Disneyland Grad Nites 2024: Dates, Crowds, What You Need to Know

Grad Nites at Disneyland is a special ticketed event for local graduating seniors. Grad Nites takes place at Disneyland every year in May and June. Grad Nites does increase the crowds at the resort as it brings larger numbers of graduates and their families to the theme parks. Grad Nite tickets offer options for both Disneyland and California Adventure with the special Grad Nite partying taking place in California Adventure. On those nights California Adventure will close early to accommodate the graduates.

Read on for the most updated information for 2024 Disneyland Resort Grad Nites including the current dates, details of the event, and how to avoid the Grad Nite crowds.

Discount Disneyland Tickets

Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today,offers the best Disneyland discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.

Book your discount tickets NOW >

Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.

You can read my review on my personal experiences booking through Get Away Today and how much you can save here!

What is Grad Nite?

 

Disneyland Grad Nites started in the 1960s as a way for high school seniors in Southern California (and surrounding states) to commemorate their educational achievements with good old-fashioned Disneyland fun. Live bands were common up until the 2000s when radio stations then came in with popular DJs. Students and chaperones would stay all night enjoying Disneyland Park. The tradition continues but Disney has streamlined the event for attendees.

2024 Disneyland Grad Nites Dates and Registration

Disneyland Grad Nites tickets are $89 per person. The registration has not opened for 2024 Grad Nites. The 2024 Disneyland Grad Nites dates are below:

Grad Nites May

• 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 28 & 31

Grad Nites June

• 2, 5, 7, 9, 12 & 14

Visiting Disneyland during Grad Nites

When guests find out that Disneyland Grad Nites may coincide with their trip, their first reaction is usually to worry about crowds or potential misbehavior from graduating students. While you can easily find plenty of stories about bad behavior on Grad Nites or large crowds, Grad Nites are often more manageable than many people might think. The biggest inconvenience about Disneyland Grad Nites is California Adventure closing early.

California Adventure Closes Early

On nights that Grad Nites are taking place, California Adventure will close at 9PM instead of 10PM to regular daytime guests for the ticketed event. The event takes place from 9PM to 2AM. You will notice California Adventure start to fill up with more grads as it gets closer to 9PM and Disneyland may see an increase in crowds as regular guests hop over to Disneyland. However, so many families leave the parks after the fireworks at Disneyland (usually taking place at 9:30PM) so Disneyland will clear out pretty quickly after the fireworks despite it being a Grad Nite day.

Avoiding Grad Nite Crowds

If you want to avoid the increase in crowds then it’s essential you arrive early and take advantage of our Disneyland morning strategy or California Adventure morning strategy. And if you are staying at a Disney resort hotel then you should also make use of Early Entry into the theme parks.

Since graduates have the option of purchasing a single-day California Adventure ticket or a park hopper with their grad event, it’s hard to predict which park will see the most crowds. Starting the day at California Adventure is usually the wise choice and then you can prioritize the rest of the day at Disneyland since the park closes early there anyways.

We have been in the theme parks during Grad Nites before and were pleasantly surprised to see that it truly was manageable. You do notice large groups of teens present in the parks, typically as the day goes on, but I personally never witnessed any issues. Most of the teens are there to simply celebrate their graduation and not cause problems.

Look for Short Queues

Utilize Disneyland Genie+ to cut down on the lines. If you arrive early, you can find shorter queues and pick-up Genie+ return times in between. Don’t forget about Single Rider lines too. Disneyland Park offers up four locations including Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Matterhorn Bobsleds. Disney California Adventure Park houses Single Rider areas at Grizzly River Run, Goofy’s Sky School, Incredicoaster, and Radiator Springs Racers.

Noise Level for Disney Resort Guests

You will be able to hear the DJs during the Grad Nites event if you have a hotel room at the Grand Californian that faces California Adventure. The party takes place until 2AM so depending on where you are located, it’s possible you may hear some noise. I happened to stay in a California Advenure facing room during a Grad Nite and we were able to hear the music pretty clearly from our room. However, turning on the AC usually drowns the noise out but you will hear it if you have your door to the balcony open

Grad Nite Ticket Options

Disneyland Grad Nite Tickets offer three different options depending on how much access graduates want to the theme parks.

Grad Nite Private Party

The first ticket option is the Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience at Disney California Adventure Park. After 9 p.m., Grads get exclusive access to Disney California Adventure Park as it transforms into an immersive, once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Grads will get to enjoy this evening event with other Grads.

Grad Nite Private Party + California Adventure Day Access

The second ticket option gives Grads the opportunity to enjoy a full day at Disney California Adventure Park plus admission to the Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience later in the evening in the same park.

Grad Nite Private Party + Disneyland/California Adventure Park Hopper

The third ticket option is a Park Hopper experience to both parks plus admission to the exclusive Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience at Disney California Adventure Park. Grads can access both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park on the same day during normal operating hours, then wrap up the night at the exclusive private party experience with other Grads.

Disneyland Grad Nite Activities

The big focus of the Grad Nite event for graduating seniors is the Grad Nite Private Party in California Adventure. All the ticket options include this base admission to the event. The event takes place at California Adventure from 9PM to 2AM.

The event consists of special dining options, dance parties, and an exclusive World of Color called Grad Nite GOODNITE.

Disneyland Grad Nite Guidelines

Students must adhere to the dress code and behavior guidelines outlined for them and their chaperones. Guidelines are listed on the Disneyland website under “Field Trips.” Chaperones must be over the age of 25 and there must be one chaperone per 10 students. For every 20 student tickets purchased, the school will receive one complimentary chaperone ticket of the same option.

Disneyland Grad Nites is an exciting experience for graduating seniors and a perfect way to celebrate this milestone. For regular theme park guests, you can avoid the Grad Nite crowds if you plan ahead.

Plan Your Disneyland Vacation!

Whether you’re an upcoming high school senior saving for your Disneyland Grad Nite trip, or planning to explore Disneyland Resort next spring- subscribe to our FREE Deals Newsletter to stay on top of the current planning tips, strategies, and deals. Here you’ll find helpful tips for planning your best vacation yet including these articles.

•  Crowd Calendar at Disneyland
•  Flying into Disneyland
•  Discount Disneyland Packages
• Disney Packing List