Hollywood Studios Crowds Jan 4–9, 2027: Forecast

By Samantha B. · Mom of five · Winter Park, FL

Published November 14, 2026

Here’s the move for Hollywood Studios the week of Jan 4–9, 2027: go Monday the 4th, Wednesday the 6th or Thursday the 7th, and avoid Friday and Saturday. SupaPark’s crowd forecast (as of Nov 14) has the park at 6/10 on those three weekdays and 8/10 on both Jan 8 and Jan 9.

Forecast as of November 14, 2026. Live numbers here: Hollywood Studios crowd calendar for January 2027.

The day that looks best, Tuesday Jan 5, comes with a catch. At 5/10 it’s the lightest Studios day of the week, but it’s also a Disney Jollywood Nights party night, so the park closes early to day guests. A light forecast doesn’t help much if you lose the evening, and the evening is when this park gets easiest.

That’s the other number to plan around. In SupaPark’s recent wait data, the median posted wait across Hollywood Studios’ five busiest rides is 50 minutes at 11 AM and 20 minutes at 9 PM. Most of your savings at this park come from the hours you choose, not just the date.

The Verdict for Jan 4–9

For the week, Hollywood Studios averages 6.5/10 in SupaPark’s forecast. That makes it the second-busiest park, behind EPCOT (7.5/10) and ahead of Animal Kingdom (5.7/10) and Magic Kingdom (5.5/10).

The pattern is simple. The week starts moderate and steady, then jumps two full levels on Friday. If you’re putting one Studios day into a Disney World trip that week, put it early. If your only choice is the 8th or 9th, you can still have a good day, but you’ll need a sharper plan around the hours (more below).

The 8/10 weekend fits a familiar pattern. Weekends at Disney World tend to run busier, so if you have a pool or rest day planned, Jan 9 is a smart place for it.

Day by Day

Here’s SupaPark’s crowd forecast for Hollywood Studios each day, as of Nov 14:

• Mon, Jan 4: 6/10. A solid choice. It’s a full day with no early close, and crowds are moderate. This is one of the three best picks.
• Tue, Jan 5: 5/10. This is the lightest forecast of the week, but it’s a Disney Jollywood Nights night, so the park closes early to day guests. It’s a good fit only for a short, morning-heavy visit. If your group is the stay-until-close type, skip it.
• Wed, Jan 6: 6/10. It’s as good as Monday. If you’re flexible, this is the cleanest middle-of-the-week choice.
• Thu, Jan 7: 6/10. It’s the last calm day before the weekend jump. It’s still a strong pick.
• Fri, Jan 8: 8/10. This is tied for the busiest Studios day of the week, and it’s Hollywood Studios’ peak in the forecast. Animal Kingdom also peaks that day.
• Sat, Jan 9: 8/10. It’s just as busy, and it’s the worst day of the week at EPCOT (9/10), so a lot of the resort is crowded that day.

A note on Jan 5: the published Jollywood Nights season runs through Jan 5, so it’s the last party night of the season. No later dates that week are on that calendar.

Planning around this? See crowds for my dates.

Best and Worst Hours

These numbers are SupaPark’s measured median posted waits for the last 30 days (Oct 16–Nov 13). They show the park’s recent daily pattern, not a measurement of Jan 4–9 itself. Still, the shape usually holds from week to week, and it’s very clear.

Hollywood Studios, five busiest rides (median posted wait):

• 9 AM: 35 min
• 11 AM: 50 min (the daily high)
• 2 PM: 50 min
• 5 PM: 45 min
• 8 PM: 30 min
• 9 PM: 20 min (the daily low)

The park fills up fast in the morning, stays busy from late morning through mid-afternoon, then empties out at night. Two headliners show the gap clearly:

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: 15 min at 8 AM vs 50 min at 11 AM. This is your first-thing ride. An 8 AM ride usually means getting in early, and resort guests get Early Theme Park Entry 30 minutes before official open. It also has a single rider line, a useful backup if your group doesn’t mind splitting up.
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: 10 min at 9 PM vs 48 min at 12 PM. Don’t wait in line for this one at lunchtime. Save it for your last hour.

So here’s how I’d plan the day. Do Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first. Use the 11 AM–2 PM peak for rides you’ve already lined up a return time for, or for indoor, low-stress options like Toy Story Mania, which works well midday when everyone is fading. Then save Runaway Railway, plus anything else with a long line, for after 8 PM.

Parents of nervous kids: the late evening is also the best time to try Rise of the Resistance on standby. Lines often shrink at the end of the night, and you can step out of line without having paid for a skip-the-line pass you didn’t use.

The catch: that 9 PM dip only helps if the park is open that late on your date. On Jan 5 it isn’t, because of the early close for day guests. Check the park hours for your date before you plan your evening around it.

You don’t have to memorize any of this. SupaPark’s best-time forecaster shows these windows ride by ride. A wait-drop alert can let you know when Runaway Railway drops below a wait you choose, so you aren’t refreshing the app all evening. The free plan covers one live watch at a time.

Which Park to Pick Instead

If you’re choosing between parks and avoiding crowds matters most, here’s the order for Jan 4–9:

1. Magic Kingdom, Jan 4–7 (5/10). This is the lightest park of the week. It stays at 5/10 for four straight days before climbing to 6 on the 8th and 7 on the 9th.
2. Animal Kingdom, Jan 4–7 (5/10). It’s equally light early in the week, with a 7/10 peak on Jan 8 and Jan 9.
3. Hollywood Studios, Jan 4, 6 or 7 (6/10). Choose Jan 5 only if a shorter day works for your group.
4. EPCOT, Jan 4–7 (7/10). It’s the busiest park all week. If you’re going, go early in the week, and avoid Saturday the 9th (9/10).

If you’re doing all four parks in six days, here’s a plan that puts each park on a lighter day: Hollywood Studios on the 4th, EPCOT on the 6th or 7th, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on the remaining early-week days, and the weekend for whichever park is your second visit or a rest day.

The Takeaway

Pick Jan 4, 6 or 7 for Hollywood Studios. Ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first thing and save Runaway Railway for the last hour. Treat Jan 5’s light forecast with caution because of the early close. The difference between 11 AM and 9 PM is bigger than the difference between any two days this week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best day to visit Hollywood Studios between Jan 4 and Jan 9, 2027?

Monday Jan 4, Wednesday Jan 6 and Thursday Jan 7 are the best choices, all at 6/10 in SupaPark’s forecast with no early close. Jan 8 and Jan 9 both forecast at 8/10.

Does Hollywood Studios close early on Jan 5, 2027?

Yes. Jan 5 is a Disney Jollywood Nights party night, so the park closes early to day guests. That’s why the 5/10 forecast is less useful than it looks.

What time of day are Hollywood Studios lines shortest?

In SupaPark’s data for Oct 16–Nov 13, the median wait across the park’s five busiest rides dropped to 20 minutes at 9 PM, compared with a 50-minute high at 11 AM. This is the recent pattern, not a measurement of January itself.

Which Disney World park is least crowded Jan 4–9, 2027?

Magic Kingdom, which averages 5.5/10 for the week in SupaPark’s forecast. EPCOT is the busiest, averaging 7.5/10 and peaking at 9/10 on Jan 9.

Keep planning: today’s crowd forecast · is Lightning Lane worth it

Go deeper — the full guides: Disney World Crowds Nov 9–14, 2026: Forecast · Best Free Fireworks Viewing Spots at Magic Kingdom · Magic Kingdom Dec 21–23, 2026: Crowd Levels and Best Hours

SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.

Heading to Hollywood Studios? Check Hollywood Studios wait times right now and how busy Hollywood Studios is today.