Hollywood Studios Dec 5–6, 2026: How Crowded? Best Hours
Published November 4, 2026
Hollywood Studios is forecast at a 6 out of 10 on both December 5 and December 6. It isn’t the busiest park that weekend, and it isn’t the lightest. The number that matters more is the time of day. SupaPark’s wait data shows Slinky Dog Dash at a 30-minute median at 9 PM versus 70 minutes at noon (measured Oct 6–Nov 3, as of Nov 4). Same ride, same park, but the noon line is more than twice as long.
Forecast as of November 4, 2026. Live numbers here: Hollywood Studios crowd calendar for December 2026.
If Hollywood Studios is on your list for that weekend, plan the day around when you ride. Picking the “right” day matters less, because both days are forecast the same.
The verdict for Dec 5–6
As of Nov 4, SupaPark’s crowd forecast puts the four parks like this for the weekend:
- EPCOT: 7/10 average, the busiest park in the window
- Hollywood Studios: 6/10 average
- Animal Kingdom: 5/10 average
- Magic Kingdom: 5/10 average, tied for lightest
Hollywood Studios is a reasonable choice either day. You don’t need to avoid it, but you shouldn’t expect walk-ons at midday either. A 6 means a normal, working park day. If you show up at 11 AM and go straight for the headliners, you’ll feel it. If you start early, take a break midday and come back for the evening, you can get a lot done.
Keep in mind these are forecasts made a month out. Holiday-season weekends can move, so check the crowd calendar again the week of your trip.
Day by day
Saturday, Dec 5: Hollywood Studios 6/10. Every park peaks on Dec 5 in the forecast: EPCOT 7, Hollywood Studios 6, Animal Kingdom 5, Magic Kingdom 5. Of the four, Magic Kingdom is the full-day pick that Saturday, and it doesn’t have a party night.
Sunday, Dec 6: Hollywood Studios 6/10. The forecast is the same as Saturday, but the situation around it is different. Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on Dec 6, and the park closes early to day guests. Guests who would normally spend the evening at Magic Kingdom go somewhere else, and Hollywood Studios is one of the obvious places they go. The forecast still says 6, but Sunday evening at the Studios may feel a little busier than Saturday evening. That’s an inference from the party schedule, not part of SupaPark’s forecast.
Other parks on Dec 6: EPCOT 7, Animal Kingdom 5, Magic Kingdom 5 (with the early close).
Best and worst hours at Hollywood Studios
These numbers come from the recent pattern: the median posted wait across Hollywood Studios’ five busiest rides, measured by SupaPark from Oct 6 to Nov 3. They are not measurements of Dec 5–6. Daily patterns tend to hold from week to week, though, so they’re a good guide.
- 9 AM: 38 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)
Waits stay high from late morning through the afternoon. The evening is when they really drop.
Here’s what that means for the two rides most people plan around:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets had a 15-minute median at 8 AM versus 53 minutes at noon. If you ride it first thing, it’s a short wait. If you ride it at lunch, it takes nearly an hour.
Slinky Dog Dash had a 30-minute median at 9 PM versus 70 minutes at 12 PM. Most guests run to Slinky at opening, but the data points the other way. Ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at opening and save Slinky for the night.
The strategy for either day:
- Arrive early and ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first. The 8 AM numbers are by far the best for that ride.
- Get the morning rides done before 11 AM. That’s when the park reaches its 50-minute plateau.
- Leave or slow down from late morning through mid-afternoon. Have a long lunch, go back to the hotel or watch shows. The median doesn’t drop below 45 minutes until the evening.
- Come back for the evening and ride Slinky late. By 8 PM the median is down to 30 minutes, and 9 PM is the lowest point of the day. Holiday-season hours vary, so check Hollywood Studios’ closing time for Dec 5–6 in My Disney Experience. If the park closes before 9 PM, aim for the last hour before close instead. If you’re in line before the park closes, you still get to ride, so the last few minutes are worth using.
The common mistake is spending a whole Saturday at 6/10 Hollywood Studios from 11 AM to 5 PM. That’s the 45–50 minute stretch, and it’s when you’ll ride the least.
Which park to pick instead
If your dates are flexible, you can do better than Hollywood Studios on both days.
Dec 5: Magic Kingdom (5/10). It’s tied for the lightest park and has no party. Recent mornings there have been very short. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had a 9-minute median at 8 AM versus 35 minutes at 5 PM, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin had 5 minutes at 8 AM versus 38 at 4 PM. Its busiest rides averaged 24 minutes at 8 AM, the lowest point of its day, and climbed to 45 minutes around 4–5 PM. Go early and you’ll get the most out of it.
Dec 6: Animal Kingdom (5/10). Magic Kingdom loses its evening to the party, so Animal Kingdom is the better full day on Sunday. It also works well with a late start. Its five busiest rides peaked at 40 minutes at 11 AM and dropped to 15 at 5 PM and 10 at 6 PM. Kilimanjaro Safaris went from 53 minutes at 11 AM down to 10 at 3 PM, and Na’vi River Journey went from 45 minutes at 11 AM to 10 at 7 PM. If you’d like a slow morning, an afternoon and evening at Animal Kingdom fits the data.
The park to avoid either day: EPCOT (7/10). It’s the busiest park both days, and its recent pattern gets worse as the day goes on. The busiest rides went from 30 minutes at 8 AM to 60 minutes around 4 PM. Test Track had a 73-minute median at 4 PM versus 30 at 8 AM, and Frozen Ever After had 65 minutes at 2 PM versus 20 at 8 AM. If you have to do EPCOT, go early.
A good split for a two-day weekend: Magic Kingdom on Saturday, then Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom on Sunday. If you go to Hollywood Studios on Sunday, use the early-morning and evening plan above.
Waits change throughout the day on a 6/10 day. Set a wait-drop alert in SupaPark (supapark.com) for Slinky Dog Dash and it will tell you when the line drops, so you don’t have to keep checking.
The one thing to remember
Both days are forecast at 6/10, so picking Saturday or Sunday makes little difference. What you ride and when does: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at opening, Slinky at night, and a break in the middle of the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How crowded will Hollywood Studios be on December 5–6, 2026?
As of Nov 4, SupaPark forecasts Hollywood Studios at 6 out of 10 on both Dec 5 and Dec 6. That’s moderate: busier than Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom (both 5) but lighter than EPCOT (7).
What time is Slinky Dog Dash shortest?
Over the last 30 days, SupaPark measured Slinky Dog Dash at a 30-minute median at 9 PM versus 70 minutes at noon. Late evening is usually the best time to ride it.
Should I rope drop Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or Slinky Dog Dash?
Based on recent patterns, start with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, which had a 15-minute median at 8 AM, and save Slinky Dog Dash for the evening, when its line is at its shortest.
Which Disney World park is least crowded on Dec 5–6, 2026?
Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are tied at 5/10. Magic Kingdom is the better full-day pick on Dec 5, and Animal Kingdom is better on Dec 6 because Magic Kingdom closes early to day guests for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
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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.