Barbara,
Thanks for your question!
The
Circle of Flavors: Harambe at Night event is definitely a walking feast!
From my experience,
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park does not close down early during this event, though the
Africa and
Rafiki's Planet Watch lands are largely cordoned off for the event, blocking other guests from these parts of the park. As an example, back in July 2019 the event was held starting at 6:00 pm, but the park as a whole was open until 9:00 pm.
If you are not attending the event, you will still have most of the park available to you, including the Oasis, Discovery Island, Pandora, Asia, and Dinoland U. S. A. Of course some of the live animal based entertainment can close in the evenings, but you would still have plenty of rides and shows to keep you busy.
If you are going to attend the event, I would recommend eating as light as possible throughout the day, as you will not want to miss any of the stations along the way. The food and drink, not to mention the scenery, is not to be missed!
Have a Magical (and delicious) Vacation!
Doug