How to avoid gay days at disney world

For many Southern California locals, that’s the full extent of their Gay Days activities; everyone’s invited to a giant photo-op in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at 2 PM.

But many other weekend visitors enjoy privately-ticketed events, parties, comedy shows and concerts within event spaces & ballrooms at Disney-area hotels.

The team at One Magical Weekend (which primarily focuses on men) and Girls in Wonderland (which caters to women), have chosen the weekend of May 30 / 31 / June 1st for their events. Year after year, you’ll see a great representation from bears, women, trans folx, Black, Latino and AAPI community members.

Everyone’s on their best behavior.

Specialty cocktails, beer and wine are only served to those who are seated at table service resturants, which keeps the atmosphere serene.

But the night is a rather sober affair.

When it’s time for fireworks, you’ll definitely spot some lovebirds who are holding hands, hugging, and wiping away tears.

What are all the other parties and events during Gay Days in Orlando?

As I mentioned above, 2025 is an atypical year — the different community organizers are choosing back-to-back weekends to host their events, leading to a kind of extended Gay Days pride week in Orlando.

He pointed, and I told him, "sometimes boys marry boys and girls marry girls" and that was the end of it. Disney responded forcefully, filing lawsuits against the state and announcing that it would donate 100% of the profits from its Pride merchandise line to LGBTQIA+ organizations.

Thanks to tireless efforts from phenomenal groups like Equality Florida and activists like Brandon Wolf, in 2024, parents groups won a lawsuit against the state of Florida, and students and teachers in Florida schools can proudly say “gay.” Florida settled its lawsuits with Disney in 2024, and courts struck down Florida’s efforts to curb Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Disney has continued to proudly support the LGBTQIA+ community, sponsoring and marching in many local Pride events around the world.

Historically, when there’s a heavy concentration of LGBGTQ+ guests all on the same weekend, you’ll see guests visiting Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT on the days before and after. Whether it’s drinking a tiki drink at Trader Sam’s, grabbing a Mickey pretzel in Magic Kingdom, or exploring a festival at EPCOT, there’s something for everyone.

Some locations may have those special Pride-themed eats and treats as well!

Staying in the “Disney bubble” is easy thanks to their free transportation options to the theme parks, water parks, resort hotels, and Disney Springs shopping and entertainment district.

Our community’s visibility will only increase. And Walt Disney himself oversaw The Reluctant Dragon (1941), which wears its queer metaphor on its war-era pacifist sleeve. Everyone’s wonderfully friendly, respectful, and polite.

As with Pride Nite at Disneyland, public displays of affection within the parks are exactly the same as what you’d expect from straight couples.

A regular Disneyland theme park ticket (and theme park reservation) are required. Even fewer include the full array of all there is to do during a Gay Days / Disney Pride event.

Let’s learn some quick history!

Since at least 1991, LGBTQIA+ folks have been meeting up — via their own community-organized events — at Disney parks.

No tickets were sold at the entrance on the days of the event.

2025 tickets are on sale to the general public as of April 17.

GET 2025 PRIDE NITE TICKETS | Purchase tickets for Disneyland After Dark – Pride Nite ▸

What are the hours of the party and when can we enter?

The party officially begins at 9 PM — that’s when the music changes, the themed light effects spark to life, and the special entertainment begins.

Here’s a terrific LGBTQ+ Facebook Group that organizes meetups during Gay Days and throughout the year.

Is Gay Days appropriate for young guests and children?

Remember, Gay Days in Orlando isn’t just one thing.

Nearly all the private nighttime parties during Gay Days weekends are only for guests 21 years of age or older, the legal drinking age in the United States.

After the tickets are sold out, it’s highly, highly unlikely that Disney will offer additional ones. In 2025, Gay Days Anaheim will take place over the weekend of September 12-14, 2025.

What happens at Disneyland during Gay Days?

In 2025, heaps of LGBTQIA+ visitors will visit Disneyland Park on Saturday September 13th, dressed in red t-shirts.

Some of the proceeds from these efforts usually go to LGBTQ-friendly charities and organizations.

There are also occasional photo opportunities related to Pride, including murals and magic shots in front of park landmarks that Cast Members can take for you.

While Disney World itself does not host any LGBTQ or Pride-specific events, there are events held by third parties that often partake in visiting the parks and resorts, like Gay Days and One Magical Weekend.

We can even plan around events like Gay Days or One Magical Weekend if you’re interested!

Not sure what a Park Hopper ticket is and whether or not you need it? No one’s remixing EDM or deep tribal dance beats.

But there is a country music dance floor in Frontierland’s Golden Horseshoe that will undeniably be Beyoncified!

What Disney characters appear during Pride Nite?

At each of the last two years’ events, Clarabelle Cow has been stomping, slaying, and owning the place.