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A Visual Guide To The Busiest & Quietest Days

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

My Universal Studios Florida crowd calendar page projects crowd levels for Universal Studios for the next few months based on historical data and known busy periods such as public and school holidays. As well as projected crowds I also list the main US holidays that typically bumps attendance in the parks and may affect your plans. It will be updated throughout the year as event dates are confirmed so please keep checking back.

Universal Studios Florida

Crowd Calendar & Events

Feel free to scroll through the whole page or use the Table Of Contents to jump to a particular month. 

Table Of Contents
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Crowds in Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida waiting got the Dragon Fire effect.

How To Use

Using My Universal Studios Florida Crowd Calendar

My Universal Studios Florida crowd calendar scores each day in the park on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being very quiet while 10 is as busy as it can get.

There is a lot of information to digest on this page so to help you scan the information quickly I have colour coded days depending on how busy it is.

Scanning the month overviews you may notice there are no longer many “quiet” days. Parks have 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. 

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Quietest & busiest times

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Monthly events & holidays

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FAQ's

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months of

calendars

Universal Studios Florida Crowds

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.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

Quietest Months

The 3 quietest months to visit Universal Studios Florida are:

  • August
  • September
  • October

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

Busiest Months

The 3 busiest months to visit Universal Studios Florida are:

  • June
  • July
  • December

Universal Studios Florida Crowds

Crowd Calendar Yearly Overview Downloads

Click on an image below to download the current year’s crowd calendar forecast in either an image or a pdf format.

Universal Studios Florida Crowds

Month By Month Breakdown

Each month is split into two sections. The first half details key holidays and events that will increase attendance in the park followed by a short monthly overview with screenshot so you can see at a glance the predicted crowd levels. Click on the monthly overview image to see it larger.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

January

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

January Holidays

Notable holiday dates in January are:

  • Jan 1st – New Years Day

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

January Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in January are:

  • Jan 25th & 26th – Rock The Universe

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

January 2024

Like other parks, aside from the first week which remains busy thanks to the ending of the holiday decorations, January is typically a lovely month to visit Universal Studios Florida.

Crowds are heavier at the weekends’ thanks to aggressive pricing for annual passes for Florida residents who like to visit outside of work hours.

Crowds will decrease as the month goes on and peak season Christmas holiday crowds dissipate.

January 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

February

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

February Holidays

Notable holiday dates in February are:

  • Feb 11th – Super Bowl
  • Feb 14th – Valentines Day
  • Feb 19th – Presidents Day

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

February Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in February are:

  • Feb 3rd to Apr 7th – Universal’s Mardi Gras

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

February 2024

The best time to visit Universal Studios Florida in is on a weekday.  The first public holiday of the year, Presidents Day weekend between the 18th and 20th of February is a particularly busy weekend in the park.

Universal Studios Florida’s popular Mardi Gras celebration kicks off  nightly from the 3rd of February keeping weekends busy as entertainment and the iconic Mardi Gras parade are included in standard admission.

February 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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
LIGHT MODERATE BUSY PEAK
Light Crowds: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Key Dates

March

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

March Holidays

Notable holiday dates in March are:

  • Mar 2nd – Spring Break
  • Mar 17th – St. Patrick’s Day
  • Mar 29th – Good Friday

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

March Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in March are:

  • Feb 3rd to Apr 7th – Universal’s Mardi Gras

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

March 2024

A quiet 10 days precludes the end of a very busy month in the Universal 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.

If you are out in Orlando in March look out for one of the many St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the middle of the month. They sure know how to throw a party. Universal Studios Florida also has it’s own Irish pub, Finnegans, in the New York area which is always a popular stop for international visitors to get a drink whether its St Patricks day or not.

March 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

April

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

April Holidays

Notable holiday dates in April are:

  • Apr 1st – Easter Monday

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

April Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in April are:

  • Feb 3rd to Apr 7th – Universal’s Mardi Gras
  • Apr 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th & 26th – Grad Bash

Universal Studios 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.

Weekends in the first half of April are particularly busy as Universal’s Mardi Gras celebration draws to a close, tying in perfectly with the end of Spring Break.

Avoiding the peak Spring Break crowds, late April is still a great time to visit for warm weather and average crowds without the humidity of the summer months.

April 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

May

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

May Holidays

Notable holiday dates in May are:

  • May 12th – Mother’s Day
  • May 27th – Memorial Day

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

May Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in May are:

  • May 3rd 10th, 11th & 17th – Gradventure

Universal Studios 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.

The better weather brings out more locals at the weekends, particularly Saturdays, but weekdays are more crowd free. You will notice a bump in crowds from the last weekend as schools start to break up for the summer.

May 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

June

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

June Holidays

Notable holiday dates in June are:

  • Jun 3rd – US School Holidays Start
  • Jun 16th – Father’s Day

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

June Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in June are:

  • Select Nights – Universal CineSational: A Symphonic Celebration

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

June 2024

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

Expect busy crowds and turbulent weather, especially in the afternoons, along with extended park opening hours and long lines for popular attractions.

June 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

July

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

July Holidays

Notable holiday dates in July are:

  • Jul 4th – Independence Day

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

July Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in July are:

  • July 4th To 7th – 4th July Celebration
  • Select Nights – Universal CineSational: A Symphonic Celebration

Universal Studios 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 late 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.

July 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

August

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

August Holidays

Notable holiday dates in August are:

  • Aug 4th – US School holidays end

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

August Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in August are:

  • Select Nights – Universal CineSational: A Symphonic Celebration
  • August 30th & 31st – Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios 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.

Remember that hurricane season in Florida runs from June through September and these months also typically see the highest rainfall in daily afternoon downpours. Make sure you plan around the weather to maximise your time in the park.

August 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

September

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

September Holidays

Notable holiday dates in September are:

  • Sep 2nd – Labor Day

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

September Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in September are:

  • Sep 1st, 4th-8th, 11th-15th, 18th-22nd, 25th-29th – Halloween Horror Nights (every day except Monday’s and Tuesday’s throughout the month)   

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

September 2024

September is largely a buffer month between summer holiday madness and Halloween celebrations which actually start in the middle of the month.

In 2023, every day in September with the exception of Monday or Tuesday will be a HHN event day which means the park will close earlier than normal (usually at 5pm) but may be quieter than a usual day because of the shorter operating hours.

September 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

October

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

October Holidays

Notable holiday dates in October are:

  • Oct 14th – Columbus Day
  • Oct 31st – Halloween

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

October Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in October are:

  • Oct 2nd-6th, 9th-13th, 16th-20th, 23rd-27th, 30th & 31st – Halloween Horror Nights (every day except Monday’s and Tuesday’s throughout the month)  

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

October 2024

With HHN prices now in the ballpark of a single day USF ticket, many families opt to stay away during the day leading to a relatively quiet park but shorter opening hours.

With shorter hours and event nights in operation, if you want to visit USF in the day you would be best avoiding the weekends, sticking to Mondays and Tuesdays if you can.

October 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

November

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

November Holidays

Notable holiday dates in November are:

  • Nov 11th – Veteren’s Day
  • Nov 28th – Thanksgiving

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

November Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in November are:

  • Nov 1st & 2nd – Halloween Horror Nights
  • Christmas In The Wizarding World dates for 2023 are still to be confirmed
  • Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s dates are still to be confirmed for 2023

Universal Studios 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 is a great time to visit to see parks in full Christmas mode without the crowds that throng to the area in late December.

Having said that, weekends including Fridays at Universal Studios Florida are busy throughout the whole of November. Thanksgiving week is also a week to avoid if you don’t like crowds or queueing.

November 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Key Dates

December

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

December Holidays

Notable holiday dates in December are:

  • Dec 24th – Christmas Eve
  • Dec 25th – Christmas Day
  • Dec 31st – New Year’s Eve

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

December Events

Universal Studios Florida’s events in December are:

  • Christmas In The Wizarding World dates for 2023 are still to be confirmed
  • Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s dates are still to be confirmed for 2023

Universal Studios Crowd Calendar

December 2024

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

If visiting later in December, and its within your budget, consider Universal’s premium queue option, Express Pass which grants either one ride or unlimited rides on many popular attractions in the park.

December 2024 Universal Studios Florida 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: 45 minutes or less for most attractions. Moderate Crowds: Busier but bearable. 45-90 minutes for popular attractions. Heavy Crowds: 1-2 hours for popular attractions. Peak Crowds: Very heavy crowds; 2 hours+ for popular attractions.

Universal Studios Florida Crowd Calendar

Frequently Asked Questions

I hope you have found the Universal Studios Florida crowd calendar useful. Here are some popular questions that people usually ask but please reach out on the button below if you have any further questions.

Does Universal Studios Publish A Crowd Calendar?

No, there is no official Universal Studios Florida crowd calendar.

But using a crowd calendar combined with your own research will help you figure out the best time for you to go and, to a degree, manage your expectations.

If your dates are set a crowd calendar will help you get the most out of your time and manage expectations about how much you think you will get done versus the reality.

Overall when is the quietest month?

There are a few weeks dotted throughout the year that are quieter than surrounding weeks.

Early March and late April are good if you want to avoid the heat and humidity of summer but, conversely, late March and early April is uber popular with university students on their Spring Break.

September is a good month to visit if you like the heat and don’t mind the possibility of a hurricane stopping your plans for a day or two. October is actually fairly quiet in the days at Universal Studios Florida due to Halloween Horror Nights taking place on many evenings throughout the month cutting short the operating hours but keeping the park nice and quiet for those that do want to visit.

If you need to visit in the school holidays late August is actually a lot quieter than July as US schools start the autumn term in early August but there is humidity, heat and a lot of rain to deal with.

Easter and May school holidays in the UK are good times to visit for decent weather (hot by our standards) without the crowds and peak rainfall. Remember this is the tropics and you should pack to expect rain any time of the year.

For the main holidays, weekends in early October are great for Halloween and early December gets you the Christmas overlays without the crowds later in the month.

How do you come to your scores?

Parks don’t release official crowd data so my score is a combination of historical data, special event announcements, daily entrance pricing and a little educated guessing.

The score is representative of this park only. That is to say that a score of 9 here is not the same as a score of 9 for Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

9 represents a day that is much busier than an average day in this park alone where you can get most everything done.

Are premium queue options a necessity?

That’s going to depend foremost on your budget and then the time of year you are visiting.

Premium queue options are not cheap and please don’t ever get into debt because you feel pressured that you need to purchase it. You can still have a great holiday without purchasing up-charge experiences and add-ons.

Premium queue options are dynamically priced, that is when you will derive the most value from them is also when they are at their most expensive, potentially doubling the cost of entry into a park for a day.

Universal Orlando’s Express Pass system is expensive but on busy days it can save you loads of time on most but not all popular attractions.

 

How accurate is your crowd calendar?

No crowd calendar is an exact science. Crowd calendars should only be used as part of your own research to manage expectations on a given day.

Do crowd calendars help? Absolutely! But having said that, relying solely on a crowd calendar is nowhere near as effective as putting a little planning into your days in the parks.

I know you don’t necessarily want to plan your holidays but an Orlando holiday is not your typical beach holiday. Even a little planning will go a long way.

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