Menu

Disney’s Magic Kingdom to Close Multiple Hours Early in January 2025

A bustling street scene at a theme park, decorated with orange and yellow autumnal decor. Numerous people are walking, some seated on the ground, while others take photos. Historic-style buildings with flags and signage line the street. The sky is overcast.
Credit: Nicholas Fuentes, Unsplash

Guests traveling to the Magic Kingdom this January may want to double-check what dates they are visiting.

A large, magical castle with blue and gold accents stands majestically under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. Surrounding the castle are fireworks, and at the base, a group of costumed characters engage with onlookers.

Credit: Disney

Related: Live-Action ‘Moana’ Photos Leaked, and Fans Aren’t Loving Them

It was recently confirmed that Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will close significantly early on January 30, 2025. The park will open at 9:00 a.m. that morning but will close to regular guests at 4:30 p.m., several hours earlier than is typical for the theme park.

This early closure is likely due to a Cast Service celebration, during which the Walt Disney World Resort rewards its employees, called cast members, who have reached milestones or accomplished other achievements during their careers.

Guests have seen other theme parks at Walt Disney World shut down early over the last year. Disney’s Hollywood Studios closed early this summer due to the SAP Saphire & ASUG Annual Conference, which featured an exclusive performance by Maroon 5, among other special treats and events.

Concept art for a 'Cars' racing ride in Frontierland.

Credit: Disney

Related: Iconic ‘The Simpsons’ Cast Member Confirms Retirement After 35 Years

This early closure comes ahead of what is likely to be a very busy and very transformative year for the Magic Kingdom, with the theme park set to receive massive upgrades and updates over the next decade. At Disney’s D23 event in August, the company confirmed several new projects will be coming to the Magic Kingdom.

By far, the biggest reveal of the night was Magic Kingdom’s new area inspired by Pixar’s Cars franchise. While similar to what Disney California Adventure has with Radiator Springs Racers and the surrounding areas, Magic Kingdoms’ new car expansion is set to be completely different from its West Coast counterpart.

Disney teased what guests can expect when the new area opens, promising to deliver an incredible new ride experience where guests go off-roading on an all-terrain race course. While exciting, many fans were cautious in regards to where exactly this new expansion would go, with Magic Kingdom being already packed tightly with rides and attractions.

Eventually, Disney dropped the bombshell that Magic Kingdom’s new expansion would take over the area currently occupied by the Rivers of America, the theme park’s man-made river.

Concept art for a 'Monsters, Inc.' ride in which Sully and Mike hang off a moving door painted with flowers, holding a human child named Boo.

Credit: Disney

Related: Late-Night Magic at Disney World: A Thing of the Past

Magic Kingdom isn’t the only theme park in Walt Disney World that will soon see major changes. The Walt Disney Company also announced that Disney’s Hollywood Studios will receive its own Pixar-themed makeover, this time inspired by Monsters Inc. (2001).

This new Monstropolis area will feature an exciting new door-themed roller coaster, something that has long been rumored for the Walt Disney World Resort.

However, much like Magic Kingdom’s Cars expansion, fans are worried about what might need to close at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make way for Mike and Sully.

Stay tuned here for all Walt Disney World news updates!

About Luke Dammann

When at Disney world, Luke will probably be found eating with his favorite animatronic, Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. When not at Disney World, Luke will probably be found defending Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe to people who claim "there are better restaurants"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.