Walt Disney World attracts nearly a quarter million visitors every day. The Epcot theme park at Disney World is home to dozens of exciting attractions and international pavilions as well as host to many seasonal festivals. Average daily attendance at Epcot is a whopping 35,000 visitors. But the park’s estimated attendance capacity is much higher, believed to be around 110,000 visitors. As a result, Epcot is usually quite good at holding crowds. But if you plan your visit, you can avoid large crowds altogether and have an even more wonderful time at Epcot. So, what’s the best day of the week to go to Epcot?
The best days of the week to go to Epcot, in our experience, are Mondays and Wednesdays. The crowds tend to be thinnest on these two days of the week. And if you us want to pick just the one best day to go to Epcot – we’re going to go with Wednesday. This is because Mondays can still attract some crowds due to many guests booking a Thursday through Monday Disney World vacation.
Keep reading to learn more about the best days to visit Epcot, including the days of the week to avoid, the best month to go to Epcot, and the best time to go to Epcot if you’ve got Park Hopper tickets.
What is the least busy day at Epcot?
As noted, Mondays and Wednesdays tend to be the quietest days at Epcot with the smallest crowds. If you have flexibility, we recommend visiting Epcot on a Wednesday, especially if there is a festival going on, such as the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, or the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.
These festivals, understandably, attract many more visitors to Epcot than usual. Local Florida residents will make a beeline for Epcot during festival season to enjoy the amazing experiences.
What are the busiest days of the week at Epcot?
Like all Disney World theme parks, Epcot tends to be busiest on the weekends. Combine that with a festival, and Epcot can get very, very busy. For instance, a Saturday during the International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot can see record crowds. So, steer clear of Saturday and Sunday at Epcot if you can and swing by on a weekday instead.
Which weekdays is Epcot most crowded?
Among the weekdays, Epcot attracts the largest crowds on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These are the two days of the week when Disney has extra theme park hours available (guests can enter Epcot one hour earlier and stay up to 2 hours later than normal). Extra Magic Hours, as they are called, are usually available to Disney Resort hotel guests and some guests at non-Disney hotels. Epcot usually hosts Extra Magic Hours on Tuesday evening and Thursday morning (please double check the schedule during your visit – Disney can switch up the schedule during special events or when new attractions are introduced). Disney Resort hotel guests don’t have to go to Epcot on the days with Extra Magic Hours, but many of them tend to do it anyway to get “value for money.” So, we’d say avoid Tuesdays and Thursdays at Epcot if possible.
Is Epcot busy on Fridays?
Friday is almost-weekend, so it can get busy at Epcot. It probably won’t be as crowded at Epcot on a Friday as a Saturday or Sunday, but Friday is probably not the best day of the week to go to Epcot. Keep in mind that Disney World theme parks in general get a lot of visitor traffic on Friday because many guests plan a weekend trip (you only need to take Monday and Friday off and can make a mini-vacation of it). For this same reason, a Friday at Epcot can be especially crowded if it’s a long weekend with either Monday or Friday being a holiday.
What is the best time of day to go to Epcot?
If you have a Park Hopper ticket, we suggest going to Epcot later in the day. Epcot is one of the best Disney World theme parks to enjoy at night. For one, it gives you the chance to see “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth,” the music, laser, and fireworks show at Epcot. You can enjoy the show from a prime location at some of the restaurants in World Showcase while you sip on cold beer or a glass of wine. And adrenaline junkies can rejoice as well – the long lines that are common at some of the most popular Epcot rides during the day are considerably shorter after dark. Standby wait times at Mission Space, Soarin’, Spaceship Earth, and Test Track can be under 15 minutes at night when most guests are eating dinner or watching Illuminations.
Which is the worst and best month of year to visit Epcot?
Tracking crowd levels over the years, we’ve noted that February and September are the best months to visit Epcot if you want to avoid large crowds. Attendance is typically low during these months because schools are in session. An added advantage is that the weather is pleasant (if you’ve been to Orlando in August, you know how hot and humid it can get).
Not surprisingly, the spring and summer months of May, June, July, and August are peak season at Disney World and also the months when Epcot is most crowded. The holiday season of December and January also typically sees record numbers of visitors at Epcot.
Basically, you should plan your Disney World vacation in the “shoulder season,” i.e., February through April or September through November, if you want to avoid crowds at Epcot and the other Disney World theme parks.
What are some tricks to avoiding long waits at Epcot?
For the popular rides at Epcot, such as Soarin’, Test Track, and Mission Space, wait times of 60-120 minutes are commonplace. The line for Soarin’ has been known to reach 3 hours during holidays and special events.
If you don’t want to spend hours waiting in line, consider going on a Monday or Wednesday when Epcot tends to be the least crowded. Also, you can sign up for the Disney Genie service that’s being introduced to replace the FastPass+ ride reservation system. Since many guests will head over to the most popular rides first, it might help if you wait until mid-afternoon or evening when the lines might die down a bit at the popular attractions in Epcot.
Lastly, here’s a little insider tip – if you visit Epcot during the International Food and Wine Festival, wait times for the rides can actually be not bad at all. This is because the festival attracts a lot of foodies who are not too keen to go on fast rides with full tummies!
It takes a little bit of planning to beat the Epcot crowds. Let us know if your strategies to avoid crowds at Epcot worked. Did our tips on the best day to visit Epcot help?
