Just when is it the best time to visit Cedar Point?
Dubbed “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World,” the amusement park is home to a flurry of rides and attractions, including 17 roller coasters. Despite its impressive lineup, the Cedar Point’s normal operating season runs only daily from early May through Labor Day, then for nine weekends following Labor Day.
So, which dates during the operating season are the least crowded and which dates should you try to avoid?
May
If you want light crowds, a good time to visit is on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during opening week in late May through the first week of June. During this time, weekends are generally moderately busy, but come June, the summers crowds start to kick in and the weekdays are busy as well.
June – August
All of June and July is generally most crowded, especially during the 4th of July weekend. August is the same story, but by the last week of the month, there’s some relief as the summer crowds tend to die down.
September – October
In September, the park is only open on weekends and Sundays are the least crowded days.
Finally, in October, Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends takes over. The event usually draws big crowds on weekends throughout the month, so if you have to go during this time, Sundays are again the least crowded days.
That covers the park’s operating season of crowd levels. Remember that a good rule of thumb to get an idea of how packed it’s going to be is to simply look at Cedar Point’s schedule of dates and hours. If the park closes at 8 or 9:00pm, it usually means that they aren’t expecting it to be too busy. If the closing time is scheduled for 10:00pm or beyond, expect long wait times and lines for most of the popular rides and attractions.
Also, be sure to check out the park’s webcams! The live pictures allow you to easily check out just how crowded the park is right now. We sure wish other theme parks offered this kind of feature on their websites.
Crowd Calendar
For crowd predictions of upcoming dates, as well as historical crowd ratings, check out the Cedar Point Crowd Calendar.
When do you think is the best time to go to Cedar Point? How were the crowds when you last visited the park? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Image: Andrew 94
Around 30min waits is the norm during the day then usually up to 60min in the evening.
So I’m planning on going October 27th (Saturday) and was wondering how long the lines would be with the fast lane plus tickets? We plan on getting there when it opens and staying until it closes, or until ever ride has been rode.
I don’t think you’ll wait longer than 15min with Fast Lane.
I’m planning to go opening weekend, May 11&12th. What kind of waits can I expect? Hopefully will be able to manage without the added expense of Fastlane. I plan to hit it early both days and get as many rides in on SV, Mav and TTD as possible. I know weekends are generally pretty busy at any given theme park, just not sure how bad CP gets in May. Disney bad? Hopefully not. Thanks!
I’d be prepared for 30min waits, maybe more on Saturday. Opening weekend is hit and miss, sometimes it’s crowded and sometimes it’s manageable. Looks like they’ve also moved opening day a few weeks later than past years, but it usually isn’t crazy that early in the season.
Do you expect much difference in weekday crowds from June 3-7 vs June 10-14 when the 10pm weekday hours start? I no longer live in day trip distance but try and make it at least two weekdays when visiting family and want to make sure the lines aren’t terrible. Let’s assume I won’t use fast lane (though if I go by myself a second day I might do it).
It’s always better to go earlier in June, so I’d be prepared for the lines to be 20-30min longer on June 10-14. The lines are usually minimal on the first week of June (less than 20min).
I went for 2days last year around the 20th of June. Most coasters my wait was under 30mins both days, some I was able to walk right onto, with the exception of Steel Vengeance, I waited an hour and a half for it. This year I’m going the 5th and 6th and expect it to be about the same.
Will the lines Be long tomorrow July 1st
It’s expected to be crowded (60min waits is the norm).