Welcome to planDisney, Sherry. A rush of excitement goes through me whenever I hear that someone has just purchased their tickets to the Disneyland Resort. A magical and exciting adventure awaits you.
We're not even halfway through the year, and it's already been jam-packed with fun at Disneyland. There are so many
wonderful events scheduled for 2026, like
Disneyland After Dark. The park will close early for these events, including the
Star Wars Nite that will take place on the day of your visit. For
Star Wars Nite, Disneyland will close at 8:00 PM.
I'm sorry if this is not the news you were hoping to hear. I do have some options that you might consider. If you have
Park Hopper tickets, you can make your way to Disney California Adventure Park to finish out the rest of your day. Or, if you have some flexibility with your plans, you could
modify your theme park reservations to visit on a different day when there isn't a special event.
There are a couple of events taking place at the resort in May (Disneyland After Dark and
Grad Nites), so the best way to see what time each park will close is to check the
Hours and Events Calendar. If you purchased a
1-day theme park ticket, keep in mind that you can change your theme park reservation for a day that is in the same designated tier of your ticket (or a lower tier). You also have the option of upgrading your ticket to use on a higher tier day.
I've been in your shoes before and can certainly relate to having to pivot at the last moment. In the end, we were still able to squeeze in as much magic as possible to make the most of our day. We arrived early for rope drop and made great use of
Lightning Lane Multi Pass to save time waiting in attraction queues and used
mobile ordering through the
Disneyland app to reduce time waiting for food.
Sherry, while this may be disappointing, I hope that I shared some information and options that might work for your upcoming visit. Let us know if there's anything else that we can help with. Here's wishing you a most magical visit to the Happiest Place on Earth. Adventure is out there!
Michelle