Magic Kingdom to Close Early For Private Park Event This May
From time to time, one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World will close early for a seasonal party or a private event. Per a recent release of operating hours, Magic Kingdom will close early on May 13, 2026. The park is scheduled to close that evening at 5:30 p.m. This closing is due to a park buyout for the SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference in Orlando.
Per the conference’s website, the private event will be held that evening at Magic Kingdom between 7:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., featuring the Grammy Award-winning Dave Matthews Band. The website summarizes what guests can expect:
Enjoy iconic attractions, beloved Disney characters, delicious food, and a private concert against the backdrop of Cinderella Castle—a celebration night you won’t want to miss.
As always, we like to remind our readers that there are advantages and disadvantages of visiting the Magic Kingdom on a date when the park closes early. Obviously, the negative factor is that the park closes early. If your time at Magic Kingdom is limited to one day, it would be a shame to miss seeing the park after dark and not getting to see the evening fireworks or parade.
That said, if you have more than one day to spend at Magic Kingdom or have the park-hopper ticket, you might prefer to take advantage of what will likely be lower crowds on this date. Mid-May is already a slower time of the year. While there are no guarantees, crowds tend to be significantly milder on days when Magic Kingdom closes earlier. Not everyone is willing to burn their ticket on a day when the park closes to the general public early. So it’s definitely something to consider (either way).
We’ll add this to our May timeline. If you’re visiting Disney World in May, you might like our complete guide:
Disney World In May 2026 (Weather, Crowd Expectations, and Details)
In the Comments
Will you be visiting around this time? If so, will this early closing affect your plans? Let us know in the comments below.
