Whenever you can!
No, seriously. It is my opinion is that any time you can go is a great time because Disneyland is AWESOME! But there are different times during the year that have certain characteristics that you personally might like more than others. For your budget, travel at the least busy times for the best hotel and ticket prices.
There are a number of great blogs out there that have created crowd calendars (all are free except Touring Plans). I will list several below that I have consulted when planning our trip. But, my favorite one comes from Touring Plans. Every time we have gone to Disney World I have purchased a subscription to help me plan what time of year and then what specific parks to visit each day. I LOVE how accurate they have been. For some reason I didn’t purchase a subscription for our trip to Disneyland. That was dumb! I felt like I was flying blind each day deciding which park to go to. Lesson learned! Won’t be doing that again! Hopefully you can learn from my mistake.
Blogs with nice crowd calendar
My favorite crowd calendars are on Touring Plans. Every time we have gone to Disney World I have purchased a subscription to help me plan what time of year and then what specific parks to visit each day. I LOVE how accurate they have been. I though I wouldn’t need Touring plans info because Disneyland is only two parks so I didn’t purchase a subscription for our trip. That was dumb! I felt like I was flying blind each day deciding which park to go to. Lesson learned! Won’t be doing that again! Hopefully you can learn from my mistake.
One Crowd Calendar Caveat for 2019
After May 31, 2019 crowd calendars might be a bit off (to say the least). The wild card of 2019 is the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Due to expected astronomical crowds beginning opening day Disneyland requires an additional free ticket to enter the new land for the first three weeks. It is unknown what will happen after three weeks. But it is safe to say that Disneyland will not conform to usual crowd calendar algorithms for the rest of 2019.
What’s happening during the year at Disneyland?
Disneyland is a little different than Disney World due to the increased amount of local visitors. Because Disneyland is in the heart of the city it is easy for Annual Passholders to visit the park often even for just a few hours. Weekdays will almost always be less busy than the weekends at any time of year.
January
Parks will be quite busy for the first few days until school starts again. MLK Jr. holiday weekend will also be a very busy time. The rest of the month is usually quieter. Something to consider is that this is a time that rides get refurbished.
Lunar New Year celebration begins at the end of the month at California Adventure.
February
Other than the VERY busy days surrounding President’s Day. February is a fairly slow time to visit. Just keep an eye on the weather in order to bring the right clothing.
Lunar New Year continues for the first couple weeks of this month.
March
The first few days of March are usually a pretty good time to go. We were there the 2nd to the 8th. Walking around seemed pretty busy but the wait times weren’t too bad. We were able to get on all the rides we wanted to (except Radiator Springs Racers) without waiting more than 20-30 minutes (sometimes standby, sometimes with Fastpass).
Now, when the 2nd weekend (approximately) hits the park will get CRAZY! This will continue for a month or so.
The Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure opens at the very beginning of the month continuing through April.
April
This is a very busy time to visit until after Easter and then still on the weekends.
Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure continues most of this month.
Egg-Stravaganza-Easter activities throughout Disneyland resort up until Easter.
May
Weekends are VERY busy while weekdays are pretty dead.
Grad Nights are peppered throughout the end of the month.
May 31st-Opening Day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
June and July
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!! Even without the new land opening this is a busy time. The new land will cause ultimate chaos.
Fourth of July has some special celebrations as well as the Anniversary of Disneyland on July 17th.
August
It is still part of the very busy summer season during the first two weeks of August. Then the crowds (in a normal year) would begin to taper off during the weekdays. Annual Passholders are allowed back into the park for the second half of August causing busier weekdays.
D23 Expo brings lots of avid Disney fans every other year. August 23-25, 2019
September and October
The first couple of weeks of September are pretty slow. Then Disneyland dresses up for Halloween Time and the people flock in on the weekends through the end of October.
Mickey’s Halloween Party (a special ticketed event) is held on certain nights from mid-September through the end of October.
November
One of the best times to visit is during the week the first two weeks of November and after Thanksgiving Weekend in regard to lower crowds.
Mid-November the whole Disneyland Resort decks the halls to create a magical holiday wonderland. Gorgeous!
Thanksgiving Week is mayhem! Talk about crowded! But, my brother and his family have visited Disneyland the last couple years at this time, love it, and keep going back.
December
Just like November, the first two weeks of December are pretty slow during the week. Once kids start getting out of school it becomes a madhouse until school breaks end in January. The week of Christmas is the absolute worst crowd wise.
BUT, imagine celebrating Christmas surrounded by astoundingly beautiful decorations (with the amazing detail work of Disney), sweet sounds of the holiday in your ears, smells of Christmas wafting all around and all your favorite characters dressed up to make your vacation magical. How could that possibly be bad?!
Ring in the New Year with special fireworks and possibly a dance party on December 31st.
Just a reminder:
From May 31st on in 2019 the crowds are most likely going to be higher than in past years. Also, it is very probable that these higher crowd levels will continue through a good portion of 2020.
Like I said at the beginning though, any time you can go to Disneyland is a good time. Just be aware and prepared for what you might face when you get there and you can still have a wonderfully magical vacation any time of year.
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