Why You Need to AVOID EPCOT on Saturday

EPCOT is one of Disney World’s most popular parks.

Spaceship Earth

It’s also MASSIVE, which would make you think the crowds are pretty well dispersed, but alas, that’s usually not the case. And that’s because there are SO many exciting things to experience in this park — tons of snacks (especially if there’s a festival going on), some of the resort’s most popular attractions, and so much more. While the park is quite busy pretty often, there’s one day you REALLY need to avoid EPCOT — Saturdays.

Saturdays are EPCOT’s busiest days for a vast majority of reasons, which is why we say that if you can help it, DO NOT visit EPCOT on Saturdays.

Saturdays Are For The Locals

Disney World isn’t necessarily a locals park (whereas Disneyland is), but EPCOT is the closest thing to it. Many locals choose to frequent EPCOT the most often due to the fact that it’s the park that attracts the most adults.

Japan Crowds

This is thanks to drinking around the World Showcase, as well as all the festivals that take place throughout the year. Now, don’t get us wrong, EPCOT is still a great park for kids and families too, but there’s a lot here that pulls adults in more so than the other three parks.

So many people!

And since most adults work throughout the week, Saturdays are often the day they’ll choose to come and hang out in the park. Which means that they’re JOINING the vacationers in the park, resulting in tons of crowds.

Festival Days

We mentioned EPCOT Festivals recently, and while weekends are typically busy during the entirety of most festivals, and since festivals take place nearly every week of the year, that means it’s almost busy.

EPCOT crowds

HOWEVER, festival crowds get especially wild on the first and last weekends of festivals. This is when locals will often come into the park to try out all the new eats, and vacationers who love EPCOT festivals may plan their trips around them too.

Festival of the Arts Crowds

And then, you’ve also just got the vacationers who had no idea a festival is going on, and they choose Saturday for their EPCOT day by chance (but that won’t be you, because you’re reading this post!).

Weekend Trips

If you’ve got families who are just spending a quick weekend in Disney World, Saturdays are often the first full day of their vacation, and if they choose to visit EPCOT first — you see where we’re going with this.

Spaceship Earth Crowds

This is especially true for families who have older kids, or a family who is all 21+. Whereas many families with younger kids may choose to start the magic in Magic Kingdom, that choice is different for everyone, and EPCOT is typically the second most popular choice.

Holiday Weekends

Now wait a minute, we want to be crystal clear — holiday weekends are typically very busy ALL over the Disney World parks. However, jumping back to our first two points — locals who want to spend the holiday in Disney World can just drive over, and they very well may choose EPCOT as their park.

EPCOT entrance crowds

Why is this? Well, lots of families choose to go to Disney World for holiday weekends, and they may choose to skip EPCOT because they see it as the “adult park.” So therefore, the local adults, will choose to go to it for the exact same reason!

EPCOT’s 4th of July Crowds

But that means the crowds are STILL in EPCOT, so there’s really no way to escape them. Don’t worry though, there are things you can do to still make sure you have an amazing day if you find yourself in EPCOT on a Saturday.

How To Make The Most of A Saturday

If you find yourself in EPCOT on a Saturday, you’ll just want to prepare yourself ahead of time for some larger crowds and longer wait times.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Line

You can choose to purchase Genie+ to combat some of those wait times, but just plan into your budget that you may be spending more than you originally planned to skip the lines, since the busier the parks, the higher the price.

Disney Genie launched in late 2021 at Disney World and Disneyland Resort

Additionally, if you choose to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane or join the Virtual Queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, keep in mind that availability is much more likely to fill up quickly on more crowded days, so be on your A game!