Dates in 2024 to Avoid Visiting Disneyland On
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Previously, I wrote a post about the most affordable dates to visit Disneyland in 2024 (you can give that one a read here). After publishing it, I started getting questions about which dates people should avoid.
While some may think there’s no such thing as a bad day at Disneyland, the truth is, crowd levels can get so out of control that even queues at the churro carts get deep, let alone attractions like Space Mountain.
Shortly before the covid closure, crowd patterns began to shift with the opening of Star Wars - Galaxy’s Edge. In the before times, predicting busy or slow days was relatively easy.
Since the opening of Galaxy’s Edge and especially after the covid closures, predicting crowd patterns have become quite the craft-shoot with more people working from home now more than ever.
That said, I cannot guarantee that one particular day will be slower or busier. However, despite the change in guest behavior, there are still dates that I can say with a relatively high degree of certainty will definitely be busy. If your goal is to avoid crowds, this post is for you.
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January 1st, 2024 (New Years Day)
This one’s obvious. New Year’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year at the Disneyland Resort. It hasn’t happened since reservations became a thing but in the past, they’ve had to close the gates its gotten so busy.
To some, kicking off their year at Disneyland seems like a great idea and if it’s worth it to you then hey, do you. However, if you’re looking to avoid soul crushing crowds, definitely skip this day and plan for the last three weeks of January instead.
January 11 - 14, 2024 (Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend)
After a five year hiatus, the Disney Half Marathon is returning to the Disneyland Resort. With it, an influx of joggers (who also happen to be Disney fans) show up and give attendance a nice boost.
While the event takes place in the early morning hours, many of the participants end up making a day out of it and head to the parks after the event (and hopefully a shower). So unless you’re planning to participate in the event, I would recommend avoiding these dates.
Mid-March - First Week of April (Spring Break)
This one is right up there with the New Year’s crowds, only instead of just one day, the parks are slammed for about a three to four week period.
Some school districts let their students out for two weeks while others keep it to just one. With Easter falling on March 31 in 2024, that means the latter half of March and the first week of April are spring break crowd danger zones.
For more details on visiting in the months of March and April and how to avoid the spring break crowds, check out the posts below:
Grad Nite Dates in May & June
If you don’t know what Grad Nites are, they’re essentially a souped-up field trip for high school seniors. It’s a congratulatory event for their years of hard work and a way for them to blow off some steam.
Avoiding these dates doesn’t necessarily mean avoiding the resort all together, as Grad Nite events take place at Disney California Adventure. However, attendees are also afforded day access to Disneyland, so keep that in mind.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been to the park during a grad nite event and while the walkways were definitely dense, wait times at the attractions weren’t much worse than usual. Just something to consider. To see specific Grad Nite dates, read the posts below:
November 28 & 29, 2024 (Thanksgiving & Black Friday)
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are notorious for heavy crowds at Disneyland. In addition to the holiday itself, the proceeding few weeks are the last chance for all Magic Key holders to get in their Disney fix before the key-wide blockout period commences.
Usually, the days leading up to Thanksgiving aren’t all that bad, so if you must go during that week, I recommend doing so between November 25 - 27. The crowds on the weekdays after Black Friday are also typically better as well.
December 24 & 25 (Christmas Eve & Christmas Day)
New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving - while crowded in their own right - are nothing compared to the epic crowds that converge onto the parks on Christmas Eve and day.
All Magic Key holders are still blocked on these days, but we’re still in the midst of winter school breaks and parents using the last of their PTO before losing it.
In addition, for those of you who’re wanting to do Disneyland in one day, you’ll also pay inflated ticket, Genie+ and Lightning Lane prices.
December 31, 2024 (New Years’ Eve)
Much like the people who want to start their new year off right - at Disneyland, many of those same people flock to the parks to mark the transition from the old year to new one.
Due to this, New Year’s Eve is a tremendously busy day. Each year, Disney rings in the new year with an epic fireworks show at the stroke of midnight. Believe me, it’s a crowd pleaser, but you’ll pay the price by having to stand in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
Multiple 3-Day Weekends Throughout the Year
Any time you have a holiday falling on a Friday or Monday, it creates a three day weekend. If that holiday is a federal one, the school districts and workforce typically get an extra day off, and that almost always translates to a busy day at the resort.
In 2024, there are multiple three day weekend dates to be weary of. They are:
January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
February 19 (President’s Day)
May 27 (Memorial Day)
September 2 (Labor Day)*
October 14 (Indigenous Peoples Day)
November 11 (Veteran’s Day)
*PRO TIP: The one exception is Labor Day. Of all holiday weekends, that one generally sees the lowest crowds as locals have returned to school and work from their summer vacations.