Planning on being in Walt Disney World this month? If so, we bet you wanna know about the BEST things to do while you’re there!

The last full month of Summer is here, but don’t you worry, those sweltering Central Florida temperatures will stick around for a while! Many things are returning this month. There’s a new after-hours event to attend and there’s a delicious food festival going on. So let’s get into the best things to do in Disney World in August!

Celebrate Halloween

That’s right! It’s Spooky Season in Disney World, everyone, and oh my goodness we are SO excited! Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is not happening this year, but it’s being replaced by Disney After Hours BOO Bash, which will start on August 10th. The events are preeeetty different from each other, so be aware before you but a ticket to attend!

We also know about some festive food that will be at BOO Bash, like the Apple Ginger Dale Frozen Drink and the Foolish Mortal Funnel Cake!

This year, we’re getting some brand new spooky decor because of Disney World’s upcoming 50th anniversary, which is sure to be impressive!

We’ve already seen some Halloween merch you can pick up, too! Pre-order these absolutely amazing Mickey Mouse Jack-O-Lantern Ears Headband or grab this Nightmare Before Christmas Glass Set. There was even Halloween soap already at Disney Springs! We’re sure to see a tonnn more Halloween merch around the parks, and we’ll let you know right away when we do!

And Minnie’s Halloween Dine is starting up again at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Minnie and friends will be decked out in their adorable Halloween costumes during your meal.

The Halloween Dine will also start on August 10th, the same day as BOO Bash!

Click here to read more about BOO Bash!

Visit Everything Reopening

So many things are reopening in Disney World in August! Let’s start with restaurants: Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom reopened on August 2nd with some new menu items. Toledo at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club will both be reopening on August 5th, so you can grab yourself some Spanish tapas or a nice big steak. And Columbia Harbour House in Magic Kingdom is also returning on August 5th for all you seafood lovers!

As for attractions, Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor will be returning on August 8th in Magic Kingdom and Turtle Talk with Crush will be reopening on August 21st in EPCOT! Go over to either to hang out with some of our favorite funny Pixar pals!

The Hall of Presidents in Magic Kingdom has reopened after being closed to add in President Joe Biden.

And a stage show is opening back up as well! Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage will be reopening in Hollywood Studios on August 15th!

If you’re looking for somewhere to get your groove on this month, Atlantic Dance Hall will be reopening at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn on August 6th!

Dance the night away until 1 in the morning!

Click here to see the NEW menus for Toledo and Yachtsman Steakhouse!

See Wonderful World of Animation

Fireworks are BACK at Hollywood Studios!! The Wonderful World of Animation show returned on August 1st!

The show, which debuted in 2019, is mainly projections of clips from animated Disney movies on the Chinese Theater! You’ll see your favorite Disney Princesses and those scary Disney villains, along with characters from Pixar films. The show’s main character, of course, is Mr. Mickey Mouse!

The show also includes some fireworks! We’re just glad some sort of nighttime show is back in Hollywood Studios after it seemed like they were forgotten when Happily Ever After and EPCOT: Forever returned!

Click here to read more about Wonderful World of Animation!

Watch Firework Shows Before They’re Gone Forever

Speaking of Happily Ever After and EPCOT: Forever — we recently found out that the shows are scheduled to close at the end of September, like…FOREVER. We did know that EPCOT: Forever would be leaving us because it’s just a temporary show while Disney prepares for their new permanent show, Harmonious, which premieres October 1st.

And we knew that Happily Ever After would be replaced by the new Disney Enchantment in October for Disney World’s 50th-anniversary celebration, but we didn’t know it would be gone for GOOD!

EPCOT Forever will officially close on September 28th and Happily Ever After will close on September 29th, so August is the perfect time to go and see these shows before they “sparkle into Disney history” as Disney said.

Click here to read more about Happily Ever After closing forever!

Go to ECOPT’s Food and Wine Festival

EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival started in July, so it’s now in full swing! This is a great time to go and try out all the food booths before crowds pour in for Disney’s 50th anniversary.

Plus there are several NEW booths you gotta try, like the Swanky Saucy Swine that made us enjoy pig ear salad (yeah, we said PIG EARS!) or Brew-Wing, where there’s a beer flight AND a cider flight (and wings, of course).

Also new is The Noodle Exchange, which we actually enjoyed despite it being 90 degrees outside, and Rotunda Bistro, where we got to eat Caviar for under $7!!!

And we HAVE to tell you about the new Tangierine Cafe: Flavor of Medina where an unexpected item made our Best of the Fest list!

There are also returning booths like Hawaii, Mexico, and France that, once again, have knocked it out of the PARK! Although, there is some heated debate among our team on whether one item at the France booth is great or terrible.

Click here to read our Best of the Fest list for EPCOT’s 2021 Food and Wine Festival!

Take Advantage of Extended Park Hours

Last but not least, the best way to experience ALL of the things we’ve previously mentioned is with the extended park hours around Disney World! Many of the park closing times have been extended for August, so you have more time to frolic around make magical memories!

Magic Kingdom extended its closing hours on August 1st-9th and the 15th to 10PM instead of the previous 9PM closing.

Hollywood Studios is now open until 9PM for ALL of August — It was previously closing at 8PM. That one extra hour will definitely give you more opportunities for your Rise of the Resistance boarding group to be called!

Animal Kingdom will now close at 8PM instead of 7PM on August 7th, 14th, 15th, and 21st.

And EPCOT’s evening hours have been extended Friday through Sunday each week. The park will be open from 11AM-10PM (as opposed to 9PM) on August 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, 28th, and 29th!

Those are all of the BEST things you can do in Disney World in August! We hope you get to take advantage of all the fun things while in the parks. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news and updates!

Click here to read about the new mask policy for ALL guests in Disney World 

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

What are you most looking forward to on your next trip to Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

The post The BEST Things to Do in Disney World in August! first appeared on the disney food blog.