August 2024 Disneyland Crowd Calendar
Our August 2024 Disneyland crowd calendar predicts the best & worst dates to visit the parks, what’s going on at Disneyland and Disney California, plus what to expect from the end of vacations and tourist season. Beyond wait times and congestion, we offer info about special events, weather, and more during August at Disneyland Resort.
In terms of crowds, August is all over the place. Schools are back in session mid-month in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. However, Magic Key Annual Pass blockouts start to lift throughout the second half of the month, leading to pure anarchy (eh, more or less). Suffice to say, August attendance can be a veritable roller coaster, and one that we’ll “ride” in the updated crowd calendar section.
Before that, let’s start with a look at weather. Although August is one of the hottest months of the year in Southern California, it’s really not that bad. Humidity remains low even as high temperatures break 80º every single day of August. At the other end of the spectrum, expect lows of around 65º every day.
Even though the temperature will creep into the mid-80s and could peak at 90º some days, August in Anaheim is still fairly comfortable, as shown by these graphs. The chances of mugginess are 9 or 10% every day of the month, which is not bad. This is why a common refrain among Californians is “but it’s a dry heat.”
It’s the truth–90º and little humidity is much more pleasant than 80º and muggy weather. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s wise to pack a light sweater or a long sleeve shirt for evenings at Disneyland.
What’s New & Not Open in August 2024
Disneyland has not yet announced what’s happening in Summer 2024, but we’re expecting (somewhat) of a repeat of last year when Rogers: The Musical played in the Hyperion Theater at DCA. This Marvel-inspired stage show has already proven incredibly popular and offers a free virtual queue or paid package for seating. We highly recommend checking it out.
In terms of August attraction closures, we cover those on the regularly-updated Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar. Last year, those included Haunted Mansion (that’ll go down again in August 2024), plus Disneyland Monorail, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Toy Story Midway Mania.
In addition, Splash Mountain is now officially and permanently closed to be reimagined into a new ride based on The Princess and the Frog. There are already visible signs of the transformation into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. That’s scheduled to debut in “Late 2024,” but there’s an off chance that it’ll be ahead of schedule and debut in Summer 2024. We definitely wouldn’t count on that, though. It could just as easily be delayed until 2025.
Speaking of which, let’s take a look at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure crowds during the month of August…
August 2024 Disneyland Crowd Calendar
Unfortunately, Disneyland crowd calendars for specific dates are no longer highly reliable due to changes in attendance trends, Magic Key passes, the park reservation system, ticket discounts, and other factors. It can be difficult to say a particular day will have low, moderate, or heavy crowds—which is why we’ve eliminated our color-coded Disneyland crowd calendars.
This is a trend that began prior to the opening summer of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and has continued the last two summers as post-reopening crowds have been more unpredictable. None of the crowd calendar sites can boast a strong track record for the last two years that Disneyland has been open–and that includes us. That’s the bad news. The good news is that attendance is starting to normalize and falling back into pre-closure patterns.
Last summer, crowd levels started falling as “revenge travel” started ending. We expect that trend to accelerate in 2024, including (and especially) during the summer tourist season.
Expect numbers to be down about 25% as compared to the same time last year and reservation availability is easing up, making crowd levels much easier to predict. In August 2024, crowd levels will likely peak at around 5/10, with many dates being even slower. That’s as compared to plenty of 7/10 to 9/10 days two summers ago.
In broad strokes, the first half of August 2024 is fairly predictable, with a pattern dictated by summer vacations, ticket prices, and Magic Key Passholder blockouts. Last year, the worst of the month’s crowds occurred August 1-4, with those being 9/10 days. Following that same pattern, expect August 1-3, 2024 to be the worst days. It’s likely that August 7-9 will be slightly better, but still busy.
As a general matter, August 2024 crowds drop when Orange County and Los Angeles schools go back into session. Orange County schools resume around August 10, 2024 and Los Angeles County resumes on August 12, 2024. That second date is key; there will almost certainly be a precipitous drop starting that week, with off-season crowds until Halloween kicks off in September 2024.
Unfortunately, that is partially offset by the summer Magic Key Annual Passholder blockouts for the lowest tiers of passes ending around roughly the same time. There will be a lot of pent-up demand for locals who have been blocked out for ~2 months, and they will return in droves that week.
Exactly how that plays out in August 2024 is unknown. Last year, the biggest drop occurred when local schools went back into session, and crowds remained relatively low even as AP blockouts lifted. However, the key difference this year is that Magic Key sales have resumed many times, whereas they were still paused last August. So in theory, the AP pool is larger this year and there could be a larger influx of locals. That is how things played out in 2019 and earlier, when things were more normal.
Still, we’re not talking 7/10 to 9/10 crowd levels for any days in August 2024. If current trends more or less continue–even with more of a spike for when AP blockouts lift–August 1-3 and 7-9 could peak at 5/10 to 7/10 so crowd levels. Other red flags are August 14 and 21, which are the days when two different tiers of AP blockouts lift. Those might also be in 5/10 to 7/10 territory.
Other than that, we’d expect crowd levels below 5/10. It’s likely that weekends will be even slower, with Saturdays and Sundays seldom having crowd levels above 3/10. Keep in mind that these are numerical scores based on wait times and relative to last year, which was an incredibly busy year as a whole due to pent-up demand. Crowd levels are not in absolute terms–August 2024 will be far less busy than last year, and more on par with 2019 or earlier.
Speaking of weekends, our expectation is that all Fridays through Sundays in August 2024 will be less busy than Mondays through Thursdays. This dynamic is almost entirely the result of blockouts for Magic Key Annual Passes and the Discounted California Resident Tickets. Disneyland’s expectation is that tourists and locals buying regular tickets would offset those blockouts, but that often is not the case.
This dynamic will become even more pronounced once summer tourist season winds down, meaning each weekend in August 2024 at Disneyland should get progressively slower. Due to the Enchant Key tier being blocked out, Saturdays are a safe bet–probably the best day of the week to visit Disneyland in August 2024. (The lowest tier is blocked out on both Saturday and Sunday.)
Another thing to keep in mind is that most of the Southern California locals visiting on weekdays have jobs, so the worst of these crowds will be in the afternoon and, especially, evening hours. If you arrive at rope drop and leave by 2 p.m., your perspective on crowds will be dramatically different from someone who arrives at 4 p.m. (By contrast, more locals can arrive early on weekends.)
Crowds should once again die down completely in the last week of August 2024, once locals get in their visits. This trend continues through early September, with more lulls early in the month. Post-Labor Day should see a significant drop-off in crowds. If you’re debating between a late August and early September visit, we’d suggest early September.
You’ll also notice that dynamic ticket prices start to drop substantially in mid to late August. Again, this is because summer visitors to Southern California are starting to head home by this point.
In both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, early August is a time when park hours are typically longer. Both parks regularly open at 8 a.m., with Early Entry starting 30 minutes before that for on-site resort guests.
Disneyland closes at midnight for the first half of the month, with Disney California Adventure regularly closing at 10 p.m. These are the “maximum” operating hours for each park–the longest either are open any day of the year, aside from New Year’s Eve and other outliers. Expect earlier closing times later in the month, but you should still be able to enjoy a fairly late night in the parks.
Anyone planning a trip debating whether to visit in August or later in the year can consult our When to Visit Disneyland in 2024 or our Best & Worst Months to Visit Disneyland posts. Again, we’d caution you against over-reliance on crowd calendar predictions for specific dates.
If you’re visiting between mid-August and mid-September, and have not yet booked a hotel room, your best option might be to wait until the last minute if prices do not look favorable at the moment. With summer tourist season ending and no major events scheduled for the Anaheim Convention Center, prices are likely to go down–not up.
In terms of ticket pricing, August has a range of rates. One-day park tickets are most are at “regular” season prices the first half of the month, with the exception of the first weekend being “peak” season. The end of the month then turns to “value” season Monday through Thursdays.
Read our Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets post for multi-day ticket recommendations to avoid having to deal with seasonal pricing. On the plus side, there are some multi-day ticket discounts currently available for all guests.
Even with below-average crowds, you’ll still want a solid itinerary for touring the parks. The downside to visiting during a more touristy season is that guests are more likely to arrive early in the day, and prioritize attractions. By contrast, locals tend to spend more time hanging out, and focus on attractions to a lesser degree. This can mean higher wait times despite the parks “feeling” less crowded.
Overall, we consider August a fairly average month in terms of our Best and Worst Months to Visit Disneyland. If you can schedule a visit during that third week of the month right when Los Angeles County schools go back into session, but before AP blockouts are lifted, that’s your best bet.
Not only will you have lower crowd levels, but you’re also going to have lower hotel prices, and fewer tourists than earlier in the month. There are also unique wrinkles, but it’s generally a quieter month, especially towards the end. If you can avoid the “bad” dates in August and can deal with some hotter weather (“IT’S A DRY HEAT!”), August can be a surprisingly good time to visit.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
YOUR THOUGHTS
If you’ve visited Disneyland during the month of August, what did you think of the experience? Did you find the crowd levels to be manageable? What about the weather? Did you notice a decrease or increase in crowds towards the end of the month? Are you visiting this August? Participating in the Disneyland Half Marathon? If you’ve visited in August, do you have any tips to add? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
Hi Tom,
So we are planning a trip to California this August and want to squeeze Disney Land in towards the end. The only days we can be there is Friday 8/9-Sunday 8/11. I just saw that these are the exact dates of D23. How do you think it’ll effect crowds those days? Slow during the day but busy at night? Spiking crowds in the days BEFORE but not the day OF?
Hi,
I have the same question as Amy from July 26, to get clarification on the weekend guidance for the last week of August 2023.
I will be in Southern California that week and was thinking of going to Disneyland and California Adventure either between Friday-Sat-Sun (25-27th) or from Mon-Tues-Weds (28th-30).
I had assumed weekdays would be better, but after reading this, maybe weekend would be better.?
Please let me know your thoughts /advice if trying to avoid crowds.
Thanks !
Hi,
Your article mentioned that August 20th and 27th are outliers and will be busy. It also states that both the 20th and 27th are Saturdays. The 20th and 27th are actually Sundays…did you mean to say that the 19th and 26th – which are Saturdays will be easy or will Sundays the 20th and 27th be busy? I’m trying to plan a last minute trip before my son turns 3 and wondering if I should do a weekend at Disneyland or plan for a weekday trip.
Thank you!
Thank you for this! The information is especially welcome with the mysterious nature of 2023 crowds (or lack thereof) !
Tom- will be here 28th, 29th, and 30th, seems like should be decent trip minus Haunted mansion being closed no? Also should I park hop the last day? Right now its DL first day, CA second, then DL again
Radiator Springs Racers also goes down for renovation on 8/18/23.
Hopefully its a quick turnaround
“Simply put, it’s too early to credibly forecast August 2023 attendance at Disneyland.” With August less than a month away, when will it cease to be too early to credibly forecast attendance in August 2023?
It was not too early as of last month–I just forgot to update this. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll get on that later today.
I can’t tell if this was updated or not. Article still says it is too early to forecast.
It had not when you commented–it has been updated as of this morning!
unfortunately we are currently bound by school schedules (oh those preschool years still afforded so much flexibility!) as we’re already missing over a week of school in october for a transatlantic cruise, so if (big IF) we make it to disneyland this year, it’s looking like right before school starts, which for us is also that 3rd week of august.
so, if i’m reading this correctly, the first 2 weeks of august still have moderate crowds because school is still out, but passholders are still blacked out, and the park hours are longer with mid-level prices? i’ll be eyeing this window for the time being.
My family and I are visiting from the UK and planning to visit Disneyland from the 27th – 30th August 2019 inclusive. I know it is difficult to predict but do you think that Star Wars is going to make it impossible to ensure that we would even get into the parks on these days? Do they offer refunds if the park is full (we fly home on 31st).
August 26 is the CHOC walk how do you think crowds will be?
I wonder the high humidity we have in July will return for a bout in August. The monsoon moisture does not want to go away
By third week in August do you mean 8/12-8/18? Trying to plan for this week but can’t decide on Sunday-Thursday or Monday-Friday trip for a 3 day pass!
Planning to go 3rd/4th week in August. See so much conflicting information about crowds at this time. Some sites says it’s quiet and others say it’s going to be packed. Does anyone ever been during that time? Is it quiet or busy??
Thanks!
We plan on visiting in August 2020 around the 5th-7th. Have a read right that crowds will be “less” due to blackout dates and stuff? We are 1st time visitors and I’m already overwhelmed and confused.
Planned a last minute trip and looked at 3 days between Aug 24th and Aug 27th with taking the 26th as a break from the park day. I noticed that the CHOC Walk in the Park is scheduled for Sunday the 27th. Don’t think it was scheduled when I booked or I somehow missed it. Was this event considered when the August Crowd Calendar was created?
How busy will it be? Would Thurs, Fri, Sat be a better plan? Since it will be our 3rd day, we probably wouldn’t be in the park first thing.
The CHOC walk also was a surprise to me. I was hoping for earlier hours that Sunday then was surprised when the published hours showed 10 am but didn’t see an explanation until just recently.
For a family that only has one Magic Morning to use at Disneyland would they be better off choosing a different day than CHOC day?
Longtime reader, this is interesting, thank you! Will you be doing a crowd calendar for September?
Yep, that’ll be out in the next couple of days!