The most crowded time of the year is just around the corner at Walt Disney World. We just recently looked at the worst dates to visit Disney World if you hate crowds as we head into the holiday season.
But the rest of the year isn’t always crowded, and there are actually some great dates to visit to avoid crowds if you plan accordingly. Let’s get into all the best dates to visit Disney World through the rest of 2026 to avoid the worst crowds. You can also see our Disney World crowd calendar for an idea of projected crowd levels per month. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a new Disney gift card deal and details on Disney listening to feedback.
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Best Disney World Dates for Halloween 2026
Disney World crowds have been a bit unpredictable the past couple of years, throwing many traditional crowd calendars for a loop. This is why we created our Walt Disney World crowd calendar using data not just from school break calendars but also taking into account traditional wait time data, annual pass blockout dates, 1-day ticket pricing, and more.
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The good news for guests visiting in October is that the worst crowds of the month have passed. Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day often coincides with fall breaks at many schools across the country, creating a bit of a surprise crowd impact for many guests. EPCOT, in particular, is hit especially hard due to the popular International Food & Wine Festival taking place at the same time. Last year, that was one of the worst weekends of the year from the wait time data we reported on.
Now, the best days to visit the rest of October fall on Mondays through Thursdays, with Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom seeing the lowest crowd levels up until Halloween weekend. Since most of the Halloween festivities take place during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, guests won’t be impacted too much by Halloween crowds outside of the party itself.
As for crowds during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the rest of the party dates for the year are completely sold out, meaning the parties themselves will feel crowded. But keep in mind there’s a reason Disney puts a cap on party attendees. While there has been speculation that each year Disney continues to increase the maximum number of party guests, even a sold-out party is better than a Massive crowded day at Disney World any other day of the year.
Best Disney World Holiday Dates to Avoid Crowds
For guests visiting after Halloween and trying to avoid crowds, the best time to avoid is Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day. Disney World on New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest days of the year. If you are looking to avoid crowds, you don’t want to be anywhere near the parks during that holiday.
But for the best days to visit, each year there is a break in crowd levels that takes place in both November and December. If we look at our Disney World crowd calendar, the lowest crowd levels in November take place the second and third week of the month, especially November 16-20. Most of these dates fall on Mondays through Thursdays, varying between Normal Crowds and a few days as Below Normal Crowds. For guests looking to avoid Thanksgiving week crowds, the best dates that week to visit are Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24, before the holiday crowds arrive the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Once Thanksgiving week ends, crowds will experience a lull before the heaviest crowds of the year arrive at the end of December. Weekdays continue to show lower crowd levels, with weekends rising to Above Average, especially for EPCOT. This is also a time of year we see the crowds at EPCOT rise dramatically as the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays kicks off after Thanksgiving.
The best two weeks in December to visit are easily within the first two weeks as we look at our Disney World Crowd Calendar. The second week of December also includes lower-than-usual crowd levels in some parts, making December 7-11 a great time to visit. However, some days with lower crowds stick around during the third week of the month, with December 14-17 showing a mix of Normal Crowds and even a few Below Normal Crowd days.
Outside of those more ideal days to visit, more manageable holiday crowd level days might even last up until December 22 before the crowd levels begin to reach Massive.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is beginning to sell out for multiple dates, including Thanksgiving week and dates in December. As the holidays draw nearer, the dates will continue to sell out, and it’s common for the entire party to sell out. Similar logic applies here as it did for the Halloween party. A sold-out holiday party night will still feel less crowded than a day ranked for Massive crowds. For guests looking to enjoy a holiday party with the most minimal crowds, Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios might be a better option, which is not nearly as popular as the holiday party at Magic Kingdom.
How to Survive Holidays at Disney World
For guests planning a trip during Thanksgiving or Christmas week, it might be disappointing to realize that these weeks often rank high on our crowd calendar ratings, with some dates expecting Massive crowds. Some guests assume that Thanksgiving is a slow day at the parks, but that’s not the case, as many families enjoy their holidays at Disney.
However, as a frequent Thanksgiving week Disney World visitor, I have survived the crowds that week more than once. You can expect alarming crowds Thanksgiving Day morning, but the days leading up to Thanksgiving can feel doable, even if they’re above average crowds. Even the weekend falling Thanksgiving is not quite as bad as you might expect.
Now for Christmas week, that is tricky, but the parks are a bit more manageable leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, even if crowds are still high. The best plan is to always have lunch and dinner reservations on holidays to know you have a guaranteed sit-down break included in your day, which also helps avoid long food lines. I have spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Magic Kingdom, and one of our saving graces was attending the holiday party and having a dining reservation twice a day.
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If you are looking to find information about more Disney World dates to avoid and special events, stay up to date on our Disney World crowd calendar, which provides a full 12-month overview of the parks, including a monthly breakdown of weather, events, and crowd levels.
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