Please be aware that this article relies on the data presented in the TEA 2024 Report when discussing attendance figures.
I was so excited to hear Magic Kingdom won the attendance award for 2024! But I recently learned something interesting – it seems Disney actually controlled who could visit each park. Apparently, Disneyland was busier day-to-day and sold more tickets, but Disney made Magic Kingdom more accessible, which is why it technically ‘won’ according to the numbers. It’s a bit strange to think the award wasn’t just about popularity, but about how Disney managed access!
Let’s compare how often Magic Kingdom at Disney World and Disneyland are open. In 2024, Magic Kingdom was open for an impressive 400+ sessions. It might seem impossible since a year doesn’t have that many days, but Disney World often held multiple ticketed events on the same day!
2024
- Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) — 38 nights
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) — 25 nights
- Disney After Hours (Magic Kingdom) — 18 nights
Total 2024 Magic Kingdom after-hours parties: 38 + 25 + 18 = 81 nights.
In 2024, Magic Kingdom held 6 more sessions compared to the previous year. This increase is partly due to 2024 being a Leap Year, which added one extra day of operation. Considering the 366 days Magic Kingdom was open plus 81 special evening events, they hosted a total of 447 sessions. In 2023, they held 440 sessions.
Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) attendance report for 2024 has been released:
Magic Kingdom continues to be the world’s most popular theme park, attracting 17.8 million visitors. Disneyland park came in second with 17.3 million guests. Across the globe, Disney Parks welcomed a total of 142.5 million visitors!
— DSNY Newscast (@DSNYNewscast) October 23, 2025
In a previous report, we shared that Magic Kingdom averaged around 39,821 visitors each day it was open, based on recent numbers from Disney (TEA). While this was a slight decrease from 2023, overall attendance at Disney World still increased by 0.7%, suggesting the parks felt a bit less crowded – potentially 1.8% less. These days, Disney is focused on maximizing the number of guests in the parks. A key question remains: how many guests attended multiple parks on the same day using dual-ticket options? Disney hasn’t offered any information on that.
But back to Disneyland…
Here’s a list of the extra-cost events happening after regular hours at Disneyland Park (the original Disneyland, not California Adventure) in 2024.
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Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite — 8 nights (Jan 23, 25, 30; Feb 1, 6, 8, 12, 14).
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Disneyland After Dark: Disney Channel Nite — 2 nights (Mar 5 & 7).
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Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite — 8 nights (Apr 16, 18, 23, 25, 30; May 2, 7, 9).
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Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite — 2 nights (Jun 18 & 20).
Disneyland Park 2024 Total
20 after-hours/ticketed nights.
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The Halloween party at the resort is called Oogie Boogie Bash. In 2024, it took place on 27 different nights, but it’s held at Disney California Adventure Park, not Disneyland Park. Checking the specific dates will verify both the location and the total number of nights.
This means Disneyland hosted 386 scheduled times for guests to visit, while Magic Kingdom had a much larger number at 447.
A recent report from TEA shows that Disneyland welcomed 17.3 million visitors. Considering the park was only open for 386 days, that’s an average of over 44,000 guests per day! This number doesn’t include attendance at Disney’s California Adventure.
Despite being a smaller park than Magic Kingdom, Disneyland theme park averaged 44,915 guests every time it offered the chance for people to buy a ticket. This exceeds Magic Kingdom’s average attendance of 39,821 by an incredible 11.4%!
So the question then becomes… does it matter? The answer is a resounding “yes”.
Magic Kingdom is widely considered the most important theme park globally and serves as the main entrance to Walt Disney World, Disney’s most valuable property. However, when comparing attendance numbers directly, Disneyland actually attracts more visitors. The reason Magic Kingdom appears more popular is simply that it’s open much more frequently than Disneyland, and the motives behind that decision remain unclear.
You might have been surprised to see reports that Disneyland was busier last year, but Magic Kingdom still had more visitors overall. There’s a simple explanation: Magic Kingdom held many more special, ticketed events. If Disneyland had offered a similar number of these events, it likely would have seen even more guests than Magic Kingdom – a potentially significant fact for investors.
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2025-10-28 17:58