1Crowds at Disneyland are a big factor when planning a vacation for many families. So what Disneyland dates to avoid when planning a trip? There are many times of the year that are busier than others and some of these might surprise you. If you want to avoid crowds at Disneyland, you need to read this to plan your dates. Keep reading for more information on the Disneyland dates to avoid including the worst days of the year to visit.
Click here for our guide to the opposite of this – best times to go to Disneyland in 2026 and see our Disneyland crowd calendar that’s updated monthly here. Be sure to also read the below guide to dates to avoid so you don’t accidentally choose one of the worst dates. You could also read our guide to the best day of the week to visit Disneyland here. This article has been checked for accuracy and updated for 2026.
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When Are the Busiest Times at Disneyland in 2026?
To put it in the simplest terms, the most busy times of the year at Disneyland are spring break, three-day holiday weekends, and the time period from Christmas through New Year’s Day. It’s also helpful to keep in mind that there is truly no “dead time” at Disneyland anymore but there will be times of the year when crowd levels will be higher and for some people that might be a dealbreaker when planning their vacation. Let’s get into the top WORST times of the year for crowds at Disneyland.
#1. Spring Break Season
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Some of the busiest days of the year at Disneyland in 2025 fell in mid-March which is often considered the peak of spring break. Spring breaks vary from school to school so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact timeframe but mid-March is when see crowd levels spike and continue through the rest of the month. I would consider avoiding Disneyland the entire second half of March.
#2. Christmas Crowds
After spring break in March, the second worst time to visit Disneyland is the late December holiday stretch through New Year’s. Crowd levels during the holiday season will spike from Christmas week into the first few days of January. 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.
#3. Certain Three-Day Holiday Weekends
When it comes to the other worst times of the year to visit Disneyland, Presidents’ Day weekend in mid-February and Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day in mid-October rank as the third worst window with crowd levels being nearly as bad as spring break or the holidays. Particularly, we will see Sunday and Monday of these holiday weekends be the worst times to visit Disneyland.
If you avoid these dates, you can visit Disneyland with the lowest crowds at the start of the year. Keep in mind crowds are also impacted by the day of the week, read more about this in our guide to the best day of the week to visit Disneyland. Also, look to our guide to the best specific dates to visit Disneyland for when to visit to avoid.
Three Day Weekends Disneyland Dates to Avoid
You can read more about the special events that take place throughout the year at Disneyland in our crowd calendar which all impact some of the Disneyland dates to avoid. Three-day weekends are always guaranteed to draw Disneyland crowds which include:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 3rd Monday in January
- President’s Day
- 3rd Monday In February
- Memorial Day
- Last Monday in May
- Labor Day
- First Monday in September
- Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day
- 2nd Monday in October
- Veteran’s Day
- November 11th each year
Since nearly all of these holidays are three-day weekends (except Veteran’s Day occasionally) these will create Disneyland dates to avoid. Three-day weekends are often extremely crowded at Disneyland as many tourists will take the chance for a short trip to Disneyland and many of the locals/Magic Key holders (that aren’t blocked out) will turn out to spend time at the parks. Three-day weekends tend to be a large draw for families to visit Disneyland since many schools and workplaces give folks the day off. This makes for a perfect family getaway while everyone has a break from school. So why not head to Disneyland for the weekend?
Some three-day weekends are more crowded than others though depending on what time of the year they fall. Indigenous Peoples’ Day (also known as Columbus Day in some states) is always an extremely crowded weekend. This is largely because it often coordinates with existing Fall school breaks in the area which contributes to those larger October crowds.
In contrast, I have been in the park on Memorial Day and I found this holiday to be easily manageable. It didn’t feel much more crowded to me than a typical day during the holiday season. In comparison to a week in mid-October, it wasn’t even close. So don’t avoid all holidays completely, some aren’t always Disneyland dates to avoid but the worst tends to always be holidays that can easily create three-day weekends for many guests like President’s Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day.
What About Summer Crowds at Disneyland?
Summer is actually a great time to visit Disneyland as the impact of tourists visiting the resort is spread pretty evenly throughout the season. You will see some above normal crowd levels in July, especially around July 4th, and they will begin to taper off pretty quickly in August.
The biggest crowd indicator in May and June will be the Disneyland Grad Nites which can cause crowds at both parks, especially if California Adventure closes early for the Grad Nite parties. Many guests often stress if their trip coordinates with a Grad Nites celebration but in my experience, I didn’t find the crowds to be that bad nor did it seem like a “wild influx of teens” took over the park. We just saw more teens in the evening than usual and wait times did increase in Disneyland until they began making their way to California Adventure.
Summer is starting to become a great time to visit due to the lack of extremely high crowd levels we tend to see more often during spring break and the holidays.
What is the Busiest Month at Disneyland?
The answer to this question might surprise you! Many guests assume that the most crowded time of the year is the summer months at Disneyland. Surprisingly, October has easily outpaced the summer season and can be compared to the holiday season but it also has the impact of a notoriously busy three-day weekend and local California fall breaks. Not to mention the unprecedented speed of Oogie Boogie Bash tickets selling out each year for all party dates. That alone is enough to give you an idea of how busy Halloween at Disneyland is.
The middle of October will see peak crowd levels especially the week of Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day. This likely coordinates with days off for schools and Fall Breaks in the area which are common in California, Utah, and Arizona. In my son’s school district in Colorado, he also has those days off for Fall conferences which could be the same for other schools. All in all, that weekend in October should be avoided if you don’t want to deal with large crowds!
If you want to visit Disneyland for Halloween but you’re looking for Disneyland dates to avoid, going in September is a great alternative. A good way to track crowd trends at Disneyland beyond looking at hotel dates is to also look at when Disneyland offers hotel discounts. Disney expects those large October crowds! So they release discounts on the Disneyland hotels to give guests an incentive to book in September instead. Disney is clearly not expecting those same crowd levels in September. If you have the flexibility, booking a trip in September for Disneyland Halloween is the best choice. A quick look at hotel availability is a stark difference for September with plenty of options to pick from across the board and if you want to stay at one of the Disneyland hotels, you can take advantage of their discounts. You can read more about the least crowded Disneyland dates in our guide and find which days are the best to visit.
Why Is Disneyland Halloween So Popular?
Disneyland goes all out for Halloween with a larger-than-life Mickey pumpkin at the front of Main Street, U.S.A., and themed overlays in both parks- plus a special ticketed Halloween party called Oogie Boogie Bash. Many guests love to visit Disneyland for Halloween (myself included!) but may not realize just how popular an October visit is which can catch guests off guard.
So why is October at Disneyland so crowded? Well, Disneyland now celebrates Halloween on the same scale as they do Christmas so that’s one major reason! The Disneyland Halloween season offers some of the best entertainment and themed holiday decor of the year. This time of year has become a priority to visit for many families plus all these seasonal offerings bring out the passholders in droves.
But those two reasons alone aren’t the biggest factor in making October one of the most common Disneyland dates to avoid. Many schools in California, Utah, and Nevada all have Fall breaks during the month of October. This is also becoming more common in general at K-12 schools around the country making it an ideal time to visit Disneyland.
Should I Visit Disneyland on a Holiday?
For people not fans of crowds, holidays are often Disneyland dates to avoid. However, some holidays are more intense than others and it can be a really fun experience to be in the parks on a holiday. I am a frequent Disneyland and Walt Disney World holiday traveler so I have spent many holidays at the parks including Memorial Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. While some of these holidays were crazier than others (Thanksgiving!) we created great family memories.
One of the best times of the year to visit Disneyland is once the holiday season begins which usually starts the second week of November and runs until the first week of January. We know that the holidays start on November 18, 2026 for this year. Disneyland goes all out for its holiday displays! I’m a long time Christmas nerd and I’ve been to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland for Christmas… and I will say I think Disneyland does it best! You will see the two famous holiday overlay attractions: Haunted Mansion Holiday and it’s a small world Holiday come to life which is my favorite part of the season. Disneyland decorates both parks to the nines with lighted displays along with lights all over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. The Festival of Holidays takes place at California Adventure bringing with it a variety of entertainment and holiday food marketplace booths around the park. But some of the days that fall in these time frames are Disneyland dates to avoid if you don’t want to deal with crowds.
It’s also a nice change, especially for parents, to not have to deal with cooking or cleaning. One of my favorite parts of being in Disneyland on Thanksgiving was that I didn’t have to cook anything or clean the house. It was one of the most relaxing holidays I’ve enjoyed in a while.
We visited during Thanksgiving week and honestly, the worst crowds we saw were Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving but the days leading up to it were quite manageable. I made sure to plan both lunch and dinner reservations for both these days, knowing they would be crowded, so we didn’t have to worry about food lines. We just took it easy and did not stress about the crowds. An attitude adjustment can make all the difference. We had spent our other three days leading up to the holiday knocking out all our favorite rides, using our Disneyland morning strategy, so we weren’t too worried if we got on less on Thanksgiving Day.
The last two weeks of December along with weekends are also times during the holiday season that draw large crowds. The weekends especially can be more crowded than usual as many Magic Key holders and locals without passes come to see the holiday decor at the parks. I have experienced quite a crowd shift just going from a Thursday to a Friday in December that sometimes took me by surprise because of this. It’s always good to be prepared.
If you are on the fence about a holiday, think about whether you want to do a summer holiday (much less crowded) or a winter holiday (more extravagant park celebrations) and see what your family prioritizes. It can be a lot of fun to mix things up.
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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My experience at Disneyland is the Holiday season for Christmas begins he second week of November, usually around Veterans Day, NOT the first week as noted in your article.
You always forget about Nevada when listing the states around California that have Fall breaks, Spring breaks, winter breaks etc., we have a lot of school breaks that are a part of the huge crowds that affect Disneyland during those times.