Credit: DisneyWalt Disney World rarely stays the same for long, and September 2026 is shaping up to be another month when guests will notice some significant differences around the resort.
Some changes involve experiences disappearing as summer comes to an end. Others involve temporary closures that could affect dining plans or entire park days. At the same time, Disney is preparing to open a major new experience at Hollywood Studios and introduce something different for EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival.
That means anyone visiting Disney World in September will want to pay close attention to the calendar.
From the seasonal closure of an entire water park to the debut of The Magic of Disney Animation, here are five major Disney World changes happening in September 2026.
Cool KIDS’ SUMMER Comes to an End
One of Disney World’s big summer offerings is almost finished.
Cool KIDS’ SUMMER officially ends on September 8, 2026. Disney has not announced whether the seasonal event will return in 2027, meaning guests only have a few more weeks to experience its current lineup.
Cool KIDS’ SUMMER brought special activities geared toward families and younger visitors to Disney World. One of the additions was Jessie’s Roundup at Magic Kingdom.
The experience gives families a place to get out of the Florida heat while Jessie and her friends lead children through dances and other activities. While the air conditioning certainly doesn’t hurt during a late-summer Disney World visit, Jessie’s Roundup was always meant to be temporary.
And Disney already has plans for the space.
After Jessie’s Roundup ends, the location will eventually make way for a new dining experience at Diamond Horseshoe.
That makes September 8 an important date for families hoping to catch the summer experience one final time.
It also represents a broader shift happening around Disney World as the resort moves away from its summer programming and prepares for the final months of 2026.
Coral Reef Restaurant Temporarily Closes at EPCOT
September will also bring a notable dining closure to EPCOT.
Coral Reef Restaurant will temporarily close beginning September 8, 2026. Disney has confirmed that the restaurant is expected to reopen later in 2026, although an exact reopening date has not been announced.
Coral Reef isn’t exactly a typical Disney World table-service restaurant.
Located inside The Seas Pavilion at EPCOT, the restaurant features massive windows overlooking the aquarium connected to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Guests can watch fish and other marine life swimming nearby while they eat.
That setting has helped Coral Reef stand apart from many other restaurants around Disney World.
The good news is that Disney isn’t presenting this as a permanent closure. The restaurant is expected back before the end of the year.
Still, anyone visiting EPCOT after September 8 should remove Coral Reef from their potential dining plans until Disney confirms a reopening date.
With the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival underway during this period, guests will certainly have plenty of other food options around the park. However, those hoping for the full table-service Coral Reef experience will need to wait.
Typhoon Lagoon Closes for the Rest of 2026
One of September’s biggest changes won’t affect just one restaurant or entertainment experience.
An entire Disney World park is closing for the remainder of the year.
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will begin its seasonal closure on September 8, 2026, and it is expected to remain closed through the end of the year. Blizzard Beach will stay open during Typhoon Lagoon’s closure.
Before that happens, another Typhoon Lagoon offering will wrap up.
The final H2O Glow After Hours event of the year is scheduled for September 5. The separately ticketed event has given guests an opportunity to experience the water park after its regular operating hours, but its 2026 run will conclude just days before Typhoon Lagoon itself closes.
For anyone planning a September Disney World vacation specifically around Typhoon Lagoon, those dates matter.
Guests visiting during the first part of the month will still have a small window to visit the park. Starting September 8, however, Blizzard Beach becomes Disney World’s available water park for the remainder of 2026.
The timing also marks another clear transition away from Disney World’s summer operations.
But while several experiences are disappearing in September, Disney is also preparing to open something substantial.
The Magic of Disney Animation Opens at Hollywood Studios
This is the September change that could generate the most excitement.
The Magic of Disney Animation is officially scheduled to open at Hollywood Studios on September 14, 2026. The experience will be located inside the new Walt Disney Studios Courtyard and takes inspiration from Disney Animation Studios’ headquarters.
Rather than being a single ride, the area will include multiple experiences centered around Disney animation and characters.
One of those is Off the Page, a large character meet-and-greet space where guests can meet six characters.
Another experience, Olaf Draws, will invite guests to sit down and learn how to draw Disney characters with some help from the lovable snowman.
Disney has described four attractions as part of The Magic of Disney Animation experience, making this more than a simple character location.
Its September 14 opening also gives Hollywood Studios another new addition during what has already been a significant period of change for the park.
For guests visiting during the first half of September, however, the date creates an interesting planning decision.
Someone visiting Hollywood Studios on September 10, for example, will miss the opening by only a few days. Guests arriving September 14 or later will have a brand-new experience waiting for them.
That’s why checking exact dates matters so much during a Disney World trip. Visiting just a few days earlier or later can sometimes result in a noticeably different vacation.
Cheers to Cheese Arrives at EPCOT
Finally, EPCOT is getting another addition as part of its Food & Wine Festival festivities.
Beginning September 18, guests will be able to experience Cheers to Cheese inside CommuniCore Hall.
The interactive exhibit will focus on the history of cheese and feature a collection of facts for guests to explore. Cheers to Cheese is currently scheduled to remain available from September 18 through November 8.
CommuniCore Hall has become a flexible space for EPCOT’s festivals, giving Disney another indoor location where it can introduce activities and exhibits alongside the outdoor food booths scattered throughout the park.
Cheers to Cheese will continue that approach during the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.
While it isn’t a new attraction on the scale of The Magic of Disney Animation, it does give returning EPCOT visitors another new experience to check out during the festival.
It also means guests visiting EPCOT earlier in September won’t have access to everything that will eventually be offered during the month. Cheers to Cheese doesn’t arrive until September 18, so visitors hoping to see it will need to plan accordingly.
September Will Look Very Different at Disney World
Put everything together, and September 2026 becomes a surprisingly busy month for Walt Disney World.
September 8 is particularly important.
Cool KIDS’ SUMMER ends that day. Coral Reef Restaurant closes temporarily. Typhoon Lagoon begins its seasonal closure.
Then Disney quickly shifts from endings to openings.
The Magic of Disney Animation debuts at Hollywood Studios on September 14, followed by Cheers to Cheese at EPCOT on September 18.
For guests with September vacations already booked, those dates could have a real impact on what they’re able to experience.
Someone arriving during the first week of September could still visit Typhoon Lagoon and catch the final days of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER, but they would miss The Magic of Disney Animation and Cheers to Cheese.
A guest arriving later in the month gets the opposite situation. They’ll have access to the new Hollywood Studios experience and EPCOT exhibit, but Typhoon Lagoon and several summer offerings will already be unavailable.
That’s the reality of visiting Disney World during a period of major change. There is almost always something new arriving, but that can also mean something else is closing, changing, or disappearing.
September 2026 will bring plenty of both.
