Visiting Walt Disney World in November 2025

The holidays arrive early in Walt Disney World! As soon as October is over with its Halloween festivities, the entire resort undergoes a holiday transformation, making a visit to Disney World in November a magical time.

Holiday ticketed events start taking place in both the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Epcot hosts its International Festival of the Holidays, and even Animal Kingdom gets decorated for the season. That being said, November crowds do pick up as the weather improves and holiday events begin. And the week of Thanksgiving can also be one of the busiest weeks of the year.

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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!

In This Post

November At-a-Glance

November Events

November Refurbishments & Closures

November Weather

November Disney World Crowd Calendar

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

November At-a-Glance

Major refurbishments are not typically common in November. 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 November.
The Food and Wine Festival is quite popular with locals. Consider visiting Epcot on weekdays if you’re trying to avoid the crowds.
Veteran’s Day Weekend and Thanksgiving week will be crowded. If you’re trying to avoid crowds in November, be sure to avoid these times… especially Thanksgiving week, as it is one of the busiest weekends of the year.
The holidays begin throughout the parks during the month of November. Christmas decorations and holiday events typically begin the second week of November. So be prepared to celebrate!

November Events

Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival will take place from August 28 through November 22, 2025. 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.

Another thing to consider if planning a visit in November is that Christmas arrives quite early in Walt Disney World! Christmas decorations begin to spring up throughout the parks and resorts shortly after Halloween. (Epcot typically waits to decorate until after the Food & Wine Festival.) And while Disney does honor Thanksgiving (and the Thanksgiving crowds are typically massive), Christmas is certainly the main attraction for most of November and all of December.

The Epcot International Festival of the Holidays took place from November 29 through December 30 in 2024. (Dates for 2025 have yet to be announced.) Featuring traditions from around the world, including some incredible cuisine and holiday treats, this festival is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. It offers some unique holiday entertainment, including a celebrity-hosted Candlelight Processional.

Other notable events/dates for November include Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Magic Kingdom’s ticketed Christmas event, which takes place on select nights throughout November and December! (Dates will be announced soon!)

And Magic Kingdom isn’t the only park to have a special holiday event. In 2023, Disney introduced Disney Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. This ticketed party will likely be back for the 2025 holiday season!

Be sure to visit our guide to celebrating Christmas at Disney World for more information on all the holiday fun Walt Disney World has to offer!

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’s a look at what’s currently scheduled for November:

Disney Junior Soccer Showcase – November 28-30, 2025

As far as holidays and crowds in November… Veteran’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year (November 11), which shouldn’t have a massive effect on crowds. What will impact crowds, however, is Thankgiving. That entire week is known to be one of the busiest of the year.

November Refurbishments & Closures

*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for November 2025. (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 closed 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 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.

November Weather

The weather can be a bit unpredictable in the month of November, but it is typically one of the most beautiful months to visit Disney World. The average high is 79 degrees, and the low is typically around 59 degrees. You will undoubtedly want to dress in layers, as the days (especially if they are sunny) will feel quite warm, but the evenings will probably get a bit chilly.

One other thing to keep in mind is hurricane season. While it is rare that Disney World needs to close due to hurricane-related weather, it HAS happened in the past. Since 1971, the Walt Disney World parks have had to close around 13 times due to hurricanes. We’ve seen three closures in August, six in September, three in October, and one in November. Closures are typically only a day or two, but it is certainly something to be aware of when planning your November vacation.

November 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.

Normally, November is fairly average in terms of crowds, with the exception of Thanksgiving week. In fact, Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the year.