How Clients Can Visit Theme Parks After Hours

A theme park day can be crowded and expensive — especially for large families — but what if clients could experience nearly a full park day after the gates close, with fewer crowds and (particularly valuable in Florida) lower temperatures? That’s exactly what separately ticketed after-hours parties provide. The best part: they sometimes cost less than a one-day theme park ticket.

Here are the theme park parties clients won’t want to miss.

Disney Parks After Dark

Disneyland After Dark events in Anaheim take place on select dates from February to June, featuring highly themed entertainment, dance parties, rare character meet-and-greets, exclusive food and — perhaps most importantly — access to attractions with shorter wait times.

Past parties have included the Valentine's Day-themed Sweethearts Nite in February, Star Wars Nite in April and May and Pride Nite in June. Each year, new themes are added, such as 70 Years of Favorites, which debuted in 2026 to celebrate Disneyland's 70th anniversary.

Disneyland After Dark events run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.; however, ticket holders can enter as early as 6 p.m., giving them seven full hours inside the park. Clients who purchase Disneyland After Dark tickets do not need a theme park reservation unless they plan to visit before 6 p.m. Advisors should also note that clients will be “mixing in” with daytime guests if they enter a park during the three hours before the party officially starts.

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Disney After Hours at Walt Disney World allows clients to spend three magical hours riding attractions and enjoying complimentary snacks and drinks after park close on select nights from January to July at Magic Kingdom and from January to September at Hollywood Studios or Epcot.

During these separately ticketed nighttime events, clients can experience some of Walt Disney World's most popular attractions with much shorter queues, including Tron Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway in Hollywood Studios and the recently reimagined Test Track in Epcot.

Universal Fan Fest Nights

Marking its second year in 2026, the springtime Universal Fan Fest Nights event at Universal Studios Hollywood celebrates fandom across multiple genres, including anime, sci-fi, fantasy and gaming.

“At its core Universal Fan Fest Nights is ‘fan first’ and authentic,” said Stephen Siercks, Universal’s senior director of entertainment and the event’s executive producer. “We want to celebrate the fans that have an affinity for these genres, and continue to build a legacy of delivering authentic experiences that are uniquely Universal.”

The event lineup features character meet-and-greets, live performances and immersive walk-through experiences, including the rare opportunity to explore the Universal backlot. In 2025, fans stepped into recreated scenes from "Back to the Future" on the movie's original Courthouse Square set. In 2026, the gang from the Scooby Doo cartoons enlisted guests to help solve a mystery on the cobblestone streets of "Little Europe," where Universal's classic monster movies were filmed — and where those monsters were roaming once again.

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But that’s not all. Fan Fest guests have been recruited for a Dungeons & Dragons-style quest to find the infamous beholder Xanathar (an impressive animatronic figure created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop); joined a swashbuckling adventure with the Straw Hat Crew from the Japanese manga franchise, “One Piece”; and encountered Wizarding World fantastic beasts like a duck-billed treasure-pilfering Niffler and a majestic Hippogriff with a 20-foot wing span.

After Hours Halloween Events

Clients who aren't afraid of jump scares definitely won't want to miss Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood, where classic monsters, movie murderers and creepy creatures roam the streets in Los Angeles and Orlando. However, those looking for more family-friendy Halloween fare should turn their attention to Disney.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party takes place in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World on select dates from early August through Halloween night and includes exclusive stage shows and fireworks, the beloved Boo to You Halloween parade and trick-or-treating throughout the park. The event runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, but ticket holders can enter the park three hours before the event officially begins.

Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party in California Adventure Park at Disneyland is best-known for its interactive treat trails hosted by infamous Disney villains, from iconic Disney baddies such as Maleficent, Hades and Cruella De Vil, to lesser-known characters, including Yokai from “Big Hero 6,” Syndrome from “The Incredibles,” Mother Gothel from “Tangled” and Marvel witch Agatha Harkness.

Partygoers can also watch the Frightfully Fun Parade, led by the Headless Horseman, and participate in the immersive walk-through Villains Grove experience, which represents different villains through lighting and sound effects.

Oogie Boogie Bash takes place from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on select nights in August, September and October. Ticket holders can enter at 3 p.m., and no park reservation is required unless clients plan to visit the parks earlier in the day.

But perhaps the biggest reason clients will love Disney Halloween parties is that they offer a rare opportunity for adults to wear costumes, since guests ages 14 and over normally can't dress up.

After-Hours Holiday Celebrations

Although all Walt Disney World parks are decked out for the holidays, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom and the swanky Disney Jollywood Nights in Hollywood Studios give clients the chance to ring in the season after day guests go home.

RELATED: How Theme Parks Are Celebrating the Holidays in 2025

With exclusive entertainment offerings and festive food and beverages, there are plenty of reasons to join the holiday fun at either park- — or both. Clients who attend Mickey’s bash in Magic Kingdom can see Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show and the Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show at Cinderella Castle. Jollywood Nights guests can experience Disney Holidays in Hollywood hosted by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, an interactive Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along and Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, which lights up the façade of the park’s Chinese Theater.

Both parties take place on select dates from early November through late December. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, but guests can enter as early as 4 p.m. Jollywood Nights runs from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., with mix-in beginning at 5:30 p.m.

All holiday offerings at the Disneyland Resort are included with regular theme park admission.