Daily Park Report: February 22, 2026

EPCOT Surged to 8/10 While Magic Kingdom Coasted at Moderate Levels

Yesterday, Sunday, February 22nd, EPCOT posted wait times 37.5% above its 30-day average—the clear outlier across Walt Disney World. With a median wait of 27.5 minutes pushing the park to an 8/10 crowd level, guests faced conditions usually reserved for peak holiday periods. Meanwhile, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios both landed at a moderate 5/10, and Animal Kingdom stayed light at 3/10. The split tells an interesting story about where crowds chose to spend their final Sunday of Presidents' Day weekend.

Temperatures climbed to 80°F with overcast skies for most of the day—comfortable touring weather that kept guests in queues rather than seeking shade. The Youth Flag Football World Championships continued bringing thousands of athlete families to the resort, and EPCOT's Festival of the Arts appears to have been their destination of choice.

EPCOT: Festival Crowds Hit Hard

EPCOT absorbed the brunt of Sunday's traffic. The park hit its peak at 11 AM with 35-minute median waits, and those levels held steady through mid-afternoon before easing after 4 PM. The Festival of the Arts drew guests who weren't just there for food booths—they were riding attractions too.

The outlier data tells the story clearly. The Seas with Nemo & Friends posted 25-minute averages, five times its typical 5-minute wait. Gran Fiesta Tour tripled to 15 minutes. Living with the Land doubled to 30 minutes. These aren't headliners seeing surge demand—they're the low-wait attractions guests typically use as walk-ons. When your "easy" rides are posting 15-25 minute waits, you're in a genuinely crowded park.

Soarin' climbed to 55-minute averages, well above its usual 35 minutes. Spaceship Earth showed 25-minute waits when it was operational—but that's only part of the picture.

EPCOT's Downtime Disaster

Spaceship Earth went down at 8:40 AM and didn't reopen until 5:05 PM—over eight hours offline during peak park hours. For a park already running hot, losing its most iconic attraction created genuine problems. Test Track added to the pain with two separate closures totaling nearly two hours, and Frozen Ever After was unavailable for 100 minutes during the midday rush.

When three major attractions are simultaneously unavailable, remaining queues absorb the displaced demand. The elevated waits on typically low-wait attractions likely reflect this spillover as much as raw crowd volume.

Hollywood Studios: A Manageable Moderate

Hollywood Studios landed at 5/10 with a 37-minute median—actually 17% below the 30-day average despite strong weekend attendance. The park peaked at 1 PM with 50-minute medians and held in the 40-50 minute range through late afternoon.

Star Tours posted unusual numbers, averaging just 10 minutes against a typical 5-minute baseline. That's elevated for Star Tours but still represents an easy boarding. No major headliner downtimes affected the park, which likely helped distribute crowds more evenly than EPCOT experienced.

Magic Kingdom: Lighter Than Expected

Magic Kingdom's 5/10 might look moderate on paper, but a 15-minute median represents a 24% drop from the 30-day average. For a Sunday during Presidents' Day weekend, these are comfortable touring conditions. The park peaked gently at 1 PM with just 20-minute medians.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train went down for 20 minutes mid-morning, but the brief closure didn't materially impact the day. More notably, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel both ran at half their typical wait times—a sign that crowd pressure simply wasn't there.

Animal Kingdom: The Quiet Alternative

At just 3/10, Animal Kingdom offered the lightest touring conditions of any park. The 21-minute median sat nearly 17% below the 30-day average. The park showed an interesting traffic shape: a sharp spike to 40-minute medians at noon, then a rapid drop to 20 minutes by 2 PM.

Expedition Everest went down for over three hours starting at 10:05 AM, removing the park's most popular thrill ride during the morning build. With Everest unavailable, guests may have simply chosen other parks—or those already at Animal Kingdom found shorter waits on remaining attractions. Kali River Rapids saw a brief 25-minute closure but otherwise operated normally (though demand for water rides remains low in February regardless of the 80-degree temperatures).

Today's Outlook: Cold Snap Changes Everything

Monday, February 23rd brings a dramatic temperature swing—highs of just 51°F compared to yesterday's 80°F. This 30-degree drop will reshape guest behavior significantly.

Magic Kingdom hosts Disney After Hours tonight, but remember: After Hours events don't affect daytime operations. The park runs its normal schedule until close, with the separately-ticketed event beginning afterward. Don't expect party-night-style suppression.

EPCOT's Festival of the Arts continues, but yesterday's 8/10 crowds may not repeat. Cold weather typically pushes guests toward indoor attractions and shorter park days. Expect EPCOT in the 5-7/10 range as festival crowds thin slightly but World Showcase restaurants stay packed with guests seeking warm meals.

Hollywood Studios should land in the 4-6/10 range—comfortable for most guests, with indoor attractions like Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway seeing elevated relative demand.

Animal Kingdom faces the biggest weather impact. With temperatures in the 40s at rope drop, expect a slow morning start as guests sleep in or delay arrival. Predict 3-5/10 with the lower end more likely.

Magic Kingdom will likely see 4-6/10 as the post-holiday Monday exodus begins and cold weather keeps some families at resort pools (heated) rather than in park queues.

Track the Patterns That Matter

Yesterday's EPCOT surge while other parks stayed moderate shows how quickly conditions can vary across the resort. Lightning Brain tracks these splits in real-time so you can pivot your touring plan before you're stuck in a 25-minute queue for Nemo. Now available at lightningbrain.app and on the App Store!