Just when is it the best time to visit Cedar Point?

Dubbed “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World,” the amusement park is home to a flurry of rides and attractions, including 17 roller coasters. Despite its impressive lineup, the Cedar Point’s normal operating season runs only daily from early May through Labor Day, then for nine weekends following Labor Day.

So, which dates during the operating season are the least crowded and which dates should you try to avoid?

May

If you want light crowds, a good time to visit is on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during opening week in late May through the first week of June. During this time, weekends are generally moderately busy, but come June, the summers crowds start to kick in and the weekdays are busy as well.

June – August

All of June and July is generally most crowded, especially during the 4th of July weekend. August is the same story, but by the last week of the month, there’s some relief as the summer crowds tend to die down.

September – October

In September, the park is only open on weekends and Sundays are the least crowded days.

Finally, in October, Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends takes over. The event usually draws big crowds on weekends throughout the month, so if you have to go during this time, Sundays are again the least crowded days.

That covers the park’s operating season of crowd levels. Remember that a good rule of thumb to get an idea of how packed it’s going to be is to simply look at Cedar Point’s schedule of dates and hours.  If the park closes at 8 or 9:00pm, it usually means that they aren’t expecting it to be too busy. If the closing time is scheduled for 10:00pm or beyond, expect long wait times and lines for most of the popular rides and attractions.

Also, be sure to check out the park’s webcams! The live pictures allow you to easily check out just how crowded the park is right now. We sure wish other theme parks offered this kind of feature on their websites.

Crowd Calendar

For crowd predictions of upcoming dates, as well as historical crowd ratings, check out the Cedar Point Crowd Calendar.

When do you think is the best time to go to Cedar Point? How were the crowds when you last visited the park? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Image: Andrew 94

  1. Saturday was insane. 2 hour waits, and 3 hours to get out of the parking lot. We got their at opening time and only got on 8 rides total. Millennium broke down after we waited 2 hours in line.

  2. My family and I are looking to go Memorial Day weekend. We typically go during Halloweekends and seem to manage ok. Is CP going to be super crowded during this time? Should we wait until the next weekend?

  3. Cedar Point is usually very crowded on Memorial Day Weekend, so I think the next weekend would be a little better. I would go before the holiday weekend if you can though since there should be less summer crowds earlier in May.

  4. Is Memorial Day weekend going to be way more crowded than Halloweekends? We’re still going to be in school the weekend before but could do the weekend after. Just trying to get a comparison. AND is Fast Lane worth it? And do you know how much extra it costs?

  5. I don’t think it will be as bad as it can get during Halloweekends. I think Fast Lane is definitely worth it though if you’re going during the summer. The price depends on the number of people and what day you go.

  6. Fast Lane Prices:

    Monday-Friday & Sunday Rates:

    1 Person – $75 each
    2 Persons – $70 each
    3 Persons – $65 each
    4-10 Persons – $60 each

    Saturday Rates:

    1 Person – $85 each
    2 Persons – $80 each
    3 Persons – $75 each
    4-10 Persons – $70 each

    Fast Lane Plus is an additional $20 per person.

  7. Ok. Great. Thanks soooo much for your help! We LOVE Cedar Point and used to go every year. My two daughters are finally tall enough to ride everything so we are all really excited about going back!

  8. Planning at trip to CP next month (July). Which day is best to go? Not wanting to wait 3hrs to ride.

  9. I think weekdays would be your best bet for shorter lines. I don’t think there will be much of a difference between Monday – Thursday. Get there early!

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