Disneyland Crowd Calendar 2024-2025 (Updated Monthly!)
In the Disneyland crowd calendar below you'll see the crowd ratings for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, notable dates that may impact crowds, and the calendar dates for Disneyland special events. Click on the specific event or rating below for more information.
Our Disneyland crowd calendar is different than others available because we are completely transparent about the data we use to make specific decisions that impact the various crowd levels throughout the year. See this all detailed below the calendar.
Currently this calendar is updated to April 2025. Information will be added as we get further into 2025.
We rated Disney California Adventure and Disneyland crowd levels as Massive Crowds, Above Normal Crowds, Normal Crowds, Below Normal Crowds, and Very Low Crowds. Here are the color schemes to identify those levels on the calendar.
Remember that even though this Disneyland crowd calendar (and the others you’ll see out there) looks very official, the actual experience of crowds at the parks could be very different if we were off in the assumptions that we made. There are many factors that can influence crowds on any given day, and it is not always possible to predict these.
How Did We Rate Crowd Levels For Disneyland Crowd Calendar?
Forecasting a Disneyland crowd calendar has gotten far more difficult as the crowd patterns at Disneyland have shifted quite a bit in the years coming out of the pandemic closure. The introduction of Disneyland park reservations and changes to park capacity has meant that over the past couple of years, it is a safe assumption that Disneyland is always crowded. Disneyland often tweaks the availability of park reservations to keep attendance spread out evenly. They would prefer to have “Above Normal” feeling crowds every single day.
Even with that stated, we have received constant questions about a Disneyland crowd calendar to forecast how busy the days at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure actually are. Though we already have our analysis of the best time to visit Disneyland and the Disneyland dates to avoid we understand the demand for a visual crowd calendar to track and present the information.
We combine this data plus our own constant personal experience visiting Disneyland every single week to provide the most informed theme park crowd calendar possible.
We determine the different ratings for the dates on our crowd calendar above by weighing the below factors.
- 1-Day Disneyland ticket prices
- Magic Key blockout dates
- Thrill-Data historical wait time data
- School calendars for key school districts in California, Arizona, and Utah
- Parties like Disneyland After Dark Nites and Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party
We analyze these shifting factors throughout the year to ensure that our crowd calendar remains up to date and shifts for any critical dates at the theme park.
For the 1-Day ticket prices that are visible for the year on the Disneyland calendar, we weigh these as a factor because they are tiered by date (from Tier 0 at the lowest price to Tier 6 at the highest) and often reflect expected crowd levels during certain times. Another important factor we weighed was wait time data from Thrill Data, which is a compilation of average historical data on wait times for each day of the year for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
Magic Key blockout dates also play a role in influencing crowd levels—for example, the highest-tier Magic Key, Inspire, is blocked out during the last week of December into the start of January as a reflection of when some of the biggest crowds of the year will occur. The presence of no blockout dates can also contribute to higher crowds in the theme park as well with the locals unrestricted from visiting, like when all Magic Key holders return to the parks after summer blockout dates are lifted. This is one area where we bring in some of our own lived experience with the impact of crowds based on specific times of the year and the flow of Magic Key Holders.
Another factor we consider is the timing of special events throughout the year. We know the starting dates of seasonal celebrations due to the special events calendar that Disneyland shared for the year, including major celebrations like Season of the Force, Pixar Fest, Halloween, and Christmas. Especially on the starting days of each of these special events, we can expect crowds to be higher than normal. We also take into account how crowd levels at the parks may be affected by parties like Disneyland After Dark Events or Grad Nites and mark these on the Disneyland crowd calendar.
Major school breaks that can affect crowds include Spring Break and Fall Break, which can make the parks more crowded. We have some of these dates specifically marked on the calendar. The Fall Break has begun to have even more of an impact on the parks as it has become a popular time for guests to travel in from states surrounding California. October has actually become the most popular month of the year for Disneyland travel according to our travel partner, Get Away Today. As a general rule of thumb, holidays and three-day weekends will draw larger crowds to the parks, so this was also a factor we considered.
Overview of Disneyland Crowds During the Year
As you will see on the Disneyland crowd calendar, there is a typical pattern of crowds you can expect throughout the year.
Some of the slower months at Disneyland include parts of January, February, August, September, and November. You'll see that there is a fair amount of green during each of these months indicating “below normal” crowds. There is also a fair amount of special events that you can enjoy during these months like the Lunar New Year celebration, the start of the Halloween celebration, and the start and tail end of Christmas at Disneyland.
Spring break season is notoriously hard to predict on Disneyland crowd calendars as many schools have differing school breaks during the months of March and April. The common trends we see take place at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World is that crowds increase from the beginning of March until mid-March with a lull after St. Patrick's Day. This most recent 2024 Disneyland spring break season, crowds picked up again at the end of March and carried into the first week of April. Breaks are spread out across the country during the spring break season making this data a bit more unpredictable for our crowd calendar.
While summer break is a popular time to visit Disneyland with kids out of school on summer break, summer months are still not quite as crowded as some other times of year like October and the holidays. In June and July, our Disneyland crowd calendar projects a mix of normal and above normal crowds with some “massive crowds” days mixed in. Summer is a popular time for many families to take a Disneyland vacation but it's been easily outpaced by the popularity of holidays like holiday weekends, holiday breaks, Halloween, Thanksgiving week, and Christmas season.
You'll see above normal crowds surrounding the Halloween celebration during the month of October and around the holidays, especially during the last week of December leading into the first few days of January (which you can see on the Disneyland crowd calendar is all marked as red “massive crowds”). As mentioned in our above discussion of the factors weighed for the crowd calendar, school breaks (especially Spring break and Fall break) will contribute to above normal crowds at the theme parks.
Crowd Calendar Differences at Disneyland vs. California Adventure
Our crowd calendar also includes different ratings for both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park. Our reasoning for giving each park its own unique crowd calendar rating is due to the special events that impact each theme park separately.
Crowd calendars at Disneyland can shift depending on what special events are taking place. If there is a ticketed event taking place at California Adventure, like Oogie Boogie Bash, you may see crowds begin to increase over at Disneyland as guests without tickets hop to the opposite park when the event starts.
This can also impact the availability of Disneyland park reservations as guests without tickets flock to the opposite park not hosting an event. Holidays and special events can create different crowd levels at both theme parks while on some days the ratings may be the same.
For instance, you might see larger crowds flock to Disneyland in the evenings as guests turn out to watch Disneyland fireworks especially during the holiday season. The nighttime entertainment is incredibly popular at Disneyland during the holiday seasons. But during the Food & Wine Festival at California Adventure that takes place in the spring, you might see higher crowds turning out in the evening as locals come out to enjoy the food offerings of the festival. There are many factors that can change the way busy days feels at both Disneyland and California Adventure.
Three-Day Holiday Weekends at Disneyland Impact Crowd Calendar
One of the biggest contributors to Disneyland crowds are three-day holiday weekends. Three-day holiday weekends draw large crowds for a Disneyland vacation along with locals taking advantage of the longer weekend. This is also one of the few times of the year we see Disneyland park reservations become hard to get.
Not all three-day weekends will create massive crowds although you may see an increase in long lines during these weekends. Easily one of the busiest three-day weekends is Indigenous People's Day/Columbus Day which often coordinates with existing Fall school breaks in October. We would consider this one of the busiest times to visit Disneyland with higher than average theme park attendance. Halloween at Disneyland Resort has now become one of the most popular times of the year to visit the theme parks. This often catches guests by surprise when they visit in October which is why we try to highlight it on our Disneyland crowd calendar as a peak season at Disneyland. But if you wanted to do a three day weekend during Halloween, you will have lower crowds if you visit during Labor Day instead since September doesn't have the same problem with fall breaks.
But on the opposite side of the spectrum, Memorial Day weekend is often not that crowded at all in comparison. During our recent trip on Memorial Day at Disneyland we did not notice a difference from other days in May. This is why looking at the data we've collected on our Disneyland crowd calendar can be useful rather than just assuming all holiday weekends should be avoided. And if you're there during a holiday weekend with manageable crowds, you can enjoy longer park hours with light crowds.
Ticketed Events at Disneyland
There are ticketed events at Disneyland that take place in spring and fall which all can impact the crowd levels at the theme parks. These events often take place after the parks close for the day although for some events the parks will closer earlier which can cause attendance to fluctuate between Disneyland and California Adventure.
Disneyland After Dark is the name of the after hours events that take place in the spring months at Disneyland. These events all take place at Disneyland Park after the park closes for the day. These events usually start in January with some running through June. Event goers are given early entry to Disneyland so this can cause an increase in evening hours at Disneyland Park on the days of any of these Disneyland After Dark events.
In May and June, Disneyland Grad Nites takes place which can cause crowds at both parks. Grad Nites are an event for local teens to celebrate their high school graduation and they are given the option to pick from tickets to either park, park hopper tickets along with access to a private event that takes place at 9PM in California Adventure. On Grad Nite days, California Adventure will close early at 9PM for this event which can cause an increase of crowds flocking over to Disneyland to watch the fireworks. Aside from the impact of the early closure at California Adventure, Grad Nites do not necessarily equal a massively crowded day and most of the impact of these events will only be noticeable in the evening hours.
Disneyland goes all out for Halloween and has become one of the most popular times of the year at Disneyland as this time of year also coordinates with many Fall school breaks in the region. Halloween at Disneyland also includes its own ticketed event called Oogie Boogie Bash. Oogie Boogie Bash takes place at California Adventure August-October as part of the Halloween season. On nights that Oogie Boogie Bash takes place, California Adventure will close early which will force all guests without a party ticket over to Disneyland Park. This event has the greatest impact on crowds at Disneyland since California Adventure closes at 6PM for the event. All of the other ticketed events throughout the year take place close to park closing or after park closing so the impact is not as great on visitors. This is another reason why Halloween can feel especially busy. Oogie Boogie Bash is an extremely popular event with tickets selling out each year. So when you note that it is an Oogie Boogie Bash date on our Disneyland crowd calendar, this also means an early closing for California Adventure on the same day which can cause an increase in Disneyland evening crowds.
What If I Want to Visit When Disneyland Is Crowded?
If your trip dates to visit Disneyland align with high crowd levels it's no need to panic as you can still have a magical vacation at the Disneyland Resort.
While most Disneyland crowd calendars will warn against visiting during high crowds, some of these crowded times on our 2024 Disneyland crowd calendar also take place during some of the best events of the year. This includes special attraction overlays on favorite rides like the Haunted Mansion, it's a small world, and Space Mountain.
Disneyland will also increase park hours during peak times of the year, increase staff, and offer a large variety of entertainment to disperse crowd levels. We love to take advantage of the longer park hours at Disneyland theme parks by visiting early in the morning or staying late after the Disneyland fireworks end. The early morning and late evening park hours are helpful to manage Disneyland crowds as most wait times will be short during this time of day.
Another great tip for handling a busy day at Disneyland is to make dining reservations so you have a guaranteed break for avoiding crowds.
We frequently visit Disneyland on days our crowd calendar warns as higher than normal theme park crowds. The special events at Disneyland and longer hours help balance out the cons of visiting in the peak season. There are upsides to visiting Disneyland during the busy time of year as there will be less ride refurbishments to worry about as you might see during off peak times, more entertainment offerings, and longer park hours. So regardless if all Disney crowd calendars are saying your trip may be busy, you can still have a magical vacation.
Avoiding Crowds Can Save Money
There is a perk to planning your next magical vacation at Disneyland to avoid crowds based on specific dates. If you can avoid the time periods of the year that we know draw considerable crowds at Disneyland then these times of the year may also line up with discounts, lower hotel rates, and cheaper air travel.
The Disneyland crowd calendar will highlight times of the year that have a lower chance of massive crowds. Disney also shares this knowledge and they proactively release Disneyland ticket and hotel discounts to encourage guests to visit the theme parks. If you plan your trip with these discounts in mind, you can effectively avoid crowds while enjoying cheaper travel expenses.
We often see the most aggressive Disneyland hotel discounts take place January through May with the most heavily discounted dates falling on days our 2024 Disneyland crowd calendar would consider some of the least busy days. If you are looking to travel to Disneyland on a budget, I recommend following the discounts rather than events. And often, these will also give you the chance of experiencing low wait times on your vacation too.
Regardless of when you plan to visit Disneyland, a busy day at Disneyland is better than a busy day at work!
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