More often than not, the first question anyone asks themselves before going on a trip is when to go. Many things can make or break your vacation, such as the weather and school holidays. This question is even more crucial when you’ve decided you want to travel to a Disney Park. Disney Parks attract millions of guests every year. This makes deciding when you want to schedule your trip to a Disney Park absolutely crucial, especially for Disneyland. But figuring out the best times to visit Disneyland may be more tricky than you think.
Disneyland is the second most visited theme park in the world, second only to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Disney California Adventure also narrowly cracks the top 15 most visited theme parks in the world. That being said, because attendance numbers are so high, is there even a “low season” at Disneyland? Or is it just always busy no matter what time of year you visit? Well that’s what we’re going to find out in this post.
In this post, I’m going to detail when the best times to visit Disneyland are, as well as when the worst times to visit are. We’ll go into some background information on crowd levels at Disneyland, why I think Crowd Calendars have become obsolete, and finally discuss what times are the best and worst times to go.
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Why Disneyland Usually Has High Crowds
Like I said, Disneyland is the second most attended theme park in the world. It averages around 16 million guests per year. That’s an average of about 43,000 guests per day. That’s a LOT of people. With at least 40,000 people entering the gates of Disneyland at any given day, that leaves little wiggle room to figure out which periods of the year have lower crowds.
It even begs the question of is there even a “low season” at Disneyland anymore. Because let me tell you, as someone who has been going to Disneyland almost weekly for the last four years, it will be crowded no matter when you visit. I once went to Disneyland in the last week of February and found that it was just as crowded as when I visited on Thanksgiving week.
Ride lines extended far beyond their entrances, shops were jammed full of people, and crowds lingered even until late at night. And the reason for these crowd levels? It was the only week of the year where a one-day ticket to Disneyland cost $104. I hope this paints a picture of how even things like ticket prices can influence crowd patterns. Gone are the days when you just had to avoid school breaks to catch low crowds at Disneyland. Now every single day of the year has the potential to be an overcrowded day.
Now, I know I just sounded doom and gloom-y, but the other half of that reality is that, because these factors are predictable, we can easily anticipate when the periods with lower crowds will be. While every day at Disneyland can potentially be a busy one, it’s also true that it will not be consistently busy everyday. Relative to the past it can be busy, but as it stands there will be periods when the crowds will be noticeably less than at other periods of the year.
But the question now is why is Disneyland always busy? Well there are a bunch of factors that can give us hints as to why Disneyland is now frequently busy. The rise in purchasing power of Millennials and older Gen Zs has led to an increase in Magic Keyholders, causing a rise in annual passholder visits. Disneyland has also simultaneously become a destination for anyone visiting LA or San Diego, bringing in a smattering of international and domestic tourists.
Then there are the different breaks that schools take per year. Even though school breaks alone aren’t dictating crowds anymore, that doesn’t mean families have stopped using them to go to Disneyland. On the flip side, families are more likely to take their kids out of school to go on vacation to Disneyland to take advantage of “low season” crowds. This means there are families at Disneyland year-round now, and not just locals coming in for a night at the parks.
So when are the best times to visit Disneyland? And what should you lookout for in terms of red flags that will indicate that the parks will be busy? Well, before I get into that, you might have noticed that I used the word “periods” to refer to particular days when Disneyland is busier or not. I purposely used “periods” and not “days” because I think you can no longer predict what the crowd levels will be like on any given day, rendering things like Crowd Calendars obsolete. Let me explain further.
Why I’m NOT Doing a Crowd Calendar
After visiting Disneyland and cross referencing what crowd calendars were saying versus what the parks actually felt like, I can say with confidence that many crowd calendars are wildly inaccurate. This isn’t the fault of the people making the crowd calendars, as I believe they are true in their intention of wanting to help people figure out the best times to visit Disneyland, but consistent crowd levels and other unpredictable factors have made forecasting when days will be busy pretty difficult.
This is why I’d rather forecast in terms of periods instead of days. Days are too hyper-specific. Periods, on the other hand, are broader and have more predictable patterns as compared to days. I can’t tell you with 100% accuracy that February 23 will be a light day, but I can tell you that February in general tends to be lighter than other times of the year.
Now, just because it’s hard to predict when specific days will be crowded, doesn’t mean that there aren’t days where it’s easy to predict what their crowd levels will look like. Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and Half Marathon Race Weekend can all be predicted really easily to have heavier crowds than normal. But days like those are few and far between. For 90% of the year, nothing especially specific is happening, which also is why it’s become harder to predict.
So if it’s more accurate to measure crowd patterns by periods instead of days, what are the factors that go into predicting the best times to visit Disneyland? The next section will deal with this exact question, detailing when in the year crowds will be at their lightest and at their heaviest.
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Klook.comThe Factors You Should Consider When Planning Your Disneyland Vacation
Figuring out when the best times to visit Disneyland are will come down to a few factors, specifically, School Breaks, Holidays, Attraction Closures, Park Hours, Ticket Deals, Magic Key Blockout Dates, Weather, and Special Events. Let’s go through each one of them one by one.
Disneyland appeals to families, so it’s no surprise that the number one factor that influences when the best times to visit Disneyland are is school breaks. It’s safe to say that when kids are out of school, the parks will be busy. Summer vacation, Spring Break, and the Holidays are popular times to go because families can visit Disneyland without their kids missing school. Some states are more “influential” to crowd patterns at Disneyland. Aside from California, the school breaks of nearby states like Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon also heavily influence crowd patterns.
The second factor to consider is Holidays. Specific federal holidays can indicate when it’s going to be busy at Disneyland. Holidays like Memorial Day, MLK Day, The Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will mean more people at the parks for those given days. This is especially true of holidays that form a three-day weekend.
Attraction closures can also indicate when Disney thinks that their parks will be less busy than normal. If Disneyland schedules a large number of attractions for refurbishment during a particular period, that would mean they think that period will be relatively light on crowds. What ends up happening, however, is because those attractions are closed, other attractions will see an increase in wait times because they need to absorb the guests that would have been riding on those closed attractions. This makes lines longer, even when the park might have fewer guests than normal.
Park Hours are also a big indicator of when Disneyland thinks the parks will be busy. If Disneyland closes at 10pm, that’s an indicator that it probably won’t be that busy. If Disneyland closes at midnight, however, expect the parks to be busy.
Ticket deals can also heavily influence park crowd patterns. As mentioned previously, I visited during the time of year when Disneyland tickets were at their cheapest. This was during the last week of February and, let me tell you, crowds were insane. Just something to keep in mind when planning a Disneyland trip. Ticket prices can tell you a lot about how full or not the parks are going to be.
Magic Key Blockout Dates can affect crowd size too. They can create demand for specific days because of extended blockout periods. For example, Enchant Keyholders are blocked out starting the second week of June until mid-August. Because of this, demand for the first week of June for Enchant Keyholders will be high, causing the parks to be more crowded.
Weather is another thing that affects crowd patterns at Disneyland. Disneyland’s weather is usually pretty pleasant year round, but it may get very hot during the summer and at certain times of the year. Sometimes heat waves will hit the park, which can cause crowds to dissipate for that day. Additionally, rain can also drive the crowds away, although rain is only common from January to April.
Finally, Special Events can cause crowds to swell. Grad Nites, for example, mean the parks will be inundated with teenagers. Oogie Boogie Bash nights at DCA will also mean more regular ticket holders will be at Disneyland. If there’s a convention going on at the Anaheim Convention Center, that usually means more crowds at Disneyland too. Half Marathon Weekends will also command more crowds at the parks. Check to see if any special events are happening the week you plan to visit.
Worst Times to Visit Disneyland
Now we’re going to get to the meat of this post. I wanted to start out with the periods you should avoid. Now before we go into it, I just want to remind you all that just because these periods are more crowded, doesn’t mean you should flat out avoid them.
Many things can be done to make your day at Disneyland fun and enjoyable, even on busy days. If you have no choice but to go on one of these periods, then don’t let the fear of crowds stop you. But enough of my talking, let’s dissect which periods are the worst times to visit Disneyland.
Avoid Visiting in the Summer Months
As you can imagine, visiting during the summer months means large crowds. Kids are off from school, so families are using their vacation time to go to the happiest place on earth. Weather is also guaranteed to be hot during this time, so if you don’t do well in hot weather, I’d suggest visiting at another time of the year.
It should be noted, however, that there has been a trend the last few years where people are avoiding visiting in the summer. Summer crowds are not as bad as they used to be, with periods like Thanksgiving and Christmas overtaking summer in terms of crowd size. That’s not to say that the parks will be empty. On the contrary, it will still be busy. But it is interesting to note that families seem to be choosing to visit other times of the year more and more.
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Klook.comAvoid Visiting During Spring Break
Another time to avoid visiting Disneyland is Spring Break. Spring Break crowds can be as bad as summer crowds. The worst of the Spring Break season happens during the week of Easter when LA Unified School District schools are out for the week, resulting in more people and kids at the parks. If there’s one week in the Spring Break season to avoid, it’s Easter week.
Spring Break usually starts around mid-March and goes for about six weeks, but in some special cases when Easter is earlier in the calendar year, it can start as early as early March. Also, some nearby states like Utah also have a winter break, meaning they have an extra week off from school in February or late January. This means that Disneyland will be crowded at this time too.
Avoid Visiting During Thanksgiving
I visited Disneyland during Thanksgiving in 2021 and let me tell you it was such an unpleasant experience. All the attractions had waits of over 45 minutes. Lines for food were incredibly long. Walkways were just chock full of people. It was overall such an overwhelming experience that I don’t think I will ever do it again.
This generally only applies to the week of Thanksgiving itself. The week before and the week after Thanksgiving are some of the best times to visit Disneyland, mostly due to the fact that so many people are going during Thanksgiving that no one or hardly anyone visits the parks the weeks before and after it. Just like everything else on this post, it can be subject to change, but as of now that is what is happening at Disneyland.
Avoid Visiting During the Christmas Holidays
I also visited Disneyland during the Christmas Holidays. Just like with Thanksgiving, it can be incredibly crowded. I was there the week before Christmas and crowds were already suffocating. In fact, I would say that the period from December 21 to January 1 is the busiest week of the year for Disneyland.
If you plan on visiting during Christmas, have a good strategy, reserve dining in advance, and get in the mindset of learning how to pivot if unexpected things happen during your day at the parks. If you want to watch the parades or shows, prepare to show up well in advance. It will also be chilly this time of year, so bring layers if you run cold.
Avoid Visiting During Holidays
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but as much as possible you want to avoid visiting during federal and local holidays. This is especially true if the holiday forms a long weekend. People like taking weekend trips to Disneyland, so these times of the year are incredibly popular times to visit Disneyland.
Now that we’ve covered the worst times to visit Disneyland, we’re going to switch gears and talk about when the best times to visit Disneyland are.
Best Times to Visit Disneyland
Now, when are the best times to visit Disneyland? The periods below are my recommendations as to when I think the best times to visit Disneyland are, based on my years of experience going to the park. Again, these don’t guarantee that you won’t encounter large crowds during your trip, but historically these are the best times to visit.
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Klook.comVisit from Mid-January to Mid-March
This is one of the best times to visit the parks, if not the best time to visit. Crowds are generally lower as school has just started and, if you go during January, crowds just visited Disneyland over the Holidays, meaning less crowds for the couple of weeks directly following that.
Crowds will remain relatively light until Spring Break season. During these two months, however, some days will be busy. The weekend of the Half Marathon race is usually pretty busy, as is the week when Disneyland tickets are at their cheapest. The weekend surrounding MLK Day is also going to be particularly busy. But other than those times, this is a great time to visit, especially because around this time the Lunar New Year and Food and Wine Festival will be happening at DCA.
Keep in mind, however, that because this is generally the slowest time of the year, some attractions will be closed for refurbishment and park hours will be shortened. This may lengthen lines at other rides and you will also have two less hours to do everything you want to do. On the flip side, the weather won’t be uncomfortably hot.
Visit in May
May is my personal favorite time to visit Disneyland. It’s not particularly cold anymore, and isn’t scorching hot either. Crowds are low because most families visited the park over Spring Break or are planning to visit over the summer, meaning there’s a dearth of park goers this month. Also, not a lot of refurbishments usually happen in May.
However, I should say that the days in May immediately following Memorial Day are now considered the summer season at Disneyland. Crowds will balloon to what they will be during the regular summer season. Season of the Force is usually happening at this time too, which is a fun little event dedicated to all things Star Wars.
Visit in September to October
September and October are great times to visit as well. Halloween is in full swing at this point, meaning there are decorations all around the parks and seasonal entertainment offerings, such as Oogie Boogie Bash, will be happening at this time. This is a relatively light time to visit the park as school has just begun so most families won’t be taking their kids out of school so early in the school year. However, be sure to avoid Labor Day weekend in September as that is usually a popular time to go to Disneyland.
Keep in mind that these months will still be hot, especially September, so plan accordingly if you want to visit at this time. I’ve experienced visiting in September when temperatures exceeded 100 F. If you can brave these heat waves, though, you’ll experience a park that has smaller crowds. Just make sure to bring things to cool you down and to drink lots of water throughout the day.
Visit from After Thanksgiving until the Week Before Christmas
This is also one of the best times to visit Disneyland for the same reason May is a good time to visit. Most people have already visited over Thanksgiving or plan to visit during the Holidays, creating this lull period. Christmas will also be in full swing at this time, meaning you’ll get to experience all the amazing Christmas entertainment Disneyland puts on at this time.
Christmas is my favorite season at Disneyland, mostly due to Haunted Mansion Holiday and It’s A Small World Holiday. If you plan on visiting during this period, definitely make a point to experience all the Christmas offerings. This time of year is also quite chilly so be sure to bring layers when visiting the park.
Best Times to Visit Disneyland During the Week
Now that we’ve discussed when the best times to visit Disneyland are, let’s discuss when during the week you should plan your trip for. There are some pretty obvious assumptions to make as to when the parks will be busy on any given day of the week, but there are also some surprising times of the week that tend to be more crowded than other days of the week.
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Klook.comAvoid Weekends
This is pretty obvious. Even weekends in January and February will usually be crowded. Most people, when going on a particular week, will choose to go on weekends to save on vacation days and to make sure their kids don’t miss school. If you can, avoid weekends.
Avoid Mondays and Fridays
Now in terms of weekdays, the worst weekdays to visit are Friday and Monday. Fridays are generally seen as part of the weekend as well. A lot of locals will get off work on Friday and visit the park in the evening, making it very crowded at night compared to other days of the week. There’s no doubt that Friday is the worst weekday to visit.
But some of you may be surprised to see Monday grouped with Friday. Monday is generally a bad time to visit as most people begin their week-long trips to Disneyland on Sunday, with their first park day being Monday. This means that almost everyone visiting for a couple of days to a week will be visiting on a Monday, making it particularly crowded.
Best Time to Visit is Tuesday to Thursday
The best days to visit undoubtedly are Tuesday to Thursday, with Wednesday being the best and Tuesday being the worst among the three. Most people who visit for 2 days will visit on Tuesday as well, but people start to leave by Wednesday, meaning that there will be less people at the park.
As for Thursday, these days are slightly more crowded than Wednesday because some people start their weekend Disneyland trips on Thursdays, meaning there are more crowds at Disneyland that day as compared to Wednesday. When I was still a Magic Keyholder, I would usually visit on Wednesdays and I can confirm that they are the lightest day of the week.
Best Times to Visit Disneyland Conclusion
And that’s it! Hopefully this post helped you figure out when the right time to visit Disneyland is for you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via my socials!
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