Visiting Walt Disney World in January 2026

Visiting Walt Disney World in January has its pros and cons. For starters, the weather can be amazing! If you’re someone who struggles with the Florida heat, visiting in January definitely provides cooler temperatures and less humidity. It’s also one of the driest months of the year when it comes to rain.

But there are some downsides to visiting this time of year. Crowds can be a bit of an issue at times, especially around the time of the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. There also tends to be more ride closures during this season. Water rides typically get “refreshed” during this time of year, which means a short closure for simple maintenance. Even the Disney Skyliner sees its typical maintenance closure in January, which can affect transportation to and from the parks.

That being said, January is still one of my favorite times to visit Walt Disney World. The cooler temperatures are amazing, and Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts is one of my favorite events at Epcot!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Planning a Disney World vacation in 2025? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Walt Disney World Resort has to offer this year! (Our 2026 guide is coming soon!)

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

Disney World vacation packages are now available to book through October 2026. (November and December 2026 will be released at a later date.)
Disney is offering their dining plan for kids for free in 2026. Guests staying at one of the Disney World Resorts will get a free Disney Dining Plan for kids (ages 3 to 9) when buying a Disney Dining Plan as part of their package for the remaining adult members of their party.
Disney offered several great discounts throughout 2025. We will keep you posted as discounts get announced for 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 for 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 in 2026, but official dates have yet to be announced. Typically, this event begins mid-January and lasts through mid-February. 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:

College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships – January 16-18, 2026
Disney Girls Soccer Showcase – January 16-19, 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

Astro Orbiter will be closed until Summer 2025.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be closed until 2026. An opening date has yet to be announced.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will be closing for enhancements from August 2025 until 2026.
Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade is permanently closed.
Hall of Presidents is currently closed for a routine refurbishment. Opening date is TBD.
Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island will be closing permanently at some point in 2025.
Starlight Night Parade will be debuting in Summer 2025.

EPCOT

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is now open!
Test Track closed on June 17, 2024, for a multi-month refurbishment. A reopening date has not yet been announced, but it will likely be sometime in 2025.

Hollywood Studios

Voyage of the Little Mermaid is permanently closed, and was replaced with a fully reimagined production called “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” on May 27, 2025.
Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple has permanently ended.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is permanently closed.
Muppet*Vision 3D permanently closed on June 8, 2025.
Disney Junior Play and Dance! will be closed from May 25, 2025, through Fall 2025.
Villains Unfairly Ever After Show opened on May 27, 2025.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will be closing at some point in 2026 for reimagining. The newly reimagined attraction starring The Muppets will debut at some point in 2026 as well. Official dates have yet to be announced, but we do know that fans of the coaster starring Aerosmith will be able to enjoy it through 2025!

Animal Kingdom

It’s Tough to Be a Bug will be closing at some point to make way for a Zootopia Tree of Life Show. The new attraction will open in Winter 2025.
Primeval Whirl is permanently closed
- It is anticipated that Dino-Rama, as a whole, will likely close at some point 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. Dates have yet to be announced for this major project; however, Disney has announced that DINOSAUR will remain open through 2025.

Other

Typhoon Lagoon Water Park reopened for the summer season on May 1, 2025.

January Weather

Overall, the weather in Orlando is quite pleasant in January. So if you’re looking to visit Disney World without the heat, this may be the perfect time to go. The average high is 72 degrees, and the low is typically around 51 degrees. It is also typically a dryer month in terms of rain. All that being said, January can be a bit unpredictable at times. I have personally experienced highs of just 50 degrees one day, only for it to be 80 degrees just a few days later. You will definitely want to check current temperatures when packing and be prepared to wear layers.

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, 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 these days. 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.

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

Here are some resources to help you get started!

Guide to Walt Disney World in 2025
Guide to Walt Disney World in 2026 (coming soon!)

Walt Disney World Resort Guides:

Walt Disney World Dining Guides:

Walt Disney World Attraction Guides:

There’s nothing better than knowing what to expect on your Disney World vacation. Our monthly guides can help you visit with a plan!

Visiting Walt Disney World in January 2026

News and Updates for 2026

January At-a-Glance

January Events