Walt Disney World – Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Image: Disney

You won’t find any empty theme parks on New Year’s Eve, but Disney’s Hollywood Studios is likely a safer bet than the Magic Kingdom if you’re looking to enjoy your holiday without apocalypse-levels of chaos. Here, the spot to be is right in the center of the park, where you can catch special performances of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular and a three-hour DJ dance party.

Park hours: 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM (January 1, 2018)

Special events:

• New Year’s Eve Dance Party at Center Stage: Like many of the other DJ dance parties around the Walt Disney World resort, this one kicks off at 7:00 PM with brief interruptions for Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! at 9:00 PM and a special showing of the Star Wars fireworks spectacular at midnight. The dance party will then resume from midnight until 1:00 AM, in what will likely be the most crowded location in the park.
• Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular: If you want to see a truly unique fireworks show for New Year’s Eve, you’re probably better off visiting EPCOT. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is scheduled to run their Star Wars spectacular at midnight, but significant changes to the show are not expected to be announced.
• Note: Unlike Disneyland, there will be no additional showing of Fantasmic! at midnight. You can still catch the regularly-scheduled performance at 7:00 PM, however.

Best spot to ring in the new year: Here, you’ll need to plan wisely in order to find the best spot to watch the fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (if you’re crowd-averse or simply not in the mood to celebrate with fireworks, feel free to wander around the less-congested areas of the park – that is, anywhere that’s far away from the Chinese Theater or Sunset Boulevard, which will be running its last Flurry of Fun performance of the year). It’s probably best to enjoy the NYE Dance Party for a few hours until the countdown to midnight begins, as you’ll want to be front and center at the Chinese Theater for the best possible view.

Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom

Image: Disney

Here’s the rub: You won’t actually get to count down to 2018 at Animal Kingdom this year. While it’s scheduled to remain open until 9:00 PM and is guaranteed to be the emptiest of the four Walt Disney World parks, you’re better off skipping it if you have your heart set on counting down to midnight at a Disney park. If, on the other hand, you’d rather enjoy the theme parks during the day and hop over to one of Walt Disney World’s resort celebrations in the evening, Animal Kingdom should have the most moderate holiday crowds compared to its three sister parks – though don’t underestimate the popularity of Pandora – The World of Avatar.

Park hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Extra Magic Hours 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Got any other tips and tricks for surviving the holidays at a Disney park? Share them in the comments below!