Candlelight Processional Impact on DL Crowds

[skbaker]

This year, the Candlelight Processional for Disneyland is scheduled for the evenings of Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th. We're planning a trip for December 6th and December 7th and have 2-Day passes (non-park hopper). We were planning on spending one day in DL and one day in DCA. Originally, we planned on spending the second day, Saturday, at DL, but now we're wondering if the crowds will be bad there that day because of the Candlelight Processional that night. Does anyone have experience with this event that could give us an idea of what to expect?

 

[Pinocchio #1 Fan]

This year, the Candlelight Processional for Disneyland is scheduled for the evenings of Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th. We're planning a trip for December 6th and December 7th and have 2-Day passes (non-park hopper). We were planning on spending one day in DL and one day in DCA. Originally, we planned on spending the second day, Saturday, at DL, but now we're wondering if the crowds will be bad there that day because of the Candlelight Processional that night. Does anyone have experience with this event that could give us an idea of what to expect?

When the CP is going on, if you are at DL, you need to stay in the back part of the park. Also bear in mind the trains will not be running, so don't plan on using them to get from one part of the park to another. Don't plan on going anywhere near Main Street until after the CP has been over for at least a half hour.

 

[figment_jii]

As the PP said, CP will impact DLR, but it's not a uniform, even impact. The crowds will be concentrated on Main Street, from before the first show until a bit after the second show. During that time, it'll be very tough to navigate through Main Street. Some stores will have certain doors closed/blocked (mostly the ones facing out with a view of CP). Think of it kind like a parade crowd, just much bigger.

In addition to the train, last year the Jungle Cruise also did not run during CP.

My sense was that there were higher crowds than there would be without CP in the parks during the day and afterwards. But many folks only came from the CP, so it didn't mean mobs all day long.

 

[SMD]

Last year most CP nights weren't that bad because there were 20 CP nights. In previous years when there were only 2 nights, Main St. was totally impassable. I would stick with DL anyway, just take PPs advice about the back of the park. I think most people who want to avoid the crowd will hop to DCA and the difference will be negligible. If you had a good reason to plan DCA day 1 and DL day 2, stick with it.

 

[DisneyBiskit]

So is Candlelight Proc. back to just 2 nights this year?

 

[Malcon10t]

So is Candlelight Proc. back to just 2 nights this year?

Yes.

 

[Shunasee]

Yes.

What a bummer. I really enjoyed all the different presenters last year.

 

[merrysmom]

I was worried about it impacting crowds on Friday- that's our last (of five) park day, and I hate to leave on a crowded, stressed feeling. (I do understand that Friday will be more busy than the other weekdays, anyway.)

I just barely weathered the disappointment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad not being back up and running for our visit... I just can't handle any more stress!

 

[Sherry E]

1. DisneyBiskit -- It has been known since May (or maybe even earlier than that) about the 2-night Candlelight Ceremony. An internal letter from Disney went out to various choir directors and certain participants way back then, and it stated that the dates were 12/7 and 12/8. Fellow DIS'er perlster was the one who alerted us to it in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread and I have mentioned this in every thread in which the subject of the CP has come up in the last several months, and yet people still seem to be unclear about the dates.

Once again, so everyone is aware -- The Candlelight Ceremony is only taking place on 2 nights this year! 12/7 and 12/8 -- that's it!


2. merrysmom -- Don't be worried. Fridays, as you said, will be busier anyway, especially during the holiday season. Seeing that the people who will be viewing the CP from actual seats are the invited guests and are probably SoCal residents, or at least residents who don't live too terribly far away, I don't think that Friday crowds will have anything to do with the CP on 12/7 or 12/8.


3. Shunasee -- I agree. I liked the idea of the different presenters over the course of the nights. While I think that Disney probably jumped the gun by having 20 nights (40 shows) devoted to the CP, which was a controversial move, I think that cutting it back down to only 2 nights is too extreme after inevitably attracting more fans last year. What they basically did was get a lot more people interested in the CP in 2012, only to yank it away! I think that a nice happy medium/middle ground could have been reached. Maybe 5 nights instead of 20. Maybe 2 weeknights and 2 weekend nights. Something. Some sort of compromise between 20 nights and 2 nights.

​

Saturday's CP crowds are always said to be pretty bad, and I think that a lot of the crowds are caused by people who are trying to avoid the CP later -- in other words, it is the "crowds trying to avoid crowds and subsequently causing crowds" effect that I often speak of. People who are afraid they will run into massive crowds later on Saturday night end up packing into DL earlier in the day to get in all the activities they think they will miss later, and they end up causing more crowds. I don't think it can be avoided.

Sunday, 12/8, on the other hand, will likely not be as bad for some of the day. I have been at DL on a Sunday CP day when it was in its usual 2-night format (in 2011) and the crowds were not that bad in DL until mid-to-late afternoon.

 

[cmwade77]

I think that it will depend somewhat on who the narrator is, but I think the crowds will be like the worst I ever saw CP where it took 3 hours to simply cross main Street simply due to everything that happened last year.

 

[RobK]

Sherry E: Hi! I've been searching for info regarding crowds on days when the Candlelight Processional event is held in Disneyland. I was planning to go to DL this weekend but found out it's a CP weekend (2014, Dec 6th, yep SATURDAY). MANY posts say avoid it like the plague, and many posts say it's ok just stay in the back of the park etc.

From your experience (Sherry and anyone!) I was wondering if you recommend avoiding DL this weekend? I don't wish to see the CP at all, just taking my son to ride rides etc and see the decorations. I have a few other possible dates but as they are Jan 3 or Dec 20 etc they might be very very busy times too. Sherry I understand your "crowds creating crowds" effect you've mentioned elsewhere, it makes sense...I'm imagining like you've said that crowds form all day as everyone's anticipating a packed evening so EVERYONE gets rides in earlier, basically that the whole park and the whole day is packed with long lines, NOT just main street being busy 5pm onward? Others have posted the park isn't bad away from main street !?!

Any advice appreciated as I obviously must decide asap, thanks!

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry E: Hi! I've been searching for info regarding crowds on days when the Candlelight Processional event is held in Disneyland. I was planning to go to DL this weekend but found out it's a CP weekend (2014, Dec 6th, yep SATURDAY). MANY posts say avoid it like the plague, and many posts say it's ok just stay in the back of the park etc.

From your experience (Sherry and anyone!) I was wondering if you recommend avoiding DL this weekend? I don't wish to see the CP at all, just taking my son to ride rides etc and see the decorations. I have a few other possible dates but as they are Jan 3 or Dec 20 etc they might be very very busy times too. Sherry I understand your "crowds creating crowds" effect you've mentioned elsewhere, it makes sense...I'm imagining like you've said that crowds form all day as everyone's anticipating a packed evening so EVERYONE gets rides in earlier, basically that the whole park and the whole day is packed with long lines, NOT just main street being busy 5pm onward? Others have posted the park isn't bad away from main street !?!

Any advice appreciated as I obviously must decide asap, thanks!

RobK --

Hi! Welcome!

Well, I have not avoided the parks on Candlelight weekend the last 3 years, so I would go again -- but I was there on Sunday instead of Saturday, so that could make a difference. A lot of people say that the Saturday of Candlelight weekend is particularly crowded. I can deal with Sundays just fine.

I do think that the "crowds creating crowds while avoiding crowds" effect kicks in to some degree! Early in the day people anticipate that the late afternoon CP crowds are going to be hideous, and so they try to cram in all of the rides and fun that they can before that happens, thus making Disneyland more crowded in the first half of the day. Also, when Candlelight begins or is about to begin, a lot of people try to escape what they think will be horrific crowds and head over to California Adventure -- inevitably bringing a lot of crowds with them.

What I have noticed -- but again, these were the last 3 Sundays of Candlelight weekends, and not Saturdays -- is that Disneyland was manageable earlier in the day, but by maybe 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. it started to get very crowded, and Main Street became increasingly more of a madhouse as the hours marched on. Because of that observation, I would suggest avoiding Town Square and Main Street from that point on until maybe 9:15 p.m. or so, once the final Candlelight Ceremony has been performed and the audience has cleared out.

During Candlelight (while the Ceremony is taking place), the other lands in Disneyland are probably not too bad, crowd-wise, though there will be other Candlelight 'escapees' there as well.

If there is any chance of rain this weekend, that will scare off a lot of people and crowds will drop.

One other thing to consider is that this year is the first year that the Main Street back alley corridors have been officially open every day to help ease traffic flow. That could prove to be very beneficial in how the Candlelight crowds are handled around Town Square, and it might not seem like quite the mess that it usually is in that area if people trying to get in and out of DLR are diverted along an alternate path instead of forced to walk through and around the Candlelight viewing area. But the effect of the back alleys on Candlelight crowds (either viewers or escapees) remains to be seen until Saturday.

Keep in mind that there are other things happening this coming weekend that could, perhaps, increase crowds. There is something called "RaverDay" on Saturday -- it's nothing that I had ever heard of before this year, but it will apparently bring some people to Disneyland (just as any other "Day" does, i.e., Gay Days, Dapper Days, Bats Day, etc.).

Also, there is a pharmacist convention/mid-year meeting that is happening in Anaheim (the mid-year meeting begins on Sunday, I think), and many of the attendees will be staying at the 3 Disneyland Resort hotels over the weekend (they got great, special rates to stay onsite). I would have to imagine that some of the pharmacists -- especially those who are staying onsite -- will bring families into the parks on 12/6, before their own events begin. I know of at least one pharmacist who is doing that very thing, so I would have to think that others will be doing it too.

Let's look at your other possible dates, starting with Saturday, December 20th. The big rumor -- not yet official or confirmed by Disney, but almost certain to happen -- is that a whole Frozen mini-land of sorts (in Hollywood Land, in DCA) is going to be opening to the public on Saturday, 12/20. This would include a sing-along, a meet and greet, a "snowman-building area" and indoor ice skating rink, and a party/entertainment area. Supposedly, there is also going to be a Frozen addition to the Storybook Land ride in Disneyland, conveniently set to open on 12/20 as well. It is expected that Disney's official announcement of this Frozen takeover is coming up in the next couple of days.

I think we can guess that the weekend of 12/20 and 12/21 will be mega-crowded -- if not for the fact that it is the weekend before Christmas but for the Frozen madness, or a combo of both.

Your other potential date is Saturday, January 3rd. You will likely miss seeing Santa Claus in his red suit, but he may be at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree in a green plaid outfit. The Three Kings Day celebration will be taking place in California Adventure that weekend, and that may bring in some extra crowds -- but I don't know if the crowds would be as heavy as I expect them to be on the weekend of December 20th. The Frozen stuff would still be happening in DCA, but that initial "opening weekend frenzy" would have worn off just a tad.

So I think that if you don't care about seeing "red suit Santa" and want to avoid Candlelight, etc., my first choice would be to go on January 3rd.

If you want to see red suit Santa and don't care about the Frozen mini-land, don't care about avoiding possible RaverDay crowds and roving groups of pharmacists, go on 12/6.

I think my last choice would be to go on 12/20 this year! But we should all learn when and if the Frozen stuff is happening within the next couple of days, and if 12/20 is the actual start date.

 

[crystal1313]

When I checked weather.com this morning it said 40% chance of morning showers in Anaheim...which I secretly was hoping would happen to thin out crowds a bit. But just checked again and says only 10% chance of rain and sunny! I spent a good chunk of time researching rain boots for my kids...so hopefully they won't be needed!

Sherry, do you think a good plan would be to spend the morning on Sat in DCA, then hop over to DL around 2-3 and stay clear of MSUSA? We have hoppers and I love being at DL at night during Christmas time. Thanks!

 

[RobK]

Sherry thank you SO MUCH for your detailed and experienced response! I'm racking my brain over this! Currently it seems there might be rain Saturday. If it's anything like today in LA then boy oh boy I won't be there for sure. 4 years back I took my family in the rain and it was, and I'm choosing my words carefully, dreadful!

Come to think of it candlelight day would be less crowded in the rain, but then candlelight might get cancelled?? I don't wish to see candlelight but I'm wondering have they cancelled it before?! Btw im sure it's a fantastic performance, just wishing to go for the rides an decorations only though...!

There's a SLIGHT chance I might be able to go Sat Dec 13th instead. Thanks for addressing my other dates too. I've been many many times on the Monday before Christmas Day, it's packed but nothing I haven't been able to handle (especially milking the fastpasses!!...Except that one time we went in the rain.

Crystal- from what I've read just be very careful with trying to get into Disneyland close to the Candlelight starting or after. You might want to try the monorail for entry?!

Edit- weather update says no rain for sat now!!

 

[GatorChris]

I'm surprised that they don't put it in a big theater like where Mickey & the Magical Map is. Or where Aladdin is. More people could attend, more tickets can be sold, and it doesn't turn Main Street or any other part of the park into a parking lot. Would something like that work, or am I missing something?

 

[cherice95403]

We are going to be in the park on Sunday-Tuesday. Sunday is the only day of our visit that Fantasmic! will be playing so there is no way we can avoid DL. What do you think the Fantasmic crowds will be like? I am half hoping people will head over to DCA and it will be light Plus I just figure DCA will be a mad house anyway.

Thanks!