Alice and Mad Hatter at Epcot Surprise Meet-and-Greet

Mad Hatter Surprises Guests in the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot

Last UpdatedJune 18, 2024

A very merry unbirthday to you! It is indeed a very merry unbirthday if you run into the Mad Hatter. We recently caught him making a surprise character pop-up with Alice in the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot. Unfortunately, the Mad Hatter hasn’t had a traditional meet-and-greet at Walt Disney World in quite some time. He used to appear with Alice near the Mad Tea Party at Magic Kingdom. But these days, Alice’s only meet-and-greet is in front of the Tea Caddy at Epcot.

When I initially walked past this location, I was on my way to meet Daisy at the International Gateway. She has returned to that location since the Mickey and Friends meet-and-greet opened. So I only ran into the endearing friends from Alice in Wonderland by chance. Unfortunately, the line had already been cut. But the cast member said they would return for one final set at 3:45 p.m. I returned at 3:35 p.m. and wasn’t surprised to see several guests already forming a line.

Thankfully, I was still near the front and didn’t have to wait long. Approximately 40 guests were waiting by the time the pair returned. Another cast member cut the line as soon as they began greeting guests. Remember, you always want to get in line early. If you arrive late, you risk not being able to join the line. (In other words, don’t be like the White Rabbit, who’s always running late for very important dates!)

After chatting with Alice and the Mad Hatter, I asked if they minded posing for a few still shots. Of course, the Mad Hatter was more than happy to oblige. Here are a few photos.

The Mad Hatter freezes when asked for a still shot.

Alice and the Mad Hatter carrying on with each other.

The Mad Hatter sticks out his tongue sideways for a pose.

It was a wonderful meet-and-greet opportunity. Hopefully, we’ll see him around a bit more in the future. While this isn’t a dedicated location, I wanted to point out that you should always look out for surprise character meet-and-greets. The Mad Hatter usually meets at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. In fact, this special opportunity was likely part of character training, which takes place often at Epcot.

If you would like an overview of characters who meet regularly in the park, see our guide to meeting characters at Epcot. You might also enjoy our entire list of characters at Disney World. Check back with ResortsGal for more updates!