I visited Disneyland in 1992 during the Christmas season, and I can confidently say that it was a truly magical experience. From the moment I entered the park, I was greeted with the sights and sounds of the holiday season. The entire park was adorned with festive decorations, transforming it into a winter wonderland. One of the highlights of my visit was the nightly parade. As darkness fell, the streets of Disneyland came alive with twinkling lights and colorful floats. The parade featured all of my favorite Disney characters, who were dressed in their holiday best.
Overall, December tends to be busier, colder, and wetter than November, which is why it falls a bit on our Best and Worst Months to Visit Disneyland in 2023. With that said, it’s still a wonderful month to visit. Even if you’re traveling during a time with yellow or red crowds, there are ways to beat the hordes of other tourists–namely by rope dropping the parks, having an efficient itinerary, and efficiently using Genie+ and Lightning Lanes (it’s worth the money). Beyond that, Disneyland Resort’s Christmas season is incredible, with holiday entertainment that makes the hassle of any crowds worthwhile.
Overall, December tends to be busier, colder, and wetter than November, which is why it falls a bit on our Best and Worst Months to Visit Disneyland in 2023. In past years, evenings were busier as many local Annual Passholders would visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure after work to get their Christmas fix, and for the holiday season entertainment.
The parade featured all of my favorite Disney characters, who were dressed in their holiday best. Seeing them up close and personal was a dream come true. The castle, which is always a sight to behold, was transformed into a magnificent display of lights and decorations.
December 2023 Disneyland Crowd Calendar
Our guide to December 2023 at Disneyland offers a free crowd calendar for picking best days to visit & avoiding the busiest ones during Christmas at Disney California Adventure and Disneyland. Plus, what’s new, ride closures, what you should expect from a winter visit to Southern California, and more.
As with November, December features highs and lows, with some of the absolute worst crowds of the year, along with weekdays earlier in the month that are not nearly as bad. This is a result of mostly-light tourist numbers earlier in the month, coupled with Christmas vacation and school breaks in Los Angeles and Orange Counties (and around the country) later in the month.
Then there’s the the big reason so many people descend upon Disneyland in December: Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the Happiest Place on Earth! Truly–not just in the cliched sense. Disneyland Resort is normally a magical place, but during the holiday season, it just oozes magic.
For more on what makes this season our favorite time of the year in the parks, read our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Disneyland. We aren’t the only ones who think this is the most wonderful time of the year at Disneyland, and the crowds bear that out.
Fortunately, this has improved a bit in recent years, and that trend should continue this year. As with this Halloween season, Disneyland Resort has gradually increased the Christmas offerings at Disney California Adventure to better distribute crowds between the two parks.
To accomplish this, Festival of the Holidays–which includes both a foodie event and more entertainment–has been added to the slate of seasonal offerings at DCA. You can read our Guide to Festival of the Holidays at Disney California Adventure for tips on the best way to experience that.
December Weather at Disneyland
Weather is a bit of a mixed bag. First, it’s Southern California’s rainy season. This is almost meaningless, as average rainfall during the month is only around 2″, but that’s still much more than the norm. The average high in Anaheim during December is around 70º and the average low is around 47º.
Personally, we like these cooler daytime temperatures, as this type of weather is perfect for racing around a theme park, especially if you’re carrying a backpack or have kids in tow. However, once the sun goes down, it can be a bit too cold, especially if you stay past 9 p.m. or watch World of Color.
Due to the potential for rain and frigid temperatures in the evening (or even during the day if it gets unseasonably cold), we recommend consulting our What to Pack for Disney in Winter post. Some of that might seem like overkill for Southern California, but it’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake before.
December 2023 Disneyland Crowd Calendar
Before consulting this or any December 2023 crowd calendars for Disneyland, it’s worth understanding the limitations of projecting attendance, wait times, crowds or congestion. Our main post: 2023 Disneyland Crowd Calendars: Best Times to Visit & When to Avoid goes into extensive detail about why Disneyland crowd calendars are currently unreliable, which is why there’s no color-coded calendar or numerical scores for each day of the month.
Suffice to say, this is due to changes in attendance trends, reservation availability for Magic Key passholders, staffing shortages, ticket promotions, and other factors. General trends are a bit easier, but it’s difficult to say a particular day will have low, moderate, or heavy crowds–or how one day of the week will compare to days around it.
What happens going forward with Magic Keymaster demand is an unknown. Pent-up demand among locals could fizzle out, but that could be offset by more reservation availability. If you’re planning a last minute visit, consult Disneyland’s Magic Key Access Calendar. This shows blockout dates and reservation availability all in one handy location—both offer insight into crowd forecasting. Similarly, there’s the Disneyland Theme Park Reservation Calendar for single and multiple-day tickets. (Those are only useful on short notice—dates fill up a couple weeks in advance, at most.)
With that said, here are the best and worst times to visit Disneyland in December 2023…
We’ll start predictions here with high-level advice and narrow it from there. As a general matter, earlier in December 2023 is better than later in the month, which is probably patently obvious given the school breaks for Christmas and New Year’s the last two weeks. However, we still encounter people who are surprised the holiday season is busy because they expect everyone to be at home with their families.
Second, weekdays are all better than weekends. Saturdays and Sundays will be the two busiest days of the week despite the lower tier Magic Key passholders being blocked out.
In past years, evenings were busier as many local Annual Passholders would visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure after work to get their Christmas fix, and for the holiday season entertainment. Consequently, even “light” days on the crowd calendar would be much busier at night.
That’s still true to some extent, but less so given that only the highest tier of Magic Key passes includes free parking. Now, more locals start earlier in the day, often taking a half-day off work to get more bang for buck from their visit. The most popular day for doing this, without question, is Friday. Even other days of the week, it’s common to see crowd levels spike in the mid-afternoon.
Mondays through Thursdays are going to be the best overall days of the week to visit in the first half of December 2023. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be your absolute best bets, but there’s not a huge difference among Monday through Thursday.
Expect this to hold true December 1-15, 2023. Weekday crowds should be fairly moderate, whereas weekends will be bonkers. Think approximately 6/10 v. 9/10 on a numerical scale as a general rule, with some variance among dates.
These daily crowd trends go out the window beginning the weekend before Christmas, and continuing through the end of the year. At this time, Disneyland and DCA will see far fewer Annual Passholders (most will be blocked out) and far more tourists.
All Magic Keys are blocked out December 20, 2023 through January 2, 2024. The top tier being blocked out was a new development as of last year, and it had a slight impact on attendance the first few days, but crowd levels still hit 10/10 almost every day after that. We expect the same to be true this year–expect every day starting December 22, 2023 to have peak season holiday crowd levels of 10/10.
This also makes us pretty confident in the prediction that the weekend before those blockouts will be bonkers, as locals try to get their last visits prior to Christmas. Accordingly, expect December 15-19, 2023 to be particularly busy. Various lower tier passes have blockouts within that time frame (particularly Saturday), but it’ll still likely be a 9/10 crowd level.
The biggest wildcard is the days of December 20-21, 2023. That’s right after the blockout starts, but before tourists arrive in full force. To be sure, those days won’t be uncrowded; they will be some degree of ‘very busy’ regardless. Los Angeles and Orange County school districts are on break, and those weeks are tremendously popular with tourists. It’s simply a question of whether they’ll be 10/10 days or maybe there will be a bit of drop-off and they’re “only” 8/10 or 9/10 days. Or 10/10 days, but with slightly lower wait times. That’s a big difference this time of year.
The major thing that’ll impact attendance is Holiday Time at Disneyland—in particular Disney Merriest Nites, the parade, and nights when the Believe in Holiday Magic nighttime spectacular features fireworks (mostly Friday through Sunday nights, but see the official entertainment schedule to confirm).
During the height of Christmas season, we recommend Park Hopper tickets. Tourists with these should strongly consider mornings at Disneyland before Park Hopping to DCA. Locals from Los Angeles and Orange County who arrive after work tend to make Disneyland more crowded in the evenings.
For most of the month, 1-day tickets have Peak Season pricing. 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.
If there is rain in the forecast, we highly recommend visiting Disneyland on that day. Locals tend to avoid rainy days at Disneyland and DCA, making the parks considerably less busy than normal. This leads to a surge in attendance the day following the rain (avoid those days, or visit DCA the day after a rainy day). This might sound a bit odd or extreme, but (Southern) Californians are not used to rain, and tend to stay inside when it’s raining. We are not even kidding or exaggerating.
Early December is Southern California’s off-season in terms of tourism. Even though Disneyland and Disney California Adventure can be busy in early December, it’s primarily with Californians. As such, off-season occupancy rates will be reflected in hotel prices the first couple weeks of December. With almost zero transition, the week before Christmas through New Year’s is peak season, with exorbitant rates reflecting that.
You can find deals on off-site hotels, the first couple of weeks, but don’t expect the same for closer to the holidays. We rank our favorite (and least favorite) hotels in the area in our Disneyland Area Hotel Rankings & Reviews post. Check out discounted hotel + ticket vacation packages on Get Away Today to save money on off-site hotels.
Overall, December tends to be busier, colder, and wetter than November, which is why it falls a bit on our Best and Worst Months to Visit Disneyland in 2023. With that said, it’s still a wonderful month to visit. Even if you’re traveling during a time with yellow or red crowds, there are ways to beat the hordes of other tourists–namely by rope dropping the parks, having an efficient itinerary, and efficiently using Genie+ and Lightning Lanes (it’s worth the money). Beyond that, Disneyland Resort’s Christmas season is incredible, with holiday entertainment that makes the hassle of any crowds worthwhile.
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 December, what did you think of the experience? Have you braved the crowds during Christmas or New Year’s weeks? Did the holiday entertainment make the insane crowds ‘worth it’ for you? What are your thoughts on Holiday Time at Disneyland? Do you agree or disagree with our December 2023 crowd calendar for Disneyland and DCA? If you’ve visited Southern California in December, do you have any tips to add? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
It served as the centerpiece of the park, drawing visitors in with its dazzling beauty. I spent hours just marveling at its grandeur. Throughout the park, there were various shows and performances that celebrated the spirit of Christmas. From musicals to stage productions, there was something for everyone. The performances were filled with holiday cheer and left me feeling warm and joyful. But perhaps the most memorable part of my visit was meeting Santa Claus himself. He was stationed in a cozy little cottage, nestled in one corner of the park. I joined the queue and finally had the chance to sit on Santa's lap and share my Christmas wishes. It was a magical moment that I will never forget. Overall, the magic of Christmas at Disneyland in 1992 was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The park truly transformed into a holiday wonderland, and every corner was filled with joy and excitement. From the festive decorations to the enchanting performances, Disneyland captured the essence of Christmas perfectly. It was a visit that filled my heart with happiness and left a lasting impression on me..
Reviews for "A Timeless Celebration: Disneyland's Christmas Magic in 1992"
- John Doe - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "The magic of Christmas at Disneyland 1992". The show felt outdated and lacking in holiday spirit. The performances were mediocre at best, and the overall production value was subpar. I expected more from a Disneyland Christmas show, especially considering the hype surrounding it. Save your money and spend your holiday season elsewhere.
- Jane Smith - 2 stars - I was not impressed with "The magic of Christmas at Disneyland 1992". The show lacked creativity and originality, with predictable plotlines and uninspiring music. The costumes and set designs were underwhelming, making it difficult to immerse myself in the supposed magic of Christmas. Overall, it fell short of my expectations and I would not recommend it to others looking for a memorable holiday experience.
- David Johnson - 2 stars - "The magic of Christmas at Disneyland 1992" was a letdown. The storyline was cliché and lacked depth, failing to capture the true essence of Christmas. The performances felt forced and lacked enthusiasm. As someone who has attended other Disneyland holiday shows, this one fell short in comparison. It missed the mark in terms of delivering a magical and memorable Christmas experience. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a truly enchanting holiday show.