It may be hard to believe, but not all days are ideal at the Happiest Place on Earth.
Disneyland offers a wonderful, nostalgic, and first-class Disney experience with the benefit of Southern California weather. Still, not every day at Walt Disney’s first theme park is equal.
The summers can get pretty hot, crowd levels fluctuate throughout the year, and certain events are big no-nos if you’re looking for the most pleasant Disneyland experience possible. With that in mind, here are 31 dates to avoid Disneyland in 2024.
New Years Day (January 1st, 2024)
You’re going to see a trend with dates to avoid. Kicking off this list is the first holiday of the year, New Year’s Day.
It’s hard to argue against starting your new year off at the Happiest Place on Earth, but keep in mind so many people will have that same mentality. Right in the thick of winter break, you’ll be hard pressed to find short wait times let alone ample walking room.
Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend (January 11th-14th, 2024)
The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend returns in 2024 after a five-year hiatus and with it comes some pros and cons.
The marathon is held from January 11th through the 14th and will bring about extra fanfare that you may want to avoid, especially if you aren’t participating.
Spring Break (Mid-March through Early April 2024)
Unlike Disney World, Disneyland’s top demographic without a doubt is its Magic Key passholders. When they collectively have a bunch of free time, you should expect heavy crowds.
Orange County’s Spring Break typically falls within mid-March through early April, so with a lot of local children out of school, it’s fair to expect much higher crowd levels during this time.
Grad Nites (Select Days in May and June 2024)
There are 15 scheduled Grad Nites for 2024, and unless you’re a grad yourself, we recommend you skip these days.
Grad Nite takes place on May 10th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, and 31st, as well as on June 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, and 14th. While these events are primarily for an after-hours celebration at Disney California Adventure, participants receive a Park Hopper ticket, and they usually make good use of it before the event starts. If droves of teens and large crowds don’t seem like the best time ever, we advise you to avoid Disneyland on these days.
Thanksgiving (November 28th, 2024)
We know the tempatation to not cook on Thanksgiving is strong, but unless you like big crowds, you should probably stay home.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are both notorious Disneyland days, and it also doesn’t help that they’re both saddled in the time period where Magic Key holders can get their last look at all the Disneyland holiday decorations and ride overlays before the pass blockout days go into effect. Still, the days before Thanksgiving and the days after Black Friday are typically decent crowd-wise so if you must go on Thanksgiving, we recommend booking a longer trip.
Christmas Eve (December 24th, 2024)
Once again, going on a holiday like Christmas Eve may not be the best idea.
Not only will a holiday like this be crowded, but you can also expect inflated ticket and Genie+Â pricing. If you’re trying to save a buck while seeing all the holiday decor, we recommend going earlier in December or November.
Christmas Day (December 25th, 2024)
Christmas Day is also likely to have large crowd and high prices.
Not only will this day be likely packed, but the week after should also be insane. While Magic Key passholders are still blocked out, this is still in the middle of Winter Break and so tourist attendance will be very high.
3-Day Holiday Weekends (Select Days in 2024)
Kids get time off of school and the working world gets days off. That’s a recipe for a busy Disneyland day.
If you’re looking to avoid major crowds during a Disneyland trip, avoid these major holiday weekends:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 15th, 2024)
- President’s Day (February 19th, 2024)
- Memorial Day (May 27th, 2024)
- Labor Day (September 2nd, 2024)
- Indigenous Peoples / Columbus Day (October 14th, 2024)
- Veteran’s Day (November 11th, 2024)
New Years Eve (December 31st, 2024)
Finishing up the year of course is New Year’s Eve.
Sure, you get to spend the last day of the year at Disneyland, but you’ll also do it paying a extra surrounded by large crowds.
Disneyland is an amazing place to be year-round, and even if you find yourself going to the Disneyland Resort on one of these days, there is still plenty of fun and excitement to be had. In the meantime, be sure to follow us here at AllEars for all the latest Disneyland news, tips, and more!
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Did we leave off any 2024 dates you think should be avoided? Let us know below!
NEW: Halloween runDisney weekend September 6-8 – just like January.
Recommendation to be on the list; or at least an honorable mention: mother’s day, Sunday May 12th. Lots of folks treat their mom to a Disney day and it is PACKED on mother’s day weekend.