Disney World in January: Weather, Crowds, Events & What to Expect in 2026

Visiting Disney World in January definitely comes with its pros and cons.

For starters — the weather can be amazing! If you struggle with the Florida heat, January brings cooler temperatures and much less humidity. It’s also one of the driest months of the year, which means fewer rain interruptions.

That said, there are a few downsides to keep in mind. Crowds can spike around the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. January is also a popular time for refurbishments. Water rides often close briefly for maintenance, and even the Disney Skyliner typically goes down for routine refurbishment, which can impact transportation.

Even with those drawbacks, January remains one of my favorite times to visit Walt Disney World. The cooler temperatures are such a nice break, and EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts is easily one of my favorite festivals of the year!

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Planning a Disney World vacation in 2026? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Walt Disney World Resort has to offer this year!

In This Post

News and Updates for 2026

January At-a-Glance

January Events

January Refurbishments & Closures

January Weather

January Disney World Crowd Calendar

Ready to start planning your visit to Walt Disney World in January?

News and Updates for 2026

2026 Vacation Packages are now available to book through December 2026.
Free Kids Dining Plan Offer: In 2026, guests staying at a Disney World Resort can receive a free Disney Dining Plan for kids (ages 3–9) when purchasing a dining plan for the adults in their vacation package.
Package Deal: Book a 4-night, 4-day vacation package at select Disney Resorts and receive 2 free nights and 2 free park days for arrivals most nights May 26–September 15, 2026. (Must book by February 15, 2026.)
Annual Passholders: Save up to 35% on rooms for select stays January 4–April 30, 2026, and up to 40% for most stays May 1–July 29, 2026.
Room-Only Discounts: Save up to 25% this spring (January 4–April 30, 2026) or up to 30% this summer (May 1–July 29, 2026), with higher savings on longer stays.
U.S. Military Members: Special room savings available most nights January 1–December 18, 2026 (book by December 18, 2026).

January At-a-Glance

Prepare to wear layers! January weather can be unpredictable. I have personally visited when temperatures were close to freezing overnight and in the early morning. (Rope drop was VERY cold!) I also visited in January when temperatures were over 80 degrees. And while these extreme temperatures aren’t the norm, it’s good to be prepared just in case. Typically, you will want to layer up as mornings and evenings are cooler and afternoons warm up a bit.
While some days are warm enough to swim, others are not. And sometimes pools are closed due to cooler temperatures. Water parks tend to take this time to refurbish as well.
January prices tend to be less overall. Park prices, hotel prices, and airfare prices are typically lower in January as it isn’t a peak travel time. Disney is also known to offer discounts and incentives in January, so be on the lookout for these when planning your vacation!
There will most likely be refurbishments. Because January sees fewer crowds, Disney often uses this time to refurbish certain attractions… particularly water attractions due to the cooler temperatures.
New Year’s, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend tend to be busier times for Walt Disney World. If you’re visiting in January to avoid the crowds, be sure to avoid these weekends.

January Events

The biggest event in January is the Walt Disney World Marathon! The entire event will take place this year from January 7-11. Races include a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge (Half-Marathon and Marathon), and Dopey Challenge (all four races). As one of Disney World’s most popular races, be prepared for some crowds both before and after the race.

The Epcot International Festival of the Arts will be back January 16 through February 23. The event boasts some of the best activities of all the Epcot festivals. In addition to all of the artistic culinary creations, you will likely find animation classes, a paint-by-number mural, workshops (for an additional fee), photo ops throughout the park, and must-see galleries as well as artwork available for purchase. It also features the Disney on Broadway Concert Series on select nights throughout the festival.

*Epcot festivals tend to bring more local crowds on evenings and weekends, so plan on visiting Epcot during the week if crowds are a concern.

Walt Disney World (as well as ESPN Wide World of Sports) typically hosts several athletic events each month. These events don’t usually have a major impact on crowds in the parks, but they will likely affect resort availability and crowds at Disney’s value resorts. Here are the events scheduled so far in January:

runDisney Health & Fitness Expo – January 7-10, 2026
College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships – January 16-18, 2026
Disney Girls Soccer Showcase – January 16-19, 2026
USA Field Hockey Sunshine Showcase – January 22-24, 2026
2026 Sand Dollar Whitlow Invitational – January 23-25, 2026
National Dance Team Championship – January 30-February 1, 2026

Other dates to consider in 2026 include the week of New Year’s and Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend (January 16 – January 19). These times will be significantly more crowded as they are holiday weeks, and many will have time off from school and work.

January Refurbishments & Closures

*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for January 2026. (Please note that this list could change at a moment’s notice.)

Magic Kingdom

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be closed until Spring 2026.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will be closing for enhancements from August 2025 until Spring 2026.
Carousel of Progress will be closing at some point for reimagining sometime in 2026 or 2027.
Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island are permanently closed.
Walt Disney World Railroad will be operating in shuttle mode for the next few years due to ongoing construction.

EPCOT

Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along will be closed for refurbishment starting February 22, 2026.
Impressions de France will be closed for refurbishment starting February 22, 2026.
Soarin’ Around the World will become “Soarin’ Across America” this summer in honor of America’s 250th birthday celebration. It will likely debut by Memorial Day, and it is unclear if the current ride will need to be closed for a short time during the transition.

Hollywood Studios

Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! will debut in Summer 2026.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will be permanently closing on March 2, 2026, for reimagining. A new theme starring the Muppets will debut in Summer 2026.
Star Wars Launch Bay is permanently closed and will open in late Summer 2026 as “The Magic of Disney Animation.”
The Walt Disney Studios Lot will open in Summer 2026.

Animal Kingdom

Zootopia: Better Zoogether is now open!
DINOSAUR, Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin, and The Boneyard are permanently closed.
- Dinoland USA, as a whole, has officially closed to make way for a major expansion. Disney has announced that the replacement will be “Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom.” Concepts include Encanto and Indiana Jones, and DINOSAUR will be converted into an Indiana Jones attraction.
Affection Section, Conservation Station, and the Wildlife Express Train will temporarily close starting February 23 to prepare for the all-new Bluey Experience opening summer 2026
Animation Experience will permanently close starting February 23

Other

Disney Skyliner will be closed January 24 through January 30, 2027, for routine maintenance.
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will close for refurbishment from February 15 to May 11, 2026. Starting on May 12, both Disney water parks will be open for the summer.

January Weather

Overall, January weather in Orlando is pleasant and comfortable. The average high is around 72 degrees, with lows near 51 degrees. It’s also typically a drier month.

That said, January can surprise you. Cold mornings and evenings are a real possibility! I’ve experienced days in the 40s followed by days in the 80s just a few days later. Always check the forecast before packing — and plan on layering.

If avoiding the heat is your goal, however, Disney World in January may be the perfect fit.

January Disney World Crowd Calendar

Crowd calendars are very popular, but they can also be a bit unpredictable. It’s best not to completely rely on them when making your Disney World vacation plans.

While crowd calendars can be a big help in knowing what to expect, keep in mind that they are predictions at best. When designing our calendars, we take a look at events, school calendars, ticket prices, park hours, holidays, and typical monthly patterns. But unfortunately, our crowd calendars cannot predict other things such as weather, travel advisories, pandemics, or last-minute openings or closings of shows and attractions.

On top of that, many are choosing to travel differently. Quiet months have become popular due to runDisney events as well as other Disney events and promotions, while busier seasons have seen a downward trend in the last couple of years.

January isn’t usually considered to be a crowded month. In the past, it has boasted some of the lowest crowds and prices of the year. If crowds are a big concern, avoid holiday weekends as well as the marathon weekend, and you should be good to go.

Overall, most weekdays in January are going to be fairly low to average in terms of crowds. That being said, it is worth noting that Disney World has been a bit busier these past few years during the months of January and February. Once seen as a “quiet” time to visit the parks, crowds have certainly picked up as many choose to take advantage of cooler temperatures and unique festivities throughout the resort.