According to estimates by Thinkwell Group’s Brad Kissling, Disneyland could accommodate approximately 50% of its pre-COVID capacity with social distancing.
While Disneyland rarely shares exact figures for park attendance and capacity, an estimated 51,140 visited Disneyland per day in 2019, according to Themed Entertainment Association/AECOM. Kissling estimates Disneyland attracts approximately 60,000 guests on a normal summer weekend day.
Before COVID-19, theme park density ranged between 500 and 650 people per acre. During COVID-19 social distancing, those numbers would need to be cut in half to approximately between 250 and 325 people per acre.
According to Thinkwell, theme parks usually allow 10 to 15 square feet per visitor for a crowded area. When maintaining a six-foot social distance, this square footage would be expanded to 140 feet per person. The breakdown from Thinkwell is below.
- Pre-COVID Personal Space = 10-15 sf (1-1.4 sm) per person
- Post-COVID Personal Space = 140 sf (13 sm), 6 feet (1.8 meters) between individuals
- Post-COVID Group of Three = 200 sf (18.6 sm) for group and 67 sf (6.2 sm) individually
Following these numbers, Disneyland could allow 25,000 to 30,000 visitors a day, approximately half of their usual capacity, and still maintain social distancing guidelines.
Kissling told Orange County Register, “There is a lot that goes into calculating the daily attendance and densities. So it’s better to make estimates using big windows — such as 50,000 to 60,000 daily pre-COVID or with COVID 25,000 to 30,000 daily.”
Disneyland Resort closed on March 14. No reopening date has been announced, though we have seen signs of Cast Members preparing both parks for reopening. As of today, Disneyland has canceled reservations through October 3.
