Pin trading has become increasingly popular at Disney theme parks, so much so that Disney at times struggles to control the crowds of people interested in trading pins with others or purchasing new pins at Disney’s shops. We’ve been following this ongoing story as Disneyland changed one pin trading area to be for kids only and as Disney World cracked down on guests staying overnight in parking garages in anticipation of new pin releases. Disney has now introduced another attempt at controlling the situation.
Disneyland changed a procedure to help manage chaotic new pin trading releases. We have details on what changed and what could be next. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a behind-the-scenes interview with a Disney parks filmmaker and three ride closures added to Disneyland’s refurbishment calendar.
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New Pins Procedure at Disneyland
Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World in Florida both release new, limited-edition pins on Tuesdays. Called Pin Tuesdays, or Pin-Tastic Tuesdays for a small sampling of online releases, these draw huge crowds, with guests lining up and waiting long periods of time to purchase pins.
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During a recent visit to Disneyland, we saw this for ourselves as a long line of guests spilled out of Main Street Cinema to purchase a new collection that ended up selling out by 8:30 AM.
Masses of guests line up well before the park opens, as seen in this photo captured by @DisneyScoopGuy on X of the abnormally large security line at 5:50 AM:
The line to get into Disneyland security at 5:50AM pic.twitter.com/XyiGJihWhS
— Matt (@DisneyScoopGuy) August 4, 2026
The past few months have seen Disney identifying ways that it’s lost control of pin trading popularity and attempting to manage crowd control in various ways on both coasts.
Disneyland prohibited guests from sprawling out pin displays across benches and tables, and limited a popular pin trading courtyard to only allow kids to trade, not adults. Disney World started closing the Disney Springs parking garages overnight, preventing guests from camping out there to be the first to purchase pins the next morning.
That last practice was also put into place to manage similar swells of crowds for releases of new Disney Lorcana trading cards, but some guests’ behavior is still beyond Disney’s control. In July, a video captured by @JamesIaniro on X showed an adult pushing a stroller while crossing six lanes of traffic to reach Disney Springs on the morning of a Lorcana release.
While the Lorcana release caught guests acting their worst, the new change for the pin release should be helpful to calm any tempers as well.
This is absolutely CHAOTIC! This is the first @DisneyLorcana pre release at @DisneyParks @WaltDisneyWorld #disneysprings since they started the “no parking until 7” rule. This is NUTS! People are fighting with security. People are already succumbing to the heat… pic.twitter.com/btys3NzOkx
— rundisney tableguy (@JamesIaniro) July 17, 2026
At Disneyland’s Westward Ho shop, some guests have become frustrated with others holding places in line for friends or skipping the line. Disney has now implemented a system in which cast members distribute cards to guests who join the long line to purchase pins at Westward Ho on pin release days.
When the guests reach the front of the line to purchase their pins, they give the card to the cast member at the cash register. This serves as proof that they were in line when Disney distributed the cards, and that they didn’t jump in late and skip others. This is a system to prevent guests from holding a place for a big group.
We hope that they roll out this change to all the pin releases and eventually any limited edition merchandise drops.
WDWNT reported the card distribution news first and you can see the image in their post below.
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We wouldn’t be surprised if Disney next cracks down on popular common areas in the parks where pin trading typically takes place in mass quantities, sometimes blocking walkways. A breezeway at EPCOT is commonly known as a pin trading hotspot, but Disney hasn’t implemented any crowd control procedures there yet.
Disney occasionally hosts designated pin trading nights at huge venues like the Coronado Springs convention center and an arena at ESPN Wide World of Sports. An upcoming pin trading night at Disney World sold out months in advance.
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