Daily Park Report: January 23, 2026

Hollywood Studios Surged to 8/10 While Animal Kingdom Stayed Empty—Same Friday, Opposite Stories

Yesterday's Friday traffic split Walt Disney World into two distinct experiences. Hollywood Studios climbed to Very Heavy crowds with a 45-minute median—12.5% above its 30-day average—while Animal Kingdom sat at a comfortable 3/10 with guests practically walking onto attractions. The data reveals a clear pattern: guests concentrated their energy on the resort's thrill-heavy parks while nature-focused touring took a backseat.

Beautiful weather set the stage for this divergence. With highs near 80°F under mostly clear skies, guests had ideal conditions for outdoor touring. Yet rather than spreading evenly across property, they packed into Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom while leaving Animal Kingdom surprisingly quiet.

Hollywood Studios: The Headliner Magnet

Hollywood Studios bore the brunt of Friday demand, hitting 8/10 crowds with a 45-minute median wait. Peak hour arrived at 11 AM when medians spiked to 60 minutes—guests arriving for rope drop and staying through lunch created sustained pressure on every major attraction.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run told the story of this surge. At 75 minutes average (66.7% above its typical 45), the cockpit experience became the park's biggest bottleneck. Guests hunting for Galaxy's Edge attractions found even the typically-manageable Smugglers Run requiring serious time investment.

The morning got rougher when Rock 'n' Roller Coaster went down for over two hours starting at 10:36 AM. With the park's only launch coaster offline during peak morning, Sunset Boulevard crowds had nowhere to go but Tower of Terror—which absorbed the spillover demand. Rise of the Resistance added to the chaos with two separate 30-minute closures in the afternoon, forcing Galaxy's Edge guests to pivot repeatedly.

Magic Kingdom: Heavy But Manageable

Magic Kingdom ran at 7/10 Heavy crowds with a 19.8-minute median—essentially flat against its 30-day average. The noon peak hit 25-minute medians, showing the classic lunch-hour surge pattern that experienced guests know to avoid.

The morning saw a cascade of brief operational hiccups. "it's a small world" went down for 30 minutes starting at 8:32 AM, followed immediately by Tiana's Bayou Adventure from 9:02-9:37 AM. Guests trying to knock out Fantasyland attractions early found themselves redirected, though neither closure lasted long enough to reshape the day.

The afternoon brought more disruptions: Mad Tea Party (33 minutes), Winnie the Pooh (37 minutes), and a 63-minute PeopleMover closure that removed Tomorrowland's best crowd-absorption tool right as evening approached. Families seeking low-wait classics had to work around these gaps.

EPCOT: Festival Crowds Stayed Moderate

The International Festival of the Arts drew guests to World Showcase, but EPCOT maintained a 5/10 Moderate crowd level with an 18.5-minute median—actually 7.5% below its recent average. Festival attendees appear more interested in gallery exhibits and food studios than ride queues.

The outlier pattern here reveals classic festival behavior. Living with the Land hit 20 minutes (double its typical 10), Journey Into Imagination reached 10 minutes (double normal), and Gran Fiesta Tour matched that pattern. These low-thrill, air-conditioned attractions become rest stops between food booths—guests ducking inside for a break rather than seeking them out deliberately.

EPCOT's headliners had a rough afternoon. Test Track went down for 102 minutes starting at 11:17 AM, removing Future World's biggest draw during peak hours. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind suffered two closures totaling over two hours, including a 108-minute outage from 3:23-5:11 PM. Journey of Water added another 105-minute closure in the evening. Guests targeting the thrill attractions needed backup plans—or patience.

Animal Kingdom: The Hidden Gem

At just 3/10 Light crowds and a 24.6-minute median, Animal Kingdom offered Friday's best value touring. The 11 AM peak hit only 35 minutes—a number Hollywood Studios would consider a quiet morning.

Kali River Rapids posted 15-minute averages despite the warm weather—200% above its typical 5 minutes. With temperatures touching 80°F, guests actually wanted to get soaked, transforming this usually walk-on attraction into a modest queue. DINOSAUR ran hot at 33 minutes (62.5% above typical), absorbing guests who might otherwise spread across the park.

Curiously, the newer Zootopia: Better Zoogether! ran 33% below typical at just 10 minutes. Avatar Flight of Passage's 30-minute afternoon closure barely registered given the park's light overall load—guests simply waited it out or moved to Na'vi River Journey.

Today's Prediction: Saturday Surge Incoming

Saturday will intensify yesterday's patterns. Expect Hollywood Studios to remain at 8/10 or higher as weekend guests flood the thrill attractions. The Festival of the Arts continues at EPCOT, which should hold at Moderate levels—festival Saturdays draw crowds, but they spread across World Showcase rather than stacking at ride queues.

Weather remains cooperative: highs near 79°F with mostly cloudy skies and no rain. These are ideal touring conditions that will keep guests in parks longer.

The play today: Animal Kingdom showed its hand yesterday at 3/10 crowds. While Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom absorb weekend surge, Animal Kingdom offers the path of least resistance. Rope drop Flight of Passage, knock out the safari by 10 AM, and you'll have the park essentially complete before other parks hit their stride. EPCOT makes a strong evening pivot once festival crowds thin after dinner.

Track the Patterns That Matter

This Hollywood Studios surge was visible in real-time data hours before guests felt the impact. Lightning Brain detects these crowd concentrations as they develop—so you can pivot to Animal Kingdom while others wait 75 minutes for Smugglers Run. Now available at lightningbrain.app and on the App Store!