2027 Moonlight Magic Party Dates & Registration Revealed for Disney World, Nothing for Disneyland

DVC is bringing back the free Moonlight Magic parties to Walt Disney World in 2027, with dates at EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Typhoon Lagoon. Unfortunately, there’s nothing in the castle parks on either coast, nor are there any nights at Disneyland Resort, period.

During these free after hours parties, DVC members can experience a night of fun: low crowds, rides with low wait times, rare character sightings, exclusive entertainment, and complimentary cuisine. Moonlight Magic is one of our favorite events of the year, and it’s free (with the huge asterisk of having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a Disney Vacation Club contract, plus hundreds to thousands more dollars in annual dues–minor detail).

We’ve done Moonlight Magic pretty much every year for the last decade. We’ve attended Moonlight Magic at every Walt Disney World park except Blizzard Beach, and usually have a blast. We have great memories of Moonlight Magic over the years, including it being our last night in Magic Kingdom before the parks closed for multiple months back in March 2020. Speaking of which, we’d love to see DVC bring back Moonlight Magic at Magic Kingdom; it’s the best park for the perk, and right there in the name!

Highlights for Disney Vacation Club’s privileged partiers include:

• Shorter-than-usual wait times for popular park attractions
• Disney Characters greetings
• Exceptional entertainment
• Complimentary special treats and delectable delights

Here are the event dates for the 2027 Moonlight Magic parties at Walt Disney World…

2027 Animal Kingdom Moonlight Magic Dates

• January 12, 2027
• May 25, 2027

Note: Events were recently added for November 30, 2026 and December 22, 2026. Those are already fully filled up as of November 12, 2026.

For the January 12, 2027 event at Animal Kingdom:

• Early Registration opens on December 15, 2026 – The early registration window for the January 12, 2027 event is open to eligible Members with qualifying Resort reservations*. See the “Know Before You Register” section for more information. All Resort reservations and modifications—including changing your party size—must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 13, 2026. Modifications to your Resort reservation party size after December 13, 2026, will not increase your party size for the event.
• General Registration opens on December 17, 2026 – The general registration window for the January 12, 2027 event is open to all eligible Members (limited availability).

For the May 25, 2027 event at Animal Kingdom:

• Early Registration opens on April 22, 2027 – The early registration window for the May 25, 2027 event is open to eligible Members with qualifying Resort reservations*. See the “Know Before You Register” section for more information. All Resort reservations and modifications—including changing your party size—must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on April 18, 2027. Modifications to your Resort reservation party size after April 18, 2027 will not increase your party size for the event.
• General Registration opens on April 29, 2027 – The general registration window for the May 25, 2027 event is open to all eligible Members (limited availability).

2027 EPCOT Moonlight Magic Date

• September 8, 2027

For the September 8, 2027 EPCOT event:

• Early Registration opens on June 3, 2027 – The early registration window for the September 8, 2027 event is open to eligible Members with qualifying Resort reservations*. See the “Know Before You Register” section for more information. All Resort reservations and modifications—including changing your party size—must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 30, 2027. Modifications to your Resort reservation party size after May 30, 2027, will not increase your party size for the event.
• General Registration opens on June 10, 2027 – The general registration window for the September 8, 2027 event is open to all eligible Members (limited availability).

2027 Disney’s Hollywood Studios Moonlight Magic Dates

• February 2, 2027
• March 9, 2027

For both the February and March 2027 events at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• Early Registration opens on December 15, 2026 – The early registration window for the February 2, 2027 and March 9, 2027 events is open to eligible Members with qualifying Resort reservations*. See the “Know Before You Register” section for more information. All Resort reservations and modifications—including changing your party size—must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 13, 2026. Modifications to your Resort reservation party size after December 13, 2026, will not increase your party size for the event.
• General Registration opens on December 17, 2026 – The general registration window for the February 2, 2027 and March 9, 2027 events is open to all eligible Members (limited availability).

2027 Typhoon Lagoon Moonlight Magic Dates

• June 15, 2027
• July 13, 2027
• August 24, 2027

For the June 2027 Typhoon Lagoon event:

• Early Registration opens on April 22, 2027 – The early registration window for the June 15, 2027 event is open to eligible Members with qualifying Resort reservations*. See the “Know Before You Register” section for more information. All Resort reservations and modifications—including changing your party size—must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on April 18, 2027. Modifications to your Resort reservation party size after April 18, 2027, will not increase your party size for the event.
• General Registration opens on April 29, 2027 – The general registration window for the June 15, 2027 event is open to all eligible Members (limited availability).

For the July and August 2027 events at Typhoon Lagoon:

• Early registration opens on June 3, 2027 – The early registration window for the July 13, 2027 and August 24, 2027 events is open to eligible Members with qualifying Resort reservations*. See the “Know Before You Register” section for more information. All Resort reservations and modifications—including changing your party size—must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 30, 2027. Modifications to your Resort reservation party size after May 30, 2027, will not increase your party size for the event.
• General Registration opens on June 10, 2027 – The general registration window for the July 13, 2027 and August 24, 2027 events is open to all eligible Members (limited availability).

No Moonlight Magic at Disney California Adventure in 2027?

There’s one fewer Moonlight Magic event at Walt Disney World in 2027 versus 2026 thanks to losing an EPCOT night, and the same has happened at Disneyland due to losing a DCA date.

Unfortunately, there was only one Moonlight Magic at Disneyland Resort this year (February 23, 2026 at Disney California Adventure), so that loss of a night brings the grand total to zero DCA dates. This is a bit perplexing, as registration for Moonlight Magic at Disneyland is very competitive, and the Villas at Disneyland Hotel are still in active sales. So it’s not like the demand isn’t there!

On a potentially positive note, there’s this in the email Disney Vacation Club sent out: “Stay tuned for details on other Member-exclusive offerings at Disneyland Resort coming soon!”

It’s unclear what this means, but we assume it is not Moonlight Magic. If it were, it would’ve said as much in an email about Moonlight Magic. Not only that, but the Disneyland event has been in the winter each of the last several years, so an announcement would be expected sooner rather than later.

Disney Vacation Club did recently extend the closure of Star View Station – A Member Lounge at Disneyland for maintenance work to an “anticipated” return in early 2027. Maybe it’s simply the reopening date for that. Or perhaps it’s a completely new lounge elsewhere, due to that building being demolished for the Tomorrowland reimagining. We shall see!

2027 Moonlight Magic Rules

One Event Per Season – In order to allow as many Members as possible to enjoy Moonlight Magic, Members are eligible to register for one event date during each event season regardless of whether your registered event date was confirmed during early registration or during general registration.

2027 Event Seasons:

• Winter: January – March
• Spring: April – June
• Summer: July – September

Moonlight Magic Eligibility – To be eligible for Moonlight Magic, you must be a “blue card” Disney Vacation Club member, meaning that you purchased directly from Disney or bought before the resale restrictions were implemented back in April 2016. If you have a member card, you’re good. This also means that anyone renting Disney Vacation Club points is not eligible for Moonlight Magic. Unlike other on-site perks, Moonlight Magic is based on the membership and not the stay.

Early Booking Eligibility – To qualify for the early booking window, the resort reservation must be booked in the state where the Moonlight Magic event is taking place (Florida, in the case of all 2027 events). Eligible resorts booked using your Membership include every on-site hotel with “Disney’s” in its name, and not just the DVC resorts. Meaning, for example, that All Star Sports, Vero Beach Resort…and everything in between is eligible!

Party Size Limits – A Member can register themselves and up to 4 additional guests per Membership (for a total of 5) —or up to the number of Guests on their Resort reservation. Children younger than 3 years of age do not need to be registered for this event.

Modifications and Cancellations – This event cannot be booked or modified through Member Services. If a Member wishes to change their party size or the date that they are attending Moonlight Magic, they may modify their event registration through the link found in their confirmation email.

Please Note:

• If you cancel your Resort reservation which was used to access early registration, your event registration will be cancelled automatically. This does not apply to Resort waitlists. A Resort waitlist match, cancel and rebook, does not affect the Moonlight Magic event registration.
• Cancelling and rebooking an event registration increases the risk of losing one’s registration.
• Modifications or cancellations of an event registration cannot be made the same day as booking.
• Members are requested to cancel at least 48 hours in advance.

Other Important Information

• Complimentary admission to the after-hours event is valid for the duration of the event. If you wish to enter a park before the event, valid theme park admission and reservation are required.
• This offer is complimentary, nontransferable and cannot be sold. It is subject to availability, change or termination without notice.
• Attendees under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a participating parent or guardian.
• This is a rain-or-shine event; some experiences may be cancelled due to inclement weather.
• Lightning Lanes are not available for use during Moonlight Magic Events.
• Resort reservations must be made by the person listed as the “owner” on the Membership.

Event registration is required to attend the Moonlight Magic events. Register online when your registration window opens. Registration periods for guests with and without resort reservations will vary, as will the window for various parks.

All of the below info is boilerplate based on how things worked this year. One thing we’d note is that registration can be extremely competitive, so you want to be online and ready to join the virtual queue ASAP when your window opens. Even then, you risk being shut out!

Register for Moonlight Magic:

• Visit this page and select “RSVP Online”. Be sure to have your Member number ready.
• You will enter a virtual waiting room, which secures your place in line. Do not refresh the page.
• When it’s your turn, you’ll be sent to the registration form to sign up for a night of Moonlight Magic!

Important Registration Information

• Registration is required and limited. Unfortunately, walk-ins will not be permitted.
• The Member who registers must be in attendance and be the person who checks in their full party.

Checking In

When checking in, please keep in mind:

• Your valid Disney Vacation Club Digital Membership Card and photo ID are required at check-in.
• The Member who was selected during the event registration process must be in attendance to check in their full party.
• The entire party must check in together to gain access to the event.
• Entry prior to the event mix-in time requires a separate paid theme park admission and park reservation.

Our Moonlight Magic Experiences

We’ve attended many Moonlight Magic parties since the event began over a decade ago. Highlights have included stumbling upon rare characters from “a bug’s life” with zero lines to playing mini-golf with Disney Afternoon characters at DCA to being offered an entire box of cookies from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Most recently, we’ve done Moonlight Magic each of the last several winters at Disney California Adventure. A streak that will end in 2027, unfortunately. Over the course of these events, we’ve enjoyed good food, low crowds, and rare characters. One year, we ‘captured’ one of our white whales that we thought we’d never see again: OG Disney’s California Adventure Minnie & Mickey Mouse.

The following year, it was rare characters from Disney Afternoon, including both Rescue Rangers and TailSpin. Characters from Treasure Planet and/or Atlantis were also present, and seemed very good…from what little we remember of those movies. Most recently, it was Duffy and ShellieMay.

In looking back at some of our old party reports, I see there were downsides to each event. There have been instances of surprisingly long lines for food, characters, or attractions since the beginning. There were also events early on when some members literally brought coolers to stock up on ice cream and other snacks, causing the kiosks to run out.

However, we largely ‘smooth over’ the negatives in our minds, fondly recollecting the positives: special fireworks, rare characters, free food, and other unique moments enjoying mostly empty parks with short lines for rides. Even with issues here and there, the Moonlight Magic events are absolutely fantastic.

I would say that in the last two years, Moonlight Magic has really hit its stride at all of the events we’ve attended, but especially DCA. That’s the party we attend year in and year out, whereas we’ve done DHS, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Typhoon Lagoon once each during that same timeframe.

It hasn’t been all perfect. While there’s been an appreciable uptick in rare characters in the last couple of years, entertainment has been lighter than normal, particularly exclusive nighttime spectaculars or special fireworks.

There are also fewer Moonlight Magic events than before. This is also notably occurring as Disney Vacation Club continues to open new properties and sells more points. Disney’s Riviera Resort, Villas at Disneyland Hotel, Villas at Grand Floridian, and Island Tower at the Polynesian are all new or newly-expanded.

By the time these 2027 parties roll around, Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge will also be in active sales! That right there is a ton of additional points, especially since that massive resort is exclusively Disney Vacation Club.

All of this means more members consolidated into fewer nights. This is the exact opposite of what DVC should be doing, and that much is evident in how quickly these parties fill to capacity.

Registration has gotten incredibly competitive, to the point that we’d suggest doubling the number of events–not decreasing it–if Disney really wants to meet demand. Of course, it’s possible that isn’t the goal, and the primary purpose Moonlight Magic serves is marketing. Non-members see the events and have FOMO; prospective purchasers learn of them, and it’s one more thing nudging them in the direction of buying direct as opposed to resale.

I also suspect that Disney Vacation Club increased the attendance caps, resulting in larger crowds at times. Honestly, I am fine with this in light of the above. The events we’ve done have had mostly manageable crowd levels, and a higher cap means more DVC Members can attend. The real long-term solution is adding more events, though.

Ultimately, Moonlight Magic is still great, and the pros of the free event outweigh the cons. It also seems like the team responsible for organizing and hosting the events actually cares and includes some hardcore fans in its ranks. The parties we’ve attended in the last couple of years have been fantastic, with deep-cut characters, old school parks music, and more.

Moonlight Magic is a great event that is essentially a free version of After Hours for DVC Members, with a few extra enhancements that make it better than After Hours, in our view. It’s a great perk for those who are able to take advantage and we’ve really enjoyed attending over the years!

If you’re thinking about joining DVC, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. This covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.

YOUR THOUGHTS

Planning on registering for one of the 2027 Moonlight Magic party nights at Typhoon Lagoon, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT or Animal Kingdom? Have you attended one of the events at Walt Disney World? Disappointed that Disneyland is left out for 2027? Did you meet any rare characters or enjoy special entertainment? What did you think of the experience? Any questions or thoughts about anything in this party report? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!