What’s Happening in July 2026 at Disney World & Why Crowds Will Still Be Low.

There’s a lot happening at Walt Disney World in July 2026, with fairly significant changes, subtractions and additions during the month despite it being the midpoint of Cool Kids’ Summer and over a month after the big wave of new & reimagined attractions debuted. This covers everything happening next month at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and beyond.

Although there’s a more in-depth discussion of crowds deeper in the post, we’ll start with the good news, which is that this summer is once again a slow one at Walt Disney World. Thus far, June has been the slowest month of 2026, beating May for that title with a 2-minute average decrease in wait times. June 2026 is also down versus June 2025 by 3 minutes.

It is likely July 2026 will be even slower than June, as has been the case every single year since 2022. If recent trends hold, next month could be as slow as September 2025. That currently has the lowest average wait times of any month in the last twelve, as post-summer is usually the slowest two-month stretch of the entire year.

While it may not be quite that slow, we do not expect July 2026 to be the month that finally bucks that several-years-running trend of progressively lower crowds each month of the summer. Unless you’re visiting for the second of the twin peaks or the ‘last hurrah’ of summer, you can expect to encounter low to moderate crowds. The weather should be your bigger worry than the wait times.

Against that backdrop, here’s everything happening next month at Walt Disney World…

La Poutinerie Opens

The Refreshment Port at EPCOT will soon become La Poutinerie hosted by Air Canada. This World Showcase dining spot has been closed since January 12th, and has had a large set of construction walls around it since. Finally, our long international nightmare of a poutine-less EPCOT is almost over. La Poutinerie will officially open on July 1, 2026.

The redesigned building will feature new La Poutinerie signage, a centerpiece featuring Canada geese in flight, maple trees with fall foliage, and new landscaping with flowers and rocks. There’s also new decorative elements on the building itself, including stone and wood paneling.

La Poutinerie has a new menu with more alcohol, plus two authentic poutines (from Quebec and Montreal). It’s actually a more limited menu than it was previously, due to the removal of chicken fingers and a dessert. Here’s hoping more gets added in August for the start of the 2026 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

Bonus Independence Day Fireworks

As part of the United States Semiquincentennial celebration, Walt Disney World is adding bonus nights of the beloved fireworks show “Disney’s Celebrate America! — A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky,” playing across all three nights of the holiday weekend, July 3-5, 2026, at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom.

In addition to that, the “Heartbeat of Freedom” tag will be performed at EPCOT for multiple nights beyond July 4, 2026. This special Independence Day fireworks finale occurs after Luminous: Symphony of Us, and will also be shown July 3 and 5, 2026. Here’s the schedule:

Disney’s Celebrate America! – A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky

• July 3, 2026: 9:00 pm
• July 4, 2026: 9:00 pm
• July 5, 2026: 9:00 pm

Heartbeat of Freedom Tag

• July 3, 2026: 9:15 pm
• July 4, 2026: 9:15 pm
• July 5, 2026: 9:15 pm

Magic Kingdom is open until midnight on July 4, 2026, and there are also two performances of Disney Starlight Night Parade, at 10 pm and midnight. To the best of my recollection, the 12:00AM showtime is the latest Starlight has ever been performed. (Normally, the fireworks would shift to 10 pm and Starlight would be at 9 pm and 11 pm. That didn’t happen for whatever reason.)

Additional activities include flag retreat ceremonies, performances by the Dapper Dans and Main Street Philharmonic, an extended run of the Portraits of Courage exhibit honoring post-9/11 veterans through Fourth of July weekend, and more. Fans can head to Disney Springs for festive décor, plus special performances from the United States Air Force Band of the West.

Lower Fourth of July Crowds

If you can handle the heat, the week of Independence Day is a great time to visit Walt Disney World. That goes for summer, as a whole, really. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that Memorial Day through Labor Day is the busiest stretch of the year in Florida, summer crowds are no longer unbearable (just the weather).

This ‘contrary to conventional wisdom’ bit even applies to Independence Day! This long weekend used to have 10/10 crowds and be among the busiest holidays of the year. That is no longer even remotely the case. To the contrary, it has become below-average.

Independence Day 2023 was downright dead at Walt Disney World. It was such a hot topic that it drew an explanation from CEO Bob Iger, who attributed the slowness to an exhaustion of pent-up demand in Florida as a whole and unseasonably bad weather. He wasn’t totally wrong, but pricing and aggressive ticket blockouts were the bigger culprit.

Independence Day 2024 crowds were again unexpectedly low, even minus blockouts. Walt Disney World as a whole had an average wait time of 26 minutes on July 4, 2024. That was down as compared to the last two weeks of June, which had average wait times of 35 minutes (second to last week) and 31 minutes (last week).

Fourth of July 2025 crowds were similarly slow. The first week of July had a 26 minute average and crowd level of 1/10. Sunday, July 6th was the slowest day of summer (and the entire year up to that point). This was a sharp contrast to the last week of June, which was tied for the busiest week of summer.

It’s a complete certainty that the first week or so of July 2026 won’t be as bad as 2019 or earlier. We’d nevertheless expect higher crowd levels than the last three years by virtue of the holiday falling on a Saturday and Walt Disney World doing more to promote the Fourth of July for America’s 250th Anniversary.

The United States Semiquincentennial could actually end up being a big wild card, resulting in unexpectedly high crowds if Americans might be more inclined to travel for Independence Day to celebrate America250. Disney might be deemed a distinctly patriotic destination.

I’m skeptical of this. Nothing that’s been announced truly moves the needle. Although inconclusive of crowds on its own, hotel availability still looks fine for the holiday weekend.

A stronger signal is the fact that Walt Disney World has already finalized park hours through July 11, 2026, and the extensions are negligible for the week of Independence Day (minus the Fourth of July itself). Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios both have longer hours the week before, and Magic Kingdom has more extensions both before and after the weeks of Independence Day!

It’s possible that Walt Disney World’s internal forecasts are inaccurate. That does happen from time to time. But our money at this point is on history repeating itself and it being another quiet holiday weekend with 1/10 to 3/10 crowds, and higher ‘feels like’ numbers (but not wait times) at EPCOT on July 4th.

This is precisely why the week around Independence Day is on our list of the 10 Best and 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2026 & 2027. The above wait times data speaks for itself, as the dates around Independence Day have become one of the absolute best weeks of the year over the last 3 years, and it still catches a ton of fans by surprise.

Carousel of Progress Closes

As announced late last month, the circa 1994 version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress will close on July 6, 2026, for a massive overhaul that shifts its timeline forward by 60 years before reopening sometime in 2027. We covered why this lack of advance notice is frustrating for fans wanting to book final farewell trips to this Carousel of Progress incarnation here. Thankfully, we (coincidentally) had a trip planned earlier this month and said our goodbyes then, but other fans were not as fortunate.

The reimagined ride will begin with a brand-new introduction scene featuring an advanced Audio-Animatronic of Walt Disney himself, inspired by his 1964 television special. The 1900s, 1920s, and 1940s eras are being completely replaced by the 1960s, 1980s, and 1999, finishing with a retro-futuristic finale in an off-planet home. The iconic core family, classic gags like Uncle Orville in the bathtub, and the beloved theme song “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” will all remain part of the new show.

For more details, concept art, our emotional roller coaster of a reaction to the announcement, and the same from readers, check out New Decades for Carousel of Progress. The 100+ comments are worth revisiting, both for the range of reactions from heartbreak to optimism and excitement, as well as armchair Imagineering concerning the decade shift and more.

Grand Floridian Cafe Refurbishment

Renovations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will continue in select areas, including the covered entrance, throughout July 2026 and all the way until early 2027. This project has been ongoing since long before our daughter was born, and she’s now a toddler.

As part of this work, from mid-July through October 2026, Grand Floridian Cafe will temporarily close for a refresh. During this time, brunch will continue to be offered but will temporarily move to Cítricos. All other dining locations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will remain available for Guests to enjoy.

Grand Floridian Cafe now has a confirmed closing date, courtesy of the Walt Disney World dining reservation system and restaurant hours. This reveals that the mid-tier table service restaurant’s last day serving dinner will be July 19, 2026. Grand Floridian Cafe will be closed as of July 20, 2026.

Bluey’s Wild World Reaches Final Form

The hottest attraction at Animal Kingdom is Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station! Once guests hop off the Wildlife Express Train, it’s time for fun. Play special games directly from Bluey episodes, grab a photo with Bluey and Bingo themselves, and even discover animals native to Bluey’s home country, Australia, at Jumping Junction.

When Bluey’s Wild World first debuted, it used a virtual queue. When we did field testing mid-month, the virtual queue had been switched to a standby line and was (literally) the highest wait time in the park at points. Even then, Jumping Junction was still only operating in limited form, doing invite-only tests of the walk-through (I was not invited).

That changed as of this week, which technically is before July, but I don’t know where else I’ll report this. Guests can now go on a guided walk-through experience with a Disney’s Animals, Sciences and Environment (ASE) Cast Member to see the kangaroos and wallabies! Hear unique information about these native Australian animals from ASE experts while strolling through the sprawling space. To join, visit the entrance of Jumping Junction.

Magic of Disney Animation Maybe Opens?

The Magic of Disney Animation in the new-look courtyard at DHS is the last big addition of 2026 that’s yet to debut. Walt Disney World has not yet announced an opening date or even month for the Animation Building itself, just “late summer 2026.”

In Disneyspeak, late summer would typically target the stretch between Independence Day and the end of July. Once August rolls around, it’s back to school and the early fall off-season. Walt Disney World usually doesn’t debut new offerings in August, as that’s a less splashy time.

We hesitate to make any predictions as to timing, but I don’t necessarily think this is a July 2026 opening. To the contrary, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Magic of Disney Animation slips to Fall 2026. It really depends on whether Walt Disney World wants capacity to come online as quickly as possible (in which case it’ll open when it opens) or they want to hold it back for a bit more fanfare (in which case October 1, 2026 is the odds-on favorite).

V.I.Passholder Summer Days Continue!

V.I.PASSHOLDER Summer Days is a limited-time offering just for Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s the company’s way of saying ‘thank you’ for being an AP. And also, ‘please visit during the hottest months of the year, we need you for once!’

V.I.Passholder Days are happening now through July 31, 2026. The in-park focus of the ‘event’ is EPCOT, owing to there being no summer festival once again. APs will be able to take advantage of exclusive perks and discounts throughout the parks and resorts during the month-long appreciation event, with one highlight being a special character meet & greet, free Toy Story magnet, and 40% off restaurant discounts.

By the time July rolls around, VIP Passholder Summer Days will have be in its home stretch. The initial rush will be over, and Annual Passholders will largely have lost interest. Last year, July was the second-slowest month after August at EPCOT, and there’s no reason to expect anything different of July 2026. Diet EPCOT dooms the park from a crowds perspective. With one big exception, the park will be dead during July 2026.

Extra Late Extended Evening Hours

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours has two types of resort eligibility, occurs two nights per week, is at two parks, and runs for two hours. It’s usually Monday at EPCOT and Wednesday at Magic Kingdom. See our Strategy Guide for Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney World for more ins and outs of the nighttime Deluxe benefit.

The first bit of good news is that Magic Kingdom is hosting Extended Evening Hours every Wednesday in July 2026. This is technically the default, so not exactly stop the presses news, but it is notable since this is not what happened last summer. Instead, Animal Kingdom took over, which is again happening in late August and September.

The second bit of good news is that extra late Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom are likely throughout July. Due to later sunset times, the second Starlight Night Parade (if there is one) is presented at 11 pm, which means that Extended Evening Hours runs from 11 pm to 1 am on those nights.

There are already several dates that have 11 pm to 1 am Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom, including June 24, 2026 and July 8, 2026. Walt Disney World adds hours on a rolling basis, and it’s likely that July 15, 22, and 29 will all get 11 pm closings. That means 11 pm to 1 am Extended Evening Hours, offering a rare reprieve from the heat!

Both Water Parks Are Open & Free!

Both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are open throughout July 2026! On top of that, guests staying at an on-site Walt Disney World resort hotel can enjoy free admission to one of the two water parks on their check-in day.

Just for the summer, guests can meet Goofy in his laid-back beach style at Blizzard Beach or catch Stitch spreading playful chaos at Typhoon Lagoon. Just be warned that the water parks can be very busy during the summer, and bus transportation is only direct from select Cool Kids’ Summer resorts.

If you want to avoid the crowds and beat the heat, Disney H2O Glow After Hours returns to Typhoon Lagoon on select nights in July 2026 as a separately ticketed event, adding characters like Powerline Max and the Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers.

Best Ticket Deal Continues

The marquee 4-Day, 4-Park Magic Ticket is back, starting at $99/day for visits throughout all of July and until October 3, 2026. One park per day, one admission per park. For guests who fit squarely within the parameters of this ticket, it’s an incredible deal.

See Walt Disney World’s Biggest Ticket Deal for Everyone is Back & Better, Including Magic Kingdom in 2026 for full details, as well as advice on hacking this deal, pros & cons, etc. There’s also a Florida resident ticket deal for this summer, which also spans the entirety of July and until early October.

Cool Kids’ Summer Continues

Walt Disney World is bringing back (and expanding) the Cool Kids’ Summer special event for its sophomore season from now through September 8, 2026. Exclusive entertainment during Cool Kids’ Summer includes the following:

Magic Kingdom: Diamond Horseshoe at Magic Kingdom will offer young guests a rootin’ tootin’ good time during Jessie’s Roundup: A Rip-Roarin’ Revue. Join Jessie, Woody, Bullseye, and more Toy Story pals for an energized roundup with songs, dance, games, and other playful activities.

EPCOT: Dance and play along with the Goof Troop, DJ Dance Pants, and Goofy during wacky activities and kid-approved games at CommuniCore Hall. Last year’s GoofyCore was the best-ever use of the venue, which isn’t a high bar but is still notable.

Disney Springs: On select nights at the Marketplace, a dance party celebrates the new Descendants: Wicked Wonderland and Camp Rock 3 films coming to Disney+ this summer. I still haven’t seen this dance party in person yet. The other ones are well done for what they are, so I’d guess the same is true here.

Kid-Friendly Resorts: Guests staying at Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Port Orleans Riverside will have even more experiences and amenities designed for families with young children, including scheduled visits from favorite characters. There will also be extra available amenities and libraries for children.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Looking forward to July 2026 at Walt Disney World? Excited for what’s opening, changing or coming to Walt Disney World in the month of July? Disappointed in what’s closing, or excited for the future? Agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!