The holiday season has just begun, and Disney World is already celebrating. But that also means the new year is right around the corner.

Disney World is a very popular vacation destination to ring in the new year, and each new calendar year brings lots of news and changes to the parks. If you’re planning a trip for January, one of the (usually) slower times in the parks, here’s why you DON’T want to visit at the beginning of the month.

January 1st

Of course, the first date on this list is New Year’s Day itself. Who doesn’t want to spend the first day of the new year in the Most Magical Place on Earth?

This day in all the parks, but especially Magic Kingdom, will likely be very busy, so prepare yourself to brush shoulders with hundreds of your closest strangers.

January 3rd-7th

You’ll also want to watch out for January 3rd-7th thanks to the first runDisney race of the year, the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.

This four-day race long weekend will include the following races:

• Walt Disney World Marathon 
• Walt Disney World Half Marathon 
• Walt Disney World 10K 
• Walt Disney World 5K 

Now, you may think you’re out of the woods if you head to the parks later in the day, but that’s not the case. After these runners finish racing, they head into the parks for some fun. This will be especially true on January 4th after the Walt Disney World 5K — because the race will be finished before the parks even open, and everyone will pour in to get pics with their medals in front of the castle. Fun! But also potentially very crowded. So, once again, prepare yourself for heavy crowds AND road closures in the mornings.

January 9th

January 9th may not sound like an intimidating day, but it’s the date so many people have been looking forward to for over a year now.

For one thing, park pass reservations will finally be no longer required for anyone with a date-based ticket (which is most guests except for Annual Passholders and those traveling with school trips and such), AND park hopping returns at all hours of the day for guests with Park Hopper tickets. Not only that, but the Disney Dining Plan is ALSO returning on this date! School will be in session, the marathon will be over … so it may not be super crowded.

But when something big changes at Disney World, tech problems with the Disney World app usually ensure. So it’s a day you may want to avoid if you can! Meanwhile, we’ll be here all day, every day to bring you the latest Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB!

See what after-hours events are returning to Disney World parks starting in January!

When are you planning your 2024 Disney vacation? Tell us in the comments!

The post Why You Don’t Want To Be in Magic Kingdom on January 4th first appeared on the disney food blog.