Florida for first timers - mini blog series - When to visit Florida

Everyone has their own personal preference for when they like to Visit Florida.
Personally, after trying different times, I decided that I prefer September / October time. This is because it’s not too hot for me, it tends to be quieter as most children have gone back to school and of course my favourite reason …. it’s Halloween season !

But of course, what’s right for me, won’t be right for everybody. It can be difficult to take children out of school (and of course, some UK schools now fine parents for taking their children out during term time)
You may prefer it to be hotter, you may want to celebrate your birthday/ anniversary etc.. or you may want to attend a different seasonal event.


Here’s some things to bear in mind when deciding on which time of year to visit.

• The week around Christmas and new year tends to be the busiest time in the parks.

              This is followed by Easter / Spring Break and the summer holidays / summer break.

• June / July/ August are both the hottest and rainiest months to visit. (remember to pack your sun cream AND a poncho)
• Parks are open until later in the summer. (which means you can pop back to the hotel during the busy afternoons for a dip in the pool and head back to the park in the evening )
• September - mid December along with Mid January - mid March tend to be the quietest months to visit (also the cheapest as it is off peak season)
• National holidays in America = busy park. Check the dates of these and bear them in mind when planning your trip.
• No kids ? Visit during term time.

If this is going to be your "once in a lifetime" trip and you’re unsure of when to go (and are flexible with your annual leave) it may be a good idea to plan your trip around an annual event.

No matter which season you visit Florida, there’s always plenty of events going on in the parks. I’ve broken some of them up into months. The exact dates of these events vary year on year so it’s always worth checking the dates on the park websites. (Also, bear in mind that a lot of these events require separate tickets)

I’ll go into these in detail in my upcoming annual events blog.

January
Real music concert series -  Busch Gardens

Wild days - Seaworld
A celebration of Harry Potter - Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure

February

Mardi Gras - Universal Studios
Bands, brew & BBQ - Seaworld

March
Flower and Garden Festival - Epcot
Mardi Gras - Universal Studios
Food and wine festival & concerts  - Busch Gardens
Bands, brew & BBQ - Seaward 

April

Flower and Garden Festival - Epcot
Mardi Gras - Universal Studios
Viva la musica - Seaworld
Food and wine festival & concerts - Busch Gardens

May

Flower and Garden Festival - Epcot
Viva la music - Seaworld

June

Sounds like Summer - concerts  - Epcot
Summer nights at Seaworld - Seaworld
Sumer nights - Busch Gardens

July

Sounds like Summer - concert festival  - Epcot 

Summer nights at Seaworld - Seaworld

Summer nights - Busch Gardens

August

Summer nights at Seaworld - Seaworld
Summer nights - Busch Gardens

September

Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party - Magic Kingdom
Food & Wine festival - Epcot
Rock the universe - Universal Studios
Halloween horror nights- Universal Studios
Howl-O-Scream - Busch Gardens

October

Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party - Magic Kingdom
Food & wine festival - Epcot
Seaword’s Halloween spooktacular - Seaworld
Halloween horror nights - Universal Studios
Howl-O-Scream - Busch Gardens

November
Food & Wine festival - Epcot
Mickey’s very merry Christmas Party - Magic Kingdom
Holidays around the world / candlelight processional - Epcot

Seaworld’s Christmas celebration - Seaworld
Christmas Town - Busch Gardens
Holidays at Universal - Universal Studios

December
Mickey’s very merry Christmas party - Magic Kingdom

Holidays around the world / candlelight processional - Epcot

Seaworld’s Christmas celebration - Seaworld
Christmas Town - Busch Gardens
Eve - Universal Studios
New years eve - Seaworld

New years eve - Busch Gardens
Holidays at Universal - Universal Studios
Grinchmas - Islands of Adventure


As you can see, there’s always plenty going on.

I’d love to hear about your favourite time to visit ! Let me know in the comments or head over to the Dis After Dark Facebook page Here
or my personal Facebook page Here

Happy planning ! Amanda x


Missed the introduction blog ? - check it out here

Up next - Where to stay (part  - I-drive, Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista and Villas)