Best & Worst Times To Go to Disneyland

In all seriousness, we can say that any time is an excellent time to visit Disneyland. After all, Disneyland will always remain a magical place regardless of the time of year.

However, that would be a different story if we were to talk about the best and the worst times to visit the park.

If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland this 2023 and want to know the best and worst times, you must look at crowd calendars, parking hours, seasonal events, and several other factors.

Alternatively, you can review our recommendations as we cover the best and worst times to visit California’s magical resort.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of factors that can affect the best and worst times to visit Disneyland. Even your preference can play a part, especially if your intended purpose is to participate in special events.

Best and Worst Times To Visit the Disneyland

As mentioned, the best time to visit Disneyland will depend on your intended purpose.

Do you want to visit the park with as few crowds as possible? Do you want to visit and take part in any of its special events? Or do you want to visit at a time when the weather is pleasant?

The same can be said for the worst times to visit the park.

Not to worry, though. We will cover all these scenarios here.

But generally, if you’re looking for the best months to visit, that would be August and September. They are the least crowded months of the year and have more pleasant weather.

1. Best Time To Visit if You’re Not a Fan of Huge Crowds

Fewer crowds during your visit mean shorter wait times for most rides, more roaming space, and a more enjoyable experience.

So, if you’re looking for the best time to visit Disneyland with the least crowd possible, you should pick anywhere between August and September.

There’s a very simple reason for this. During these months, families and their kids will be busy preparing to return to school since summer vacations are over.

Whether you visit on a weekday or a weekend, the number of visitors throughout Disneyland won’t be as huge as during other months.

However, one thing to remember is that the Anaheim Convention Center is just next to Disneyland. In some cases, when an event occurs, some of its attendees will spill over to Disneyland. This can add to the overall crowd throughout the park.

Luckily, this won’t necessarily translate into massive crowds of people that can ruin your vacation. Still, we recommend checking out the convention center’s calendar.

2. Best Time To Visit for Special Events

There’s no shortage of special events that get celebrated in Disneyland. Like Disney World in Florida, Disneyland has its fair share of festivities, fireworks displays, bright lights, amazing music, and so much more!

If you plan to visit Disneyland to enjoy its special events, there are plenty of amazing times. You have the Christmas season in which the park is filled with jolly decor, and many Christmas themes are everywhere.

There’s also Halloween, when the park changes to feature a festive Halloween theme where a trick-or-party is held for kids of all ages.

You can also find plenty of other special events that fall in different months of the year. These include the following:

• Lunar New Year Festival – January to February
• Villain’s Nite – March
• Food and Wine Festival – March to April
• Star Wars Nite – May
• Grad Nite Reunion – June
• Oogie Boogie Bash – September to October
• Festival of the Holidays – November to January

These special events sometimes change so we won’t place their exact dates.

Instead, we highly recommend checking out event calendars to know when they’ll be held.

This will also allow you to plan your trip ahead of time.

3. Best Time To Visit for Good Weather

If you want to visit Disneyland in nice sunny weather, remember that California tends to experience mild weather throughout the year. This means that even summer can experience slight rainfall from time to time.

That said, the best time to visit Disneyland if you want to enjoy good weather is during the fall and spring seasons.

Unlike summer, the weather won’t be as dry and sticky, and you don’t have to deal with the sun’s scorching heat. Apart from that, you don’t have to deal with the chilly conditions of winter.

However, do keep in mind that spring breaks tend to attract crowds of people, especially students who are on their vacation. This will lead to larger crowds that may affect your experience.

4. Best Time To Visit for Cheap Prices

Your budget is the final factor affecting the best and worst times to visit Disneyland.

While a trip to Disneyland can be expensive, it doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank.

Unfortunately, prices have increased in the past few years, though there are still ways to find cheap tickets and discounts.

One option is to look online for cheap tickets. You can check Disneyland’s calendar to see if there are cheaper tickets that you can avail of.

If you’re a local, you can save some cash by taking advantage of cheaper tickets. But if you’re not, you can instead opt for multi-day tickets.

Sadly, food and beverage prices remain unchanged throughout the year, so if you want to save some money, you can bring your food, drinks, and snacks instead.

Takeaway

The key takeaway is to plan your vacation strategically and decide which of the situations above will be the most favorable for you.

From there, you can then decide the best times to visit Disneyland so you can plan ahead of time.

While the dates will shift from time to time, and certain unexpected factors can be in play, most of these dates we mentioned will remain consistent every year.