Universal Studios Florida Crowd Calendar

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.