Disney World in January 2026 (Dates, Weather, and Crowds)

If you’re considering visiting Walt Disney World in January of 2026, you might be surprised to find out that it’s a busier-than-usual month. I always say that it’s unexpectedly busy. Before I moved to Florida, we traveled around my son’s school schedule, which meant we were always at the parks during the major holidays. A few years ago, when I spent my first full January at Disney World, it was shocking. So what does the month entail?

For starters, the holidays are wrapping up, which means leftover holiday crowds through about the 4th or 5th of the month. Just as it feels like crowds are starting to dwindle, the marathoners show up for the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. This is one of the biggest races of the year, and the parks will be packed. This year’s official race weekend is scheduled for January 7th through the 12th. Right out of the gate, you can see we have a full schedule for the first 1/2 of the month.

As if that’s not enough, the Epcot Festival of the Arts starts the following week on January 16th. This same weekend ends on a Monday (the 19th) with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A holiday weekend + the start of a festival? Yes, it’s another busy time to be at Walt Disney World.

If you’re visiting the last week and a half of the month, you might see a little relief. At least there won’t be any “extra” major events planned like a race weekend, festival start date, or a holiday. Rest assured, more is coming next month in February. Let’s get through January first, though.

What About the Weather in January?

Florida winters can be unpredictable. My best advice is to bring extra clothes that you can layer. At this time of year, you might experience beautiful 75-degree days followed by unexpected temperature drops, forcing you to switch the thermostat from cool air to heat within 24 hours.

We’ve experienced cold fronts in January with temperature dips that have guests flocking to the gift shops to purchase sweatshirts and other winter gear. I tend to wear sweaters that I can wrap around my waist and put on again after nightfall. Items like scarves, gloves, and hats go a long way on chilly evenings. I don’t know about you, but it is difficult for me to stay out in the parks after dark when I’m cold. So it’s something you’ll want to consider.

If you have extras that you don’t really want to tote around all day or return to your resort, you might also consider renting a locker. All of the theme parks have lockers near the entrances. When the weather warms up, you can store your items for the day and then retrieve them when it gets cooler. While this is an extra expense, it will be much more affordable to bring items from home than to buy a round of $50.00 (or more) sweatshirts for everyone.

Now we see this next question often: Can you swim in January at Disney World? The answer is: it’s a toss-up. If you’re hoping to swim, remember that Disney pools are heated to approximately 82 degrees year-round. We have found that the resort pools typically remain open unless the outdoor temperatures drop to about 60 degrees or lower. Some days, the pool might open later if the weather warms up or close earlier in the event of a cold front arriving.

It’s really day by day with the weather in January. On the positive, January is considered the dry season. So while it could rain, it is less likely than some of the more tropical months when it rains almost daily.

January 2026 at Disney World

Here is our timeline for the month:

Major Holidays and Events:

January 1st (New Year’s Day)
January 7th through 12th (Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend)
- January 10th and 11th (Epcot Opens Late at 10:00 a.m. because of the marathon.)
January 16th (Epcot International Festival of the Arts start date)
January 16th through January 19th (Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Holiday Weekend)
January 27th (Magic Kingdom Closes Early at 4:30 p.m. for a private event)

Epcot International Festival of the Holidays: This festival celebrates the arts. It’s an incredible offering with food studios, various mediums of art on display throughout the park, and tributes to performing arts. If you would like to learn more, see our 2025 Epcot Festival of the Arts Guide.

Extended Evening Hours Schedule*:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom (January 1st from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
Epcot (January 5th from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Magic Kingdom (January 7th from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.)
Epcot (January 12th from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Magic Kingdom (January 14th from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Epcot (January 19th from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Magic Kingdom (January 21st from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios (January 26th from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom (January 28th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

Extended Evening Hours are offered twice weekly for deluxe and deluxe villa resort guests. If you would like to learn more about this benefit, see our guide to Extended Evening Hours at Disney World.

Disney After Hours Dates in January 2026

Disney After Hours will be held on the following evenings in January. They will not affect park hours, but you might see more crowds at the park between 7:00 p.m. and regular park closing times as guests begin to arrive for the event:

Magic Kingdom: January 12th and 19th
Epcot: January 22nd and 29th
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: January 14th and 28th

If you would like to learn more, see our guide to Disney After Hours in 2026.

Transportation Outages in January 2026

The Disney Skyliner is scheduled to close for routine refurbishment from January 25 to January 31, 2026. During this time, the following resorts will offer complimentary bus service to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Riviera Resort

The boat dock at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is scheduled to undergo routine maintenance between January 12th through April 2026. Per Disney, the dock will be closed and boat transportation temporarily suspended from Jan. 12–30.

If you would like to learn more about other refurbishments going on at the resorts, see our Disney World Resort Hotel Refurbishment Guide.

Temporary Ride Closures January 2026

Magic Kingdom: The following attractions are closed for refurbishment:

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is closed for a lengthy refurbishment and is expected to reopen in the Spring of 2026.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed for a lengthy refurbishment and is expected to reopen in the Spring of 2026.

Epcot: The following attractions will close for refurbishment:

Frozen Ever After is scheduled to close on January 26th for a brief refurbishment. It is expected to reopen sometime in February.

Hollywood Studios: Nothing is posted for this month.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Nothing is posted for this month, but we’ve posted a reminder for the 1st of February below.

Reminder: DINOSAUR! and what’s left of Dinoland U.S.A. will permanently close on February 2nd. February 1st is the last day to experience this attraction.

For all scheduled refurbishments for the year, see our list of Disney World Ride Refurbishments.

Final Thoughts

We will update this calendar as more announcements are made. As always, we hope that our timelines will serve not only as a current reference but also as a future one. If you’re thinking about visiting in January 2027, the majority of the information outside of refurbishments and slight date changes will be similar.

For all of the other months this year, our When to Visit Disney World in 2026 Guide is the best place to start. Make sure to check back with Resorts Gal soon for the latest Disney news, planning, and reviews. You might also enjoy joining our newsletter list.

In the Comments

Are you planning to visit Walt Disney World in January of 2026? Do you have any questions that we didn’t touch on in this guide? If so, let us know below in our comments section.