Evening Extra Magic Hours

The evening Extra Magic Hours program lets Disney resort guests enjoy a different theme park on specified nights for about 2 hours after it closes to the general public. Guests pay no additional charge to participate but must scan their MagicBands at each ride or attraction they wish to experience. You can also show up at the turnstiles at any point after evening Extra Magic Hours have started. Note that if you’ve been in another park that day, you’ll need the Park Hopper feature on your admission ticket to enter. Evening Extra Magic Hours are offered at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but not (yet) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Evening sessions are usually more crowded at the Magic Kingdom and the Studios than at Epcot. Those evening EMH crowds can be just as large as those throughout the day. During summer, when the Magic Kingdom’s evening EMH session runs until 1 a.m., lines at headliner attractions can still be long at midnight. A mom from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, doesn’t mince words:

I say steer clear of a park that is open late. There are only a few attractions open and tons of people trying to get on them.

Note the following tips for touring during Extra Magic Hour Evenings:

• The later that Extra Magic Hours go, the better. For example, many people are willing to stay awake until 11:00 p.m,, but far fewer can make it until 3:00 a.m.
• During busy times of year, make sure you can stay until the end of Extra Magic Hours. You often will not see lines diminish until the last 30-60 minutes of the Evening Extra Magic Hours.
• You will need to show your valid resort room key before entering the queue for an attraction, so make sure each person keeps his or her room key handy. If you arrive at a theme park during Extra Magic Hours, you will need to show your room key at the turnstiles.
• You need valid park admission to enter a theme park, even during Extra Magic Hours. This means that if you visited a different park earlier in the day, your ticket must have the Park Hopper option to enter a park during Extra Magic Hours.
• Evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot are often not beneficial. EMH extends the closing time to 11 p.m. or midnight most nights of the year, and most people can stay up that late. In addition, guests are spread among a small number of open attractions.
• Evening Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom were discontinued in Spring 2011 and are no longer offered.
• Food offerings may be limited during Extra Magic Hour Evenings. Take this into account when planning your dining.
• Except during the busiest times of the year, FASTPASS is not available during Evening Extra Magic Hours.

Disney varies the days on which Extra Magic Hours occur, especially during busy times of year. For that reason, check our Crowd Calendar for specific hours during your visit. In addition, the Extra Magic Hours schedule is in the packet of information you receive upon checking into your resort and is often posted in the lobby of Disney resorts.

Click on a park below for a list of attractions available during Evening Extra Magic Hours: