Who has experienced the crowds during Gay Days?

[Carl4628]

We will be arriving on Saturday October 6th, but will not go to the parks until Sunday and have park tickets until that following Friday. I know it will be very busy, but would like to hear about some actual first hand experiences. Also, I know that Monday is Columbus Day which will also be very busy.

 

[Geemo]

We will be arriving on Saturday October 6th, but will not go to the parks until Sunday and have park tickets until that following Friday. I know it will be very busy, but would like to hear about some actual first hand experiences. Also, I know that Monday is Columbus Day which will also be very busy.

I didn't feel the GayDay crowd was as bad as the crowds we experienced with Columbus Day.

I've been to DLR during GayDays for the past four or five years. This is an off year for me, due to a family wedding date of October 6th. Bad planning on their part if you ask me.
I'll be going next year though. I expect crowds to be big in 2019 due to SWL.

Geemo

 

[Nonsuch]

I have visited on Gay Days weekend several times, although missed last year.

Gay Days participants are encouraged to wear red, and based on the number of guests wearing red Gay Days is not a major factor contributing to park crowding. Columbus Day will likely be a major contributor to crowds. The Gay Days group photos will create temporary crowds.

There seem to be longer lines for beer and all bars are packed.

 

[Erin M]

We were there two years ago at the same time as Gay Days and didn’t think it was all that much busier than any other time.

 

[tarheelalum]

Gay days isn't too bad. Its crowded but nothing out of this world for Disneyland.

 

[Niltiac]

I've attended gay days a few times now and I agree with the others that gay days doesn't have a huge impact on crowds. It's a weekend during halloween time so it will be a a bit crowded regardless. There are a few times throughout the weekend when gay days participants will gather to do something together (take a group photo, ride the Mark Twain together, etc.) If you find yourself in the middle of one of those meet ups it might be crowded, so take a look at the gay days schedule and plan around those events. I also feel like Sunday is not as big as Saturday (lots of participants will be leaving for the trip home), so it shouldn't be too bad.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

It's not the Gay Days participants that crowd it up. I've found it's more the families from areas that have a fall break or that are taking a long weekend for Columbus Day. It's manageable, but there will be times that it's wall to wall people. But then, most days are like that these days.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I have found it to be very crowded in the afternoons. A couple years ago, we only went on Sunday afternoon and there was a very long line to get into the Toy Story Parking lot. From there, everything else was a really long line. I believe there were large areas that were closed at the time for the early Star Wars construction and that did make everything more difficult.

Last year we stayed on site and the early entry was as golden as it always is.

We opted to avoid it this year.

 

[alvernon90]

There seem to be longer lines for beer and all bars are packed.

Absolutely this. As others have said, the parks are quite crowded but that's more due to the holiday weekend than Gay Days. But the long lines for bars and beer carts? The Gay Days visitors definitely contribute to those!