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

In recent years, Disney World in October has become one of the most popular times to visit — and it’s easy to see why. Halloween festivities take over the resort, including the extremely popular Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Add in the fact that the intense summer heat finally starts to ease up, and you’ve got cooler (and much more comfortable) park days.

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World in October, you’ll still want to be prepared for some rain, as it’s technically the tail end of Florida’s rainy season. It’s also important to keep an eye on party nights and other ticketed events, since they can impact park hours and crowd patterns. With a little planning, October can be an incredibly fun time to visit.

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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

October At-a-Glance

October Events

October Refurbishments & Closures

October Weather

October Disney World Crowd Calendar

Ready To Start Planning Your Visit To Walt Disney World In October?

News and Updates

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.
Ticket Discount: Disney+ Subscribers can purchase a 3-Day, 3-Park Ticket with admission to Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom (not valid for Magic Kingdom) with Disney+ Perks. Tickets start at $109 per day, plus tax. These are date-based tickets with start dates from January 12 through May 22, 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).
Water Park: Purchase a Water Park Seasonal Pass for just $89 plus tax. Valid through May 9, 2026, except on blockout dates from March 28-April 5.

October At-a-Glance

Be prepared for some rain. As October can still be warm and humid, rain happens. Ponchos are a great thing to keep handy for afternoon showers!
Mornings are a great time to visit the pools. Due to the warmer temperatures, the pools can get quite busy during the heat of the day as well as in the evenings when guests return from a day in the parks. Consider visiting in the mornings when they will be less busy.
Major refurbishments are not typically common in October. Disney tends to schedule their refurbishments during less busy months, but that doesn’t mean closures can’t or won’t happen in October.
The Food and Wine Festival is quite popular with locals. Consider visiting Epcot on weekdays if you’re trying to avoid the crowds.

October Events

Halloween arrives early at the Disney World Resort! A highlight of the season is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which takes place on select nights from mid-August through October 31. The very popular ticketed event lasts from 7:00 PM to midnight and features trick-or-treating, a special Halloween parade, fireworks, specialty menu items, not-so-scary entertainment, your favorite characters dressed in their Halloween attire, and so much more.

Another festival to be aware of is Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, which typically takes place from the end of August through mid-November. This is a highly anticipated event at the park, featuring a wide variety of food and beverage booths to satisfy the most discerning palates. In addition to dining options, attendees can take part in scavenger hunts, enjoy live music, participate in the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, and explore exclusive festival merchandise.

Also taking place in October as part of this festival is the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. Taking place October 22-25, 2026, this year’s race weekend celebrates the flavors and stories of EPCOT’s World Showcase. Choose from a 5K, 10K, or half marathon — and earn a unique medal for each race you complete. There’s even a special post-race party at EPCOT on October 25 to keep the celebration going!

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.

Other notable dates for October include Columbus Day weekend, which falls October 10-12 in 2026. Columbus Day will be the first major holiday since the end of summer vacation, so this weekend will undoubtedly be one of the busiest of the month. October 31 is another notable date, as many try to attend Disney’s Halloween ticketed event.

October Refurbishments & Closures

*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for October 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.

October Weather

October finally brings some much-needed relief from the intense summer heat. The average high is around 85 degrees, with lows typically near 65 degrees, making mornings and evenings especially comfortable. Rain begins to taper off this month as well, and we start to move out of the peak of hurricane season.

That being said, October is still technically part of hurricane season. While it’s rare for Disney World to close due to a storm, it has happened. Since 1971, the parks have closed around 13 times because of hurricanes — including three closures in October. Most closures only last a day or two, but it’s something to keep in mind when planning your October vacation, just in case.

October 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.

The crowds in October 2025 will most likely be moderate and steady. While there are no major holiday weekends, Halloween festivities do bring many to the parks, as well as Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival.