PHOTOS: Come With Us to the First Night of Disney After Hours at EPCOT!
There’s nothing better than experiencing your favorite park late into the night, with low crowds, a setting sun, and a vibrant party atmosphere everywhere you turn.
For us, the Disney After Hours events are unmissable occasions, so when the EPCOT series was announced for this summer, you bet we had to sign up! Last night was the first of EPCOT’s late-night events of 2023, and our MickeyBloggers Greg and Elyssa were there to soak up all the atmosphere.
Want to see what they got up to? Well, read on!
Checking In to the Event
While the After Hours events officially take place between 10pm and 1am, a ticket will enable guests to extend their night by entering the park any time after 7pm.
You can see from these photos that a crowd had already started to arrive at this time, with bright yellow A-frame boards directing ticketholders to their designated check-in point.
Especially with all the signage advertising the current International Flower & Garden Festival at the park, this EPCOT entrance point has never looked so colorful!
Once we’d passed through the ticket check, we were met by smiling Cast Members, who were on hand to give us our wristbands.
You can see Cast Member Conner here has lots of wristbands at the ready — it looks like plenty of guests are in for a magical night ahead!
Since EPCOT was still open to general admission ticketholders at this time, these bright purple wristbands are what Cast Members will rely on to help easily identify and separate guests who hold tickets to the After Hours event, once that 10pm closing time hits.
After 10pm, only guests with bands will be permitted to enjoy attractions, purchase snacks, etc., so it’s definitely important to keep it around your wrist once it’s on!
Exclusive After Hours Park Information
After being successfully wristbanded, our next stop was to grab one of these all-important After Hours information sheets. Just like the flyers guests can find in the park on an average day, these sheets contain the all-important timings, attractions and entertainment info, and special offerings, exclusively tailored to the After Hours event.
After all, we wouldn’t want to miss anything!
As you can see from the flyer, all our favorite EPCOT attractions are set to remain open for the night — including Soarin’, Frozen Ever After, Spaceship Earth, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (but more on that last one in just a minute!).
It looks like there’s a dance party set to take place in World Discovery, and the Mariachi Cobre band is due to light up the Mexico Pavilion too!
The flyer also lets us know which shops and dining locations are due to stay open late into the night, as well as confirming that some complimentary sweet treats are also in store for guests. But we’ll get to that later!
As well as all this, we can also look forward to exclusive character interactions and Disney PhotoPass opportunities around every corner, too.
It sounds like we’re in for such a fun night, and the atmosphere at the park is already full of excitement!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Okay, we’ve got our information – where to head first? Well, I know one thing that’s sure to be high on everyone’s list… a ride on the awesome Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction!
Let’s go!
Ah, doesn’t this attraction just look incredible at nighttime? With all those ethereal purple, pink, and blue lights everywhere, it really does look like we’re in the far depths of the galaxy!
But, wait. I notice something different here… can you spot it too?
Hold up. Is that, a standby entrance? For Cosmic Rewind?
And – wait. Is it actually… open?
Yup, that’s right! Especially for the After Hours event, Cast Members have dusted off that Standby Entrance sign, and lit it up for guests to use.-
There’s no need for a virtual queue tonight – anyone with admission to the After Hours event can simply walk up and get in line to experience the most epic new attraction at the park. How cool is that?
Better yet, that signage is only showing a wait time of 15 minutes. That’s hardly anything!
This is one of the things we love the most about the After Hours events at Disney — you really get the opportunity to experience all your favorite attractions, with little to no wait time whatsoever. Just think of how many times we could ride Guardians tonight if we wanted to! It’s incredible.
As you can see from the photos, the Cast Members are checking guests’ wristbands before permitting them to join the queue.
It’s definitely an experience any After Hours attendee won’t want to miss, and we’re thrilled to see that Standby Entrance open exclusively for the event!
Complimentary After Hours Snacks
Ok, we’ve been for a spin on the most epic attraction… what next? Well, how does a haul of complimentary Disney snacks sound?
Yup, you read that right. Included with our event admission is a complimentary array of some of the most iconic Disney snack cart treats ever, including popcorn, Mickey Premium ice cream bars, and Mickey ice cream sandwiches.
These can be grabbed from six different snack carts located throughout the park, which means potential for a lot of ice cream eating as the night goes on!
Do you prefer Mickey Premium Bars or Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches? I’m more of a sandwich kind of gal myself.
It’s one of those age-old Disney questions, isn’t it? Monorail or ferry? Green milk or blue milk? Premium bars or sandwiches? Take your pick!
This was a brilliant snack fix, and a great boost to see us through the three-hour-long After Hours party. With so much to see, do, and enjoy in that time, any additional sugar boost is sure to be appreciated!
In conclusion, here at MickeyBlog we’d always recommend the Disney After Hours events. They’re a brilliant way to experience your favorite park with low crowds and extra magic, making for a lot of fun and memories to be made.
After last night’s event, there are a further eleven After Hours nights planned for EPCOT, scheduled to take place on select nights through June, July, and August. Tickets are available online, and are limited — so don’t miss out!
Are you planning on experiencing a Disney After Hours event at EPCOT or another favorite park? We hope this look into last night’s event was useful for you, and we’re sure you’ll have the most magical time!
