When planning a Disney World vacation, there are a lot of things to consider.
EPCOT
You have to figure out where you’re going to stay, which parks you want to visit, where you want to eat, how you want to get there, and (most importantly) WHEN you want to go. If you’re thinking about visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth in February, we’re here to break down what crowds look like so you can be better prepared.
General Crowds
Generally, the crowds in Disney World in February are usually light to moderate. But, there are some holidays and special events that can cause more people to be in the parks, which we’ll get into in a minute.
Magic Kingdom park entrance — February 2022
Not a ton of people take big vacations in February, since the weather isn’t usually great in a lot of places and many people just had time off from work and school for the holidays. But, the crowds have surprised us in the past. In 2022, we saw some unusually high wait times in the parks all throughout February when the month had been pretty slow in the past.
February 2022 crowds
There were quite a bit of people in the parks in February of 2022, but that could possibly be because a lot of people had rescheduled their vacations to that time due to the pandemic affecting everything for the previous 2 years.
Hollywood Studios entrance crowds at rope drop — February 2022
The good news about February is that the weather is usually colder, so it’s way more manageable in the parks even if you do have to deal with crowds!
A month-by-month guide to planning your Disney World vacation!
Important Dates
There are some times in the month of February when crowds will probably be a bit higher. Usually, the parks can be very busy during President’s Day Weekend since it’s a long weekend for a lot of schools and jobs.
President’s Day Crowds 2022
February is also when the runDisney Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend takes place. It’s usually toward the end of the month and can bring out a LOT of people. This is a popular race weekend and race weekends don’t just bring out a lot of runners, they bring out their friends and families as well!
Half Marathon banner — February 2022
Also be sure to pay attention to any major cheer/dance competitions or soccer tournaments happening over at ESPN Wide World of Sports, because that can bring a WHOLE lot of of people into the parks when the athletes aren’t competing.
ESPN Wide World of Sports
Some schools even have extended breaks in February. We’ve seen Winter Breaks and even the beginning of Spring Breaks in February, which is a big opportunity for folks to head to Disney World for vacation. These dates vary by school district and year, so just make sure to look at them ahead of time.
EPCOT Entrance — February 2022
There is also the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts! This festival kicks off in mid-January and usually runs until mid- to late-February. The festival isn’t as popular as Food and Wine or Flower and Garden, but it’s shorter, meaning there is less time for people to take advantage of it.
February 2022 Festival of the Arts Crowds
EPCOT is typically busier on the weekends in February because a lot of locals will go to the parks for the festival. The end of the festival can bring out crowds too since many might be trying to get in a last-minute trip to try out all the pretty foods!
Here’s what you need to know about visiting Disney World in February
No matter when you visit Disney World, you will probably have to deal with some kind of crowds or lines, even during the “slow” seasons. But, there are ways that you can do your best to avoid crowds, like having somewhat of a plan each day, looking at wait times ahead of your trip, taking advantage of extra hours in the parks, or buying Genie+ so you can skip some lines.
But, if you are trying to decide to go to Disney World in February instead of waiting for the warmer months, just know that the months immediately following February are most likely going to be much more crowded. March and April have a TON of people visiting Disney World due to Spring Break season.
Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World tips, news, and info.
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We’re going in February! From the 17th – 25th. Pretty much doomed because that will be Presidents Day weekend at the start of our week and a marathon weekend at the end of our week. Plus I found out that it’s also Mardi Gras week and a lot of Nola locals head to Disney to escape MG week back home. So we’ll probably be walking into a mad house lol! But hey, a crowded Disney trip is better than no Disney trip, right??
I Love many of the photos Disney food blog personnel take of the Disney Parks! Is there any way of purchasing a print of the photo in this article that shows the monorail going over the flowered Lagoon? That one’s amazing! I’ve tried a few times to get that shot but the weather the timing was never right. You guys nailed it! I’d love to get that particular photo for my wall!
Can you please update this for 2023? We were there in Feb 2022 thru first week of March, and we were also surprised at the huge crowds! Wondering if it settled down a bit this year before we plan our 2024 trip 🙂
I was there Feb 20 – 25th, 2023 and it was extremely busy! We are planning Feb 4-11, 2024 and I’m hoping to see lower crowd levels. Fingers crossed…