This year’s monthlong Grad Nite season kicks off this week at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with hordes of high schoolers descending on the Anaheim theme parks for the decades-old rite of passage.
Grad Nite 2023 celebrations will be held on 15 dates in May and June at Disney California Adventure.
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Grad Nite 2023 will take place on May 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 25, 30 and 31 and June 2, 4, 7, 9, 14 and 16. The dates fall on select weekdays (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) and weekends (Fridays and Saturdays).
Grad Nite celebrations will run from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at DCA with dance parties, themed food and drinks and meet-and-greet photo ops with Disney characters dressed in graduation gear.
High school seniors had three Grad Nite ticket options to choose from:
- The Grad Nite private party experience with access to DCA starting at 9 p.m.
- All-day DCA admission that includes the Grad Nite party
- A parkhopper option with admission to both parks and the after-hours party
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DCA will close to day visitors by 9 p.m. on Grad Nites.
Visitors planning trips to the parks in May and June should keep in mind Disneyland and DCA will grow increasingly crowded as high school seniors arrive throughout the day on Grad Nite event dates, according to MousePlanet.
“Schools that booked packages with theme park admission can choose to arrive whenever they wish during their Grad Nite event. Some arrive right at park opening to maximize their time, while others arrive later due to travel time or other activities,” according to MousePlanet. “Expect heavier arrival traffic in the Toy Story parking lot, which is where school buses now park. You should also expect to see the parks grow increasingly crowded as the day goes on as more students arrive.”
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MousePlanet warns that the formal Grad Nites are not the only times Disneyland and DCA are crowded with student groups during the end of the school year.
“The last weeks of school are popular times for class trips, something that Disney actively encourages through special pricing and activities for school groups,” according to MousePlanet. “Those visits won’t appear on any calendar, but are a fact of Disney life during this season.”
Grad Nite returned in 2022 after the events were canceled in 2020 and 2021 while Disneyland and Disney California Adventure were closed or under capacity restrictions due to state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.
This year’s Grad Nite events will be bracketed by the last of the Star Wars Nite after-hour parties (May 11) and the start of first-ever Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite events (June 13 and 15).
