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
I’m considering planning a trip for either a Thursday or Sunday in August, is there a significant difference in the crowds between those two days during that time of the season?
Yes, Sundays in early August can still be pretty crowded since schools are still out of session. Thursdays tend to be more manageable throughout the month.
Hubby and I purchased tickets and are thinking of going Sunday the 1st! Is it going to be crowed ? We love roller coaster right!
It’s expected to be fairly crowded since it’s Labor Day Weekend. I’d be prepared for around 60min waits.
How crowded is it supposed to be on Labor Day? Should I buy Fast Lane Plus?
I would just wait until you get there to see what the lines are like before buying Fast Lane or not. Labor Day has been manageable in past years though, so I’m thinking it won’t be necessary.
I see that they finally updated Labor Day to a “Yup, it’s packed” rating after leaving it as an “Alright” rating until today.
Labor Day was definitely a packed day. Roads were backed up all the way to the end of the bridge in the morning, long lines on rides, and understaffed to boot, with many food and drink stands and kiddie rides shut down due to limited staffing.
i will be going this weekend, nov 3, the sunday. i am traveling with my husband from georgia and want to know how crowded it couldd be?? i have limited mobility and cant stand for long times. thx, doris
Isn’t the park closed for the season?
We were there the 2nd to last weekend during halloweekends. From what I understand THAT is the busiest weekend during halloweekends. We were one of the ones that was on the causeway when they shut CP down because it reached capacity, we just lingered in the staff dorm parking lot for about an hour or so and we got in as soon as they opened back up. It’s was horrendously busy both Saturday and Sunday, but we were able to get on everything we wanted! We’re going for 4 or 5 days around the 4th of July because that’s my dream…a breakers Lakeview suite on the 4th of July…Not even concerned with the crowds! Can’t wait!