This Week at Disney World: October 3-9

Happy October, friends! 🎃 This is honestly my favorite stretch of the whole year at Walt Disney World. The parks are decorated, the festivals are running, and we are just close enough to real fall weather that I'm starting to feel hopeful about it. Here's what the week ahead looks like.

What's happening in the parks

[Magic Kingdom](/parks/magic-kingdom) is fully in Halloween mode. Main Street is decorated, the Cinderella Castle looks incredible in the fall lighting, and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party continues on select nights. If you are not attending a party, remember that the park closes early to day guests on party nights (usually 6pm), so check the calendar before you commit to a full Magic Kingdom day. Non-party days this time of year tend to run a little busier in the afternoon as a result.

[EPCOT](/parks/epcot) has the International Food & Wine Festival going through fall, and early October is a sweet spot: the booths are all open, the Eat to the Beat concert series is running most nights, and the crowds have not hit the holiday level yet. Weekdays in World Showcase are noticeably calmer than weekends.

[Hollywood Studios](/parks/hollywood-studios) and [Animal Kingdom](/parks/animal-kingdom) are in their normal fall rhythm. Animal Kingdom is my pick for a morning this week since the animals are far more active before the afternoon heat sets in.

One heads up: Columbus Day weekend falls the following weekend, so crowds will start building toward the end of this week. Front-load your must-do parks Monday through Wednesday if you can.

Snacks and merch I'd look for

The fall food is everywhere right now. Think candy corn and pumpkin treats around Main Street bakeries, Halloween cupcakes and cake pops popping up all over property, and the Food & Wine booths at EPCOT if you want to make a meal out of small plates. On the merch side, Halloween and Mickey pumpkin designs are still well stocked in early October, but spirit jerseys and ear headbands in the seasonal prints do sell down fast. If you see a pair of ears you love, grab them. They will not be there in three weeks. I keep a running list of my favorites over on ears.

What to wear this week

It is still warm. Expect highs in the upper 80s with humidity, and the chance of a pop-up afternoon storm has not fully gone away yet. I'm wearing breathable knit tops or tank dresses in orange, black, and cream, plus a light cardigan or flannel tied at the waist for the evening (it genuinely cools off after dark now, especially if you're out for fireworks). Comfortable sneakers, a packable poncho, and a crossbody you can wipe down. That is my whole October formula.

Planning tip of the week

We are still inside hurricane season (it runs through November 30), so if you are booking an October or November trip right now, read Disney's hurricane policy before you buy anything. Disney typically allows you to reschedule or cancel a package without change fees when a hurricane warning is issued for Orlando or your home area within seven days of arrival. Book directly through Disney if you want that flexibility, and look at travel insurance for the airfare side, which is not covered by that policy. It takes ten minutes and saves a lot of stress later.

More trip-planning help lives on the itinerary page. Have the best week! 💛