It’s always a good day to go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, right? While any day in Disney World is probably gonna be more exciting than a day spent NOT in Disney World, there are definitely some “good,” “better,” and “best” days to visit Hollywood Studios.

If you’re planning your Disney vacation right now, be sure to mark down these days so that you remember to AVOID the crowd chaos that we’re expecting in the park!

On all of the following dates, we’re expecting pretty big crowds to be in Hollywood Studios, for a variety of reasons. That means higher wait times for the rides and bigger crowds throughout the park.

If it’s unavoidable and you just HAVE to go to Hollywood Studios on one of these days, skip down to the bottom of this post to find some expert tips and tricks on how to handle the crowds and still get on your favorite attractions!

runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend

The runDisney races typically bring pretty big crowds to Disney World. One upcoming event takes place on April 18th through 21st: The runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend.

This warning isn’t specific to Hollywood Studios — we’re expecting pretty big crowds throughout all four Disney World parks during this weekend. You may also find that some roads are affected by the races, as Disney shuts down certain areas for the runners. Usually, the races affect roads near EPCOT.

Another runDisney event in 2024 that will likely bring more crowds to the parks is the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, which takes place from October 31st through November 3rd.

Learn about all of the runDisney events here!

Cheerleading and Dance Competitions

Watch out for these upcoming cheer and dance competitions. Disney frequently hosts events like this over at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, and the participants and their families typically stay at the All Star Resorts, so expect those hotels to be super busy during these times. The parks are usually extra busy too, as participants visit before and after their events.

From April 24th through 26th, the ICU Junior World and World Cheerleading Championships will bring TONS of people to Disney World. During that same weekend, from April 26th through 28th, Disney World will also host The Cheerleading Worlds and The Dance Worlds championship events. So that weekend will see BIG crowds!

On May 2nd through 5th, the Summit 2024 Championship will be held (this is another cheerleading competition), with The Dance Summit being held on May 3rd through 5th. So expect DOUBLE the crowds to descend upon Hollywood Studios. The D2 Summit will be held on May 10th through 12th.

We’ve found that Disney Springs tends to get super busy in the evenings during these competitions, so we’d advise avoiding that shopping and dining district if possible on these dates. You could also choose to visit the Springs earlier in the day to avoid the evening rush.

Check out our SECRET to avoiding the crowds during peak travel season.

May the Fourth (Be With You)

May 4th is Star Wars Day! If you’re a big fan of the film franchise, then Hollywood Studios (and specifically Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge) is EXACTLY where you’ll want to be.

However, if you don’t feel the need to celebrate the sci-fi holiday, you’ll definitely want to avoid this park, because we’re expecting a LOT of extra people to be there for the event.

In fact, Park Pass Reservations for Hollywood Studios are already SOLD OUT for Disney World Annual Passholders, which means it’s definitely going to be a busy day.

Learn more about Galaxy’s Edge (the Star Wars land) here!

Memorial Day Weekend

May 25th through 27th is Memorial Day Weekend, which — like any other holiday weekend — often brings BIG crowds to Disney World.

We generally tell folks to steer clear if they don’t like crowds and plan their trip for a different weekend instead. Also, this is when the Disney Memorial Day Soccer Tournament happens.

June 5th

This date might seem super random, but that’s why it could creep up on you! Hollywood Studios is closing EARLY on June 5th, at 5:30PM instead of its usual 9PM or 10PM.

The early closure is due to a special event being hosted in Hollywood Studios that evening for the SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference. So, if you’re going to be visiting Hollywood Studios on that day, you may want to rearrange your plans. Of course, if you have the Park Hopping option added to your Disney World tickets, you can just go to another park once 5:30PM hits. Or, you can go to Disney Springs or one of the Disney World Resort hotels instead!

After Hours Event Dates

Disney World hosts After Hours events at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios. Attending an After Hours event is a great way to get on some of your favorite rides with little to no wait, but if you’re NOT going to this extra-ticketed event, you’ll probably want to avoid Hollywood Studios that evening.

The events don’t cut park hours short (hence the name “after hours”), but anyone who has a ticket to these events can enter the park early, starting at 7PM (even though the after-hours party doesn’t start until 9:30PM). That means there will be EXTRA people in the park for the last few hours of the normal opening time.

We frequently recommend waiting until just before park closing time to hop in line for some of the most popular attractions, because wait times tend to drop in the later evening. However, that trick won’t work if there are a lot of extra people wandering around, waiting for the After Hours party to start. They’ll probably hop in line too, which will drive up the wait times.

Here’s a list of days when After Hours events take place in Hollywood Studios:

• Wednesday, May 22
• Wednesday, May 29
• Wednesday, June 12
• Wednesday, June 19
• Wednesday, June 26
• Wednesday, July 10
• Wednesday, July 17
• Wednesday, July 24
• Wednesday, July 31
• Wednesday, August 7
• Wednesday, August 14
• Wednesday, August 21
• Thursday, August 29

If you’re looking for a way to avoid the crowds and get on a lot of rides, you might want to consider skipping the normal park ticket and buying a ticket to the After Hours event instead. Most restaurants won’t be open (which is a bummer), but the ride wait times are MUCH lower than you’ll see during the day.

Learn more about After Hours in Hollywood Studios here!

How to BEAT the Crowds

If you’ll be in Disney World on any of these days, we recommend taking advantage of skip-the-line services like Genie+, Mobile Order, and Mobile Merchandise Checkout to save time throughout your day.

Genie+ is the paid skip-the-line service that allows you to make “Lightning Lane” reservations at attractions throughout the day so that you can skip the standby line and save time. Some of the most popular rides are NOT included in Genie+ and instead have “a la carte” Lightning Lanes.

Click here to learn everything you need to know about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.

With Mobile Order, you can use the My Disney Experience app to order your food at quick service restaurants and then skip the lines when you arrive at the restaurant. Mobile Checkout is a similar feature that allows you to pay for your souvenirs on the app instead of waiting in the lines to check out at the counter.

You can use the rope drop strategy to get on more rides, too. Rope drop means you get to the theme parks well before they open (at least a half hour early) so you’re ready to head straight for your top-priority rides once the gates open. The crowds will look big, but the wait times early in the morning are generally much shorter than you’ll see later in the day.

If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel or one of the good neighbor hotels, don’t forget about Early Theme Park Entry. Guests at these hotels get to go inside the parks a full half hour before all the other visitors!

See a list of hotels that qualify for Early Entry here.

You may also have some luck if you stay in the parks late, as we typically see crowds die down the closer you get to the parks’ closing times.

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on the latest Disney news and planning tips to help you prepare for your upcoming trip!

Click here for the ULTIMATE guide to planning a Disney World trip!

What’s your favorite thing to do in Hollywood Studios? Let us know in the comments!