One of the most commonly asked questions about Disneyland California isn’t about the rides or attractions – it’s about timing. When is the best time to go to the Disneyland parks, and what factors help determine the best time frame for your family?
Do you want more extended hours, fewer crowds, or to avoid missing school? It will depend on what factors matter most to you.
Ready to go? Here’s what you need to know about scheduling your trip to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park at the perfect time for your family.
What Factors Determine the Best Time to Visit Disneyland?
There are a few things to consider, including crowds, park hours, ticket pricing, school schedules, and even the weather.
Whether you want temperate weather and lower crowds in late January or the vibrant and exciting fireworks and entertainment in July, there’s a right time to go to Disneyland. It just depends on what you prioritize.
What Is the Best Time to Visit Disneyland When It Comes to Crowds?
The more people in the park, the longer you’ll wait for rides, meals, and attractions. So, crowds matter.
Suppose you visit during a busy holiday season, such as the 4th of July, President’s Day weekend, spring break season, Christmas holiday season, or Thanksgiving week. In that case, you can expect it to be difficult to avoid crowds.
Armed with our best tips and tricks for your Disneyland vacation, however, you can make it work.
Avoiding Peak Visitation Periods at Disneyland Park & Disney California Adventure
If your priority is to avoid Disneyland crowds, there are a few ways to decide the best time to visit Disneyland.
First, avoid holidays, major school breaks, and summer break, as stated above. This includes Presidents Day weekend and Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. These times are, by far, the busiest times to visit Disneyland.
Mid-April is always busy with spring break crowds, so you may also want to avoid Disneyland and Disney California Adventure then as well.
Then, plan on visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks on weekdays if possible – park attendance spikes on Saturdays and Sundays when kids are out of school, and most people have days off from work.
The “off-season” at Disneyland, such as it is, tempts with lighter crowds and good value. Mid-September through mid-November (except for October weekends with Oogie Boogie Bash) and mid-January through mid-March are typically Disneyland’s least-busy periods when you can expect fewer crowds.
Keep in mind, though, that those lower-visitation intervals also tend to coincide with fewer events, periodic attraction closures for upkeep, and reduced operating hours. For some, though, this is the best time to go to Disneyland because the lines are shorter with minimal crowds, which means the ability to go on more rides.
School Schedules
Another factor to consider is school schedules, both in how they may influence your availability and their general effect on Disneyland visitation levels.
Summer vacation months and any holiday season when there are school breaks are some of the busiest days for visiting Disneyland, given all the kids out of school, so avoid them if possible if you want smaller crowds. The busiest days to visit Disneyland are during Christmas break, spring break, and fall break.
Once local kids return to school, the local crowds will plummet on weekdays, making this an excellent time to visit.
The exceptions are Halloween, Memorial Day weekend, and Disney California Adventure’s Food and Wine Festival—these times are generally busy regardless of the day of the week.
Local schools are let out for the year starting in mid-May, with most out by mid-June. Kids head back into the classroom starting in mid-August, with most back after Labor Day. With fewer crowds, early September is one of our favorite times to visit Disneyland.
Weather Matters When It Comes to Disneyland
Want great Disneyland weather — like a comfortably warm but not hot vacation? Avoid the summer months! Not only are June, July, and August crowded times once kids are out of school, but it also gets hot, particularly in the late afternoon.
There is not a lot of shade when you’re walking between attractions and rides in either park.
If you want it to be warm enough to go swimming but not bake in the heat, the shoulder seasons like late September, October, the first week of and early November, late April (to avoid spring break crowds), and May are best.
These months immediately before and just following summer are among the best times to go. Prices are usually lower for hotels and tickets, and you’ll be more comfortable weather-wise.
Parks can also reach capacity in the summer, and when it is already hot, you’ll want to avoid crowds and closures.
BE PREPARED FOR SUN YEAR-ROUND
Just because it’s January and cloudy doesn’t mean that you can’t get sunburned when walking around Disneyland. You definitely can. Wear sun protection year-round. Wear sun protection year-round.
Ticket Prices & Passes for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park
Disneyland tickets and passes may also influence when you decide to come (or when you can come). Single-day tickets vary in price across the year, being more expensive for days and windows of higher visitation (such as weekends and summertime).
So far, the price of multi-day tickets (two days or longer) has not fluctuated based on the date.
Disneyland has replaced its annual pass system with the Magic Key program, split among four tiers. Magic Key passholders enjoy various perks, but their visits—which require reservations—can be impacted by blockout dates designed to manage crowd levels during high-visitation periods.
Save with Our Discounted Disneyland Tickets
Use promo code SAVEMORE on already discounted 2-Day or longer tickets!
Choosing a Time to Go to Disneyland: Special Events & Holiday Festivities at Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park host regular events throughout the year, and depending on the event, a Park Hopper ticket may be your best option. Some events will naturally inflate the crowds on the property, usually for a single day or weekend.
The most significant events are the Halloween and winter holiday festivities packed to the gills with months-long celebrations, extravagant holiday decorations, and activities. No other time will you see the Haunted Mansion and Sleeping Beauty castle decked out more! The celebrations kick off early: Halloween Time in September and Holidays at the Disneyland Resort in November.
While some of the activities during these special events do not happen until nightfall, people begin to show up early in the day, leading to inflated numbers and increased crowds who all want to experience the holiday magic that the theme park is known for.
Special Events Calendar at Disneyland
The following month-by-month breakdown is only a partial list to give you an idea of some of the annual happenings that may help dictate your Disneyland vacation schedule.
On the one hand, you may want to get in on the fun and time your visit for these kinds of organized affairs. On the other hand, the increased Disneyland crowds they draw may mean you avoid the theme parks when they’re underway.
Keep in mind, this doesn’t include the numerous unofficial events that go down at Disneyland Resort. Check the resort’s website for the most up-to-date calendar.
January
- Holidays at the Disneyland Resort
- Disneyland After Dark: 80s Nite
February
- Lunar New Year Celebration (though this is sometimes in late January, depending on the lunar calendar)
- Valentine’s Month
- Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite
March
- Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
- Mardi Gras (sometimes in February)
- Eggstravaganza
- Disneyland After Dark: Pixar Nite
April
- Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
- Eggstravaganza
- Disneyland After Dark: Villains Nite
May
- Grad Nites
- Star Wars Day
- Disney Channel Fan Fest
June
- Grad Nites
July
- Fourth of July Celebration
- Disneyland’s Birthday (July 17th)
August
● Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Night
September
- Disneyland Halloween Time
- Oogie Boogie Bash
- Plaza de la Familia
October
- Disneyland Halloween Time
- Oogie Boogie Bash
- Plaza de la Familia
November
- Plaza de la Familia
- Holidays at the Disneyland Resort
December
- Holidays at the Disneyland Resort
- New Year’s Eve
Events in the Area
It’s worth noting that the Anaheim Convention Center is right across the street from Disneyland Park.
When there’s a major trade show or other special events, expect heavier visitation at the resort. That’s most definitely true when the convention center’s hosting D23 Expo, the world’s biggest Disney fan blowout.
So check the events calendar for that venue (and, to some extent, for Orange County/LA in general) to further gauge potential crowd levels at Disneyland when planning the best time to visit.
Remember that convention and business travelers are most likely to visit the park in the evenings after a busy day.
Best Time of Day to Go to Disneyland Resort
If you’re an early bird, you’re in luck. First thing in the morning is the best time to visit Disneyland, even on crowded days.
When you’re one of the first arrivals, you can walk into Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park up to a certain point where Cast Members monitor ropes that keep people from going further into the parks.
About a half-hour before the parks technically open up, folks start queuing up at these points for the “rope drop.” Once the ropes drop, you’ll hopefully get a jump on the big lines. This is because you’ll be deeper into the park than most guests who arrive at the gates right at opening time (and do not know this hack).
The busiest time to visit Disneyland is in the afternoon. This is particularly true if there is an evening event planned. Otherwise, expect crowds to taper off by late afternoon into the early evening.
The exception to this general rule is holidays — there are fewer crowd fluctuations these days because they are all extremely busy.
Longer park hours on select nights draw some guests to the parks, but many leave before dinner. Families with small or school-aged children seem to dominate the park during the day and then taper off by evening.
Check the Disneyland app for current ride wait times for a sense of real-time busyness in the parks.
Other Factors That Influence Disneyland Trip Timing
Local Fans
If your “usual” park is Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, expect to see things a little differently at Disneyland.
While school schedules and the weather heavily influence both parks, Disneyland has a far larger local fan base, and locals make up a significant amount of the traffic on any given day.
Blockout Dates Give Clues to Disneyland Crowd Levels
Blockout dates prohibiting Magic Key reservations give you a clue to what Disneyland considers peak visitation days.
Reservation Availability
If you are trying to decide the best time to go to Disneyland, the reservation calendar will provide some clues.
When you buy admission (don’t forget to save money and use my discount tickets), you’ll need to select which park you’d like to visit. In the case of Park Hopper tickets, you’ll need to choose a park to visit first. You can visit the second park after 11 a.m.
If the calendar shows only one park available, you can feel confident that both parks will likely be busy. And, of course, if neither park is available, you’ll be forced to choose an alternate day to go.
Save with Our Discounted Disneyland Tickets
Use promo code SAVEMORE on already discounted 2-Day or longer tickets!
Plan Your Disneyland Trip at the Right Time for You
Take all of the above into consideration — holidays, the actual time of year, and the weather will have the biggest impact on your experience.
Once you’ve picked and booked your dates, you can begin choosing the right place and time to visit Disneyland each day based on what’s going on in the parks.
Simply being aware of the factors that influence how many people are in the parks goes a long way. If you’re aware that crowds fluctuate (and why they do), you can use this information to your advantage and plan appropriately without being confused by an online Disneyland crowd calendar.
When you choose the best time to go to Disneyland, you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite rides and attractions with less of a wait.
However, Lightning Lane should help with wait times, and you’ll want to use it no matter when you visit to maximize the Disney magic.
Katie Dillon
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