Visiting Disneyland in May 2024

When it comes to visiting Disneyland in May, there are definitely a few things to keep in mind. While the weather can be extremely pleasant this time of year, there are several holidays, holiday weekends, and events to be aware of if you want to avoid bigger crowds. The month of May features Star Wars Day on May 4th, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day weekend, and Grad Nites (not officially announced yet, but likely). All that being said, with a little pre-planning May can be a wonderful time to visit the happiest place on earth!

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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

May At-a-Glance

May Events

May Refurbishments & Closures

May Weather

May Disneyland Crowds

Ready to Start Planning Your Visit to Disneyland in May?

May At-a-Glance

May temperatures are still quite pleasant but be prepared for some rain showers. Mornings could still be a bit chilly, but for the most part, temperatures are warming up. As far as rain, it is no longer considered the “rainy” season, but that doesn’t mean May won’t see some rain. It’s always good to be prepared this time of year.
Grad Nites will likely be back in 2024. Nothing has been announced yet, but these popular ticketed events will likely be returning to California Adventure in 2024. While they are a fun opportunity for graduating seniors, the parks can get a bit crowded for the rest of us. So keep this in mind when selecting your vacation dates.
Be prepared for some crowds. May is a popular month to visit with the locals. The weather is warming up, holidays and holiday weekends get busy, and Grad Nites are a special tradition for many.

May Events

May the 4th be with you! It’s Star Wars Day on May 4th, and Disney joins in on the celebration!

Holidays in May include both Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. While there are no parties, parades, or special events attached to these holidays, there are definitely a few things to keep in mind if planning to visit the parks on these days. Mother’s Day doesn’t typically see a huge surge in crowds, but you may want to make any special dining reservations early as they do book up quickly. Unlike Mother’s Day, Memorial Day weekend could be significantly busier than normal as most three-day weekends bring crowds to the Disneyland Resort. (It’s also the “unofficial” beginning of summer!)

Grad Nites is a Disneyland After Dark event that we are hopeful will be back in 2024. Last year they took place on select dates in both May and June. There were three ticket options starting at $99. Keep in mind that these special events do attract crowds to the parks on these particular dates… especially at Disney California Adventure. Here’s a look at last year’s details:

Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience at Disney California Adventure – Ticketed grads will gain access to Disney California Adventure Park after 9:00 PM for an “immersive, once-in-a-lifetime celebration.”
Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience plus a full day at Disney California Adventure – Enjoy a full day at Disney California Adventure Park before enjoying an exclusive event after 9:00 PM in the park.
Disneyland Grad Nite Private Party Experience plus a Park Hopper experience at both Disneyland theme parks – This option allows grads to spend the day at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park on the same day as well as attend the exclusive party at Disney California Adventure Park beginning at 9:00 PM.

May Refurbishments & Closures

*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for May 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.

May Weather

Overall, the weather in Anaheim is still quite pleasant in May. So if you’re looking to visit Disneyland without the summer heat or winter rain, this may be the perfect time to go. The average high is 74 degrees and the low is typically around 54 degrees. It is also typically a dryer month in terms of rain. That being said, May is an excellent time to visit in terms of weather!

May 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, 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.

May can be a popular month to visit the Disneyland Resort. With Star Wars Day on May 4th, Cinco de Mayo on May 5th, Memorial Day Weekend, and Grad Nites… there are certainly days that get very crowded with the locals. So keep these dates in mind if you are trying to avoid the crowds in May.