Planning a trip to Disneyland in April? You're in for a treat! April offers a unique blend of enchanting experiences and pleasant weather that will make your visit a truly magical experience.

April is one of the best months to visit the Disneyland Resort! Crowds are typically lite (outside of the first week), the rainy season has passed and there’s many special events happening to help make your visit even more memorable.

Let's dive into what you can expect during your Disneyland adventure in April.

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April Weather in Anaheim

Street performers at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim.

April brings a welcoming change in weather to Disneyland. With temperatures ranging from 60°F to 75°F (15°C to 24°C), you can enjoy the parks without the scorching heat of summer or the frigid chill of winter.

You’ll definitely need to pack a light jacket or sweater for the cooler evenings, but overall, you'll find the weather just right for enjoying the attractions or taking in the night time ambiance.

Don’t be one of those visitors who thinks it’s always warm in California, though. Anaheim is near the coast. So when that evening chill blows in, it catches many off-guard.

A Coco mural at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim.

Another highlight of visiting Disneyland in April is the explosion of color as flowers bloom throughout the parks. Particularly the tabebuia trees that surround the Partners statue near the castle. The vibrant pinks and purples from these trees are an amazing contrast to the blues and grays of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

If you’re not a fan of rain, you’re in luck. April marks the official end of the rainy season in Anaheim. While it’s always possible you’ll see a spatter of rain here and there, the chances are low.

April is generally a sunny month and the hours of daylight you’ll get each day progresses with it. The first half of the month sees about 12.5 hours of daylight while the second half creeps up to 13.5 hours.

Disneyland Crowd Levels in April

A huge bouquet of flowers in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland.

By April, the 100 Years of Wonder Celebration would have come to an end. That said, Disney will likely roll out another promotion in order to entice people to visit.

The winter kid ticket deal expires on March 10th, but the SoCal resident offer, which lowers the per day cost to either $75 or $92 will continue to run through the beginning of June.

There’s also the January 10th sale of Magic Keys that’ll likely impact crowd levels as newly minted key holders converge onto the parks.

The Avengers symbol in Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure.

Thousands of people waited in an hours-long virtual queue for the chance of purchasing one. All but one tier sold out in less than 12 hours, while the final tier sold out the next morning.

There hasn’t been any announcements regarding the return of Fantasmic (other than it’ll return in the spring). If that return does occur in April, I would expect an uptick in visitation. There’s also a rumor that the Paint the Night parade could be returning in the spring as well.

*EDIT: Disney confirmed that Fantasmic will return on May 24th.

The Grizzly River Run water wheel at California Adventure.

Generally, crowds aren’t much of a problem in April. The sole exception being the first week. Many schools are still on break at this point, but since Easter falls on March 31st this year, it’ll help soften the blow a bit.

Through the remaining three weeks, the heavy crowds start tapering off. If your trip falls within that first week, prepare yourself. If your dates are still open, I recommend booking in the second half of the month so you’re well out of dodge.

That said, there are a handful of special events taking place in April which, depending on their popularity, can have an impact on crowd levels (we’ll discuss those below).

Ticket Prices & Magic Key Blockout Dates

A photo of San Fransokyo in California Adventure.

Single-day tickets are priced according to demand on a particular day. For instance, you’re likely to pay much higher on a Saturday than you would for a Tuesday because generally, the parks are busier on weekends.

That is why I always recommend purchasing a multi-day ticket. The more days on your ticket, the less you’ll pay per day. However, if you must purchase a single-day, here is the price range for April:

Single Day Adult: $134 - $194. In the first week of April, you’re going to pay at the high end of the spectrum. This is due to many schools still being on break. As the month progresses, though, you’ll pay less, with weekdays costing the least.
Single Day Child: $127 - $183.

There’s also the SoCal resident promotion that Disney is currently running. Depending on which variation you choose, this three-day ticket lowers the per day price to just $75 and $92, respectively. You can read more about this promotion and others in my post here.

A photo of Matterhorn Mountain in Disneyland.

If you’re a Magic Key holder, you’ll need to be cognizant of the blockout calendar before planning a visit. The blockout dates are as follows:

Imagine Key: This key is blocked on all Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the month.
Enchant Key: This key is blocked on April 5th (Friday) and all Saturdays throughout the month.
Believe Key: This key is only blocked on April 6th (Saturday).
Inspire Key: This key has no blockout dates in the month of April.

April Special Events & Showings

A view of the San Fransokyo bridge and Grizzly Peak at California Adventure.

As with most months at the Disneyland Resort lately, there are a handful of special events taking place in April. Some are getting to the end of their run while others are getting their start. These events are as follows:

DCA Food & Wine Festival: Taking place March 1st - April 22nd
Wondrous Journeys: Running through April 14th
Season of the Force: April 5th - June 2nd
Star Wars Nights After Dark Events: April 16th, 18th, 23rd, 25th and 30th
Pixar Fest: Begins April 26th

The Food and Wine Festival will continue its run into the third week of April. The locals love this event, so expect the crowds to swell around late afternoon and throughout the day on weekends.

Baymax at San Fransokyo in California Adventure.

The event with the biggest impact on park guests will be Star Wars Nights. While they don’t have a direct impact on crowds during the day, they will impact you if you don’t have a ticket.

These events are hard ticketed, separate from normal park tickets. Additionally, the park closes early (8pm) to those guests with regular day tickets. To make matters worse, DCA will likely be closing at 9pm or 10pm in April. So you’ll have little, if any, time to park hop.

A She-Hulk advertisement on a bench inside Disney California Adventure.

It’s a big if, but IF DCA does remain open until 11pm on those nights and you decide to park hop, there will be a max exodus of many others doing the same.

Pixar Fest kicks off at the end of the month. I see it being a huge draw eith the locals, especially during the first few days when every Disney YouTuber, Influencer, and Instagrammer jocking for position to the first to document it.

Disneyland Ride Closures in April

Pete scene on Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disneyland.

Disney releases attraction closure (also know as, refurbishment) information roughly 45 days ahead of time. Though last minute refurbs do happen from time to time.

Right now, the only attractions confirmed to be down in April are Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain (currently being reimagined into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure) and Incredicoaster.

Princess Tiana in Tiana's Palace at Disneyland.

What’s interesting about Incredicoaster going down on is it is/was going/gone through a ten day refurbishment in March. It’s likely they couldn’t get a part on time for the first refurbishment, so they’re taking it down a second time to complete whatever it is they’re working on.

While it’s currently unclear how long it’ll be down for, considering it’s one of the major Pixar related attractions in the park, I believe Disney will move mountains to ensure it’s operational in time for the start of Pixar Fest later this month.

While I expect refurbs to be minimal this year due to the two aforementioned attractions being down for the majority of the year, don’t be surprised if two or three more pop up on the calendar, if only for a few days.

The following attractions will be closed in all or part of April 2024:

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln: Closed April 16 - TBD
Haunted Mansion: Closed January 21 - TBD (it’ll likely be down until the Halloween season).
Incredicoaster: Closed April 8 - April 18
Matterhorn Bobsleds: April 15 - April 25
Splash Mountain: Permanently closed in May 2023 and being reimagined into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Currently projected to open in late 2024.

To see all the latest updates on Disneyland ride closures and upcoming projects, read and save my 2024 Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar post.

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