Fourth of July is summer vacation time at Walt Disney World, which means high crowds and hot weather, plus fireworks and entertainment. This guide to July 4, 2025 covers what to expect for Independence Day Weekend at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and beyond. (Updated June 17, 2025.)
In general, the first thing to expect on July 4th is added crowds at Disney as Floridians and Southerners head down to Walt Disney World for the holiday. With Independence Day falling on a Friday in 2025, it’s likely a ton of people will descend upon Florida for a long weekend trip. On top of the locals, it’ll be busy with tourists.
Nevertheless, we want to underscore the reality that Independence Day has not been busy for the last 2 years. Granted, it was on a Tuesday and then a Thursday, and that’s different than Friday. But the reality, regardless, is that Summer Is NOT Peak Season at Walt Disney World Anymore.
There will be crowds and congestion for the fireworks, but wait times for attractions will be relatively average on July 4, 2025 and throughout the holiday weekend. “Survival Guide” is hyperbole, and a remnant from a different era when Independence Day actually drew 10/10 crowds and was among the busiest holidays of the year. It simply is not that busy anymore.
For reference, Independence Day 2023 was downright dead at Walt Disney World. It was such a hot topic that it drew an explanation from CEO Bob Iger, who attributed the slowness to an exhaustion of pent-up demand in Florida as a whole and unseasonably bad weather. He wasn’t wrong…but he also wasn’t completely correct.
The big “problem” was that Walt Disney World got overly-aggressive with ticket blockouts, with both most Annual Passholders and those who purchased discount Florida resident tickets and others prevented from visiting the parks July 3-4, 2023. The end result was average wait times of only 22 minutes. To put that into perspective, those two days were among the slowest of summer and on par with the lows of August off-season. The blockout mistake was not repeated last year or this year.
Nevertheless, Independence Day 2024 crowds were unexpectedly low, even minus blockouts. Walt Disney World as a whole had an average wait time of 26 minutes on July 4, 2024. For reference, that was down as compared to the last two weeks of June, which had average wait times of 35 minutes (second to last week) and 31 minutes (last week).
As a rough rule of thumb, anything under 37 minutes is below-average in terms of crowds. Anything under 30 minutes is low. Last year’s Independence Day was very low. (See Low Fourth of July Wait Times at Walt Disney World for a thorough rundown of last year’s crowds.)
Thus far in Summer 2025, crowd levels have been down slightly as compared to the same dates last year. If these more manageable crowd levels are catching you by surprise, they’re because Walt Disney World is in the midst of a slowdown this summer. We’ve observed this in crowds ourselves, with the parks being noticeably less busy and wait times data being down relative to the same dates last year.
Recognizing this issue, Walt Disney World has been offering some of its most aggressive discounts in years. The result is that it’s cheaper to visit in Summer 2025 than it was in 2019 (with a couple asterisks), which is wild considering the massive price increases since then. Suffice to say, there are many discounts that Walt Disney World has released for 2025. It’s not just that “revenge travel” is over, either; travel trends have changed and more guests are now avoiding Central Florida in the summer due to the high heat and humidity.
As a result, it’s a near-certainty that July 4, 2025 won’t be as busy as many past years. It simply will not compare to 2019 or earlier, back when the parks were truly busy. We’d nevertheless expect higher crowd levels than the last two years, simply by virtue of the holiday falling on a Friday and Walt Disney World offering enticing discounts as opposed to blockouts.
That will move the needle, but it still won’t be truly busy. Instead of very low crowds, they’ll be in the moderate range. And this is when measuring attraction wait times, not congestion in fireworks viewing areas–those also will still be busy. Speaking of which, Walt Disney World has updated the calendar for July 2025, and we now have showtimes and park hours for Independence Day Weekend!
“Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” will be performed on July 3-4 at Magic Kingdom, replacing Happily Ever After.
A simultaneous fireworks display over nearby Seven Seas Lagoon creates an unforgettable experience for guests in the park and nearby Magic Kingdom Resort Area hotels. This special fireworks show will take place July 3 and July 4 at 9:20 p.m.
At Magic Kingdom, you can dance the night away with DJs mixing tunes at a dance party in front of Cinderella Castle and throughout the park. Magic Kingdom park hours for 2025 have now been released:
Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks have also had their hours extended for that week, and now close at 7 p.m. from July 1-3, 2025 and at 8 p.m. from July 4-5, 2025. Park hours for July 6, 2025 and beyond have not yet been extended.
It’s possible that additional extensions are made for July 3-5, 2025 if Disney’s internal projections show higher crowds, but we doubt it. Magic Kingdom opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m. is about the best case scenario given the low crowds observed in the last couple of years. Honestly, precedent for attendance over the last 2 years doesn’t even “support” those extensions.
The Heartbeat of Freedom tag will occur after the Luminous: Symphony of Us fireworks on July 4, 2025.
This features fireworks launched from around World Showcase and barges in the lagoon for a blockbuster, earth-shaking finale offering a Salute to All World Showcase Nations, But Mostly America. Luminous followed by the Heartbeat of Freedom will take place July 4 at 9 p.m.
There are no park hours extensions at EPCOT for Independence Day 2025. The park will be open as normal, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Also at EPCOT, a limited-time patriotic ambient lighting design will appear on Spaceship Earth for the Fourth of July. This gives EPCOT’s iconic the look of an American flag, and alternates with the standard Beacons of Magic show, which continues to be performed nightly on Spaceship Earth. The Fourth of July American flag effect is usually shown for multiple nights leading up to Independence Day and sometimes after.
Additionally, the Voices of Liberty will sing songs from the American songbook beneath the rotunda in the American Adventure. That’s where you’ll also find Disney fur characters wearing special “Spirit of ’76” attire and meet guests throughout the day. At EPCOT and elsewhere, there will also be distinctly patriotic treats in honor of Independence Day.
EPCOT is also presenting Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, a special exhibit from the George W. Bush Institute. (This isn’t new or specifically for Independence Day–but it just debuted, and is a heartfelt and patriotic tribute, so I wanted to call your attention to it.)
Reflecting President Bush’s personal commitment to military veterans and ongoing work of the Bush Institute’s Veteran and Military Families Program, this extraordinary art exhibit brings together more than 60 vibrant oil paintings by President Bush of service members and veterans who have served in military uniform with honor since 9/11 and whom President Bush has come to know personally since leaving office.
As usual, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will not do any special nighttime spectaculars for the Fourth of July.
Disney and America go together about like America and apple pie, plus great celebrations and fireworks shows, and it’s easy to see why a lot of people visit Walt Disney World for July 4th. This post will offer tips and tricks for surviving Walt Disney World around the Fourth of July, and help you make the most of the experience.
If you’re already in Walt Disney World and are looking for ways to avoid the heat, humidity, and crowds and for the best experience on and around July 4th, we’ve got you covered. If you’ve wanted to do the “Distinctly Patriotic” thing and go to Walt Disney World for the Fourth of July, but have always been afraid of the chaos and crowds, this post might just present an attack plan to convince you to go.
Since we are distinctly patriotic, we’ve visited Walt Disney World for the Fourth of July and weeks both before and after Independence Day itself several times. It’s hot, humid, and crowded. Not exactly ideal circumstances. However, the atmosphere and fireworks are some of the best in the United States, enough to almost make it all worthwhile.
With that said, here’s what we’ve learned about making the most of the Fourth of July at Walt Disney World!
When we were at Walt Disney World for the Fourth of July last time, I sweated through my shirt approximately 13 minutes after we got to the park each morning. Okay, maybe not that quickly, but the idea is that Walt Disney World is more or less a rain forest environment in the summer. It will be in the upper-80s with 80%+ humidity, and it will rain for at least 20 minutes. Every day. You need to pack accordingly.
We think packing light when going to the park is a good idea, as more weight equals more heat. Three items from our Unique Disney Packing List that we think will be helpful are Frogg Togg Chilly Pads for keeping cool, a collapsible water bottle for keeping hydrated, and ponchos for staying dry…and not getting fleeced on the Disney ones when it’s either buying one in a gift shop or getting soaked!
This stuff isn’t unique to visiting over the Fourth of July, but it’ll help keep you sane during one of those visits. Additionally, if you want to stay cool during your July visit to Walt Disney World, consult our Tips for Beating the Summer Heat at Walt Disney World post.
As far as the major holidays go during which we’ve visited, Fourth of July isn’t quite as bad as the others. To be sure, it’s still bad, just not as insanely bad as New Year’s Eve, for example. What arguably makes it worse than other holidays is the Florida humidity and summer tour groups. Crowds, plus humidity, plus tour groups can be a recipe for disaster, and can make your group more prone to meltdowns.
We say this not to scare you, but to give you a strong dose of reality before you expect to walk into the park skipping hand-in-hand down empty sidewalks with Sam the Eagle while lighting sparklers and being handed apple pies and Cracker Jacks by smiling Cast Members.
There will be none of that. You will encounter congestion, incredibly long lines (even for restrooms), and other guests in foul moods due to the “unexpected” crowds. In fact, the parks get so busy that sometimes they are closed to new guests at various points in the day via phased closings.
No matter what tricks we have to help you avoid crowds, it is impossible to avoid them completely unless you lock yourself in your hotel room. Beyond that, no tip, regardless of how good, is as good of a tip as “visit in September or late January instead.” If avoiding crowds is your paramount concern, you should be avoiding the weeks around the holidays, not reading these tips for visiting on July 4th.
With that said, you can definitely make lemonade out of lemons, seeing and doing a lot on the Fourth of July despite the crowds. Here’s how…
1. Skip Midday – During Fourth of July week, the Magic Kingdom has longer operating hours. Most guests will either start the day late and stay until close, or start the day early and fizzle out by late afternoon.
The time when these groups “overlap” is the middle of the day. Crowds are always lightest in the morning, getting progressively worse until about 1 pm, then tapering down the rest of the day, with crowds again being light the last couple of hours each park is open. The middle of the day is the hottest, busiest, and just generally the most miserable time to be in the parks.
So skip it. Start out your day right when the park opens, get a ton done before it gets crowded, go back to your hotel to take a nap or enjoy the pool during the busiest and hottest hours of the day, then return to the parks–refreshed and recharged–for the nighttime hours.
2. Do Indoor, Less Popular Attractions – Going to Walt Disney World during busy seasons doesn’t bother us because many of our favorite attractions aren’t all that popular, are located in air-conditioning. If you have awesome taste, you might find doing the following attractions is a great strategy for you. Asterisked attractions score extra points for being “distinctly patriotic” experiences that are Independence Day Must-Dos!
Magic Kingdom
EPCOT
Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom
In general, Animal Kingdom is not a great option for avoiding crowds and heat during a summer visit. That is, unless you want to spend ~3 hours in the air-conditioned queue for Avatar Flight of Passage. We don’t think that’s exactly the best way to spend your day, but it’s certainly one way to avoid the heat!
3. Don’t Eat at Lunchtime – People like to eat lunch at lunchtime. That’s a pretty obvious thing to say, right? Well, because of that, and due to limited restaurant capacity, the waits to order food are longest at noon. Eat when restaurants first open or later in the afternoon. The best time of day is going to be before 11 am, or around 3 or 4 p.m.
A corollary to this is dining at smaller or out of the way locations. Cosmic Ray’s, Pecos Bill, Casey’s Corner, and Pinocchio’s Village Haus will be absolutely slammed in Magic Kingdom. Instead of those spots, go to a more out of the way location, walk-up windows, or kiosks. This is even easier at EPCOT, where the more “exotic” restaurants tend to be far less busier than the core food courts like Connections Cafe & Eatery. For those doing a midday break, consider eating at a hotel food court–those will be far less busy. If you do want or need to dine at the big crowd-pleasers, do it early.
4. Use Lightning Lanes During Prime Hours – Visiting Walt Disney World during the Fourth of July summer season requires an advanced degree in theme park touring, so if you’re asking, “what are Lightning Lanes” you may need to start by reading our Guide to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for all of the foundational need-to-know info about this replacement for free FastPass+.
Since lines are longest midday, it follows that you’ll get the most utility out of those Lightning Lane ride reservations when the parks are busiest, which is closest to the middle of the day.
Of the four Walt Disney World theme parks, only Magic Kingdom and Epcot have special fireworks shows for the Fourth of July. Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios run their normal nighttime spectaculars. Magic Kingdom shows “Disney’s Celebrate America,” its Independence Day fireworks on both July 3 and July 4.
We highly recommend seeing both of these tags, and it’s better to see Celebrate America on July 3 than July 4. This is both because crowds tend to be lower on Independence Day Eve, but also because EPCOT only does the Heartbeat of Freedom fireworks tag on July 4, so Magic Kingdom on July 3 is the only way to see both.
We’ve seen all of the Fourth of July fireworks shows, and they are all awesome. Each uses enough pyro to declare war on a small nation (assuming you could somehow use pyro to declare war…never mind that), and each show is so intense that some guests might consider wearing sunglasses and earplugs while watching.
Here’s a rundown of each fireworks show on July 4th at Walt Disney World:
We’re already assuming you’re going to see Celebrate America on July 3 (if not, definitely see that show on the Fourth of July), so that means it comes down to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom a second time for the Fourth. My take is that EPCOT has a better patriotic atmosphere during the day, and the fireworks are much more intense and spectacular.
EPCOT’s World Showcase can hold a lot of people, but it still manages to fill up, and becomes difficult to navigate. It’s still a great experience, and well worth braving the crowds to see. Don’t just show up for the fireworks–EPCOT has a whole day of patriotic entertainment options.
Arrive wherever you’re going to watch these fireworks shows at least two hours in advance. Possibly more. People start saving fireworks spots in late afternoon, several hours before the shows. This is especially true in the Magic Kingdom, which is more crowded than EPCOT, which is more crowded than Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. We have a blog post detailing our favorite viewing spots for Magic Kingdom fireworks, and this holds true for the Celebrate America fireworks.
One thing worth noting in that list of viewing locations is the spots outside the park. These are busier than normal, but they’re still great alternatives. Again, Bay Lake Tower warrants mentioning here, as the Top of the World Lounge is a fantastic, relatively uncrowded spot for fireworks (if you are a Disney Vacation Club member who can access it). The Ticket & Transportation Center is also a great spot.
Developing a plan for the fireworks before the Fourth of July is a good idea, as you cannot stroll up at the last minute and grab a spot. Everything from transportation to navigating the parks is more difficult during the busy summer season. Having things to do while you wait will make the experience much more bearable!
In terms of the “other stuff,” Magic Kingdom has special PhotoPass options on July 3 & 4, including a fun-looking light painting effect at night. Otherwise, EPCOT is where the Fourth of July stuff happens, where there are extra performances of the American Adventure entertainment, plus Disney characters meeting in special patriotic attire.
Around the hotels, nothing of significance is officially scheduled. Magic Kingdom area resorts do not have any events, but you can expect big crowds and informal ‘parties’ as these resorts crowd with hotel guests and locals eager to view the fireworks.
All in all, Walt Disney World is a great, patriotic place to spend the Fourth of July. Not everything will go according to plan, and it can be a frustrating experience if you let the crowds and heat get to you. Instead, go in with the right attitude and plan on doing things that are in the AC, and don’t have long lines. The fireworks and the other supplementary entertainment make a Fourth of July visit to Walt Disney World a lot of fun, no matter what!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Have you ever visited Walt Disney World for the Fourth of July? Would you ever do it? Have any additional tips for making the most out of the experience, or regarding which fireworks shows to see? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I am wondering your thoughts on next year July 4th 2026. We are travelling from Canada and are interested in being there for the 4th of July…but also want to ensure we don’t have the added crowds (if we can help it). What are your thoughts on arriving just before July 4th and being there for those festivities, vs arriving after the 4th. We are teachers, so we have very flexible summer schedules.
We own DVC with member benefits and are staying at Bay Lake 7/3-7/4. I saw a report of the lounge being closed to all members those 2 nights in 2019 due to a dessert party. Did that happen any other year? Does anyone know what they did last year for lounge access? I have called member services multiple times and as of yesterday they said the 2 nights are listed as “restricted” but there is no party “as of now”. Disney has not made any announcements regarding access this year. I had one nice CM actually contact the CMs at BLT (not the call center line for the “front desk”) and they said they have not been notified of the plan for this year.
Hi Tom. I am looking at the Magic Kingdom calendar of events, and I saw they moved from 10pm on the 4th of July to 11. I am just wondering where you find the posts with the hours you have listed. Thanks!
Waiting patiently for the Disneyland version of this for 2024 =)
Hi Tom-
Now that there are no reservations required, do you think it’s possible that the park will close to new admissions mid-day on July 4? We’re getting in that morning and were planning to go to the park around 4 or 5 to see the evening show, but I’m worried we may not be able to get in. Thanks!
Hi Dorothy
There’s zero chance that they’ll hit capacity. They didn’t when it was a madhouse over Christmas and new years.
hope that helps! we’ll be there too!
We were there for July 4, 2023 and were really surprised at how light crowds were! The crowds actually got heavier starting July 5th which surprised us considering this has been our go-to week for years (the life of a teacher!) I will admit we did not even venture near Magic Kingdom on the 4th, but overall from the 2-4 we found lighter than normal crowds and are hoping for the same this year! Fingers crossed!
What were the hours for that day at Magic Kingdom?? 8am to 11pm ?
We are here now. It’s busy but nothing like say Christmas. I was worried about park hopping being suspended but the rain storm probably helped with that. Park hopping has been key to a more comfortable trip. I was even able to get a boarding group at 7am for Guardians – surprised since much doom and gloom has been posted about boarding groups disappearing in seconds. Still not the Disney of old- the nickel and diming (and dollaring) of every little aspect is wearing thin. Sadly we will be taking a Disney break after this trip – hard to justify quality of experience based on the exorbitant cost.
We are arriving 7/3 and have scheduled the parks as Hollywood 7/4, MK 7/5, and epcot 7/6. Is there anything special for the 4th on these days at these parks? We are staying at Art of Animation. Can you see any fireworks from there?
Hi!
We just booked the Polynesian for the first time and will be there for the 4th! Do you recommend watching from the Poly beach or in the park?
Thanks for all of your tips!
What are the chances of park hopping being suspended into Magic Kingdom on July 3rd and 4th?
I’m wondering about that. We decided to book magic on the third and Epcot on the fourth and not park hop on those days, so that our park reservation would still be in our account all day and we would still be able to get in regardless.
Yay! I’m so excited! We will be there July 1-9! We already booked fireworks dessert party at MK on July 3 (assuming that will end up being the Patriotic ones – they don’t show both, right??) And Spice Road table dining/fireworks for July 4 (I know, not great seats, but we like the food and want to escape crowds). I’ve been waiting for this announcement since January! We are going to Genie and ILL our way around the crowds and stay out as late as possible w/ the Deluxe extra hours. So excited. I’ve already got my patriotic Minnie Ears!
1) what time do the fireworks on the 3rd and 4th usually happen at Magic Kingdom and 2) do you think the fireworks dessert party at MK will be for Enchantment or the Celebrate America fireworks?
A few years ago we got to see The Muppets Present Great Moments in American History at Liberty Square — so awesome — wish it would come back or something similar
I love reading these “historic” posts that speak of Magic Kingdom open till 3am. Does anyone think that will ever happen again, outside of special ticketed events? I remember those days, but seems it seems like such a long time ago.
Very informative as usual. Thank you. Are you planning a survival guide for the Star Wars opening? Kinda terrified it’s going to be wall-to-wall pedestrian traffic everywhere. We’re going in September
I believe there is a special BBQ at Contemporary Resort July 4th – 6th that is Toy Story themed: Buffet and fireworks viewing.
We’re heading down for July 4th this year – it was either last week of June or first week of July, and figured if it’s going to be hot, sticky and crowded either way, might as well go when there’s something special to see. (As mentioned above, July 4th being a Wednesday helped make the decision for it… last time we were down at Christmas, Christmas Day was a Friday. Coupled with it being the last year of the Osbourne Lights, and for whatever reason someone (not me!!) changing our plans from EPCOT to DHS for Christmas Day itself, it was busy enough for my mother to declare that she never wanted to do a holiday at Disney World again…! So, with that as our benchmark, I am semi-optimistic that it can’t be that bad – heat and humidity aside)
Made the decision to fork out for the Magic Kingdom fireworks party on July 3rd, especially because we’re starting out in AK that day. Was *very* unhappy when Disney announced the post-fireworks party a few weeks after we’d booked.
This is going to be my first trip with an annual pass, so I’m less concerned with getting the “value” out of day I would be normally. I figure if things get too hot/overwhelming/whatever, I’ll just tap out and go prop up a bar somewhere 😉
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