The most crowded time of the year is just around the corner at Disneyland. We just recently looked at the worst dates to visit Disneyland 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 Disneyland through the rest of 2026 to avoid the worst crowds. You can also see our Disneyland crowd calendar for a sense of projected crowd levels by month. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the newest Disney gift card discount and the newest Magic Key perks.
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Disneyland crowds have been a bit unpredictable the past couple of years, throwing many traditional crowd calendars for a loop. That is why we created our Mickey Visit Disneyland crowd calendar using data not just from school break calendars, but also from traditional wait times, Magic Key blockout dates, 1-day ticket pricing, and more.
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The good news for those visiting the rest of October is that the month’s worst weekend for crowds is over. Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day in mid-October ranks as the third worst window of all times of the year, with crowd levels being nearly as bad as spring break or the holidays.
The best days to visit in October fall on Mondays through Thursdays, with a break of low crowd level days expected October 26-29 before Halloween weekend. In fact, October 29 in 2025 was ranked as one of the lowest wait time records of the year based on average wait times.
Best Disneyland Holiday Dates to Avoid Crowds
For guests visiting after Halloween trying to avoid high crowds, the time of the year to avoid is the time period of Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day. Disneyland on New Year’s Eve itself is known for being one of the busiest days of the entire 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 lull in crowd levels that takes place in both November and December. If we look at our Disneyland crowd calendar, the lowest crowd levels of November take place earliest in the month, especially on Mondays through Thursdays. Specifically, Below Normal crowd levels are expected November 2-5 and November 9, 10, 12, 17, and 18. Out of all these dates, I would expect crowd levels to be the lowest before the holiday season officially starts on November 13. But crowd levels will also remain stable the week before Thanksgiving. In fact, one of the lowest crowd dates of the year in 2025 was November 21, based on average wait times.
After Thanksgiving week is over, crowds will settle down again briefly in December before the busiest time of the year picks up. Weekdays will continue to be the lowest crowd levels as we go into December, with daytime hours being slower than evenings as many locals head to the parks to see the holiday entertainment and decorations at night.
Looking at our Disneyland crowd calendar, Mondays through Thursdays the first three weeks of December still rank as Normal Crowd levels. The second week of December also includes lower-than-usual crowd levels with a great stretch of time to visit December 6-11.
Crowd levels remain stable through December 18, when we see them spike and then hit Massive Crowds through the rest of the month. This period consistently ranks worse than most long weekends due to overlapping holiday travel, school breaks, and heavy out-of-state visitation. This is also why we see Magic Key holders blocked out this time of year because Disneyland is expecting massive crowds.
One of the worst weekends in December can be the last weekend for the top tier of Magic Key holders to visit before they are blocked out for the year. For 2026, this is the weekend of December 18 through December 20. To find the best Disneyland dates to visit in December, make sure you visit before December 18.
How to Survive Holidays at Disneyland
What if you are planning a visiting Thanksgiving week or Christmas week? Well, the bad news is these are the dates I always recommend guests who hate crowds avoid. But not all holidays are intense, and as a frequent Thanksgiving week Disneyland 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.
Christmas week might be another story, but the days leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day won’t be nearly as crowded as the stretch leading up to New Year’s Eve. This week, the better strategy is to instead prioritize arriving early and enjoying attractions in the morning and afternoon.
If you are visiting during the holiday season in December, evenings are going to consistently draw the largest crowds. Many locals without passes come to see the holiday decor at the parks on weekends, and Magic Key holders will show up in the evenings on weekdays to see the decorations.
As someone who has survived every major holiday at Disneyland, 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. Prioritize waking up early for rope drop and spending the morning and afternoon riding attractions before the crowds arrive to see the seasonal entertainment.
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If you are looking to find information about more Disneyland dates to avoid and special events, stay up to date on our Disneyland 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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