Disney World in August 2025 (Weather, Important Dates, and Tips)

August has always been an interesting month at Disney World. It’s the month that feels like everyone else will be busy getting ready for back-to-school, so you can just sneak the family down to the parks for a last summer hurrah! Once you arrive, you realize you’re not the only one who had the same idea. August. It’s gonna be a hot one and likely busier than you would expect.

This month kicks off the Fall and Halloween season at Walt Disney World. Yes, it’s early, but it also allows guests a larger window of time to experience it. Halloween decorations go up at Magic Kingdom fairly early in the month.

The first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party kicks off on the 15th. The party season brings a whole new wave of guests. If you’re visiting during this time, you need to be aware of party nights. There are advantages and disadvantages of visiting the Magic Kingdom on a party date. As far as negatives, the park closes early. So if this is your only day at Magic Kingdom, we recommend choosing a non-party date. It would be a shame not to see the fireworks or explore the park after sunset.

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 lower crowds on a party date. While there are no guarantees, the party dates tend to be significantly slower at Magic Kingdom because not everyone is willing to burn their ticket on a day when the park closes to the general public at 6:00 p.m. This same fact will make non-party dates busier through the end of the year, during both the Halloween and Christmas party season.

As far as the weather goes, the heat will be intense. Both August and September are the worst months of the year to visit Disney World in terms of high temperatures. I say it often in our newsletter and here on the site, but I’ve seen numerous guests pass out within a few steps of me due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. The heat affects everyone to some extent. So remember:

• Hydrate ahead of time and continue to stay hydrated during your trip. (This is so important.)
• Take breaks as needed. Check in with everyone in your party often. Some might need more breaks than others.

Hurricanes are also possible in August, so you’ll want to remain weather aware. If you’re investing a decent amount of money in your trip (regardless of when you visit), you might want to consider purchasing trip insurance. To be fully transparent, as regular visitors, this is not something we do often for Disney World. But it is something that adds an extra layer of protection when we cruise or plan once-in-a-lifetime trips to other destinations. An authorized Disney travel planner can help you better discern should you have any questions.

Here’s what we have so far for August.

Other Reminders

Cool Kid Summer: Disney’s Cool Kid Summer promotion features numerous activities and character interactions designed specifically for children. For more on what to expect, see our guide to Disney’s Cool Kid Summer. (This is the last full month for this event. It ends on September 1st.)

Extended Evening Hours for deluxe and deluxe villa resort guests are all over the place in August. We have a separate overview of what to expect here.

Magic Kingdom Temporary Ride Closures This Month: The following attractions are closed for refurbishment:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed for a lengthy refurbishment until sometime in 2026.
• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin closes in early August, as noted in the timeline above.
• The Dumbo Play While You Wait Area (indoor children’s playground) remains closed. It is scheduled to reopen “later this year,” per Disney. (The ride is open; this is only specific to the play area.)

Magic Kingdom Permanent Closures: The Liberty Square Riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island, and Rivers of America all permanently closed in July of 2025.

Epcot Ride Closures in July: Spaceship Earth closes on August 25th for refurbishment. It is expected to reopen later this year.

Hollywood Studios: You may remember that Muppet*Vision 3D, Pizzerizzo, and Mama Melrose have all permanently closed. No temporary closures are currently scheduled.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: You may remember that the following attractions closed permanently earlier this year:

• TriceraTop Spin
• It’s Tough to be a Bug
• Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures
• Fossil Fuel Games.

Planning for Next Month

• September 1st: Cool Kid Summer ends at Walt Disney World
• September 2nd: The Boneyard Playground and Dig Site permanently close at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. (Announcement Here)
• September 24th: This is the last day to experience Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including Star Wars Launch Bay, the Disney Junior Play and Dance, and the Star Wars Disney Visa Cardholder Meet-and-Greet. A new animation-inspired experience is coming to this area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2026.
• September 27th: Last day to pick up the Crush annual passholder magnet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Final Thoughts

We will update this calendar as more announcements are made. We’ve updated our July 2025 timeline to include major items announced throughout the month. We hope that these timelines will serve not only as a current reference but also as a future one.

• November 2025 at Disney World
• October 2025 at Disney World
• September 2025 at Disney World
• June 2025 at Disney World
• May 2025 Disney World Timeline

Or you can return to our 2025 Disney World Monthly Planning Guide.

More Planning

At Resorts Gal, we specialize in helping you plan the perfect Disney World vacation. Start with our Disney World Resorts Guide for an overview of every resort hotel, or explore our Disney World Dining Guide and Disney World Transportation Guide to plan where to eat and how to get around. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.

For big-picture planning, visit our Disney World Planning Guide and Disney World Budgeting Guide. You can also browse the latest news on our blog. Once you’ve explored these guides, consider taking our free planning course to tie it all together.