Disneyland crowd calendar for 2024 to help you plan your vacation! Including tips for planning the perfect date. I must preface this post with, this is purely my opinion based on my attendance at the parks over the years. The crowd calendar was the most popular post on my website last year because I really try hard to give the best information! There are many factors I consider including history, school calendars, holidays, blockout dates Disney has set on their Magic Key passes and special events. I’ve created a color coded calendar for each month in 2024 and added events Disney has already announced for 2024 to help you plan.
This post contains affiliate links which means I make a little something when you purchase through the link with no extra cost to you.
When is the best time to go to Disneyland?
I am asked this question often! Sadly, gone are the days when you could walk onto rides. There are times when it’s less busy, but Disneyland is a popular vacation destination!
Keeping that in mind there are some things that you can do to plan your visit around the crowds if your dates are flexible. But if you can’t don’t worry I have lots of tips to help you navigate the parks on a busy day!
Disney fills their calendar with events and holidays to keep people coming back. It helps to know these dates when planning your trip. Celebrations include Halloween and Christmas, but they also schedule events throughout the year like Food & Wine Festival, Grad Nites and After Dark Nites. This year for the first time ever Disney has announced when most of these events are happening in 2024. I have another article that explains more about the holidays and events at the Disneyland Resort. It also includes details like when they change the Haunted Mansion or It’s a Small World to holiday overlay and the attractions are normally closed.
Here are some tips for planning dates for your vacation.
You will notice every weekend on the calendar below is red. Weekends tend to be crowded all the time no matter the time of year. People are off work, kids don’t have school and it’s most convenient. So if you can avoid the red dates, weekends and holidays that would be my suggestion. When kids are out of school you can expect the parks to be crowded! But not everyone can go during the week I realize this. And that’s why I created tips for navigating the crowds. And my number one tip, arrive at rope drop.
Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days to go with lower crowds. Keep in mind during the less crowded times you often run into shorter park hours, ride closures and less entertainment.
But really anytime you go if you have a good touring plan you will have a wonderful time, there is so much to see and do at the parks. Start your day early and use these touring plans to maximize your day at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. Another way to save time is by purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass which allows you to “skip the line” for certain attractions. Read more about Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Disneyland reservation system
There’s a misconception that the reservation system at Disneyland is still around because Disney is limiting capacity. That was the case when the parks reopened but not anymore. The reservations system helps Disney plan how many employees they need for that day, how much food to order etc. The reservations system is not going anywhere, plan ahead and use this Crowd Calendar tool to help you!
Discounted Tickets and Hotels
If you anticipate going at all in 2024 or 2025, I would suggest you purchase discounted tickets from Get Away Today. Tickets are good until 12/31/2025, no black out dates and the tickets are emailed immediately after purchase. This is why I use Get Away Today! Plus, you can get an additional $10 off your vacation package (tickets + hotel) when you use promo code DTG10. Need a place to stay, read over 20+ hotel reviews I have personally stayed at or toured. Hotels ranging from budget to 4 star hotels near Disneyland. I also have room tours for many of these hotels near Disneyland over here.
Below you will find each month color coded. Here is what each color means.
- Green is GO! It’s not empty, but these are days with fewer people.
- Blue is expect some crowds but not terrible.
- Red is very crowded, but you can still have a magical time.
January tends to be less crowded, but this also means hours are shorter, rides could be closed for refurbishment and entertainment is limited. For instance, fireworks are only shown on the weekend if there is a nighttime show. This year there is a Run Disney event from January 11-14, 2024. And January 15th is Martin Luther King holiday so that weekend will be very crowded. Lunar New Year begins on January 23rd – February 18, 2024.
February also typically has shortened park hours, a few refurbishments and possibly less entertainment. February 19th is Presidents’ Day and many schools have the entire week off of school.
Spring Breaks start mid March and go well into April. School districts from CA, AZ, NV, NM, TX, ID, UT, HI have spring breaks at all different times. And some even have two weeks off. March is also the start of the Food and Wine Festival in Disney California Adventure from March 1st – April 22, 2024. Then April begins a new Star Wars event called Season of Force from April 5 – June 2, 2024.
If you’re planning a Disneyland trip in May or June of 2024 you should try and avoid these days. The following dates are grad nites in 2024 at the Disneyland Resort. These days are busy in both parks even though the event takes place after hours in Disney California Adventure. Schools can opt to arrive at park opening and use park hopper tickets until the special event starts at 9 p.m! Read more about Grad Nite tips and how to navigate the parks if you’re there on a Grad Nite date.
- May 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 28 and 31
- June 2, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 14
The whole month of July is busy. Summer vacations, 4th of July and kids are out of school.
In August we start to see a break in the crowds as kids go back to school and summer winds down. This year for the first time ever the Halloween time at the Disneyland Resort begins in August on the 23rd. And for the firs time ever Oogie Boogie parties start the end of August!
September is one of my favorite times to visit the parks. Again though keep in mind there are shortened hours, some refurbishments and usually no fireworks during the week. Plus during both September and October Disney California Adventure hosts the Oogie Boogie Bash. Also Disney announced a Halloween Half marathon weekend event on September 5 – 8, 2024. That weekend will be very busy in the parks.
October has become one of the busiest times of the year to go to Disneyland. Almost more crowded than the holidays. In October many school districts have a fall break. Most schools are off for a week, but many of these school districts have a modified school year which means they get two weeks off in October. Keep this in mind when planning an October vacation.
The holiday season begins November 15, 2024. The holiday decorations are up, the entertainment has begun but it’s not as busy as December. But later in the month many school districts have the entire week of Thanksgiving off. It’s a busy time so keep that in mind!
The first weekend in December, on the 7th and 8th in 2024, is when Disneyland hosts the Candlelight Processional. The parks are very crowded for this event. Then as the month goes on and kids are let out of school you see a huge influx into the parks. It gets very crowded until kids return back to school after the New Year.
I hope you find this information useful. Another good resource to check is the Anaheim Convention Center’s calendar. When they are hosting large events that can affect the crowds at Disneyland. People will go over to Disneyland after their convention day is over.
Happy planning your magical vacation to Disneyland in 2024! I also share when new or special events are coming to the parks in my newsletter. So make sure you’re signed up so you don’t miss out on important information for planning your trip! Sign up for the newsletter, I only send emails when I need to share news or updates about Disneyland.
Visiting Disneyland for the first time here’s a lot of help.
My 5 top planning tips!
Favorite food found in both parks year round.
Want to know how to skip the lines at Disneyland, use Lightning Lane Multi Pass!
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