Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom

The Villains After Hours event at Magic Kingdom made its debut in summer of 2019.  This exclusive, hard ticketed event, allows guests to enjoy the Magic Kingdom with a villainous flair! With entertainment and food geared toward your favorite villains, this special event is returning to Magic Kingdom for 2020! Today, I am excited to share some tips and tricks for making the most out of your time at Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom.

This past summer, the twins and I snuck away for a few hours of mom/teenage boy time at Magic Kingdom.  We left the princess behind at the Margartiaville Resort with dad, and off we went! We enjoyed every second of Villains After Hours. It was so much fun to experience this special event with my boys. We had not been to Magic Kingdom as a family since they were about 10, so I was super excited for this.  And, it turned out they were as well! Being in the park, late at night, and enjoying all the food and attractions made special memories for us. I am excited to share this event with you today, as well as some tips to make your visit successful!

What is Villains After Hours?

Villains After Hours takes place at Magic Kingdom Park, after the park has closed to regular day guests.  The event takes place from 9PM-Midnight, OR 10PM-1AM. This varies based on the date and when the park closes to day guests.  This event takes place on select days of the week, beginning in February of 2020, and currently will run through early July.  Tickets are purchased through the My Disney Experience website. 

Guests who want to attend this event need to buy a separate ticket. While you are allowed to enter the park as early as 7PM with your Villains After Hours ticket, the special events and food kiosks do not begin until 9 or 10PM. You will be given a wristband at the park entry to signify that you have access to the special events.  Or, you can visit a Castmember inside the park, usually stationed in each “land” to receive your wristband.

What Can I Expect from Villains After Hours?

First, you can expect a ton of fun with your favorite villain friends! The Villains Unite the Night Stage Show is fantastic! As the show progresses, each villain comes to the stage and shares his/her story of being bad.  The castle changes as each villain enters the stage, and the projections are AMAZING. Another fun event of the night was the DJ hosted dance party on the stage in front of Cinderella’s Castle.  By that time of the night, we had ridden so many attractions, and eaten so much free food, that we were ready to dance it off! This dance party really kept the energy up, and ended the night on a fun note!

After the park closes to day guests, they open up exclusive food carts and kiosks for party guests.  You can literally walk up, grab a Mickey Bar or a popcorn, and be on your way! They also have bottled drinks for you. The boys thought this was great ~ just walk up, get some food, and you are on your way! They are stationed all over the park, which makes it very convenient.  Another fun, exclusive happening during Villains After hours is Malificient “roams” the park.  She creeps through the park, as an exclusive experience for guests.  

Magic Kingdom is “empty” during the party.  So in turn, attraction wait time are sooooo low. The boys rode the tea cups over, and over, and over again. Also, they enjoyed their old favorite, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. We rode Big Thunder Mountain three times, without exiting our car.  And the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train saw wait times down to 20 minutes.  We waited until about 12:30/12:45 to ride this, as that is when the times were lowest. Over 25 attractions are open during the party, so that makes it very well worth it.  Also, Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain had villain themed overlays and experiences for guests who chose to ride those.  And of course, you always have exclusive Photopass opportunities.

Is Villains After Hours “Worth It’?

I think so, yes.  Although, I have not met a hard ticketed event or a dessert party I didn’t love.  I think that Disney creates these special experiences for guests who are looking for a little something special, and extra, to enhance their trip experience.  I think the villains theme makes it extra special, and fantastic for families with older kids.  The princess would not have lasted until 1AM, but the twins loved being up that late and running around the park with me. We don’t get a lot of “mom and boys” time, so this was something memorable I wanted to do with them.

The amount of food, and the low wait times on the attractions, I think make it worth it as well. Literally walking onto attractions, grabbing food whenever you want, and enjoying the park after the sun goes down are all huge perks. While they do have select exclusive party treats for purchase, we were totally fine with the offerings from the kiosks and carts that were included with our tickets.  They also bring out exclusive villians merchandise in the shops. 

Tips for Visiting Villains After Hours:

Arrive at the Magic Kingdom as close to 7PM as possible.  Getting in so early on your party ticket adds value to your park admission.  You can visit some of the lower wait attractions, get some photos, and even a late dinner at one of your favorite QS locations before the party starts. 

There are not exclusive or any character meet and greets during the party.  I was personally fine with this, as I think that the stage show and the villains waving good-bye as guests exit the park are sufficient.

If you arrive at Magic Kingdom early enough, you can catch Happily Ever After.

While the tickets are pricey, if you time it correctly, you could get about 5-6 hours of park time, depending on when you arrive.  This is why I think it is essential to arrive as close to 7PM as possible.

Villains After Hours is great for a “no park” day. Take the morning to sleep in, enjoy your resort pool, and maybe even book an early character dinner at a Magic Kingdom resort before heading to the party.  I would not try to work this in on a day when you are using your regular park tickets.  I think it is too much, and you won’t fully enjoy the party if you haven’t taken some “down time” beforehand.  On the flip side, having a relaxing day following the party is a great idea, so you can stay until it is over and plan to sleep in the next day.

Overall, we made some fantastic memories and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.  My boys are almost 17!  And taking time like this is essential. We had SO much fun, and I hope your family is able to visit Villains After Hours on your next trip!