You need to look at two primary things when trying to figure out what days will be "less" crowded.
First, look at the single day ticket pricing calendar, which can be found here:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/admission/tickets/ (select standard tickets, one day, one park per day). This is just a guide, not to actually book tickets. February is not yet available, but will be soon. Below is a screenshot of January. Note the weekdays have lower prices than the weekends once the holidays end. These days, especially the $104 price days will be insanely crowded. There's a decent chance DL will also offer a ticket promo, which would also be valid on weekdays, further amplifying the crowds.
The second thing you need to look at is the Magic Key (annual pass) block out calendar, which can be found here:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/blockout-dates/ (click on each type of pass to see block out dates, with Inspire having almost no block outs on the left and more block outs for passes to the right).
Here's the Believe Key availability for February (the second highest pass):
Here's Enchant (second lowest):
Here's Imagine (lowest):
Choose the days with the most passes blocked out.
In this case, the weekend of February 14-17 will be best, which is President's Day weekend. The most passes are blocked and the single day ticket prices are highest. This leads to lower crowds for multiday ticket holders, which have the same price per day regardless of date.
Yes, I know it's weird to say weekends and holidays will be less crowded, but it is objectively true based on the past several years of attendance. In addition to less people, Disney has the most rides open, the most entertainment showing (nighttime and daytime), and longer park hours, and more staffing. This disperses the crowds that are there much better. Do not sleep on the impact of high staffing levels and entertainment to give people more things to do.
If you go during the week, prepare for extreme crowding.
I also want to put into perspective what "crowded" is because it's subjective. It is always crowded at DL. You might go over the holiday weekend and think it's insanely crowded, but I promise you it will be less crowded than during the week. The goal is not to find "light" crowds, which basically don't exist, but the most manageable level of crowds based on today's higher overall attendance.
For example, I went over July 4th this year. The crowds were delightfully mild the entire weekend. Someone else might go and say, wow it's so crowded. I can assure you from having visited regularly for the past 30 years, it was not crowded by modern standards.
Good luck and have a great trip!
The worse crowds were Veterans weekend a few years ago. So I understand it’s so hit or miss and no guarantees. I will definitely look at the pricing calendar when it releases for Feb to help narrow down. Thanks again!
