Planning to visit the Disneyland Resort in 2021 and worried about crowd levels?
If you choose your dates wisely, you can avoid crowded times and make your trip much easier.
To help you do that, we’ve got a free Disneyland crowd calendar of predicted crowds.
Let’s take a look…
UPDATE: The information below may be impacted by current reopening procedures. Please visit our Disneyland reopening guide for the most up-to-date information.
You might say that compiling information and data for our crowd calendars has become a bit more difficult in light of several recent events. We’re constantly monitoring things and will provide necessary updates whenever new information becomes available.
If you have travel plans further in the future, like in 2021, here are some things about crowds to keep in mind:
- Certain dates will always be busy. Typically, these dates include any holidays where schools and businesses typically close (Easter, Christmas, President’s Day, etc.). It’s best to expect the heaviest crowds if you must travel during those times.
- Flexibility will be key right now. You can still use the 2020 calendar to get an idea of when it’s best to visit Disneyland. But, of course, it’s hard to say anything is for certain, especially when it comes to crowds. And with park capacity being limited, there’s a good chance crowds will be low no matter the time of year but we’ll just have to wait and see. That said, stay flexible and maybe even try waiting to book things that aren’t easily refundable, like flights and tickets.
Some Disneyland crowd calendar notes
Some factors that we’ve kept in mind when putting this calendar together:
- Annual Passholder blackout dates – with so many local southern Californians having Annual Passes, their blackout dates become a huge factor in determining Disneyland Resort crowds (much more so than you’d see at Walt Disney World)
- School schedules – when more kids are out of school, the parks are busier
- Special events and festivals – though weekdays are almost always a better bet than weekdays, the locals really show up when special events are scheduled
- Ticket prices – Disney introduced variable prices for 1-day tickets a few years ago and that has had a huge impact on crowds, making it so that there really aren’t many super non-busy times to visit now
- Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening – lots and lots of people are flocking to Disneyland to explore this new land and its 2 main attractions: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
July 2019
Average temps: 65/86°F | Average rain: 0 days
- July 1-31 – peak summer crowds all month, including those coming to see Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
August 2019
Average temps: 65/87°F | Average rain: 0 days
- August 1-31 – peak summer crowds all month continue
September 2019
Average temps: 63/87°F | Average rain: 0 days
Halloween Time activities at Disneyland Resort take place September 6-October 31, 2019, including Oogie Boogie Bash which takes place at California Adventure 2 days a week at the end of September.
- September 1-8 – Busy summer crowds and the first few days of Annual Passholder blackout dates being lifted
- September 9-30 – Normal pattern of busy weekends, moderate weekdays
October 2019
Average temps: 58/82°F | Average rain: 1 day
Halloween Time activities at Disneyland take place September 6-October 31, 2019, including Oogie Boogie Bash which takes place at California Adventure 3 days a week throughout the month.
Gay Days is October 4-6, 2019.
- October 1-31 – Mondays-Thursdays less busy all month, Fridays-Sundays see some fall break crowds
November 2019
Average temps: 52/76°F | Average rain: 1 day
November 2-3 is Dapper Day weekend.
Holidays festivities in the parks begin mid-November.
- November 7-11 – Veterans Day crowds
- November 22-30 – Thanksgiving crowds
December 2019
Holiday festivities take place throughout the month.
Average temps: 47/70°F | Average rain: 4 days
- December 18-31 – Peak holiday crowds arrive
January 2020
Average temps: 48/70°F | Average rain: 5 days
Three Kings day is celebrated at California Adventure in early January.
Lunar New Year is celebrated at California Adventure in late January through early February.
- January 1-6 – Holiday crowds remain
- January 18-20 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day crowds
February 2020
Average temps: 49/71°F | Average rain: 5 days
- February 14-17 – President’s Day crowds
March 2020
Average temps: 51/73°F | Average rain: 3 days
Food and Wine Festival takes place at California Adventure from early March through late April.
- March 2-6 – Lighter crowds to begin the month
- March 9-27 – Moderately busy with some early spring break guests
April 2020
Average temps: 53/75°F | Average rain: 2 days
Food and Wine Festival takes place at California Adventure from early March through late April.
Egg-stravaganza scavenger hunt takes place at Disneyland Park in the weeks leading up to Easter.
Spring Dapper Day takes place one weekend in April.
- April 1-19 – Spring break and Easter crowds
May 2020
Average temps: 58/77°F | Average rain: 1 day
- May 22-25 – Memorial Day crowds
June 2020
Average temps: 61/81°F | Average rain: 0 days
- June 1-5 – Lighter crowds before the peak summer guests arrive
July 2020
Average temps: 65/86°F | Average rain: 0 days
- July 1-31 – Peak summer crowds return
Best times to visit Disneyland
So after all that, you’re wondering when is the best time to visit, right?
Here are some great options:
- January and February (but avoid the holidays) – super mild temperatures and low crowds make this time a great time to be at Disneyland. And if you go early enough in January, you might even catch the incredible holiday overlays still in place on some of the rides.
- September weekdays – it can still be hot, but crowds are usually very easy to manage the last 3 weeks of September. Annual Passholders are unblocked during this time, so avoid the weekends (when they are most likely to visit) if you can.
- October and November weekdays (but avoid Columbus Day weekend and Thanksgiving) – Passholders are likely to visit on the weekends, but go on a weekday to enjoy the seasonal decor without the crowds
- Weekdays the first 2 weeks of December – a chance to enjoy the amazing holiday overlays without the weekend crowds
Busiest times at Disneyland
Though many of the time periods are red on the graphic below (which means busy), some are busier than others.
Here are the busiest times to visit Disneyland:
- Summer through late August – includes the D23 Expo convention that takes place August 23-25, 2019
- Thanksgiving week
- Late December through early January – Christmas guests arrive for one of the busiest times of the year
- MLK Jr. Day weekend in January
- President’s Day weekend in February
- Late March and early April – spring break and Easter crowds
- Weekends in May – Grad Nights take place in the parks during this time
- Passholder blackout release – the first week or so after passholders can enter are busy with passholders who haven’t been to the parks in weeks or months. See the green areas on the chart below which shows when California Select passholders are allowed to enter the parks.
Just like with Walt Disney World (or any vacation destination, really), major U.S. holidays – especially any holidays where banks or government offices are closed – and dates when schools are not in session will be the most packed at Disneyland.
Crowd Calendar at a glance (graphic)
Want to see the crowd calendar in graphic form? Check it out below!
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