The Busiest And Quietest Times To Visit Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom Crowd Calendar
Animal Kingdom Crowds
My Animal Kingdom crowd calendar page projects crowd levels for Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida for the next few months based on historical data and known busy periods such as public and school holidays. Animal Kingdom is light on special events and late night closing, Disney prefers to center them around its other parks.
Known Peak Times
When deciding to visit, there are know busy periods I would advise avoiding if at all possible.
Spring Break in March/April, US schools summer holidays typically June and the first half of July. The week of Halloween and the week after Christmas from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.
There are also some notable bank holiday weekends in the US that are busy. Easter fortnight either side of the bank holiday, Memorial Day weekend at the end of May, Independance Day and a couple of days either side, Labor Day in late September and Thanksgiving at the end of November.
UK School Holidays
Easter: Our Easter term coincides with Spring Break in the US. The weather isn’t too hot but it will still feel warm by our standards. Parks will be packed with college kids or high school groups which can lead to a rowdy atmosphere.
Summer: Our summer holidays start at the end of many US school districts. The parks can be busy until the second week of August but will be noticeably quieter at the end and for most of September. The weather will be very hot, wet and humid.
Christmas: If you can at all avoid it I wouldn’t put yourself through it. Chirstmas is as busy as the parks will get all year. The weather though is pleasantly mild.
US School Holidays
If you’re looking for set dates for US school holidays, let me clear something up. US schools are broken up into districts. They are free to set their own holiday dates. Unlike the UK, there is no set period for traditional holidays.
Spring Break is a huge school holiday that varies by district and institution. It typically encompasses large parts of March and April to varying degrees.
Summer holidays start in June and run through, typically, the first week of August. Although some schools don’t go back until the end of August, you tend to see a noticeable downturn in crowds during the second half of August and into September.
Using My Animal Kingdom Crowd Calendar
My Animal Kingdom crowd calendar has been simplified grading each day into one of 4 colours. There is an explanation of the colours under each month for ease of reference.
Scanning the month overviews you may notice there are no longer many “quiet” days. Disney has done a great job of spreading crowds out so there really is no such thing as a quiet day anymore. But don’t fret, with a little planning you can still have a great day on even a moderate crowded day in the world’s busiest theme park.
Animal Kingdom
Crowds At A Glance
If you are basing your visit purely on when the quietest month is versus the busiest months below are the top 3 best and worst months to visit based purely on crowd levels.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Quietest Months
The 3 quietest months to visit Animal Kingdom are:
- August
- September
- October
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Busiest Months
The 3 busiest months to visit Animal Kingdom are:
- June
- July
- December
Download My Yearly Animal Kingdom Crowd Calendar
Download Image
Download PDF
Animal Kingdom Crowds Month By Month
2026 Crowds
These are the last 3 months’ crowd calendars for Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2026.
Oct - Dec 2026 Holidays
- Oct 12th: Columbus Day
- Oct 31st: Halloween
- Nov 11th: Veteren’s Day
- Nov 26th: Thanksgiving
- Dec 24th: Christmas Eve
- Dec 25th: Christmas Day
- Dec 31st: New Year’s Day
Oct - Dec 2026 Events
- Oct 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th, 31st: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
- Nov 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 24th, 25th, 27th, 29th Dec 1st, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 22nd: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
October 2026 Animal Kingdom Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
November 2026 Animal Kingdom Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 |
December 2026 Animal Kingdom Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
January Crowds
The middle to end of January is a lovely time to visit the parks for cooler temperatures and less crowds after Disney World’s first runDisney event of the year.
January Holidays
- Jan 1st: New Year’s Day
- Jan 18th: Martin Luthar King Jr. Day
January Events
- Jan 6th – 10th: runDisney Marathon Weekend
Animal Kingdom January 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
February Crowds
February mirrors January with quiet weekdays and busier weekends. The first public holiday of the year, President’s Day (the third Monday in February), means the following week can be markedly busier.
February Holidays
- Feb 14th: Superbowl
- Feb 14th:: Valentines Day
- Feb 15th:: Presidents Day
February Events
- Feb 25th – Mar 1st: runDisney Princess Half Marathon
Animal Kingdom February 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
March Crowds
Spring Break begins in the second week of March, running through the rest of the month and into early April. If you are looking for a quiet month in Orlando, this is not the right month for you!
March Holidays
- Mar 8th: Spring Break
- Mar 17th: St. Patrick’s Day
- Mar 26th: Good Friday
- Mar 29th: Easter Monday
March Events
- Feb 25th – Mar 1st: runDisney Princess Half Marathon
Animal Kingdom March 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
April Crowds
Avoiding the peak Spring Break crowds, late April is still a great time to visit for warm weather without the humidity of the summer months.
April Holidays
- There are no observed holiday dates in April 2027
April Events
- Apr 8th-11th: runDisney Springtime Surprise Marathon Weekend
Animal Kingdom April 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
May Crowds
Low to moderate crowds coupled with fantastic weather and no significant public holidays until the end of the month make May a brilliant time to visit Orlando if you want to avoid peak crowds but still have the weather.
May Holidays
- May 9th: Mother’s Day
- May 31st: Memorial Day
- May 31st: Start of U.S. School Summer Holidays
May Events
- There are no special events scheduled in May at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom May 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
June Crowds
June heralds the start of the US School holidays in many US States, running through to the first week of August. As a general rule, expect some schools to be off from late May through Late August, with the peak in late June through early August.
June Holidays
- Jun 20th: Father’s Day
June Events
- There are no special events scheduled in June at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom June 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
July Crowds
Now every US state school is guaranteed to be off you can expect crowds to be uniformly busy throughout the whole month with weekdays just as busy as weekends.
July Holidays
- Jul 4th: Independence Day
July Events
- Jul 3rd-5th: Fourth Of July Weekend
Animal Kingdom July 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
August Crowds
August is one of the quietest months to visit Florida due to the oppressive heat and humidity. When visiting during summer, always plan for rain in the afternoon, but remember it can happen at any time of the day and in any month.
August Holidays
- Aug 9th: U.S. Schools Start Returning
August Events
- There are no special events scheduled in August at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom August 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
September Crowds
September is largely a buffer month between summer holiday madness and Halloween. With animal welfare at the heart of Animal Kingdom, you won’t find typical Halloween celebrations here, nor fireworks at any point in the year.
September Holidays
- Sep 6th: Labor Day
September Events
- There are no special events scheduled in September at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom September 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
October Crowds
October has always been a popular time for people to visit Orlando because of separate ticketed events at Universal and Seaworld as well as at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World.
While the Halloween celebrations continue into the nights in Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom’s muted celebrations aren’t quite so in-your-face.
October Holidays
- Oct 11th: Columbus Day
- Oct 31st: Halloween
October Events
- October Dates TBC: runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
Animal Kingdom October 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
November Crowds
Weekends are typically moderately busy as locals flock to the parks outside of work for some Christmas cheer. Thanksgiving, a hugely popular public holiday in America, fills all the parks to bursting for one weekend and most of the week after, so try to avoid this week if you can.
November Holidays
- Nov 11th: Veterans Day
- Nov 25th: Thanksgiving
November Events
- There are no special events scheduled in November at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom November 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
December Crowds
The first fortnight is a great time to visit to see the Animal Kingdom in full on Christmas mode without the crowds of the last fortnight but even these two weeks aren’t as quiet as they used to be.
December Holidays
- Dec 24th: Christmas Eve
- Dec 25th: Christmas Day
- Dec 31st: New Year’s Day
December Events
- There are no special events scheduled in December at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom December 2027 Crowd Calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| LIGHT | MODERATE | BUSY | PEAK |
| Light Crowds: 30 minutes or less for most attractions. | Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 30-60 minutes for popular attractions. | Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. | Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions. |
