For three days in a row, no more Annual Passholders will be permitted into Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.Credit: Lee (myfrozenlife), FlickrA brand-new nighttime spectacular is lighting the way at Magic Kingdom Park, and with it comes an important update for Walt Disney World Resort’s most loyal visitors. As anticipation builds for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, Annual Passholders may find themselves facing a rare limitation at The Most Magical Place on Earth.Mark your calendars: Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away officially launches on Sunday, July 20, 2025, bringing an exciting new energy to Magic Kingdom’s nighttime offerings. The new parade, inspired by the legacy of Main Street, U.S.A. Electrical Parade incorporates state-of-the-art lighting and video projection elements to create what Disney calls “dreamscapes” built entirely from light.Credit: DisneyAs Disney Parks Blog explains: “When we think about what this storytelling looks like at night, we think about creating these landscapes—or dreamscapes, as we think about them—out of light. Today’s technology gives us more options than ever to use lighting and video elements as a storytelling tool.”The parade will run at 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., bringing guests into a world of light, movement, and magical innovation. But with the debut comes a crowd forecasted to be so high, Walt Disney World has made a few temporary adjustments to its Park Pass Reservation system, specifically for Annual Passholders.Credit: DisneyAccording to the official Theme Park Reservation page, beginning July 20, Passholders will continue to enjoy park-hopping privileges after 2:00 p.m. at EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom without needing a reservation. However, that flexibility won’t extend to Magic Kingdom Park on the day of the parade’s debut.“Due to anticipated high demand upon the debut of the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade on July 20, 2025, Passholders visiting Magic Kingdom park at any time of day (including after 2 p.m.) must have a theme park reservation,” the new rules state.Credit: DisneyThe change means that even if a Passholder first visits another park and hopes to hop to Magic Kingdom later in the day, they’ll need to have secured a reservation ahead of time—an option that is no longer available. As WDWMagic reported last month:“Walt Disney World’s Park Pass reservation calendar is now showing July 20, 2025, the official debut of Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, as at capacity for Annual Passholders at Magic Kingdom. No additional passholder reservations are currently available for Magic Kingdom on that date.”Passholders are typically able to enter any park after 2 p.m. without a reservation—unless it’s a Saturday or Sunday at Magic Kingdom, or if the date falls outside the “Good-To-Go” calendar. With July 20 being a Sunday, combined with the new rules for the parade debut, it’s clear that entry that day requires advance planning.Credit: DisneyNow, another two dates have “sold out” for Annual Passholders. Both July 21 and July 22, the two days after the launch of Disney Starlight, are now unavailable, meaning APs without Magic Kingdom reservations are now locked out for three days in a row. It is worth checking the reservation page multiple times a day, as reservations will often reappear as other guests cancel them.Surprisingly, the Disney Starlight parade soft opened on the evening of July 18, following early testing at Magic Kingdom.This temporary shift adds to the evolving guest experience as Magic Kingdom prepares for even more transformation. Frontierland, a cornerstone of the park since opening day, is undergoing a major reimagining that looks to both preserve its legacy and introduce bold new ideas.Credit: DisneyAmong the updates on the horizon is the introduction of the Beyond Big Thunder area, which will expand the Magic Kingdom landscape in thrilling ways. New themed experiences will include a Piston Peak National Park environment inspired by Pixar’s Cars franchise and a land dedicated to Disney Villains, a longtime fan favorite.While the new lands do not have an official opening date yet, the changes represent an exciting future that continues to blend timeless storytelling with innovative design.How do these reservation changes affect your upcoming visit? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!The post Magic Kingdom Officially Closes Gates to Annual Passholders This Weekend appeared first on Inside the Magic.