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You long-time frog fans know Tad as our official frog family videographer. While he toadally enjoys making ride videos for our YouTube channel, he really has set his sights on becoming the next Spielberg. For him, it doesn't get any better than Universal Studios Hollywood. It's a thrill for him to be "on location" inside the theme park that just so hoppens to be where "Back to the Future" and "Psycho" were filmed. And we know he's not the only one who's excited to visit! With the addition of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and more family-friendly attractions, this theme park/working studio sure is more hopping than ever.
Whether you have a filmmaker in your family or you're just a bunch of fun seekers, it helps to know the least crowded time to visit. Lucky for you, we've got the best dates to visit Universal Studios Hollywood for 2019 and 2020 if you're planning a trip!
When to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood
Our Los Angeles Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get a day-by-day look at expected crowds a full year in advance. If your particular dates are not listed, jump down to the comments below and ask. We frogs will be hoppy to answer. We've got a similar post devoted to the best and worst times to visit Disneyland if you hoppen to be planning visits to both. (Now, if only we could predict travel times on those SoCal highways!)
Harry Potter has unsurprisingly brought in more muggles to experience the Wizarding World and Universal Studios Hollywood. It has also fueled interest in one of our most popular posts — when to use the Universal Express Ticket (formerly known as the Front of Line Pass) . We're expecting this surge (or... lighting bolt?) of interest in Universal Studios Hollywood to continue over the next few years. And there are always whispers of Wizarding additions. Aparecium!
It's probably a good time to talk about Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. While it opened in an entirely different park, May 31 at Disneyland, it has and will continue to influence crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood for the rest of this year. While crowds aren't impacted as much by Star Wars at Universal Studios Hollywood as at Disneyland, they do have some impact. This is because many of the people who are making the trek to LA to experience Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Resort will also decide to hop over to Universal Studios Hollywood. Crowd levels were lower than expected in summer for Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, perhaps because so many feared crazy large crowds for Galaxy's Edge or because of a staggered ride opening (Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance isn't opening until January 2020). We expect this will change in fall and winter, especially with the recent opening of Jurassic World!
How Locals Influence the Best Times to visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 2019 and 2020
If you’re used to visiting Universal Orlando Resort rather than the Hollywood original, know that there are some differences. The best times to visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 2019 and 2020 aren't necessarily the same ones at Universal Orlando. The biggest difference are the locals. Universal Orlando has locals, but not nearly as many as those in the Los Angeles regional area. More and more of these locals are annual passholders, who think nothing of popping in for a pint of Butterbeer after the end of a long week.
While the regional passholders have a large influence on crowds, it's not all doom and gloom. Many passholders have blockout times during the times most popular with tourists — mostly summer, spring break and the holidays, but also a few weekends here and there. Looking at Universal's Silver Annual Pass available days calendar gives you a fairly good idea of the very busiest dates of the year. This is because these are the times when most of the passholders are not allowed to enter. While originally these passholders were blocked out from June through mid-August, this has been modified (likely because of lower-than-expected summer crowds). They are blocked for most of July and some of August. The rest of the year, they see more blockouts on Saturdays and/or Sundays until December, when they are blocked out Saturdays in December and from Dec. 21 through Jan. 2, 2020.
Now let's hop into the key topic at hand — the dates of the best and worst times for crowds at Universal Studios Hollywood. We'll start with the bad news first (depending on how you look at it).
Worst Times to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 2019
- Jan. 1-6, 2019
- MLK Jr. Day - Jan. 19-21, 2019
- President's Day - Feb. 15-24, 2019
- Spring break and Easter - March 9-April 15, April 19-22 (elevated crowds March 9-April 22, 2019)*
- Weekends in May
- Mid-June through Aug. 12, 2019*
- The week of Thanksgiving - Nov. 22-Dec. 1, 2019
- Christmas week through the second week of the New Year - Dec. 21, 2019-Jan. 6, 2020
*These crowds have been lower than expected, making this a better-than-normal time to visit.
Worst Times to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 2020
- Jan. 1-6, 2020
- MLK Jr. Day - Jan. 18-20, 2020
- President's Day - Feb. 15-23, 2020
- Spring break and Easter - March 7-April 20, 2020
- Weekends in May
- June 3-Aug. 11, 2020
- The week of Thanksgiving - Nov. 19-Dec. 29, 2020
- Christmas week through the second week of the New Year - Dec. 19, 2020-Jan. 10, 2021
Other Dates That Might See Higher Crowds
We've pulled together other days that see higher crowds, but not as high as the absolute worst days. Some of the dates listed are isolated, with the days around them generally fine. These dates do bring in more locals. Anyone out there in La-La-Land aware of other dates that are popular with locals? Share in comments below!
- Labor Day - Sept. 2, 2019, and Sept. 7, 2020
- Columbus Day - Oct. 14, 2019, and October 12, 2020
- Veteran's Day (and Veteran's Day Observed) - Nov. 11, 2019, and Nov. 9, 2020 (observed)
Best Times to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 2019
- Weekdays in January (minus the week of New Year's Day and the days around MLK Day)
- Weekdays in February (minus the days around President's Day)
- The first few days in March (until March 9, 2019)
- Weekdays in the second half of April 2019
- Weekdays in May
- The last two weeks of August
- The first half of September; Mondays through Thursdays for the remainder of September and October
- Mondays through Thursdays in November (minus the week of Thanksgiving)
- Mondays through Thursdays during the first half of December
Best Times to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 2020
- Weekdays in January (minus the week of New Year's Day and the days around MLK Day)
- Weekdays in February (minus the days around President's Day)
- The first few days in March (until March 7, 2020)
- April 20-30; May 1, 2020
- Weekdays in May
- The last two weeks of August
- The first half of September; Mondays through Thursdays for the remainder of September and October
- Mondays through Thursdays in November (minus the week of Thanksgiving)
- Mondays through Thursdays during the first half of December
So there you have it — the best and worst times to visit Universal Studios Hollywood! If you can't avoid visiting during a busy time, don't sweat it! We have a ton more hopful tips and resources to help you save time waiting in line and plan a great trip.
Related: Tips to Maximize Your Time at Universal Studios Hollywood
Related: Tips for Maximizing the Universal Studios Hollywood Express Pass
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