Walt Disney World Spring Planning Guide

Updated with 2026 dates and details: December 3, 2025

Looking for the full picture of what Disney has announced for 2026 and how winter compares to the rest of the year? Our Complete 2026 Walt Disney World Announcements & Best Time to Visit Guide breaks down new attractions, festivals, seasonal crowds, and booking strategies month-by-month.

🌸 Spring at Walt Disney World (March – May 2026)

Spring at Walt Disney World is one of our favorite seasons — when the parks look gorgeous and the weather behaves itself — but let’s be honest… it can also be absolute crowd chaos if you hit the wrong week.

Between Spring Breaks, Easter travel, and special events, March and early April can feel wall-to-wall busy. The good news? A magical spring trip is still completely doable — you just need smart timing and an even smarter game plan.

If you’re tied to school schedules, the mild temps and EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival make spring incredibly appealing. And if your calendar is flexible? 👀 There are quiet little pockets we love that shine both for crowds and comfort.

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Our favorite spring picks are early March (before Spring Break fully explodes) or early–mid May when crowds dip but festival vibes are still rolling.

If you’re working around school breaks, spring remains a great option thanks to:

• Milder weather than summer

• EPCOT’s beautiful Flower & Garden Festival

• Extended park hours during busy periods

• Disney’s fantastic hard-ticket After Hours events that help beat crowds and heat

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: If you don’t have to travel during peak Spring Break weeks, aim for early March or the lighter crowd pockets in late April and early–mid May for the best experience.

📅 Spring 2026 Crowd Calendar — Quick Breakdown

When people say “Spring Break crowds,” it tends to sound vague — but in reality, Disney crowd levels during spring are very predictable once you look at what’s happening on the calendar.

Big school breaks, runDisney race weekends, and competition travel drive these spikes far more than the season itself. Here’s exactly how Spring 2026 shakes out, week by week, so you can pick your dates with confidence — not guesswork.

🌼 March 2026

Dates	Crowd Level
March 1–5	Moderate crowds as Princess Half Marathon events wrap up
March 6–9	Crowds rising — cheer & dance competitions begin + early Spring Breaks
March 10–27	Peak Spring Break crowds throughout the resort — very busy
March 28–31	Heavy crowds continue with Easter & Passover travel increasing

Notable events:

• Feb 26 – Mar 2: runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend

• Mar 13–15: Cheer/Dance competitions

• Mar 17: St. Patrick’s Day

• Mar 28 onward: Easter & Passover travel surge begins

🐣 April 2026

Dates	Crowd Level
April 1–5	Heavy crowds — Easter, Passover, lingering Spring Breaks
April 6–11	Busy early, tapering late in the week
April 12–15	Brief lighter window — light to moderate crowds
April 16–19	Crowds bump up again for runDisney Springtime Surprise
April 20–30	Moderate weekdays; weekend spikes from cheer/dance competitions

Other Events:

• Apr 1–9: Passover travel period

• Apr 4–12: Easter/Spring Break crowds

• Apr 5: Easter Sunday

• Apr 16–19: runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend

• Apr 22–27: Cheer & Dance competitions

• Apr 30 – May 3: Cheer/Dance competitions extend into early May

🌞 May 2026

Dates	Crowd Level
May 1–3	Moderate crowds — competitions affect Hollywood Studios
May 4–15	⭐ Sweet spot of spring — lighter crowds, especially midweek
May 16–17	Weekend bump
May 18–21	Light weekday crowds return
May 22–25	Busy — youth soccer tournament + Memorial Day weekend
May 26–31	Moderate crowds as summer travel ramps up

Other events:

• May 8–10: Cheer/Dance competitions

• May 10: Mother’s Day

• May 15–16: Special Olympics Florida Summer Games

• May 23–25: Youth soccer tournament

• May 25: Memorial Day

• May 29–30: Banana Ball (Savannah Bananas exhibition)

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: May 4–15 is one of the very best times of the entire spring season to visit. Lower crowds + warmer water-park weather + slightly reduced pricing makes it a hidden gem window.

☀️ Spring Weather at Disney World

Spring weather at Disney is kind of the Goldilocks season — not too hot, not too chilly, but trending warmer fast.What starts as hoodie mornings and perfect park afternoons can evolve into “why is it already this sticky??” by late April and May.

Your comfort level is going to depend just as much on time of day strategies as it does your actual travel dates — especially once afternoon heat creeps in.

• March: Cool mornings (upper 50s) and warm afternoons (upper 70s to low 80s) — ideal park weather.

• April: Warmer and sunnier with highs climbing into the mid-to-upper 80s.

• May: Begins to feel more like summer, with highs often reaching the low 90s.

While not as extreme as late summer heat, hydration and midday breaks become important especially by May.

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Schedule pool or water park time in the morning and tour parks in the late afternoon/evening when temperatures and crowds are lower.

🌧️ Spring Showers

Ahhh… Florida spring rain — the daily surprise nobody ordered.By May especially, quick midday storms become a regular guest appearance. The good news? They’re usually brief, predictable, and oddly helpful.

When rain hits, crowds scatter — and that can open up some of the best ride windows of the entire day if you’re prepared to ride it out.

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Always travel with ponchos and spare socks — wet feet are the real enemy of a good park day 😅(And don’t forget our Beat the Rain or Heat  maps for easy shelter locations in every park!)

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

Dates have been released for Flower and Garden in 2026, the festival will run from March 4, 2026 through June 1, 2026.

If spring had a theme park spirit animal, it would absolutely be EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival 🌼

From vibrant character topiaries to outdoor kitchens and live concert nights, the festival adds nonstop atmosphere without feeling overwhelming — which makes spring trips feel extra special even on busier park days.

📅 2026 Festival Dates:March 4 – June 1, 2026. You can read all about the festival in our Flower and Garden Festival Guide and our Festival Food Guide.

📅 2026 Festival Dates:March 4 – June 1, 2026

The park transforms with:

• Beautiful character topiaries

• Garden displays and photo ops

• Seasonal outdoor kitchens

• Scavenger hunts & activities

• A nightly concert series at the America Gardens Theatre

• 
  

➡️ Be sure read our Flower and Garden Festival Guide for a deeper dive into the festival for 2026

🌙 Disney After Hours Events — Spring 2026

If there is one strategy we swear by for spring travel, it’s splurging for a Disney After Hours night.

These hard-ticket events trade daylight touring stress for quiet, cooler nighttime park time with insanely short lines — snacks included. When crowd levels climb during Spring Break season, After Hours becomes your built-in cheat code.

We almost always budget for one during spring trips. It’s that much of a game-changer.

These are separate hard-ticket events that do not require a day park ticket and offer:

• Short attraction wait times

• Popcorn, ice cream & drinks included

• Cooler nighttime touring

• Mixed, lower-density crowds

Event times:

• Hollywood Studios — 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM

• Magic Kingdom & EPCOT — 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM

Typical ticket pricing:

• Magic Kingdom: $175–$199 + tax

• Hollywood Studios: $155–$189 + tax

• EPCOT: $155–$179 + tax

Discounts may be available for Annual Passholders and DVC members on select nights.

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Not every attraction operates during After Hours — check ride availability before purchasing and prioritize the parks offering the attractions you most want to experience.

You can find all the After Hours dates for 2026, pull all the attractions availbale for each park at our 2026 After Hours Events Guide.

Spring Pros and Cons

Spring doesn’t earn its popularity by accident — but it also isn’t the perfect season for everyone. It’s a choice between beautiful festivals and manageable weather vs. crowd-heavy weeks and premium pricing.

Here’s the honest breakdown so you can decide if spring matches your vacation style:

✅ Pros

✅ EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival adds major seasonal charm

✅ Extended park hours during busy weeks provide touring opportunities

✅ Weather is generally milder than summer

✅ Ride refurbishments are less common in spring

✅ Late April & early May see lower crowds and reduced costs

✅ Resort pools and water parks shine with rising temperatures

✅ 2026 resort packages include free water park admission on arrival day

⚠️ Cons

⚠️ Heavy Spring Break & Easter crowds dominate much of March & early April

⚠️ Date-based pricing leads to higher ticket & hotel rates during peak weeks

⚠️ Discounts are limited during high-demand periods

⚠️ Heat intensifies in late April into May

⚠️ May rain showers & humidity increase

⚠️ Pool and water park crowds can grow as temperatures rise

🌸 Coming to Walt Disney World in Spring 2026

Spring is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons of the year, with major ride reopenings and festival energy across the parks:

🎢 Major Ride Reopenings & Refreshes

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — Reopening (Spring 2026)The legendary runaway mine train returns to Magic Kingdom after refurbishment.

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin — Ride System Updates (Spring 2026)New ride vehicles, upgraded blasters, and improved scoring systems refresh this Tomorrowland classic.

🧭 Spring Strategy Snapshot

If you want the TL;DR version of everything above — here it is. These are the patterns we’ve seen year after year that consistently produce the best spring experiences:

• Avoid March 10–April 5 if you can.

• Book early March (1–5) or May 4–15 for best balance of crowds & weather.

• Take midday breaks.

• Use After Hours nights strategically.

• Hydrate generously and expect afternoon rain by May.

• Plan your EPCOT days around concert performances & booth crowds.

✨ Spring at Walt Disney World — Putting It All Together

Spring can be absolutely magical at Walt Disney World… as long as you travel with eyes wide open. 🌸 The weather behaves (mostly), EPCOT is stunning thanks to Flower & Garden, and longer park hours open up more flexibility — but Spring Break crowds and Easter travel mean timing matters more here than almost any other season.

If you’re locked into school schedules, don’t let that discourage you — a fabulous spring vacation is still 100% possible with the right plan: midday breaks, smart Lightning Lane choices, early mornings or late nights, and splurging on an After Hours event when you can. And if you’ve got flexibility? Late April and early–mid May are the real secret wins of spring. Lighter crowds, warmer water-park days, better pricing, and festival vibes without the chaos — yes please.

🧚‍♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Spring success comes down to two things:

1️⃣ Picking the right week

2️⃣ Touring with strategy, not stress

That’s exactly why we built this guide — to help you skip the guesswork, dodge the worst crowds, and focus on actually having fun instead of constantly checking wait times.

Whether you’re dreaming of topiary photos at EPCOT, nighttime rides under the castle lights, or soaking up some pool time between park days, spring can be a beautiful time to visit when you plan it right. And you’re already doing that — because you’re here. 💙

Pixie Dust Hugs,

Bren, Lyn, and Kim