Key Takeaways
- Quietest months: September, October and August. Busiest: February, January and March.
- Quietest day of the week: Wednesday, at 44%. Busiest: Friday, at 58%.
- October half-term averaged 32%, February half-term 75%, against a park average of 53%.
- Animal Kingdom opens for about 11 hours a day, the shortest of the Disney parks.
Animal Kingdom crowd levels by month
The table shows Animal Kingdom's average crowd level for each month from 2022 to 2025, on Queue-Times' 0 to 100% scale where higher means busier. The park's average across all four years was 53%.
| Month | Average crowd level | Compared with the park's average |
|---|---|---|
| January | 62% | Busier |
| February | 67% | Much busier |
| March | 62% | Busier |
| April | 60% | Busier |
| May | 51% | About average |
| June | 58% | Busier |
| July | 55% | About average |
| August | 45% | Quieter |
| September | 34% | Much quieter |
| October | 45% | Quieter |
| November | 47% | Quieter |
| December | 54% | About average |
September was Animal Kingdom's quietest month at 34%, and February its busiest at 67%. As at the other Disney parks, late summer and autumn are the quiet stretch.
The best and worst days of the week
| Day | Average crowd level | Compared with the park's average |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 58% | About average |
| Tuesday | 51% | About average |
| Wednesday | 44% | Quieter |
| Thursday | 50% | About average |
| Friday | 58% | Busier |
| Saturday | 57% | About average |
| Sunday | 56% | About average |
Wednesday was the quietest day at 44%, and Friday the busiest at 58%.
The quietest and busiest weeks of the year
Averaged over 2022 to 2025, these were Animal Kingdom's five quietest and five busiest weeks. Dates are shown for 2025; in other years the same weeks start a day or two earlier or later.
Quietest weeks
- 25 to 31 August: 21%
- 1 to 7 September: 27%
- 22 to 28 September: 30%
- 27 October to 2 November: 33%
- 8 to 14 December: 35%
Busiest weeks
- 17 to 23 February: 81%
- 10 to 16 March: 68%
- 24 to 30 March: 72%
- 22 to 28 December: 83%
- 30 December to 5 January: 77%
Animal Kingdom in the UK school holidays
UK school holiday dates vary by area and year, so these are the typical weeks. Averages cover 2022 to 2025.
| UK holiday | Average crowd level | Compared with the park's average |
|---|---|---|
| February half-term (mid February) | 75% | Much busier |
| Easter holidays (the week either side of Easter Sunday) | 72% | Much busier |
| May half-term (the late May bank holiday week) | 58% | Busier |
| Summer holidays (late July and August) | 49% | Quieter |
| October half-term (late October) | 32% | Much quieter |
| Christmas (20 to 31 December) | 76% | Much busier |
For UK families, October half-term (32%) is the quietest of the school holidays at Animal Kingdom, and February half-term (75%) and Easter (72%) are among the busiest times of the year.
The best time of day
Across the day, Animal Kingdom's queues in the morning run about 3% longer than its daily average, at midday about 9% longer, and in the evening about 12% shorter.
Queues ease towards the evening, but Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other Disney parks, so the evening is short. See the next section.
How long are the queues for the big rides?
Average posted wait in 2025 for Animal Kingdom's longest queues, with 2019 alongside where the ride was open. Posted waits are the times the park displays at the entrance to each queue, averaged across every day of the year.
| Ride | Average posted wait, 2025 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar Flight of Passage | 57 min | 137 min |
| Kilimanjaro Safaris | 32 min | 54 min |
| Kali River Rapids | 29 min | 42 min |
| Na'vi River Journey | 28 min | 66 min |
| Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain | 18 min | 41 min |
| Zootopia: Better Zoogether! | 14 min | Not open |
All 5 of these rides that were open in 2019 had a shorter average posted wait in 2025.
The biggest change is Avatar Flight of Passage, which averaged 57 minutes in 2025, against 137 minutes in 2019.
Is Animal Kingdom getting busier?
| Year | Average crowd level |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 73% |
| 2021 | 46% |
| 2022 | 66% |
| 2023 | 53% |
| 2024 | 51% |
| 2025 | 44% |
Animal Kingdom's average crowd level was highest in 2019, at 73%, and was 44% in 2025. 2020 is left out because the parks were closed for months that year. So far in 2026 (January to July), the average is 43%, against 50% for the same months of 2025.
A shorter day than the other Disney parks
In our opening-hours data, Animal Kingdom was open for about 11 hours a day on average, the shortest day of the four Disney theme parks. A shorter day means fewer hours to fit in the rides, so it pays to arrive for opening.
Tickets for Animal Kingdom
All four Disney theme parks are included in the Disney 14-Day Magic Ticket, from £522.83 per adult for 2027 travel, which gives any 14 days of theme park entry within an 18-day window from the start date you choose. It includes park hopping and both Disney water parks. For travel before the end of 2026, the 2026 edition is from £580.27 per adult. With 14 days to use, you can pick the quieter days for each park from the tables above. Every Disney ticket we sell is on our Walt Disney World tickets page.
How we measured this
Crowd levels are the daily 0 to 100% crowd level published by Queue-Times for each day Animal Kingdom was open from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025, 1,458 days in all, averaged by month, weekday and week. Ride waits are average posted standby waits for each year. We update this page each month; the data runs to 1 September 2026. For today's queues, see Animal Kingdom wait times on ParkPulse.
More on timing a Disney trip: the best time to visit Disney World from the UK and our Orlando crowd calendar. Crowd calendars for the other Disney parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios.
Current Prices
Prices vary by travel date. Click a ticket for full pricing and availability.
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