Crowds can have a huge impact on your Disneyland experience. If you’re putting valuable time and money into your trip to theme park, you should make sure you understand the best times to go to Disneyland and when to avoid, if possible.
Light and manageable crowds will make your day more enjoyable and magical, due to low ride wait times and manageable lines for food and other services.
On the other hand, a super crowded park takes away a bit of the magic of Disney. Riding all the rides would not be possible and you might have to decide to skip that delicious treat, or that beautiful souvenir.
It is key to have a strategy when you are planning your vacation. Following a few guidelines can help you avoid the stress and irritability of crowds.
The information below should help you plan which for your visit, whether it’s choosing the best month or seeing what you’ll be dealing with when you go.
» Also read our Disneyland Trip Planner for all the details of planning your trip, and our guide on what to take with you into Disneyland.
Best Time of Year to Visit Disneyland
Here is a month-by-month breakdown of the crowd conditions at Disneyland in California.
January
The first days of January come with huge crowds due to the Holidays at Disneyland Resort. Christmas decorations are still up and all the fun and magic of the season lasts until January 6. The holiday crowds start dropping after this point. Skip those days of the month along with the ones surrounding MLK Jr. festive day.
If you love Splash Mountain and you are planning on visiting on January, check the dates of refurbishments for this ride, since its seasonal closure is around the lasts days of the holiday season. It generally opens back up in middle February because of the cold weather.
February
The second month of the year is a great time to visit. Not many people go to the park in February due to schools being in session and the chilly weather. Crowds will start to pick up the weekend before President’s day and they will ease up after this holiday.
March
The only recommended time of the month to hit the park, is the first week, when schools are still in. Later in March, Spring Break season starts, schools are out, and many families decide coming to Disneyland because of the nice weather. The park gets super busy this holiday season.
April
Spring break season finishes with Easter Sunday, until then, Disneyland is very crowded. April is a beautiful time to hit the park, the weather is warm and sunny, but to avoid a very busy Disneyland consider visiting a few days after Easter.
May
The first three weeks of May are safe to visit the park due to its lack of special events. Nevertheless, the final stage of the month brings multitudes to the park, since families take advantage of Memorial Day weekend to travel. Furthermore, summer break starts in most schools and this holiday crowds start to boost.
June and July
These months are the busiest of the year along with the first two weeks of August and the Christmas season. All schools are out and families plan their vacation around these dates. During June and July and the start of August, expect wait times of at least 1 to 3 hours for every ride and similar lines for food ordering and shopping. All this in the very heat of summer.
August
Consider traveling to Disneyland during the last two weeks of August. By this time, schools are going back in session. Crowds will slowly start to decrease as families go back to their normal routine and summer goes into fall.
September
September is one of the best times of the year to visit Disneyland because kids are back to school, the summer holidays are over, and it is very difficult for families to travel around this period. The only few days in September to avoid, are those surrounding Labor Day, especially the weekend before the holiday. The rest of the month should have light crowds.
October
This time of the year is lighter in crowds too; nevertheless, they will start picking up, as it gets closer to Halloween. People love visiting Disneyland in October because of the family friendly Halloween events around the park. Along with hundreds of spooky jack-o-lanterns and beautiful fall decorations, there are characters in costumes, an overlay for Haunted Mansion andthe night spectacular “Halloween Screams”.
November
The main event that draws people to Disneyland this month is Thanksgiving. Disneyland will remain busy until the first days of December, after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Expect light crowds the first weeks of November.
December
December is one of the busiest months in the park because of the Christmas and New Year’s season. Around the second week, the park starts to pack up. The crowds will not get any lighter until the holidays are over, in fact, the week following Christmas into the New Year is the busiest week of the month.
Usually, this season has the same wait times as the summer holidays, ranging from 1 to 3 hours to ride, and great delays when you are ordering food or shopping for souvenirs.
Despite of the swarm of people, December is the most magical time of the year in Disneyland. The Christmas decorations, activities, merchandise and treats are a couple of explaining factors to why the park is so popular in this season.
Moreover, there is a magical “Christmas fantasy parade”, where the Disney characters join Santa, ride overlays for Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World, “Believe” the nighttime spectacular with fireworks and snowfall, the “Wintertime Enchantment” at Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle and so much more.
Final Thoughts
Overall, to outsmart the crowds, skip going to Disneyland on any holiday or within a range of one to two weeks before and after this season, depending on the length of the festivity.
Avoid weekends, visit always during the week. Passholders tend to hit the parks on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. If you start your vacation on a Monday and are going to visit both Anaheim parks, Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, visit California Adventure first and Disneyland afterwards.
Changing your park order can make a huge difference, because most people want to start with Disneyland first. Following this guidelines and the crowd calendar, you will be able to score the cheapest and lighter days at Disneyland.
Be Prepared For Travel
Planning is the most important part of any successful trip. Do it the easy way:
🧳 Travel Packing List | ✔️ Why You Need Travel Insurance | ✈️ What to Do Before You Leave Home
- Find and book the best hotel (our favorite booking site is Expedia)
- Research flight options (our favorite tool is Skyscanner)
- Book a tour (we always use Viator to find the best tours)
- Rent a car through Discover Cars (they search the best deals for you!)
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Laura Lynch
Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited 70+ countries.
Best Times To Go To Disneyland Anaheim