November 2026 at Disney World: Crowd Calendar & Info
Our guide to November 2026 at Walt Disney World features a free crowd calendar, tips for when to visit & avoid, weather, new attraction openings & closures, Thanksgiving & Christmas info, and more. We also cover what’s happening at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.
In general, the beginning of November will be a continuation of what’s described in our Guide to October 2026 at Walt Disney World. Crowds will remain somewhat elevated as Halloween quickly transitions to Christmas. However, attendance won’t be even remotely as Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Nevertheless, November is a good month to visit Walt Disney World due to mild weather, moderate crowds much of the month, and the start of the holiday season! There’s a ton going on at Walt Disney World in November, with festivals at EPCOT, Christmas offerings in the other three parks, Disney Springs, resort hotels, and more.
We’re big fans of Walt Disney World in November. It used to be when we took our annual Christmas trip to WDW, and there are plenty of days and even entire weeks that aren’t crazy-busy. November isn’t just one of the best months to visit–it also has our favorite week of the entire year at Walt Disney World!
With that said, one thing we do want to note up front is that although we love November, it has gotten increasingly busy in the last several years. It’s a subjectively great time to visit, but there are fewer truly low crowd level days. However, it’s still possible to beat the crowds by utilizing Lightning Lanes, Early Entry, Extended Evening Hours, and other savvy strategy. We cover the best & worst approach for each park in Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World.
Let’s take a look at what else is going on at Walt Disney World in November, and how you can make the most of your visit and beat the crowds…
November Weather at Disney World
Weather at Walt Disney World in November is unpredictable. On paper, if you just go by historical averages, November is a great month to visit. In reality, the weather you experience likely won’t be a historical average, and packing can be tricky because you might experience weather in the high 80s or you might experience a cold front with frosty mornings.
Because of the potential for cold weather, one water park always closes for the season before November. We recommend packing for a wide range of weather conditions and paying close attention to the extended forecast before your trip. Read our Ultimate Disney Packing Guide & Checklist for clever things to bring year-round, and our Packing for Winter at Walt Disney World for specific cold-weather recommendations.
I still “fondly” remember our late-November/early-December trip a few years ago when I packed all shorts and polos and we unexpectedly had lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. Purchasing new outfits from The Emporium is neither fun nor cheap! More likely than not, you’ll have pleasant weather, but let that serve as a cautionary tale.
With that out of the way, let’s cover what’s happening at Walt Disney World in November…
November Events at Disney World
Walt Disney World has a lot of special events, but none compare to the Christmas season. November and December are the best two months of the year from an entertainment, atmosphere, and special offerings perspective. See our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World.
One thing to note is that the Christmas season will likely start on November 13, 2026. This is a full week later than the long-term historical norm, but is consistent with last year. Regardless of when the holiday season starts, the hard ticket parties will likely begin in Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios one week earlier. As explained in that guide, much of the seasonal celebration will quietly begin ahead of schedule–just not the entertainment.
For timing info, see When Do Christmas Decorations Go Up at Walt Disney World? That covers when decorations typically go up around each of the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.
The bigger deal this year is the return of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP). This hard ticket event has a ton of dates in November, and is likely to begin on November 6, 2026.
Magic Kingdom opens and closes earlier on Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party days. As discussed below, this causes roller coaster crowd conditions in the park that might seem counterintuitive. One of the best things you can do when planning is working around those events, as that’ll save you more time than anything else.
That’s not the only holiday event, as the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Party is likely to make its return to Hollywood Studios. This starts the night after the first MVMCP, likely on November 7, 2026.
Regardless, Jollywood Nights is worth knowing about as you may want to attend (or avoid DHS on dates when it’s happening), but it’s less frequent and doesn’t cause the park to close as early, so it should not disrupt crowds to nearly the same degree as MVMCP.
EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival continues through mid-November, so you’re in luck if you’re visiting during the first few weeks of the month. Just keep in mind that the cost of grazing around kiosks adds up quickly. Read our Guide to EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival Guide for booth menus & reviews, plus what we recommend eating (and what we recommend skipping).
Almost as soon as Food & Wine ends, the park transitions over to the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, which runs from November 27 through December 30, 2026. This features seasonal foods and other entertainment. It’s like a scaled back version of Food & Wine, with a seasonal twist.
Although Thanksgiving occurs in November, Christmas is the star of the show. Be sure to consult our Tips for Thanksgiving at Walt Disney World post for dining recommendations and more you should know if you’re visiting for that holiday.
In addition to this, there are a few events on the ESPN Wide World of Sports November Calendar, but these are the types of youth events that only really are a draw for parents with kids participating in them. In other words, if you don’t already know about these events, they probably won’t be a draw for you.
November 2026 REFURBISHMENTS & NEW ATTRACTIONS
In terms of attractions, consult our Walt Disney World Refurbishment Schedule to see what’s scheduled for November. Due it being a busy stretch, there typically are not a lot of attraction closures during the holiday at Walt Disney World.
As a fair warning, that refurbishment calendar doesn’t reflect the full scope and scale of construction at Walt Disney World. The parks are just now ramping up their next development cycle, and that is already evident when walking around Frontierland in Magic Kingdom, Dinoland in Animal Kingdom, or the former Muppets Courtyard and Animation Courtyard (two separate courtyards on opposite sides of the park) in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
While the guest impact won’t be nearly as bad as the last development cycle, there will be visible construction walls, closures, and more. See Walt Disney World’s 5-Year Plan: Construction, Closing & Opening Dates for New Lands & Rides for everything you need to know.
Unfortunately, none of the big new stuff will be open in 2026. It’s all still a year or more away. There’s a vague possibility that phased openings of Tropical Americas or Monstropolis start before 2027, but we doubt it. This means there’s an off chance that either the critter carousel in Tropical Americas or the show in Monstropolis debut around Thanksgiving 2026. We’d bet against it, but there’s an outside chance.
New(ish) attractions in November 2026 include the new mission for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, Magic of Disney Animation, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There’s also the reimagined Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom. Oh, and Bluey is coming to Animal Kingdom. Beyond that, it’s possible that there’s some as-yet unknown new entertainment debuting sometime in 2026.
For an overview of what else is on the horizon, see What’s New & Next at Walt Disney World in 2026 & Beyond.
November 2026 Crowd Calendar for Disney World
There’s no color-coded November crowd calendar for Walt Disney World at the top of this section because it wouldn’t tell the full story of attendance trends–and individual days are almost impossible to predict right now. If you spend the ~5 minutes reading this section from beginning to end, you’ll be far better prepared to avoid November crowds!
Since Disney doesn’t release official attendance numbers, crowd calendars use school schedules, airport traffic statistics, hotel pricing & occupancy, etc., as proxies for crowds. From all of this plus historical patterns, we can paint a picture of overarching crowd trends in November 2026. Day-to-day numbers are too granular, and impossible to predict at this point.
With all of that in mind, here are our crowd calendar predictions for the best and worst weeks at Walt Disney World in November 2026…
November 2026 will be a month of peaks and valleys on the Walt Disney World crowd calendar.
The good news is that the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend moves forward to October. Election Day won’t be as big of an event as it was two years ago, but still more significant in 2026 due to the midterms (schools are often used as polling places, meaning school closures…meaning long weekend Disney trips).
For reference, November 2-3 saw elevated crowds, followed by a drop-off November 4-6 in 2025. This isn’t particularly consistent with past precedent–usually it’s the first few days that are slower, with progressively higher crowds due to Jersey Week and then Veterans Day. We’re anticipating a return to that normal in 2026.
On the plus side, this weekend has become the de facto filming time for the Disney-ABC Holiday Specials, which means longer hours in Magic Kingdom and extra entertainment. We always go that weekend because it’s the first Christmas parties and ABC filming, and we have a blast–even during a busier long weekend, you can beat the crowds!
Typically, the entire week of Veterans Day sees a slight spike in crowds, as enough people take the whole week off to impact attendance. With this holiday being observed on a Wednesday in 2026, it won’t be a long weekend for as many people, resulting in lower crowds.
Throw Jersey Week into the mix, and we’re expect crowds in the 8/10 range. Our expectation, though, is that crowds start before Veterans Day and there’s a lull during the week after it’s over (that isn’t always how it works–it’s just a matter of timing), followed by another weekend spike.
If at all possible, we’d advise avoiding November 2, 2026 through November 15, 2026. This is driven more by Jersey Week on the front end than it is by Veterans Day on the backend (so choose the second week over the first if it’s only those two options), although both contribute. It’s still not on par with Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but it is almost equivalent to Thanksgiving.
The partial week starting with Veterans Day itself is one of the aforementioned valleys. This will mark a return of moderate crowds, probably the best since October before and after fall break. If crowds are your primary concern, this is a good time to visit. Expect crowds in the 4/10 to 5/10 range, at the worst.
Due to Thanksgiving falling late again in 2026, the week after that is also a great time to visit. Crowds typically pick up a little bit making this week objectively worse than the one before it, but the upside is that more of the resorts are decorated for Christmas. We give it the edge as a result, with November 16 to 21, 2026 making our list of the 10 Best and 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2026. (On the “best” side, obviously.)
This should be a great time to visit Walt Disney World in 2026. The one thing you need to be aware of, though, is that crowds this time of year can change overnight. Meaning that they don’t increase or decrease gradually–it’s like flipping a switch from good to bad (or vice-versa) based on school breaks.
To that point, crowd calendars peak the following week thanks to Thanksgiving on November 26, 2026. This is one of the worst weeks of the year and definitely the worst week of November 2026 on the Walt Disney World crowd calendar.
If possible, avoid this holiday. If it’s not possible because you have school-aged children, you might take comfort in knowing that this is no longer one of the 5 worst weeks of the year. It is busy, but it’s barely busier than Fall Break, Veterans Day, or Jersey Week. In fact, this tops our list of the Least-Bad Weeks for Visiting Walt Disney World During School Breaks.
Thanksgiving crowds will start arriving on Sunday, November 22, 2026 and continue for the week that follows. They typically peak on Monday or Tuesday, but it varies by park. In particular, avoid Magic Kingdom on days with full operating hours that are nestled between multiple days of early closures due to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
The following week (beginning November 28-29, 2026) marks a return to more moderate crowds, and this is also our very favorite week of the year to visit Walt Disney World. We base this on a mix of crowds and seasonal offerings, as this is the best mix of Christmas and crowds.
This is not off-season, but it should be really good. Whether it’s higher or lower than the previous valley really depends on the year. For both of the last two years, it’s been in the 3/10 range. However, we do not necessarily expect a repeat of that–3/10 is low by historical standards, and 5/10 or 6/10 is more on par with what’s normal for this week.
That week is mostly in December due to Thanksgiving falling late, but it does technically start on November 28–we’d recommend that as an arrival day if airfare prices aren’t too terrible. Crowds tend to head home fast following Thanksgiving, so that Sunday can be great first days in the parks! Heck, we don’t mind that Saturday, either, if you want a longer trip.
There are also roller coaster crowds throughout each day in November. EPCOT will be significantly more busy on weekends, especially when Florida colleges like UCF have away football games. EPCOT’s attendance will be lightest on weekdays before 4 pm, with heavier crowds after work as locals turn out to graze at the festival booths.
All of this impacts the “feels like” crowds more than it does wait times. This is because EPCOT is the local’s park at Walt Disney World, and frequent visitors care more about seasonal stuff than rides they’ve done dozens of times. Regardless, we recommend visiting EPCOT on days and times when congestion isn’t as bad.
It’s a very similar story with Disney Springs, resorts, restaurants, and bars at Walt Disney World. They’re all busier during the Christmas season. This is due to a mix of holiday dinners and locals wanting to enjoy the free Christmas decorations and entertainment. Be sure to make ADRs for any fine dining outside the parks, and be aware that you’ll encounter heavier crowds in Disney Springs.
On Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights, Magic Kingdom closes to regular ticket holders at 6 pm. Consequently, the park is less busy during the day time hours on dates when MVMCP is held, and more busy on non-party days. This might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s because the party is separately-ticketed.
Last year, Magic Kingdom crowd levels were 7/10 to 9/10 most non-party days in November and December, whereas crowd levels were 1/10 to 3/10 on most party days. That amounts to an average wait time differential of 10-15 minutes per ride, which adds up over the course of the day to the point that you can accomplish more in the party-shortened days when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
We strongly recommend doing Magic Kingdom during the days shortened by MVMCP, and then hop to another park by ~4 pm. Even with 4/10 or 5/10 crowd levels, you’ll still come out ahead by avoiding Saturdays, Mondays, and other non-party days. (So long as you’re fine skipping fireworks or evening in Magic Kingdom–but you can always Park Hop over on a different evening!)
These 8 am rope drops mean that Early Entry starts at 7:30 am, which is huge. Look no further than our new field testing: Magic Kingdom’s Extra Early Entry is a Must-Do for Low Waits at Disney World’s Biggest Rides!
This should all underscore why we don’t really care for traditional color-coded or numerical Walt Disney World crowd calendars. None of the above trends could be adequately conveyed by a simple graphic, and it’d be easy to become frustrated if we simply had an November 2026 crowd calendar vacillating between 3/10 and 9/10 days.
Instead, we’ve explained the how and why of November crowd flow so that you can plan accordingly. While you’ll still encounter congestion and long waits, by zigging when others zag, you should have a pretty pleasant visit in November. This strategic park hopping advice is more practical than a numerical crowd calendar.
November Discounts & Pricing
November is one of the best months of the year to visit Walt Disney World if you’re comparing it to every month of the year, especially those sweet spots of low crowds. The downside is that some Christmas offerings don’t kick off until around Thanksgiving, which is part of what makes that week right after that (straddling both November and December) the very best time to visit. It has all of the upsides of a November visit in terms of crowds, discounts, weather, and it has a better slate of Christmas entertainment.
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
Do you like Walt Disney World during Christmas-time? Planning a November trip to see WDW during the holiday season? Which month is your favorite for Walt Disney World vacations? Do you prefer December or November? Agree or disagree with our assessment of November at WDW? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I am wondering if Wdw is still offering free dining for Nov 29 thru Dec 6 ?
The calendar for Nov 2017 says on 11/30/17 MK closes at 4:30pm is this an error or why is this?
From what I have read online, it is for a cast member appreciation event. I was hoping it would be for the taping of the Christmas specials…..guess not. 🙂
will the castle be lit up the day after the last halloween party like last year?
we are hoping so – we will be there 10/28-11/3
Hi Colleen, Was the castle lit yet when you were there? Thanks
When I click on the November calendar link provided above, it also lists the hours of closing for the Magic Kingdom on Christmas Party dates as 6pm. Do you still think this is an error?
No, they close an hour earlier for the Mickeys very Merry Christmas Party. This is earlier then previous years, it used to be 7 pm on party nights.
Tom,
Why do you prefer the room discount to the free dining discount? I’ve heard a few people say that the dining discount is only worth it if you have kids, is this also true for you? We have booked our trip utilizing the free dining promotion but now after reading this, wondering if we should change to room only discount. Also, when is the room only discount typically released for November dates? Thank you!
Hi Shelly – I can answer this, although it might be too late. I have always loved free dining, b/c it’s convenient and you “feel” like you’re getting all this food, for free. However, you overeat. You plan your trip around dining reservations. We have done free dining, many times. But free dining, does increase your room stay. We just returned from Disney and for the first time, did not plan our trip around dining. We did not get a dining plan. The dining plan would have cost us an additional $1500. We spent about $600 on food, for 8 days for 2 adults and 2 kids. We still ate. We just didn’t feel the need to get a full lunch with dessert and a full dinner with dessert, every single day. So for us, it was a win. But I guess it’s a personal preference and how much you really plan to eat. Hope this helps.
Regarding the MK 6pm closing time on Party nights, I noticed when I went to make my dining reservations on Saturday for November, it wouldn’t let me book past 6pm. So it looks like the the 6:00 “closing time” is real. Glad I’m plannning on attending the party!
Hi Tom is fantasmic not showing from November 17 through the 24th?
It’s now listed as showing every day in November on the schedule he posted, 8:30pm for the days you mentioned.
My wife, granddaughter, and I are in the first picture with the Gingerbread men, this just blows me away! I’ll be back same time 2017, Life is Good!
Hi Tom/Sarah,
Noticed that you compiled the remaining park hours for November 2017 (thank you for that), we noticed that on 11/30/17 Magic Kingdom shows that it will be closing early at 4:30pm. What is the reason for this, do you know?
I believe that’s an event to recognize Cast Members. Not 100% sure, but I think that’s it.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the consistent 7 pm closing of animal kingdom in November? We will be there the week after thanksgiving week and I was hoping to have dinner at boma one. Ought at 5 then head to AK for rivers of light/ pandora at night , but s 7 pm close makes that impossible. Seems strange that with all the new night time offerings they still aren’t keeping it open at least a couple nights / week.
Those hours for Animal Kingdom will almost certainly be extended, at least for some nights. I think they are taking a wait and see approach with Pandora before bumping them up.
Just a reminder for anyone else reading this: the initial hours that are posted are often not the final hours. Park hours are frequently extended (but almost never reduced) from the initial schedule.
Good to hear. I was having similar feelings about missing Rivers of Light!
What is the deal with 11/30? Magic Kingdom closing at 4:30? This is my last day there and I planned on going to the Magic Kingdom! May need to rethink my days!
I was there in November in 2014 and the park closed at 4.30pm one afternoon and it was because they were holding some sort of employee event, so I’m guessing it’s the same.
I talked to Disney directly; I was told the 6 pm time is a crowd control thing they are trying this year. Park will “officially “close at 6 pm to non participates of the Christmas Party.
But the party still begins at 7pm “officially”.
The person I talked to stated they had lots of complaints that people who did not pay for the Christmas Party were allowed to stay and this is why they are having the window of time to try to clear the park of none Party attendees…now we all kniw if you talk to 10 people On the phone , you will get 10 different responses to the same question.
We will see if in fact this is the difference or not.
Thanks for the info on this. I’m curious as to whether this is really the reason for the difference, or if this is just that particular Cast Member’s speculation. On the one hand, it certainly makes sense to help clear the park, but on the other hand, closing Magic Kingdom at 6 p.m. that many nights is somewhat extreme.
It’ll be interesting to see whether those 6 p.m. closings extend to mid-December when the parks really start to get busy…
Hi Tom
We are Grandparents, never been to Disney but planned surprise visit to take grand daughter for Frid to Thurs of Thanksgiving. Staying at Hilton. Clueless on Disney system but have bought 5 day Admission to 1 Park per day – and not sure which days to go where as seems like some parks close early on certain days – want to make the most of opportunities – (from Scotland so really new kids on the block)
Will we be able to see the Christmas lights ?- been my dream since I was young- if so, where and when is best (my budget is already stretched so are just taking money for gift card to use for meals) so can you guide me please.
Thanks for all the great information. We are going in November for the Wine and Dine half marathon and staying the whole following week. It will be great to see all the Christmas decorations. Do you know when they are doing the taping for the Christmas day Parade? I know they usually tape it in November. Also do you know when they have the gingerbread house up at the Grand Floridian? We would love to see it and buy a gingerbread house to take home with us.
Hi Tom arriving the Saturday after thanksgiving 11/25 and staying until the following Saturday 12/2 can we expect crowds to be low that week? Attending Christmas party that Tuesday ! Thanks for the tips love your blog!
I clicked on the 30% off link for November. I couldn’t find an offer past this summer. Is it already gone? Love your blog, by the way!
I don’t think the 30% off rates for November are up yet. I think they usually go up in the summer, but I don’t know exact dates.
Christmas time at Disney is one of my favorite times too!
I am interested in when they will make the switch from Fall/Halloween to the Christmas themes? Any ideas on how or when that happens?
We will be there from 11/1-11/8… I’m hoping we will end up getting a taste of both fall and Christmas at the parks!
Hi, I’m 13 and my family and I are going to go to Disney World in November!!! We’re wondering if anything new is opening in November 2017. Do you know or is there a website we could read?
Thanks
I don’t know of anything new opening in November, but there are new things opening this summer that you’ll get to see when you’re there in November. There’s the World in Pandora in Animal Kingdom, and a new fireworks show in Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom has also been adding evening/night time experiences too (Rivers of Light, a light show on The Tree of Life). I’m planning on checking all of these things out when I go in November. Hope you and your family have an awesome trip!
Absolutely agree. The new firework show is awesome but get a good seat by one of the fences if possible. The new fireworks show has a lot involving the castle and crowds can tend to block your view.
I also agree about the new Pandora but expect serious lines if you don’t have a fast pass. If you don’t, don’t fret. Get to AK as early as possible and go straight to Pandora. I recommend Flights of Passage over the Rivers of Navi. Both are good but Flights of Passage is so much more. Good luck and have a magical trip!
With the new water ride at typhoon lagoon do you still see it closing as it usually does orc would they keep it open possibly a bit longer?!
We’re looking into Nov 2017, like arriving the evening of 15th ,Wednesday BEFORE Thanksgiving, and leaving the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week the 21st. Would crowds be too big of an issue then you think? We haven’t been since 2011, and are trying to limit days out of school and little, it’s hard on our 5th grader with sooooo much makeup work and grades are at a max of 70 for unexcused absence! Would park hoppers be worth it, or just commit each day fully to one park?
I’m doing a trip in that same time frame. From what I’ve been reading on crowd projection calendars, the crowds start to pick up the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, but are the worst the day before Thanksgiving through the weekend after. So I think crowds will be heavy part of the time you’re there, but doable if you plan things out (use FastPass+, making dining reservations) and are flexible. That’s just my opinion based on my research so far.
Love your site! You have answered all my questions except I need to clarify what days Thanksgiving week includes. Do you mean the week before and including the Thursday of Thanksgiving this year on the 24th or the following week up to the next Sat.? We have had a change in our plans and will now be in Orlando from Nov.21 to Dec.1 What would be the quietest days to tackle Disney World? Our daughter was in a bad car accident but is finally able to travel with us but not able to go on any roller coaster type rides, so we have not booked any fastpass times. Any suggestions or tips on the quietest days and rides.
Thank you in advance.