during the first hour of park operation.
Keep in mind that the shops will all close right when Extended Evening Hours end and do not stay open that extra hour like stores do after normal park closing hours. Considering we got on all the most popular rides at EPCOT, I would say that YES Extended Evening Hours are worth it.