What events, festivals are taking place at Disney World in 2020

When should I visit Walt Disney World? When is the best time to visit Disney World? These are common questions most people who have never been to Disney World ask.

The answer is a bit more complicated. In most instances, the decision on when to visit will hinge on when you and your children are free. For those who work, you need to consider when you are available for vacation. If you have children, it will probably depend upon when they are on vacation, or if you feel comfortable taking them out of school.

This will give you a few small windows of availability for vacation. Which means spring break or summer vacation.

The other consideration are the crowd levels. There are numerous sites that offer crowd calendars, however, you can guess that spring break, major holidays and summer are for the most part going to be busy.

So, what if you can go on vacation any time of the year? When should you go? Again, it depends on what you might be interested in during the year. Each season brings something different to Walt Disney World Resort and once you know what each season brings, you will have a better idea of when you might want to go.

Luckily, Disney is fairly predictable as to what happens during each season. The one outlier is when new rides and attractions will open. Normally, Disney opens rides during key parts of the year that normally coincide with the start of the Epcot festivals and summer season.

So let’s take a look at what happens events and festivals take place during 2020 to give you some insight to make the decision.

JANUARY

New Year’s Day – Jan. 1, 2020 – The start of the new year starts begins with the cleanup of the Christmas decorations. Normally if you come the first few days of the year, you will still be able to see the holiday decorations up, which are phenomenal.

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend — Jan. 8-12, 2020

Epcot International Festival of the Arts — Jan. 17 – Feb. 24, 2020 – This festival offers the opportunity to meet Disney artists, eat special foods and has the Disney on Broadway concert series.

Disney After Hours – Select nights from January 2020 until May 2020 – These are specially ticketed events (which means extra cost), but get you into some various parks for a few extra hours with a smaller amount of people in the park.

Disney Villains After Hours — Select nights from Feb. 7, 2020, until July 2020 – The special extra ticketed event brings together the villains for a night of partying, a phenomenal stage show “Villains Unite the Night” (see our review here) and you get to see Maleficent the Dragon breath fire at night.

FEBRUARY

 Super Bowl Parade – Feb. 3, 2020 – The day after the Super Bowl normally has the Super Bowl champs parade down Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom.

Valentine’s Day – Feb. 14, 2019 – The resort normally offers special meals usually a couple of special events.

President’s Weekend – Feb. 15-17, 2020 – The weekend normally has some larger crowds. This also usually brings longer park hours.

Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend — Feb. 20-23, 2020

Mardi Gras – February 25, 2020 – Restaurants at Disney Springs normally offer some special menus and there is a mini-float parade at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort (on Fat Tuesday.

MARCH

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival — March 4 – June 1, 2020 – The festival features dozens of Disney character topiaries, Outdoor Kitchens and performances during the Garden Rocks Concert Series.

Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival – March 17, 2020 – Raglan Road at Disney Springs throws an annual celebration with live entertainment, dancing and face painting.

Spring Break 2020 – Mid-March through April – During this crowded time of the year, Disney employs several strategies to disperse crowds, including offering additional entertainment at alternative parks other than the Magic Kingdom and opening or offering seasonal restaurants or dining options.

APRIL

Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon Weekend — Apr. 16-19, 2020

Easter – April 12, 2020 – There will be a number of special dinners and food offered. Epcot will have its annual Easter Egg Hunt and the Grand Floridian normally has a display of specially designed Easter Eggs.

Earth Day – April 22, 2020 – Animal Kingdom celebrates is anniversary on Earth Day usually with a special three-day Party for the Planet, with special events.

MAY

H20 Glow Nights – Late May-Late August – The Typhoon Lagoon water park parties at night with this specially-ticketed event. There is dancing on the beach, party games, special food and of course, all of the water activities.

Memorial Day Weekend – May 25, 2020 – Disney normally has a summer theme and introduces limited-time events and shows. The resort also uses this time to open new rides and extend all park hours. This is also when crowds start to grow.

JUNE

Summer Season – The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival ends June 1 and now the heat and the crowds come.

JULY

Independence Day – July 4, 2020 – Walt Disney World celebrates the Fourth of July with special fireworks at the Magic Kingdom and special shows at the various theme parks.

AUGUST

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party — Select nights from mid-August to October 31, 2020 – Halloween comes early to the Magic Kingdom. The special ticketed event takes place on select nights and includes a special parade, special shows, foods and special merchandise.

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival — August to November 2020 – This is the time of year to eat, drink and be merry. The festival has dozens of food kiosks, food and wine seminars, and the Eat to the Beat Concert Series.

SEPTEMBER

End of Summer Season– Normally this month sees the end of the summer special events taking place that starts in June.

OCTOBER

Magic Kingdom, Epcot Anniversaries -October 1, 2020 – Magic Kingdom opens Oct. 1, 1971, and Epcot opened Opening Oct 1, 1982. There are usually some special events taking place.

November

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend — November 5-8, 2020

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party — Select nights from November to December 2020 – The special ticketed event has special “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks” show, “A Frozen Holiday Wish,” “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration,” “A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas,” Club Tinsel, the Disney Junior Jingle Jam and “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade” as well as snow falling on Main Street.

Holiday Celebrations at Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs – November to December 2020 – Disney rolls out special events, shows and projection shows. At Animal Kingdom, decorations are placed throughout the theme park, the Tree of Life has a special series of wintry tales and special food is available; at Hollywood Studios, the nighttime spectacular “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” takes place as well as other holiday decorations; and Disney Springs will have the Christmas Tree Trail, Santa’s Chalet and Stitch’s Holiday Gift Hunt.

Epcot International Festival of the Holidays — November to December 2020 – Yuletide traditions from across the globe are at the heart of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. The theme is immersed in a vast world of holiday decorations and entertainment, themed merchandise, festive cuisine and costumed storytellers in many of the 11 World Showcase nations. The Candlelight Processional features the retelling of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator backed by a 50-piece orchestra and massed choir. Performances will run three times nightly during the festival.  Special Holiday Kitchens will be sprinkled throughout World Showcase.