Attended the 6/20 event and a few observations:
-I've done each of the After Hours events at all the parks multiple times - the Villains event was far and away more crowded than any of the others in my experience. No way of really knowing, but I'd guess double or triple the crowds of those other events. I was glad I did Villains, but it was one-and-done for me (as well as any other "themed" AH events).
-Although the crowds around the park were heavier (more on that in a moment), the ride times mostly weren't bad. The less popular rides were walk-ons or less than 5 minutes. We did BTMRR several times in a row with around a 5 minute wait each time. Even Pirates with the overlay (actors this time were much better than the ones at
MNSSHP last fall) was around five minutes. Snack lines were easy and short waits, and well-stocked - Liberty Square and Frontier Land had no waits at all. Saw a few with longer lines (Tomorrow Land comes to mind - but that one always seems to be longer, as well as the ones on the sides of the Hub where much of the crowd was gathered all night).
-Had a rough start to the event - we got in line for Space Mtn at 9:58. AH guests were let into the FP queue. But everyone was completely stopped for around 15 minutes (rumor was the change to the overlay). Many AH guests were leaving the line to exit and not waste time. Finally started moving again - got off the ride at 10:31. Thirty minutes, however, for one ride at the event is just far too long. Rode again later in the evening around midnight - posted 25 minute wait, but it was around 15 (the line snaked around the queue about 4-5 times). Skipped 7DMT around the same time - posted wait was 35 minutes (although best guess it was probably around 20-25min).
-The Maleficent float was almost worth the price of admission alone - very different than the daytime parade and quite an experience. We did that twice.
-Skipped the stage show, as well as the paid snacks. The lines for the latter seemed to be some of the longest and similar to the parties.
-Merchandise was out early - we stopped by the Philharmagic gift shop around 9pm and were allowed into a roped off area to browse and buy with our wristbands (and I did like the new style and upgrade of the bands).
-Waits were short for the magic shots. The lighting around the park was great - especially the graphics around Tomorrow Land. Not quite as good as MNSSHP, but a nice atmosphere.
-Enjoyed the Villains at the end of Main Street - worth stopping and watching for awhile. Although it did highlight how much better this event could have been by dispersing more of them through the park during the event.
-Overall, the event felt more like a lightly attended MNSSHP (with less to do) than an After Hours event - which seemed odd since the ride times mostly weren't that different. The best way to describe it is that it has a party environment - which needs people (and is the opposite of what you're probably looking for in an After Hours event). I've liked the deserted vibe of previous AH events at MK - with a nearly empty hub and long stretches of paths with no one on them. We've felt like we had parts of the park to ourselves. Not at all with this event - it felt like the end of a busy evening (or an EMH) where lots of people were still around but everything was closing up. If someone hasn't done an AH event before, it probably seems fantastic (the park was very busy Thursday when we went in). But if you've experienced the prior AH event at MK, this is nowhere near the same.
