Walt Disney World has updated park hours for the week of March 22 2026, with Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios all getting later closing times to accommodate spring break crowds.
Here's the full breakdown of what's changed:
Magic Kingdom
- March 22-26: 9am-11pm (previously 9am-9:30pm)
- March 27-28: 8am-11pm (previously 9am-9:30pm)
Disney's Animal Kingdom
- March 22 and 28: 8am-8pm (previously 8am-6pm)
- March 23-27: 8am-7pm (previously 8am-6pm)
Disney's Hollywood Studios
- March 22-27: 9am-9:30pm (previously 9am-9pm)
- March 28: 8:30am-9:30pm (previously 9am-9pm)
The biggest gains are at Magic Kingdom, which picks up an extra 90 minutes most nights - closing at 11pm instead of 9:30pm. Animal Kingdom sees the largest proportional increase, adding up to two hours on some days from its previous 6pm close.
EPCOT hours are not affected by this update.
Who's in the parks that week
The extended hours reflect what's shaping up to be a busy stretch at Walt Disney World. The March 22 week sits right in the heart of the nationwide spring break window, drawing visitors from several major school districts.
Most Central Florida districts - including Orange County, Polk, and Broward - take their break March 16-20, so local families are largely back in school by March 22. That said, Miami-Dade runs a week later, with spring break scheduled for March 23-27, which puts one of the largest school districts in Florida squarely in the parks that week.
Out-of-state visitors will make up a big chunk of attendance. Most U.S. colleges and K-12 districts cluster their breaks around the week of March 16-22, meaning many families will still be in vacation mode as that week rolls into March 22. Texas districts generally align around mid-March, as do many in the Southeast.
NYC public schools run their spring break from April 2-10, so New York families won't be a major factor that specific week - but visitors from the Midwest, South, and college travelers will be. California schedules vary widely, with USC and CSU systems breaking mid-March and UC campuses running as late as April 4.
Nationally, the single peak week for spring break falls around March 29, so the March 22 week is the lead-in to that peak - busy, but not the absolute worst of it.
Check the WDWMAGIC park hours calendar for the latest schedules.
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