Disneyland Grad Nites 2025: Dates, Crowds, Ticket Prices

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 2025 Disneyland Resort Grad Nites including the current dates, details of the event, and how to avoid the Grad Nite crowds. We visit Disneyland weekly and we have been in the theme parks often when Grad Nites was also taking place so we can speak to how to navigate these special events as an attendee but also as a park visitor with dates that align with this popular event.

This article has been updated with the 2025 Disneyland Grad Nite dates and pricing to ensure that all information is correct for 2025. 

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Grad Nites at Disneyland

Grad Nites is a special ticketed event for local graduating high school seniors in California that takes place on select dates in May and June every year at Disneyland.

Graduates have the options of purchasing tickets to the Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience which takes place at California Adventure at 9PM on event nights. They can also add on day access to Disneyland and California Adventure for those same days.

On the days that Grad Nites take place, California Adventure will close to regular guests at 9PM for the event that takes place from 9PM to 2AM. Typically, California Adventure closes at 10PM on regular park days. Aside from California Adventure closing an hour early on Grad Nite dates, the event doesn't impact anything else on Disneyland's schedule. Guests can even enjoy World of Color even on nights that Grad Nites takes place.

The biggest impact Grad Nites may have is on the atmosphere and crowd levels as the parks as guests will noticeably see an increase of teenagers on these event days especially in the evening prior to the event.

2025 Disneyland Grad Nites Dates and Registration

The 2025 Disneyland Grad Nites dates are listed below for both May and June at Disneyland.

Grad Nites May

• May 9, 12, 18, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 30, 2025

Grad Nites June

• June 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, and 13, 2025

See the Disneyland student travel website for all registration information.

Pricing For Disneyland Grad Nites 2025

Disneyland Grad Nite Tickets offer multiple different options depending on how much access graduates want to the theme parks. The pricing for the 2025 Disneyland Grad Nite tickets is below. 

• Weekday Dates (Mon-Thurs): $119 per person
• Weekend Dates (Fri and Sun): $124 per person 

Delight in a full day at Disney California Adventure Park, plus admission to the Disneyland Resort Grad Nite Private Party Experience at Disney California Adventure Park—beginning at 9:00 PM and ending at 2:00 AM. 

• Weekday Dates (Tuesday to Thursday): $149 per person
• Weekend Dates (Friday and Sunday): $169 per person

• Weekday Dates (Mon-Thurs): $239 per person
• Weekend Dates (Fri and Sun): $259 per person

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 one hour early.

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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 Lightning Lane Multi Pass to cut down on the lines. If you arrive early, you can find shorter queues and pick-up Lightning Lane 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 Adventure 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 History at Disneyland

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.

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.

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