Visiting Walt Disney World in May 2024

Walt Disney World in May is truly magical. The weather is warmer, but not too hot yet. And up until Memorial Day weekend, the crowds are fairly manageable as many families are finishing up the school year and avoiding travel. All that being said, with a little planning May can be a wonderful time to visit the most magical place on earth!

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Planning a Disney World vacation in 2024? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Walt Disney World Resort has to offer this year including the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the return of the Disney Dining Plan, and more! (You can also find our 2023 guide here!)

In This Post

May At-a-Glance

May Events

May Refurbishments & Closures

May Weather

May Disney World Crowd Calendar

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

May At-a-Glance

May temperatures as well as the afternoon sun are definitely beginning to feel a bit “summer-like,” so don’t forget to pack your sunscreen! Temperatures in May are definitely not quite as hot as in June or July, but it is definitely beginning to heat up.
Expect crowds for Memorial Day Weekend! This three-day weekend does bring its fair share of crowds, but many schools are not out yet for summer so the rest of May shouldn’t be as busy.
Major refurbishments are not typically common in May. Disney tends to schedule their refurbishments during less busy months (such as January or February), but that doesn’t mean closures can’t or won’t happen in May.
The first two weeks of May are an amazing time to visit Walt Disney World. Warmer weather, lower crowds, and fewer refurbishments make the first two weeks of May one of our favorite times to visit the parks!

May Events

Perhaps the most notable event is the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. This popular event took place from March 1 through July 5 in 2023, and the dates for 2024 will likely be similar. It features beautifully designed interactive gardens as well as a variety of living sculptures shaped like your favorite Disney characters. You will also find plenty of unique food options and family-friendly exhibits. 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.

The Garden Rocks Concert Series will likely be back as well in 2024. Dates and artists will be announced at a later date!

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 can affect resort availability and crowds at Disney’s value resorts. Here are the events scheduled so far in May:

Disney Memorial Day Soccer Tournament – Mary 25-27, 2024

You may also want to take Memorial Day weekend into account when selecting vacation dates. This particular weekend almost always sees a spike in crowds as it marks the beginning of the summer season for Disney World. Also, Hollywood Studios may see an increase in crowds on May 4th, a.k.a. “Star Wars Day.” So if you’re wanting to avoid crowds, consider visiting a different park on that particular day of your visit.

May Refurbishments & Closures

*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for May 2024. (Please note that this list could change at a moment’s notice.)

Magic Kingdom

Tron Lightcycle Power Run is now open!
Splash Mountain closed permanently on January 23, 2023, to become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The newly rethemed attraction is scheduled to open in 2024.

EPCOT

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is now open!
EPCOT Forever returned on April 3, 2023 (replacing Harmonious which permanently ended on April 2, 2023)
Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana opened on October 16, 2023!
Luminous: The Symphony of Us, a new nighttime spectacular will be debuting on December 5, 2023.

Hollywood Studios

Voyage of the Little Mermaid is temporarily closed with no reopening date yet.
Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple has permanently ended.

Animal Kingdom

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 shared plans for potential replacements, such as a Moana Mini-Land, which includes detailed concept art. Additionally, there is the possibility of a Zootopia Expansion beyond Dino-Rama. Although these proposals are promising, it should be noted that they have not yet been approved or funded by Disney. Therefore, the fate of Dino-Rama remains uncertain, but it is evident that its days are limited.

Other

Blizzard Beach closed on March 19, 2023, for refurbishment, and it will reopen on November 6, 2023.
Typhoon Lagoon will close on November 6, 2023, for winter refurbishment. No opening date has been announced.
Disney Skyliner Gondolas will experience closures in mid-to-late January 2024. This will be a phased closure that will occur first with the Disney’s Hollywood Studios side of the routes, followed by the Epcot side.

May Weather

Overall, the weather in Orlando is quite warm in May. It’s not quite as hot as July or August, but it’s definitely on the warmer side! The average high is 88 degrees and the low is typically around 66 degrees. There is a little more rainfall than January through April, but not as much as in the summer months during hurricane season. If you don’t mind a little bit of warm weather, however, May can be an excellent month to visit when it comes to weather.

May 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.

One thing that will be certain for May, however, is the Memorial Day weekend crowds. So if crowds are an issue for you, I would steer clear of that weekend.