13 Disney World Changes to Operations This Summer That Will Impact Your Trip

For guests visiting this summer at Walt Disney World, there are a number of changes to consider that will impact your trip.

New additions coming to the park will have a big impact on your park planning, which includes your Lightning Lane plans, along with how long you can stay in the parks each day. Let's get into all these major changes coming to Walt Disney World so you can plan your summer trip accordingly!

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1. Flavors of Florida Starts This Week

Flavors of Florida is a Disney Springs version of an EPCOT food festival that celebrates the unique flavors of Florida, like citrus fruit, cheese, seafood, and more. Flavors of Florida returns to Disney Springs from June 27 to August 10, 2025.

Over 45 locations in Disney Springs participate in this event, which includes more than 90 different menu items. This will be a big draw for locals as well, especially since you do not need a park ticket to visit Disney Springs.

Be prepared for an increase in crowd levels in the evenings at Disney Springs. Disney Springs crowds tend to be high in the evenings in the summer regardless as families take a break from the heat in the parks, so this will only increase it in the evenings.

2. Extended Evening Hours Start at Animal Kingdom

Extended Evening Hours will take place every Wednesday in July at Animal Kingdom starting July 2, 2025. This is an exciting event for guests who long to see Animal Kingdom at night, which is a rare sight to see since the park traditionally closes so early. This is something we often complain about, but at least this is a way to enjoy this park at night.

You will see larger than usual crowds in Animal Kingdom at the end of the park day as the Extended Evening Hours guests mix in with the regular guests.

3. Expect Different Fireworks on the 4th of July

Walt Disney World changes its fireworks show to celebrate the 4th of July. Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky will take place on July 3rd and 4th at 9:20 PM. A fireworks show also takes place over the Seven Seas Lagoon, so guests in the nearby Magic Kingdom area hotels can see the show.

4. EPCOT Fireworks Receive Special Finale for 4th of July

EPCOT's fireworks show will also receive changes for the 4th of July. Luminous “The Symphony of Us” will take place, but with a special 4th of July Heartbeat of Freedom Grand Finale. The show will take place over the World Showcase Lagoon at 9 PM.

5. Rivers of America Closing in Magic Kingdom

Rivers of America will permanently close on July 7, 2025, to make way for the new mini-Cars themed area (officially titled Piston Peak National Park) in Frontierland. This closure is also likely to help prepare for Villains Land being built behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

The last day to experience any of the attractions in this area of Frontierland is July 6, 2025.

6. Fireworks Times Change

Starting July 6, 2025, the showtime for the Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom fireworks show will change to 10 PM. Prior to this date, the fireworks show is nightly at 9:20 PM. This change was likely to prepare for the new Disney Starlight Parade's debut date, but the parade won't actually start until later in the month.

Magic Kingdom is scheduled to close at 10 PM on these nights, which means the fireworks show will take place when the park is officially closed, so guests can enjoy more of their time in the park before watching the show.

7. Starlight Parade Debuts at Magic Kingdom

The highly anticipated Disney Starlight Parade will make its debut at Magic Kingdom on July 20th, 2025. The parade will run twice nightly at 9 PM at 11 PM. Happily Ever After fireworks will continue to take place at 10 PM between the showings of the parade.

The parade's opening date likely should have coordinated with the start of other summer events at the resort, like Cool Kid Summer, the updated Little Mermaid show, and the new Disney Villains show at Hollywood Studios. This is a later start than originally expected, which is part of the reason for the mid-summer operational hours change-up at Magic Kingdom.

8. Magic Kingdom Park Hours Extended

In anticipation of the demand for the Disney Starlight Parade, operating hours at Magic Kingdom will be extended to 11 PM starting on July 20th. Prior to this, Magic Kingdom closes at 10 PM for most nights. This will make touring the park much easier at night, especially with all the new nighttime entertainment.

9. Test Track Reopens at EPCOT

Test Track reopens on July 22, 2025, at EPCOT, just two days after the debut of the Disney Starlight Parade. EPCOT is in desperate need of one of its major attractions to return, as this has caused high demand for Frozen Ever After and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure.

Test Track has been closed since June last year for a reimagining that is “reaching back in history for inspiration” to the original World of Motion ride. The new version of the ride will feature new scenes highlighting technology as well as an all-new musical score. You can read more about what we know about the Test Track reimagining as a whole in our separate article here.

10. Lightning Lane Availability Increases for EPCOT

Test Track will also likely make its return to the Lightning Lane lineup at EPCOT. Prior to its closure, Test Track was one of the “group one” selections, which also included Frozen Ever After and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. Group one means that guests can only pick one advance Lightning Lane reservation from that group. Soarin' has replaced Test Track's spot in group one since the refurbishment started. Once Test Track reopengs, Soarin' will likely move back down to the regular ‘group two' selections.

If you will be booking Lightning Lanes during this time period, be sure to keep an eye out for the return of Test Track to the advanced Lightning Lane selections. You can read more about how Lightning Lane selections work at EPCOT in our guide. 

11. More Single Rider Lines at EPCOT

Hopefully, when Test Track reopens, it will again join the Single Rider lineup at Walt Disney World. At EPCOT, that typically includes Test Track and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. Currently you can see that Test Track's Single Rider line is lit up and illuminated which is a promising sign of its return.

Single Rider at Walt Disney World is one of the biggest hacks at the parks, as not many guests utilize it compared to other theme parks like the Disneyland Resort. It will be great to see Single Rider return for Test Track. Our experiences with Single Rider at Walt Disney World are always positive. We walked directly onto Remy's Ratatouille Adventure using Single Rider when the standby line was at 90 minutes.

12. Direct Transportation Available to Blizzard Beach

Due to the increase in water park usage because of the perk of visiting for free on your Disney Resort check-in day, there will be limited direct transportation to Blizzard Beach for the summer. From May 21 through September 7, 2025, direct bus transportation to and from Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park will be available at these hotels:

• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

This is a huge benefit for guests staying at these resorts, as most other resorts require a transfer to either Animal Kingdom or Disney Springs to access the water parks. Guests staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Disney’s All-Star Resort hotels always have direct access to Blizzard Beach.

13. Annual Passholder Increase in the Parks

Walt Disney World is kicking off its V.I.PASSHOLDER Summer Days that begin now through July 31, 2025. This is a limited-time offering just for Walt Disney World passholders that offers exclusive perks, discounts, and special character greetings to show appreciation for passholders.

We might see an increase in locals during this time due to this event, which can have an impact on crowds at Walt Disney World, especially with the debut of the Disney Starlight Parade. But even an increase won't be too large of an impact as summer is typically a slower period at Walt Disney World now, according to the Mickey Visit Crowd Calendar, so they are now using these passholder days to pull people in.

READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Have Changed Dramatically Since Their Opening

I've seen changes come and go, and like many seasoned Disney park goers, I've become familiar with the resulting emotional rollercoaster. It can be sad when the company decides to overhaul or even remove a beloved attraction. On the other hand, there are times when it's easy to embrace a much-needed update. Here are ten Disney attractions that have transformed substantially since opening day, for better or worse.

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Guests always find themselves so distracted with the incredible attractions, shows, and overall atmosphere at the Disney World theme parks that they often pass by some of the tastiest snacks within the parks! We visit Disney World property monthly and often find many overlooked or underrated food items throughout the four amazing theme parks.