Is it a bad idea to visit Disneyland in August? Is heat really bad? We were considering as it will be less crowded.
It will be hot but dry heat, unlike WDW, which is hot AND humid! I much rather have hot, than hot AND humid! Many CA schools start up again like the second week of August.
I would check the Is It Packed crowd calendar for your dates. I think it’s saying it will be pretty crowded that week. Yes, schools are back locally, but I think local pass blackout dates also end? I’m not entirely sure, but I think that’s why they’re predicting high crowds that week?
Yeah, it says it lower down on that page -
August 21-24
All Magic Key passes valid again after summer season blockout
I remember being surprised it would be crowded then, because I had looked at going during those dates. We are actually going to WDW / Universal Orlando during that time, but there was a chance our Florida trip was going to fall through so I’d been checking Disneyland as a closer possibility for a shorter trip, and was surprised to see that it wasn’t a good time! When we lived in California, our kids were back in school by then, so I thought it would be quieter.
These last few years it seems like August has gotten more hot & humid than normal when we’ve been in Anaheim. Including one day last year that got up to 90% humidity and after doing that we realized, WDW couldn’t possibly be harder than this so are now more willing to try WDW in summer.
We have 4 of the 6 of my family that are extremely heat sensitive and so in any kind of over 80 degrees and/or 40% humidity they require neck fans, cooling cloths (though those work much better when it’s just the dry heat and not the humidity) and lots of AC breaks. And water. All the water.
I do feel like there’s a whole plethora of places to get out of the heat in both DLR parks that are fun/entertaining/relaxing so that does make a difference. And we usually take a midday break starting at 2 or 3 and then come back at 6-7 to miss the hottest part of the day.
As for crowds, as long as you avoid the first couple of days of each pass level unblocking, especially if that day is a Saturday (Saturday August 5 this year is the first Saturday my level of pass can be in the park) then you’ll be able to at least get moderate crowds. And going as late as you can is good too. Although, the close to September you get the hotter/more humid it is because Sept is actually the month with the hottest days in DLR.
If you want a balance of moderate weather and low crowds the best weeks IMO to look are early November before the Festival of the Holiday starts and late April (as soon as Easter is over) through early May. If you’re ok with the chance of rain instead of the higher heat, February (avoiding Presidents Day weekend & the first or last week of the Lunar New Year celebration at DLR) is also a good choice.