Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

January 2024

Aside from the first week which remains busy thanks to the ending of the holiday decorations, and runDisney’s first marathon weekend of the year, weekdays in January are typically a lovely time to visit Magic Kingdom with average or just above average crowds.

Crowds are heavier at the weekends’ thanks to past aggressive pricing for annual passes for Florida residents who like to visit outside of work hours but Disney has seriously limited the sale of annual passes now so the effects should become more subdued as previous pass holders opt not to renew.

Crowds will decrease as the month goes on and peak season Christmas holiday crowds dissipate. Remember that January and February are peak months for attraction refurbishments so some headline attractions may be unavailable for all or part of the month.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

February 2024

February in Magic Kingdom laregly mirrors Januay with quieter week days and busier weekends.

The first 3 weeks is quiet compared to the preceding few weeks. The first public holiday of the year, Presidents Day (every third Monday in February), brings the first opportunity for people to get away for a break.

Consequently, the week following Presidents Day is busy in Magic Kingdom as people take the opportunity to get away without having to use as much annual leave.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

March 2024

A quiet 10 days precludes the end of a very busy month in the Disney World as Spring Break crowds descend on Orlando en masse to let off some steam for a week or two.

If you are looking for a quiet time in the parks you might want to give late March (and early April) a bit of a wide berth especialy as the first 4 months of the year are busy in Disney World with dance championships bumping attendance at the hotels and theme parks over many weekends.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

April 2024

April’s crowds are flipped compared to March as the continuation of the Spring Break holiday carries through the first fortnight of the month, also encompassing Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

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.

Expect April 3rd and 4th to be especially busy with crowds cramming the park to witness first the return of popular Happily Ever After fireworks then the official opening of TRON Lightcycle / Run. Annual Passholder reservations have already sold out for the first proper day of operation.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

May 2024

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.

Also with most cheerleading championships being concluded, May is the first month of the year not to have a packed calendar somewhere on resort that may artificially bump up your accommodation pricing.

The better weather brings out more locals at the weekends but weekdays are a lot more crowd free.

Magic Kingdom Calendar

June 2024

June heralds the start of the US School holidays in many US States running through to the first week of August.

Expect very busy crowds and turbulent weather, especially in the afternoons, along with extended park opening hours and long lines for popular attractions. The park may feel that it is packed to bursting but Disney maintains they have limited capacity by 20% during June and July so if you are visiting during this time be sure to get your park reservations in early.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

July 2024

Now every US state school is guaranteed to be off you can expect crowds to be uniformly busy throughout the whole month. Weekends are just as busy as weekdays with the park remaining open until around 10 pm or later to deal with the extra crowds.

The last week of July can be marginally busier once international schools are also on their summer holidays but there really is very little difference between the beginning or the end of the month.

If you want to guarantee your attraction is going to be operating your best months to visit are June and July to coincide with the US School holiday system.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

August 2024

August is a quiet month to visit the parks if you need to visit during UK school summer holidays.

US School term starts the second week of August. If you want to experience a lot of the fireworks and entertainment you will be better sticking to early August as park hours and entertainment budgets will be cut when US schools return to their classrooms.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) has been confirmed to start on August the 11th and runs on selected nights until November the 1st. This is a separately ticketed event and the park will shut at 6pm for those without a ticket.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

September 2024

September is largely a buffer month between summer holiday madness and Halloween celebrations which actually start in some parks around the middle of the month. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party runs on quite a few nights throughout September. Remember the park will shut at 6pm and there will be no standard fireworks show on these evenings.

If you would like to experience Halloween in the Magic Kingdom without the associated crowds and higher ticket prices in October, a MNSSHP event evening in September is a great call. Alternatively, Magic Kingdom is usually quieter on event days so you may be able to get more attractions in than a standard day, as long as you have already seen or are not bothered about the fireworks.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

October 2024

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.

2022 marked a milestone year for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in that every event date sold out despite prices being the highest they have ever been. Some nights in October even saw a 50% increase in ticket prices but the popularity on MNSSHP only continues to grow. Thankfully, Disney has kept prices the same this year although October has some of the highest prices for the event.

Tickets and more information for the event can be booked through the official Not So Scary Halloween Party page. You will need to use a VPN to book the experience direct but some UK ticket brokers may also offer tickets, 

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

November 2024

November in Orlando is largely another buffer month in between two popular holiday celebrations. As soon as Halloween ends you will see parks preparing and launching Christmas celebrations soon after.

Mid to late November and the first half of December is a great time to visit Magic Kingdom to see the park in full Christmas mode without the crowds that throng to the area in late December.

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, packs all the parks to bursting for one weekend and many days the preceeding week after so try to avoid this week if you can.

Magic Kingdom Crowd Calendar

December 2024

The first fortnight is a great time to visit to see the Magic Kingdom in full on Christmas mode without the crowds of the last fortnight but bear in mind the park may close earlier in December than later.

If visiting later in December, and its within your budget, consider purchasing Genie+ for everyone in your party. Magic Kingdom is the best park to get value for money out of Genie+ and the crowds in the last fortnight of December certainly warrant a little extra outlay to get some extra attractions in your day.