Is there really a bad time to be at EPCOT?
Heavy crowds at the front of EPCOT
If the choice was to be at EPCOT or nowhere else, we’d choose EPCOT every time. That being said, there are better days than others to visit any of the parks. If you plan to visit Disney World this fall or winter season, there are a few days that you might want to avoid.
EPCOT, while being one of the larger of the four parks at Disney World, is still vulnerable to massive swings in crowd level. That’s typically one of the main reasons for bringing up a talk about the bad times to go to any of the parks at Disney World. Another reason is when tickets happen to be more pricey on certain days versus other ones.
EPCOT crowds
There is no hard and fast rule on when EPCOT or any of the other parks are going to be the busiest. For example, in years past we had seen incredible numbers of people at the parks on July 4th, but we’ve also had years where at moments, the crowds just weren’t what we expected. Here’s what it looked like over in Magic Kingdom one year:
Main Street USA on the 4th of July (2022)
And here’s what it looked like over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on the same day:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom on the 4th of July (2022)
All of that being said, we still want you to be prepared and know what the crowd levels have looked like in the past. These are some upcoming dates that correspond to holidays and events when EPCOT has traditionally been crowded in the past:
- Sept. 2 — Labor Day Weekend
- Sept. 3 — Labor Day Weekend
- Sept. 4 — Labor Day
- Oct. 7 — Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day Weekend (Fall break time for many school districts)
- Oct. 8 — Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day Weekend (Fall break time for many school districts)
- Oct. 9 — Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day (Fall break time for many school districts)
- Nov. 3 — Wine and Dine 5K
- Nov. 4 — Wine and Dine 10K
- Nov. 5 — Wine and Dine Half-Marathon and Post-race party
- Nov. 10 — Veterans Day is on a Saturday, which means many people will have Friday off work
- Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
- Nov. 12 — Veterans Day Weekend
- Nov. 22 – Thanksgiving Weekend
- Nov. 23 — Thanksgiving
- Nov. 24 — First day of Festival of the Holidays
- Nov. 25 — Festival of the Holidays opening weekend
- Nov. 26 — Festival of the Holidays opening weekend
- Dec. 23 — Jan. 1 — Christmas/New Year’s
Again, the crowd level at Disney World is always unpredictable, but if the park is filled to capacity, you will still have a great day — you’ll just encounter longer lines for everything you can imagine. The lines for rides, restaurants, and restrooms may stretch seemingly to infinity, so keep that in mind.
You could avoid ALL of these crowds!
So, you can now weigh the pros and cons, and decide if braving the crowds is worth it for you. Remember to plan ahead, stay patient, and embrace the magical moments that Disney World has to offer. Until then, keep it right here for all the latest Disney news!
Heads Up! EPCOT’s After Hours Events Are Beginning To Sell Out!
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How do you feel about being at Disney World during one of the busy times mentioned earlier? Let us know below!
The post 18 Upcoming Dates to AVOID EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog.