Is Universal Studios Busy In September? | End Of Summer Travel Tips

September brings the end of the busy Summer travel season, but also the beginning of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, which means the level of busyness at the parks will be all over the place!

Our Universal Studios Busyness Guide will detail the best and worst times to visit Universal in September as well as some travel planning times to make the most of your stay, no matter when in the month you visit. 

Questions We'll Answer About How Busy Universal Studios Gets:

• What Are The Best & Worst Times Of Year To Visit Universal Studios?
• Is Universal Studios Hollywood Busy In September?
• Is Universal Orlando Busy In September?

 

What Are The Best & Worst Times Of Year To Visit Universal Studios?

Theme parks in general have exploded in popularity over the last 5-10 years and while there previously were times of the year when you could visit a nearly empty Universal theme park, those days are largely over.

Just in the last decade, millions more people are visiting both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood than what we would see back in the early 2000s.

Along with the overall increase in attendance at Universal, a dynamic ticket pricing structure that began a few years ago has helped spread attendance more evenly throughout the year and somewhat eliminated the old "Off Season".

Those who visit Universal during the generally slower travel periods of the year are rewarded with a cheaper ticket price, while those who visit during busier travel periods pay a higher price. 

This structure has enticed visitors to travel during times they usually may not have to take advantage of cheaper admission prices, not to mention aggressive sales and promotions that are also offered during the "slow season" (like buy one day, get one free). 

While we don't see the same slow periods as we used to at Universal, there are certainly much better times of the year to visit Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood than others.

To optimize your visit to Universal, we've provided some of the best and worst times of the year to consider visiting: 

THE BEST TIMES OF THE YEAR TO VISIT UNIVERSAL

• January: Beginning the second week of the month and avoiding MLK weekend.
• February: All month.
• March: The first two weeks before Spring Break begins.
• May: All month.
• June: The first week before Summer Break begins.
• September: All month after Labor Day weekend.
• October: All month.
• November: The first two weeks before Thanksgiving Break begins.
• December: The first two weeks of the month before Christmas Break begins. 

 

THE WORST TIMES OF THE YEAR TO VISIT UNIVERSAL

• January:  The week of New Year's Day and MLK weekend. We especially recommend avoiding New Year's Day.
• March: The last two weeks of the month which kicks off Spring Break.
• April: A large number of schools are on Spring Break all month creating a lot of crowding.
• June: The first three weeks begin Summer Break for many schools. around the country, kicking off the continually busy Summer season.
• July: Most of the USA is deep into Summer Break at this point bringing many families to the parks. We recommend especially avoiding the 4th of July weekend.
• August: The first two weeks of the month are particularly busy as Summer Break is still in effect. Crowds begin to moderate substantially in the last two weeks of the month. 
• September: Labor Day weekend is extremely busy and should be avoided if possible. 
• November: Thanksgiving week is another extremely popular time and we recommend generally avoiding this time of year.
• December: The week of Christmas and the week following Christmas leading into New Year's Eve is one of the busiest times of the year at Universal.

 

Is Universal Studios Hollywood Busy In September?

Universal Studios Hollywood is largely a locals theme park visited by residents of Southern California, so local school schedules will play a big role in how busy the park will be.

Following Labor Day weekend nearly all schools will be back in session, and with the summer travel rush from tourists all around the country and the world coming to an end, September makes for a great time to visit Universal Studios Hollywood.

If you can plan your visit to Universal Studios Hollywood for after Labor Day Weekend, you'll likely be rewarded with very low wait times and minimal crowding.

This is especially true if you're able to visit Universal Studios Hollywood on a weekday!

However, there is one major factor to keep in mind... Halloween Horror Nights.

Halloween Horror Nights will cause Universal Studios Hollywood to close as early as 5 PM on many days throughout September and October as employees switch the park over from "normal" Universal to "Halloween Horror Nights" Universal.

Halloween Horror Nights requires a special ticket to enter the event and a regular general admission ticket to Universal Studios will not get you access to the event.

That's right - you'll need to purchase two tickets if you want to see all Universal has to offer during this time of year!

The downfall here with the reduction in operating hours to accommodate Halloween Horror Nights is you'll of course have much less time to spend experiencing the attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood.

While September is one of the least busy times of year to visit Universal Studios Hollywood, you'll need to do just a bit of planning to make sure you can work around the reduced operating hours to experience everything on your to-do list!

Labor Day Weekend Busy Scale: 8/10

Post-Labor Day Weekend Busy Scale: 4/10

 

Is Universal Orlando Busy In September?

Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure stay at some of their busiest levels of the year up through Labor Day Weekend.

Schools throughout Florida will typically be back in session come August, reducing the number of locals in the parks, but with Universal Orlando being such a massive international destination, we don't see a drop in attendance until post-Labor Day. 

If you'll be visiting Universal Orlando anytime before and leading up to Labor Day weekend then be prepared to see the park near peak busyness.

But if you manage to visit after Labor Day weekend you'll be rewarded with much lower wait times, and smaller crowds and while it's unbearably hot in Florida during September, it'll be a great time to visit.

It isn't all easy though at Universal Orlando during September as Halloween Horror Nights does impact both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

Halloween Horror Nights will cause Universal Studios to close as early as 5 PM on many days throughout September and October as employees switch the park over from "normal" Universal to "Halloween Horror Nights" Universal.

Halloween Horror Nights requires a special ticket to enter the event and a regular general admission ticket to Universal Studios will not get you access to the event.

That's right - you'll need to purchase two tickets if you want to see all Universal has to offer during this time of year!

The downfall here with the reduction in operating hours to accommodate Halloween Horror Nights is you'll of course have much less time to spend experiencing the attractions at Universal Studios Florida.

The good news is that Islands of Adventure remains open to those without Halloween Horror Nights tickets for some of the evenings. 

With this in mind, you should plan to do Universal Studios first and then head over to Islands of Adventure later in the afternoon or evening to take advantage of the later close time.

Be prepared though... you won't be the only one doing this!

Islands of Adventure will see an uptick in busyness later in the day as a lot of people will want to visit the park if they aren't able to get into Universal Studios because of Halloween Horror Nights. 

After Labor Day is a great time to visit both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure! Keep in mind that Halloween Horror Nights might require you to plan out your trip with reduced hours of operation at Universal Studios Florida and a bit of extra business at Islands of Adventure than normal in the evenings.

 

Pre-Labor Day Weekend Busy Scale: 8/10

Post-Labor Day Weekend Busy Scale: 5/10

 

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