Best days & times to avoid crowds

[BuschGardener]

I'd like to get everyone's opinions on what the best days and times are to avoid crowds/long lines at the park. I've tried to track crowd patterns with the "Ride Hopper" app and a spreadsheet [obsessive, I know :shocked: ] but am fairly convinced that the park has someone entering times into it - as the trends are too predictable day after day to be real.

I typically try to visit the park on Fridays in the early season, but have heard people say that Sundays are just as slow. I usually go Monday through Wednesday during peak season, get there early and leave before the after-work crowd piles in.

I'd particularly like to hear from employees of the park, as you probably notice scheduling trends. For the record - I really don't mind crowds, or lines all that much. I usually visit the park with my wife and daughter, and my wife has motion sickness issues and really only enjoys Das Autoban, shows and shops, so I'd like to be able to maximize ride time, and minimize wait time while in the park. Thanks!

 

[Ben]

Not in any particular order

1: Saturdays...
2: Fourth of July week
3: Memorial day weekend
4: Pass Preview day(Sorta)
5: Opening day
6: Howl O Scream Saturdays(Even more than regular Saturdays
7: CT Saturdays(About the same as HOS Saturdays)
8: Concert Days(Sorta)

 

[pandorazboxx]

To clarify Ben is saying don't go any of those days! Haha.

Oh and never go the day after Thanksgiving either. Honestly for me I've never ran into problems going Fridays and Sundays. I'm sure Mondays through Thursdays in the summer are the least crowded unless there is a holiday.

 

[netdvn]

Any day during the hot season. Even Saturdays are pretty manageable with minimal crowds. Of course you have to watch out for thunderstorms, but those don't last very long.

During HOS, Fridays and Sundays are good. As it gets closer to Halloween, the park gets busier and busier. Go toward the middle of October for minimal crowds and decent scares.

During CT, Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are good. Fridays and Sundays early in the season are also good. Stay away from the park two days before and one day after Christmas as the park gets pretty busy around those times.

Watch for temperatures. Early spring may be good, but only when the weather is cold. Once it warms up, expect the park to be packed. Same with Christmas Town, if it's cold enough, people stay away from the park.

July 4th weekend is an odd one. Some years the park is completely dead until fireworks time. Other years the park closes to capacity in the afternoon. This year it was pretty dead on the 3rd and 4th.

If there's a good rain in the forecast, the park is bound to be dead. Before Sandy hit VA, the park was virtually empty.

 

[chickenking]

The short list:
- Summer months: Monday through Thursday
- Howl-O-Scream & Christmas Town: Friday & Sunday
- Holidays are exceptions
- Pleasant weather trumps all

 

[Shafor]

Check the weather. Nothing predicts the crowds like the weather report. A Tuesday could have Saturday-like crowds if it's 85 and sunny. If it's under 75 or over 95,or calling for ANY type of rain, it won't be crowded.

 

[Jesy]

I went every Friday and Sunday of HOS. Both days are good. Attendance, disregarding weather, builds during the event. I found that Fridays were somewhat better than the following Sunday and somewhat worse than the preceding Sunday. If you're only going one day skip at least the first weekend and probably the second because of adverse staffing/decorating/training/adaptation issues. These are issues that I've noted since HOS began, so probably not going away. Scare actors need time to develop their scare techniques; I understand this but not so much the staffing deficits. I also went Fridays and Sundays during CT and found the same attendance patterns to hold. However, CT didn't experience any of the adverse issues I recounted above. And like others said, the Friday after Thanksgiving is crazy-crowded. Avoid.

 

[redsoxfan787]

If you don't mind rain, those are the best days. I personally don't mind it, I just use a poncho. But I go to KD and BG in the rain, get the whole park to yourself

 

[Nora]

One thing I would like to add is evenings. (Except Howl-O-Scream and Christmas Town). Even in the peak of summer, the crowds die down after 5pm. Most of the early bird park goers with small children reach their tolerance level for the day and head home. If the park is open late, say around ten... an late evening run through the park for dinner and some rides is a peaceful treat.

 

[Jrbgwfan06]

Hey I know one day where there is absolutely nobody in the park......Mother's Day.... The Year that Griffon was opening when I was 7 or 8 I was going with My Aunt Caye and my sister. Well we had no idea that there was such a thing as a soft opening, and we ran into family friends. They told us that Griffon was open so We go there immediately. Well, I wasn't tall enough, so I waited outside while they went on it. Since there was nobody there The line was only 30 mins!!!!! That is compared to 4 hours on real opening day...

 

[Party Rocker]

One thing I would like to add is evenings. (Except Howl-O-Scream and Christmas Town). Even in the peak of summer, the crowds die down after 5pm. Most of the early bird park goers with small children reach their tolerance level for the day and head home. If the park is open late, say around ten... an late evening run through the park for dinner and some rides is a peaceful treat.

I have seen some pretty busy summer evenings, probably due to Illuminights, mostly towards the weekends, but otherwise I agree the crowd does seem to die down in the night, sometimes.

 

[Nora]

True. But as a season pass member, I find that I am in no rush to see everything in one go. I enjoy sitting down for a dinner and a ride or two and then just going home. It is one of the perks of living close to the park. If for some odd reason a day that is typically quiet is somehow busy, I adjust my agenda for the day to accommodate what is enjoyable. For instance, I may spend more time in the shops and shows. If it isn't and the rides are operational (meaning the weather is still cooperating), I take advantage of those moments and ride coasters like crazy. Evenings to me, regardless of the crowds, are the best on summer days as the weather becomes a little bit more tolerable.

 

[chickenking]

Yeah, same here. I usually plan for 4-6 hours.

 

[Party Rocker]

I plan full day trips, spending every second in that park while its open to make the most out of my day.

 

[Ludwig II]

I plan full day trips, spending every second in that park while its open to make the most out of my day.

Yeah the only problem with that (at least for me) is, after awhile, it becomes a marathon. Now, with any other park except BGW, I would agree with you that the full trip, maybe even two days, to experience everything is the way to do it.

 

[Celticdog]

Based upon my past experiences and as a pass holder, I agree with Nora. the evenings, even fridays are often less crowded and often times downright empty. I know it will be a good night, when they park us in England.

 

[Suswa]

It has passed for this year, but Easter Sunday is an excellent day to avoid lines and crowds in the AM.

 

[PrincessArlenasDad]

How crowded do you think it'll be Friday, July 5? Worth it to get a quick queue for this day? We're using the Heroes tickets, so it will be our 1 day in the park for the year (traveling from MD for the holiday weekend).

 

[Zachary]

It's probably going to be absurdly packed but I still always advise people to wait till they get to the park to decide whether or not to buy QuickQueue. All it takes is a 30% chance of thunderstorms in the forecast the night before to empty out the park and render all that money you spent ahead of time completely useless. Be prepared for crowds and have the money set aside for QuickQueue, but wait and see how the crowds look in person before buying.

 

[netdvn]

July 5th wasn't too bad last year as people head to the park around the 3rd and 4th, leaving on the 5th. Since it's on a Friday this year, expect heavier than normal Friday crowds. Saturday-Sunday shouldn't be too bad either.