Least Crowded Days To Visit Universal Orlando 2026

TouringPlans Crowd Calendar that factors in national holidays, school vacations, and historical trends. The crowd calendar can even provide more fine-grained details, such as per-park crowd rankings and expected wait times. Our stats and dev team periodically update the inputs for the Crowd Calendar, and sometimes the ratings change, such as a Crowd Level 4 day becomes a 3 or a 5. Single-level changes are common and expected; attraction wait times will adjust by a few minutes shorter or longer. Finally, Universal is significantly less crowded during weekdays than on weekends.

Escape to warmer weather now! The end of January is a great time to visit with low crowds and short waits in the theme parks, and the hotels are also running deals on rooms. Last year I visited in late January and had a fantastic time with my boyfriend. There is one big issue with January touring: the weather. Temperatures will fluctuate from the 70s and 80s down to sub-freezing temperatures over a few days, causing many rides and Volcano Bay to shut down due to the cold. Said boyfriend didn’t get to do Hulk on our trip due to it being too cold to run.
© Universal

Skip President’s Day week; it’s a madhouse as everyone who talked about a trip over Christmas chose this weekend as a time to visit. But otherwise, February is a wonderful time to visit. The weather is slightly less chaotic than in January, and the incredible Mardi Gras event is occurring daily! Mardi Gras is a food and entertainment festival with dozens of food booths, live music, dancing, and even a full-blown, bead-throwing parade! And on select weekend nights, big headline name acts perform on the Music Plaza Stage, included in admission.

Mid-May is the perfect time to visit if you must visit around the summer time period and don’t want to worry about the hurricane season. May offers warm temperatures, mild weather, fewer seasonal attraction refurbishments, and longer park hours! Don’t sleep on a mid-May trip to Universal Orlando, especially to celebrate Epic Universe’s 1st anniversary! Best days are May 3-7, 10-15, and 17-22.
Halloween Horror Nights. (photo by Mike Sperduto)

For the longest period of low crowds, look to visit during the weekdays in September. September is historically a low period for several reasons: the first full month back for kids in school, the sweltering September humidity and heat, and the world-famous Florida hurricane season. But if you’re willing to pull the kids out of school (or go alone, I don’t judge), bring a cooling towel, and ok with moving if a hurricane hits, September is a great time to visit. In addition to low crowds around the park,s you’ll have the chance to experience Halloween Horror Nights in USF, a world-renowned scary Halloween event.

Don’t care about Halloween? First of all, how dare you, but also, I get it. Sorry, probably flew off the handle there. Anyway, if you feel drawn to visit Universal Orlando outside of events but when it’s slightly cooler, but not possibly freezing, then check out early November as a time to visit. Attraction wait times are down as locals are Universal’d out from Horror Nights, and tourists are waiting to visit during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sure, you won’t get the great holiday events, but you’ll have low-cost hotel rooms, cheaper park tickets, and lower wait times. Best dates include November 1, 3-4, 9-10, and 17-19.
(photo by Michael Carelli)

My favorite time to visit Universal Orlando is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, that magical time when few want to take a vacation but all the holiday festivities are out in full force. Temperatures are cooler than normal, but not freezing, and there is little to no rain. The real reason to visit now are the amazing holiday shows and parades availalbe. See some giant balloons shaped like Minions? Check. A full blown musical with the Grinch? Check. Meeting Earl the Squirrel? Check eheck check. The least crowded days include December 1 – 4, 7-11, and 14-16.
When is your favorite time to visit Universal Orlando? Leave your best plans in the comments below!

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