The New Year is almost upon us and we are looking forward to (what we hope) is a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!

2020 threw us for a BUNCH of loops and Disney World saw some changes we never expected. But Disney has lots of exciting things planned or the new year. Here are 14 need to know dates for 2021!

January – February

January 1st

January 1st marked the start of the New Year AND the return of park hopping in Walt Disney World. Remember park hopping isn’t be quite like it used to be. You can’t start hopping until 2PM now and the ability to park will depend on if the park you are looking to hop to is at capacity or not.

A few other changes popped up on the 1st as well. Park-to-park transportation has returned to help guests with their park-hopping plans and Walt Disney World Resort guests will no longer receive free MagicBands.

Read our park hopping FAQ here. 

January 3rd

On January 3rd, Kali River Rapids will close for refurbishment.

This water ride typically closes in the wintertime for seasonal maintenance so this is a regular closure!

January 6th – January 10th

This next one is not TECHNICALLY a Disney World date this year, but we wanted to drop it in. The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is set for January 6th through January 10th.

The catch? This year’s event is VIRTUAL. So, no, folks won’t be running their way through the Disney parks. Instead, they’ll be participating from home.

Click here to learn more about this year’s Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend!

January 8th – February 22nd

EPCOT International Festival of the Arts kicks off January 8th and runs through February 22nd and we are so excited to see all the works of art and try all the new FOOD!

We’re still waiting to hear about menus for this festival so stay tuned for when we see them!

Here’s everything you need to know about EPCOT Festival of the Arts!

January 10th

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover has been closed for the majority of 2020 and we are SO excited to get back on a ride through Tomorrowland!

PeopleMover is set to reopen on January 10th and we have our fingers crossed that this date won’t get pushed back any further.

Want to see what’s going on with PeopleMover? Click here!

February 10th

On February 10th, we may see the debut of the new Cirque du Soleil show coming to Disney Springs — Drawn to Life!

This show depicts a mix of Disney artistry with Cirque’s stellar performing acts and has been delayed several times due to the global health crisis. At this time, tickets are available beginning February 10th.

To see a first look of Drawn to Life, click here!

February 18th – 21st

Another virtual runDisney event takes place February 18th through 21st with the Disney Princess Virtual Half Marathon.

Click here to see more information for this virtual event!

March – July

March 1st

At the start of March, we’ll see the reopening of Tom Sawyer Island and Liberty Square Riverboat in Magic Kingdom.

These attractions have been closed for some time; the Rivers of America were even drained! The refurbishment for both attractions is now listed through Sunday, February 28th.

Want to see more of a drained Rivers of America? Click here!

March 3rd – July 5th

March 3rd through July 5th will mark the second EPCOT festival of the year with the return of the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival!

This festival was cut-off last year in 2020 due to the park closures and we were super sad to miss out on some good festival-going. We’ll be keeping an eye out for FOOD announcements so stay tuned!

To see ALL the info for Flower and Garden, click here!

March 7th

Disney is bringing back one of the water parks on March 7th! For some time, we weren’t sure whether we’d be kickin’ it at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach but now we DO!

Blizzard Beach is set to reopen on March 7th!

Click here to learn more about Blizzard Beach’s reopening!

March 22nd

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort reopens on March 22nd! This date was pushed back from the original February 9th reopening date.

We’ll be covering the reopening of this resort, so stay tuned for all of our coverage!

Want to learn more about this All-Star reopening? Click here!

April 15th – 18th

Another virtual run takes place April 15th through April 18th. This one is significant because it is the LAST year that the Star Wars Rival Run will happen at ALL.

And it’s virtual!

Click here to learn more about this running event!

August – December

October 1st

Most dates haven’t been released for special events through the end of the year, but we do know one very VERY big date in October. October 1st is Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary!

We’re not sure what special events Disney is lining up to celebrate this MAJOR event, but we’re super excited for such a historic occasion. We do know SOME things about the 50th, but ultimately we’re PUMPED to learn more!

Want to learn more about the 50th? Click here!

TBA Dates

There are a number of events we expect to happen in the latter half of 2021 of which we don’t know the dates yet. For one, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is set to open at some point in the Summer of 2021.

Additionally, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, and the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend are all expected to return in the fall.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, and other holiday offerings are all expected to return next winter.

Click here to learn more about the reopening of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort!

We’ll be sure to report in as soon as we hear about MORE important 2021 dates and we’ll keep this post updated as well! As always, stay tuned to DFB to make sure you catch ALLLLL the big news!