How Busy Is Disney World Thanksgiving Week

By Laura T. · Adult Disney · Wisconsin

Published November 14, 2026

Thanksgiving week at Disney World is busy in one park and close to calm in two others. SupaPark’s crowd forecast for Nov 21–29, 2026, pulled on Nov 14, puts EPCOT at an average of 6.9 out of 10 with three days at 8. Magic Kingdom averages 3.4 and never goes above 4. Which park you pick matters more than which day you pick.

Holiday week: Thanksgiving week crowd forecast.

The verdict for Thanksgiving week

Here is the SupaPark crowd forecast for Nov 21–29, by park, on a 10-point scale:

• EPCOT: averages 6.9, with a peak of 8. It is the busiest park of the week.
• Hollywood Studios: averages 5.1, with a peak of 6 on Thanksgiving Day.
• Animal Kingdom: averages 3.6, with a peak of 4.
• Magic Kingdom: averages 3.4, with a peak of 4. It is the lightest park of the week.

On Thanksgiving Day itself, Thursday, Nov 26, the forecast is EPCOT 8, Hollywood Studios 6, Magic Kingdom 4 and Animal Kingdom 3.

A forecast is a read on the day, not a guarantee. Treat these as the best current estimate as of Nov 14, and check again closer to your dates.

Day by day, Nov 21 to Nov 29

Forecast crowd level out of 10 for every day of the window:

• Sat, Nov 21: Magic Kingdom 4, EPCOT 8, Animal Kingdom 4, Hollywood Studios 5
• Sun, Nov 22: Magic Kingdom 3, EPCOT 6, Animal Kingdom 4, Hollywood Studios 5
• Mon, Nov 23: Magic Kingdom 3, EPCOT 6, Animal Kingdom 3, Hollywood Studios 5
• Tue, Nov 24: Magic Kingdom 4, EPCOT 6, Animal Kingdom 2, Hollywood Studios 4
• Wed, Nov 25: Magic Kingdom 3, EPCOT 7, Animal Kingdom 4, Hollywood Studios 5
• Thu, Nov 26: Magic Kingdom 4, EPCOT 8, Animal Kingdom 3, Hollywood Studios 6
• Fri, Nov 27: Magic Kingdom 3, EPCOT 8, Animal Kingdom 4, Hollywood Studios 6
• Sat, Nov 28: Magic Kingdom 4, EPCOT 7, Animal Kingdom 4, Hollywood Studios 5
• Sun, Nov 29: Magic Kingdom 3, EPCOT 6, Animal Kingdom 4, Hollywood Studios 5

A low number at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios can come with a shorter day. Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on Nov 24, Nov 25, Nov 27 and Nov 29. Hollywood Studios hosts Disney Jollywood Nights on Nov 21, Nov 23 and Nov 28. Both parks close early to day guests on those nights. Thanksgiving Day, Nov 26, is not a party night at either park.

Planning around this? See crowds for my dates.

Best and worst hours

SupaPark also measures the median posted wait across each park’s five busiest rides, hour by hour. The figures below cover the last 30 days, Oct 16 to Nov 13. They show the recent daily pattern, not a measurement of Thanksgiving week, so use them for the shape of the day and not as a promise for the holiday.

• EPCOT: lowest at 8 AM, at 30 minutes. It is 43 minutes by 9 AM and peaks at 60 minutes at 5 PM, then eases to 45 minutes at 8 PM.
• Hollywood Studios: 35 minutes at 9 AM, a 50-minute peak at 11 AM, and a low of 20 minutes at 9 PM.
• Magic Kingdom: lowest at 8 AM, at 20 minutes. The peak is 45 minutes at 3 PM, and it is back to 30 minutes at 8 PM.
• Animal Kingdom: peaks early, at 38 minutes at 11 AM. It drops to 24 minutes at 2 PM and bottoms out at 10 minutes at 7 PM.

The same data shows how much the hour matters for single rides. Frozen Ever After posted 20 minutes at 8 AM against 65 minutes at 2 PM. Test Track posted 30 minutes at 8 AM against 70 minutes at 5 PM. Kilimanjaro Safaris ran the other way, with 10 minutes at 3 PM against 50 minutes at 10 AM. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway posted 10 minutes at 9 PM against 48 minutes at 12 PM.

The move at EPCOT is to be at the gate for opening. At Animal Kingdom, the afternoon is the quiet part of the day, so there is no need to rush the morning.

Which park to pick instead

If your plan has EPCOT on Nov 21, Nov 26 or Nov 27, those are the three days the forecast puts at 8. Moving EPCOT to Nov 22, Nov 23, Nov 24 or Nov 29 drops it to 6.

For Thanksgiving Day, Animal Kingdom at 3 and Magic Kingdom at 4 are the lightest options, and Magic Kingdom does not close early for a party that day.

For the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov 27, Magic Kingdom is forecast at 3, but it is a party night and closes early to day guests. Animal Kingdom at 4 is the better full-day pick. Hollywood Studios is at 6 and EPCOT at 8.

The quietest single park day in the forecast is Animal Kingdom on Tuesday, Nov 24, at 2.

The one thing to remember: this is a week where the park matters more than the date. Keep EPCOT off Nov 21, Nov 26 and Nov 27, and check the SupaPark crowd calendar at supapark.com before you lock anything in, because a forecast can change as the week gets closer.

How Busy Is Disney World Thanksgiving Week?

Disney World is moderately busy Thanksgiving week, but how busy depends on the park. In SupaPark’s forecast for Nov 21–29, 2026, EPCOT is the crowded park and Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom stay light. Here are the week’s averages on a 10-point scale, as of Nov 14:

• EPCOT: 6.9 average, peak of 8. This is the busy one. It hits 8 on Sat, Nov 21, Thanksgiving Day (Nov 26) and Fri, Nov 27.
• Hollywood Studios: 5.1 average, peak of 6. That’s middle of the road, and it tops out at 6 on Thanksgiving and the day after.
• Animal Kingdom: 3.6 average, peak of 4. It’s light all week, and Tue, Nov 24 is the quietest park day in the window at 2.
• Magic Kingdom: 3.4 average, peak of 4. It’s the lightest park by average. The catch is that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party closes it early to day guests on Nov 24, 25, 27 and 29.

What that means for your plan

The week isn’t wall-to-wall packed. Crowds pile into EPCOT, and the other three parks stay manageable. You’ll save more time by picking the right park than by picking the right day. Keep EPCOT off Nov 21, 26 and 27. If EPCOT is a must, Nov 22, 23, 24 or 29 brings it down to 6.

A low Magic Kingdom number on a party night can also mean less time in the park. Count the shorter day before you call it a win.

How firm is this forecast?

Think of it as the best current estimate, not a guarantee. Crowd levels can move as the week gets closer, so check the crowd calendar at supapark.com again before you lock in park days.

Frequently Asked Questions

How busy is Disney World the week of Thanksgiving?

It depends on the park. SupaPark’s forecast for Nov 21–29, 2026 puts EPCOT at an average of 6.9 out of 10 and Hollywood Studios at 5.1, while Animal Kingdom averages 3.6 and Magic Kingdom 3.4.

Which Disney World park is least crowded Thanksgiving week?

Magic Kingdom has the lowest forecast average at 3.4 out of 10, with Animal Kingdom close behind at 3.6. Magic Kingdom closes early to day guests on Nov 24, Nov 25, Nov 27 and Nov 29 for party nights.

What is the busiest day of Thanksgiving week at Disney World?

In the forecast, EPCOT reaches 8 out of 10 on Saturday, Nov 21, Thanksgiving Day, Nov 26, and Friday, Nov 27. No other park is forecast above 6 during the week.

Is Thanksgiving Day busy at Disney World?

It depends on the park. SupaPark’s forecast for Thursday, Nov 26, 2026 has EPCOT at 8 out of 10 and Hollywood Studios at 6, while Magic Kingdom (4) and Animal Kingdom (3) stay light, and Magic Kingdom doesn’t close early for a party that day.

Is Black Friday busy at Disney World?

EPCOT is forecast at 8 out of 10 on Friday, Nov 27 and Hollywood Studios at 6. Magic Kingdom shows 3 but closes early to day guests for a party, so Animal Kingdom at 4 is the better full-day pick.

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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.