Disneyland shut its gates Friday, Dec. 27 as massive crowds filled the Anaheim theme park and new visitors were directed to Disney California Adventure across the esplanade until attendance levels declined.
“We have temporarily stopped selling tickets to Disneyland Park, As of 11:40 am."
During this time period, wait times for popular rides reportedly hit multiple hours.
Disneyland officially closed its gates at 11:40 a.m., less than 4 hours after the park opened. Disneyland diverted thousands of visitors to Disney California Adventure until later in the day when crowds were expected to diminish.
his was the first time Disneyland has had to halt ticket sales since the May opening of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land, which expanded the park’s total size.
In a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times, a spokesperson for Disney said, “Visiting the Disneyland Resort during the holidays is a tradition for many people, and on high demand days like today, we do all we can to welcome as many guests as possible.”
It was reported that wait times for popular rides such as Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Space Mountain were up to two hours long.
Disneyland doesn't disclose attendance numbers but it is known the park capacity is 75,000.
The holiday week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is typically one of the busiest times of the year at Disneyland in Anaheim. The holiday break was stretched to two weeks this year with Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on Wednesdays. That meant the weekend between the two winter holidays was likely to be a busy one at the Anaheim theme parks.
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