Veterans Day is a popular time to visit Disneyland, as it may coordinate with days off from work, plus it usually takes place at the start of the holiday season in early November. This can all mean the potential for high crowd levels that can impact the park experience, including the cost and availability of Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Keep reading to see what you can expect for Veterans Day at Disneyland when it comes to crowds and special events. At Mickey Visit, we constantly report on crowd updates in the park, including our list of dates to avoid at Disneyland and how to navigate large crowds in the theme parks. Plus, news on Disney’s new Haunted Mansion bar.
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Veterans Day Disneyland Crowds
Holidays like Veterans Day have the potential to create high crowd levels, especially as they can turn into three or four-day weekends for many families. These types of holidays tend to sneak up on guests since they’re not often associated with large crowds like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
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But in fact, we’ve seen massive crowds over minor holidays like these, with Lightning Lane availability selling out fast, along with theme park reservations. Veterans Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day all have the potential to coordinate with days off from school and work schedules to create a perfect storm of massive crowds.
Out of all the minor holidays, Veterans Day is the most hit or miss each year when it comes to crowd levels since it falls on the same date each year, rather than always taking place on a Monday. Veterans Day is on November 11th each year, so the day of the week will change. For example, a Veterans Day happening on a Friday or Monday would cause a higher increase in crowds since that effectively turns the holiday into a three-day weekend. Three-day weekends are some of the most popular times to visit Disneyland due to many guests being able to take off work and school.
Disneyland Veterans Day 2025 Crowds According to Crowd Calendar
Veterans Day takes place on a Tuesday in 2025, so there is potential for this holiday to become a four-day weekend for some guests. On our Mickey Visit Disneyland Crowd Calendar, we predict a busy weekend for Veterans Day since it falls on a Tuesday. This has the potential to create Above Normal Crowds over the weekend and into the holiday.
What is interesting about 2025 Veterans Day at Disneyland is that the holiday celebration doesn’t kick off until November 14th, which will create a bit of a lull in the days prior. The good news is that many guests might hold off on their visits until the holidays officially begin. Because of that, I do not expect we will see crowds that rival other three-day weekends like the busy Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year, which caused massive crowds at both Disneyland and Disney World.
Disney Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary
The Walt Disney Company is kicking off a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with a new initiative called “Disney Celebrates America,” which will kick off Veterans Day 2025 and continue through the July 4, 2026 weekend. This celebration brings together Disney’s brands and platforms to honor America’s past, present, and future. The celebration also includes a brand new Soarin’ attraction update, themed to the natural beauty of America, which will debut next year.
This celebration also includes special military-inspired merchandise, which is already available at Disneyland. This is a nice way to kick off this celebration on this upcoming Veterans Day.
Veterans Day Disneyland Flag Retreat Ceremony
In previous years, Disneyland has honored Veterans Day with a special flag retreat ceremony, with last year’s event including 150 veteran cast members marching down Main Street, U.S.A., before viewing the longstanding flag retreat ceremony. Cast members dress in formal business attire and bring a feeling of importance to the event. In previous years, Disney has also brought in military bands to join the celebration. We particularly enjoyed it when they brought in the Marine band from nearby Camp Pendleton.
Disneyland has not confirmed if Veterans Day 2025 will receive a special flag retreat ceremony, but you can assume that at least the cast members will be marching again. No details yet on whether there will be a military band playing.
The Flag Retreat Ceremony at Disneyland is one of the ways that Disney honors our past and current military members. The Flag Retreat happens daily at 4:30 PM, but check the daily Disneyland calendar for the most current times, as times can change. Guests are asked to join in the Pledge of Allegiance before the Flag Retreat begins, followed by a chorus of “God Bless America” with the crowd removing their hats and putting their hands over their hearts.
Disneyland will invite current service members and veterans to come to stand by the flag during the ceremony. The Color Guard lowers the flag while the National Anthem is performed. After the ceremony, the Color Guard and cast members have a short procession down Main Street, U.S.A.
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This Flag Retreat Ceremony will be especially popular on Veterans Day, so be sure to line up early to participate.
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