When is Universal Studios Hollywood least crowded?
Known as “The Entertainment Capital of L.A.,” Universal Studios Hollywood is the very first Universal Studios theme park and is located less than an hour from Disneyland. The park is still a working movie studio, and features many rides, shows, and attractions from the big screen.
Universal Studios attracts millions of visitors each year, making it one of the most popular destinations in all of Southern California, but when is the best time to go? Let’s take a look at what kind of crowds to expect throughout the year.
January
New Year’s Day – The holiday season crowds are still around for the first week of the New Year. The off season (and shorter lines) doesn’t usually begin until after the first weekend of the month.
MLK Weekend – Weekdays and weekends after the first week of January are traditionally manageable, but it does get busier for MLK Weekend. Plan on that Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (MLK Day) to be crowded.
February
Presidents Day Weekend – The off season continues into February, with light crowds on weekdays and manageable weekends. Presidents Day Weekend, however, attracts big crowds.
March – April
Spring Break – Aim for going early in March if you can. The Spring Break crowds start to pick up by the end of the month as schools get out of session, peaking on the week before Easter and the week of Easter.
May
Weekdays – Crowds aren’t too bad at Universal in most of May. Saturdays are still busy, but weekdays and Sundays tend to be manageable.
Memorial Day Weekend – The three-day weekend marks the start of the summer season as more schools get out of session. Plan on that Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to be crowded. The weekdays after Memorial Day are manageable.
June
Summer Season – For shorter wait times in June, try to go on weekdays early in the month. Weekends in all of June are crowded, and weekdays are packed as well by the last week of the month.
July
4th of July Weekend – Universal Studios is typically very crowded for the 4th of July. Try to arrive early.
The summer season is in full swing by July, and most days are very busy. Avoid the weekends if you can. Weekdays (Monday – Thursday) are your best bets for lighter crowds.
August
Summer Season – The summer season crowds are still out in early August, but start to die down on weekdays by the last two weeks of the month. Saturdays and Sundays are still crowded.
September
Labor Day Weekend – The summer crowds are back for the three-day weekend. Be prepared for that Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to be busy.
Weekdays – The summer season crowds are gone completely after Labor Day, with manageable weekdays. Saturdays are most crowded.
October
Halloween Horror Nights – The annual Halloween event is wildly popular and starts in late September through the first weekend of November. Shorter hours mean manageable crowds during the day, especially on weekdays. For lighter crowds on Halloween Horror Nights, go in September or early October. It traditionally gets very crowded on the last weeks of October around Halloween, especially on Saturdays.
Check out our updated Halloween Horror Nights: Best & Worst Dates to Go crowd guide, with our handpicked best and worst nights to visit HHN every year.
November
Veterans Day Weekend – Weekends in November are traditionally busy, including the holiday weekend. Crowds are usually light on weekdays.
Thanksgiving Weekend – Universal Studios gets crowds for the extended weekend starting on Thanksgiving Day through Sunday.
December
Grinchmas – Grinchmas takes over Universal for the holiday season in December. Expect weekends to be busy, while crowds are manageable on weekdays for most of the month. The holiday crowds peak at the end of December, so be prepared for some of the biggest crowds of the year on the week of Christmas (including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) through the end of the year (New Year’s Eve).
For crowd predictions of upcoming dates, as well as historical crowd ratings, check out the Universal Studios Hollywood Crowd Calendar.
For live crowd updates and conditions at the park, check out the Universal Studios Hollywood Crowd Tracker.
When do you think is the best time of the year to go to Universal Studios Hollywood? How crowded was it when you visited? Got any crowd tips?
Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Image: billyv
We are going to LA at the end of April (28-30) and badly want to go to Universal. It would suit our itinerary best to go on Sunday the 30th, but would the crowds be quite busy?
It shouldn’t be too bad on that day. Late April is usually manageable since that’s after the Spring Break season.
Hi. We are going to be at universal the week of march 20 for one day, probably early in the week. Do you think we should do FOL passes? We are fine with doing single rider, and want to do the shows. Thanks!
I’m thinking Front of Line won’t be necessary since most of the Spring Break season crowds should arrive a few weeks later.
Hello. At the end of Feb, (24th-28th) I’m traveling to LA and bringing 2 teenage boys to Universal Los Angeles (1st time for all of us) and want to make sure we give ourselves best chance to “see it all”. We fly in Fri night, so I am debating going Saturday (early access) and it closes later at 10pm, or Sunday , early access again, but it closes earlier at 8pm, or Monday, although shorter hours, but it’s during the week and probably less crowded. But perhaps the end of February is not too crazy. Or…. should I buy 2 day pass…. Any help planning would be greatly appreciated! The feedback has been great to read on other posts. Thanks in advance!
Also, am I correct that all the attractions are included in ticket price? Nothing additional for Harry Potter, Walking Dead etc.
Yes, everything is included. Have you thought about getting Front of Line? You should be able to easily get everything done on a Saturday or Sunday with it. If not, I would get a 2-day pass if you’re planning on going Saturday/Sunday. I think you can get everything done on Monday too since it’s expected to be manageable (30min waits, probably 60min+ for Harry Potter though).
Thank you for such a quick response and suggestions. Guess I will need to decide $115 for the one day early entry, or $129 for 2 days, (plus the $20 each day parking) or … $179 for front of the line. I’m guessing the wait for FOL is not much and makes it really worth it. BTW, I noticed you responded to someone yesterday that you didn’t think a FOL would be necessary for a mid March visit , but you suggested I consider. Is the end of February typically busier? Just want to plan. Sorry to bother you! Thanks!!!
FOL usually isn’t necessary on weekdays early in the year, but it’s a good idea on weekends, especially since the line for Harry Potter can be over 2 hours sometimes.
Thank you again!
Hi 🙂 my cousins and I are going to Universal on Tuesday 21st of February. We are considering FoL tickets since it’s a day just after the Presidents Day weekend. Is it really necessary? Or a normal ticket will do? Thanks 🙂