Visiting Disneyland in January 2024

Visiting Disneyland in January offers several advantages such as reduced crowds and pleasant weather. The park tends to be less crowded during this time, allowing visitors to enjoy shorter queues and a more relaxed experience. Additionally, the cooler temperatures provide a comfortable atmosphere for exploring the park. It is important to note, however, that because of lower crowds, Disneyland will likely have shorter park hours and more refurbishments during this month.

In 2024, January will also see the comeback of the much-awaited Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. This eagerly anticipated event offers a range of races including a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and a challenge event combining the 10K and half marathon.

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Planning a Disneyland vacation in 2024? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Disneyland Resort has to offer this year including the return of the Disneyland Half Marathon, the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and more! (You can also find our 2023 guide here!)

In This Post

January At-a-Glance

January Events

January Refurbishments & Closures

January Weather

January Disneyland Crowds

Ready to Start Planning Your Visit to Disneyland in January?

January At-a-Glance

January is one of the rainiest months of the year, so prepare accordingly. While Disneyland typically won’t close due to rain, it can mean a ride closure or two for attractions with outdoor tracks. Another thing to keep in mind is that a rainy day will mean fewer crowds. So if you’re willing to brave the rain, you may find shorter lines throughout the parks!
January is considered to be the “off-season” at Disneyland. This means fewer crowds overall. Weekends can still be busy with locals, but weekdays in January should be quite pleasant in terms of crowds.
Park hours will be shorter in January, and ride refurbishments are common. Since crowds are fewer, be prepared for shortened park hours and a few ride closures. Water rides almost always close for yearly maintenance around this time of year as the temperatures cool off.
runDisney returns to the Disneyland Resort this month! The weekend of January 11-14, 2024, will likely see some crowds due to the return of this popular event. The weekend will feature a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and a challenge event (10K and half marathon).

January Events

Disneyland in January doesn’t bring too much to the table when it comes to big events. It is the off-season, after all. But there are a few notable events to keep in mind if planning to vacation here this month.

The holiday season typically runs from mid-November through the first week of January. So the first week of the year will still be busy with holiday festivities. Holiday overlays on some of your favorite attractions will need to be removed after this point, which will mean short attraction closures during the final three weeks of January. (Be sure to check our ride refurbishment schedule below for more details.)

Lunar New Year began on January 20 in 2023, at Disney’s California Adventure. While we don’t have dates yet for 2024, we anticipate its return. Festivities included music, shows, activities, and Asian-themed dining.

January Refurbishments & Closures

*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for January 2024. (Please note that this list could change at a moment’s notice.)

Disneyland Park

Tarzan’s Treehouse is currently closed and will be receiving new theming as Adventureland Treehouse (likely to open in 2023)
Splash Mountain closed on March 31, 2023, for retheming. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is likely to open in late 2024.
Sailing Ship Columbia will close from September 11-14, 2023.
Mark Twain Riverboat will close on September 17, 2023. An opening date is yet to be announced.
Space Mountain will close on September 18, 2023. An opening date is yet to be announced.
Fantasmic! will be suspended until Spring 2024.

California Adventure Park

Golden Zephyr will close on August 28, 2023. An opening date has yet to be announced.
Rogers: The Musical completed its seasonal run on August 31, 2023.
San Fransokyo Square officially opened on August 31, 2023.

January Weather

Overall, Disneyland in January is a bit cooler with an increased risk of rain. The average high is 66 degrees and the low is typically around 48 degrees. As January is one of the rainiest months of the year, coming prepared with rain ponchos and warmer clothing would be a smart idea.

January Disneyland Crowds

Crowd calendars are very popular, but they can also be a bit unpredictable. That being said, the pandemic has made predicting crowds even more difficult than normal.

While crowd calendars can be a big help in planning your trip, keep in mind, that they are predictions at best. When designing our calendars, we take a look at events, school calendars, ticket prices, park hours, holidays, and typical monthly patterns. Unfortunately, our crowd calendars cannot predict other things such as weather, travel advisories, pandemics, or last-minute openings or closings of shows and attractions.

Crowds in January tend to be some of the lowest of the year. That being said, you may want to avoid the first week of January as holiday festivities are still taking place, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend which is known for being a bit crowded. The Disneyland Half Marathon will also bring additional crowds to the parks.