How does park.fan work?
The complete guide for theme park visitors – from search and favorites to the crowd calendar, AI predictions and all badges explained.
Sound familiar? You're standing in an 80-minute queue for Taron – and just ten metres away another ride has no wait at all. Or: you book your holiday and discover that every school in the country is on break that exact week.
park.fan was built out of exactly that frustration. What started as a small side project – "let me just track some wait times" – has grown into a platform with live data from 150+ parks, over 5,000 attractions and millions of queue data points processed every day.
The goal is simple: take the guesswork out of your theme park visit. Use the crowd calendar to pick the right day, navigate with live wait times, and rely on AI predictions to know when each ride will be at its quietest. This page explains every feature in detail.
Search
The global search is the fastest way to find a park, attraction, show or restaurant – whether you're on desktop or mobile.
Opening the search
Desktop: Press Ctrl + K or ⌘ + K (Mac) to open the search at any time.
Mobile & Desktop: Tap the icon in the header or the search field on the homepage.
Europa-Park, Taron, ...
⌘KWhat you can search for
🌴
Parks
Europa-Park, Phantasialand, Disneyland...
🎢
Attractions
Taron, Silver Star, Space Mountain...
🗺️
Cities & Countries
Orlando, Paris, Germany...
🎭
Shows
Show schedules and times
🍽️
Restaurants
Dining options inside parks
Note
The search uses smart full-text search that works even with typos. Search for "fantasia" and you'll find "Phantasialand".Location & Nearby Parks
With your location enabled, park.fan becomes smarter: see nearby parks and attractions sorted by distance. park.fan does not store your location.
In-Park Navigation
When you're in a park, park.fan automatically detects which park you're in and shows "You're in [Park Name]" on the homepage. The park map displays your live location – perfect for navigating between rides.
Locating...
Favorites
Save parks, attractions, shows and restaurants as favorites for quick access directly on the homepage.
Adding a favorite
Click the star on any park or attraction card. Favorites are saved locally in your browser – no login required.
Favorites on the homepage
Once you have at least one favorite, a dedicated section appears on the homepage showing all saved parks, attractions, shows and restaurants. With location enabled, they are sorted by distance – nearest first.
Nearest Open Park
Phantasialand
Brühl, Germany
8.4 km
avg 45 minHigh
Closes today at 22:00
Europa-Park
Rust, Germany
124 km
CLOSEDOffSeason (Opens March 28 – in 3 weeks)
What gets saved?
🌴
Parks
Status, opening hours and crowd level at a glance
🎢
Attractions
Live wait time and trend directly in the overview
🎭
Shows
Next showtime always visible
🍽️
Restaurants
Kitchen status and location
Tip
Save your 5–10 favorite attractions at your target park. On the day of your visit, you'll instantly see which ones have short wait times – great for on-the-fly decisions.The Park Page
Every park has its own page with live data, opening hours, an interactive calendar and a map.
Note
All times are displayed in the park's local timezone — regardless of where you are. A park in Florida shows Eastern Time, Europa-Park shows Central European Time.Phantasialand– Current Wait Times
Brühl, GermanyEurope/Berlin
Today's Hours
Opening hours09:00 – 22:00
Closes in 6 hours 20 minutes
Current time
Weather
23°/ 16°
Sunny
☂0mm
12 km/h
Occupancy
High
Occupancy130%
30% Higher vs typical
Avg. wait
Currently45 Minutes
TrendSTABLE
Park peak today55 min
Peak timeIN 1H 45M
Attractions
32/ 40
32
Open
8
Closed
Tabs – Attractions, Shows, Calendar, Map
🎢 Attractions
All rides with live wait time, status, trend and comparison to average.
🎭 Shows
All shows with current status and upcoming showtimes.
📅 Calendar
30+ day outlook with crowd predictions, weather, holidays and school vacations.
🗺️ Map
Interactive map with all attractions, shows and restaurants.
Taron
55 min
Single Rider
High
Black Mamba
12 min
Low
Klugheim
30 min
Moderate
Shows Tab: Showtimes at a Glance
The Shows tab lists all shows with their showtimes for today. Past times are struck through, the next showtime is highlighted in green — so you always know when and where to be.
Mia and Me – Live
09:0013:0015:00
F.L.Y. Pre-Show
10:3012:3016:30
Mystery Castle Show
Badges & Status Indicators
park.fan uses a consistent color system to make information immediately understandable.
Park & Attraction Status
Attraction / park is running. Wait times are updated live.
Down
Temporarily closed – e.g. technical issue or safety pause. Usually brief.
Closed
Not operating today – seasonal closure or scheduled rest day.
Refurbishment
Extended maintenance. Closed for days or weeks.
Crowd Levels
The crowd level shows how busy a park or attraction is relative to the historical median wait time (P50) – the typical value for that attraction. 100% means exactly as busy as an average day.
Very Low≤ 60% of P50
Noticeably quieter than usual. Almost no queues – ideal visit day.
Low61–89% of P50
Below average – short wait times at most attractions.
Moderate90–110% of P50
Typical day – wait times within the expected range (±10% of median).
High111–150% of P50
Busier than average – noticeably longer wait times.
Very High151–200% of P50
Very crowded – waits nearly twice as long as usual. Arrive early.
Extreme> 200% of P50
Record crowds – more than twice as busy as a typical day. School holidays, special events.
Note
How is the crowd level calculated? park.fan compares the current average wait time with the historical median (P50) – the typical value for that attraction. 100% means exactly as busy as an average day; 60% is notably quieter, 200% means twice as crowded as usual.Trend Indicators
Rising
Queue is getting longer. Queue up soon.
Stable
Wait time remains constant.
Falling
Queue is getting shorter – good moment to join.
Queue Types
Single Rider
Often much shorter than regular queue – but you can't ride with your group.
Lightning Lane
Paid express pass (e.g. at Disney). Shows current price and return time.
Return Time
Free virtual queue – reserve a time slot and return later.
Boarding Group
Virtual queue with group number – popular for highly demanded new rides.
The Crowd Calendar
The calendar is the most powerful planning tool on park.fan. It shows an AI-powered forecast for each of the next 30+ days – crowd level, opening hours, weather and special events, all at a glance.
What's on each calendar card?
A typical calendar card shows:
- 📅 Date and weekday
- 🎯 Crowd Level badge (e.g. "Very High") – the AI forecast for overall busyness
- 🕐 Opening hours – or "Est." if not yet officially confirmed (see below)
- 🌤️ Weather forecast with min/max temperature
- ⌚ Avg. wait time – predicted average wait across all attractions
- 🎟️ Ticket price, when published by the park
What does "Est." mean? Opening hours marked "Est." (Estimated) have not yet been officially confirmed by the park. park.fan derives them from historical patterns – they may still change.
Calendar card icons
Public Holiday
Parks often open longer, but also busier. Check the forecast!
School Holidays
Typically the busiest days of the year – extreme wait times possible.
Bridge Day
Likely to be busier as many people extend long weekends.
Park Closed
No operation on this day – no forecast available.
Practical example: finding the best visit day
You're planning a visit to Europa-Park in October. Here's how to use the calendar:
- 1Open the park page and switch to the Calendar tab.
- 2You'll immediately spot the school holiday weeks – lots of cards with the icon and badges showing "Very High" or "Extreme".
- 3Look for a Tuesday or Wednesday without a holiday icon – these often show "Low" or "Moderate". Opening hours and the weather forecast help you make the final call.
- 4Book tickets early – on forecast green days, ticket contingents can be limited.
MonMar 16
Closed
11°C
avg —
TueMar 17
Closed
15°C
avg —
WedMar 18
Closed
15°C
avg —
ThuMar 19
Closed
12°C
avg —
FriMar 20
Closed
10°C
avg —
SatMar 21
Closed
13°C
avg —
SunMar 22
Closed
14°C
avg —
MonMar 16
Closed
11°C
avg —
TueMar 17
Closed
15°C
avg —
WedMar 18
Closed
15°C
avg —
ThuMar 19
Closed
12°C
avg —
FriMar 20
Closed
10°C
avg —
SatMar 21
Closed
13°C
avg —
SunMar 22
Closed
14°C
avg —
Phantasialand · Live data – next 7 days
Attraction calendar
Each attraction's detail page also has a historical calendar showing how busy it was on every past day – and whether it was operating or not. This is perfect for spotting recurring patterns: did Taron consistently have short waits on Thursday afternoons over the past month? It might next week too.
Tip
Best visit days are typically early weekdays outside of school holidays – Tuesday through Thursday show the lowest crowd levels. Avoid school holiday weeks in densely populated regions.AI-Powered Predictions
park.fan uses machine learning to predict crowd levels and wait times days in advance. The model is continuously trained on new data and considers four key factors:
📊
Historical data
Millions of queue data points per attraction, weekday and time of day.
📅
Holiday calendars
School holidays and public holidays across Europe and worldwide.
🌤️
Weather forecasts
Temperature, rain and sunshine – bad weather pushes crowds towards indoor rides.
🎉
Special events
Halloween nights, Christmas events and other park-specific dates drive significantly higher attendance.
Where to find predictions
📅 In the crowd calendar
Every calendar card contains a day-level forecast: crowd level, average wait time and opening hours – up to 30+ days ahead.
⏰ Peak-time badge on the park page
The park header shows when today's crowd peak is expected – e.g. "Peak in 1h 30m". Plan a lunch break or a visit to a less popular ride for exactly that window.
📈 Hourly prediction chart on the attraction page
Every attraction has its own page with a chart showing how wait times are forecast to evolve through the day – for today and tomorrow.
Practical example: using predictions on the day
You're visiting Phantasialand on a Saturday during school holidays. The calendar shows "Very High". Here's how predictions help:
- 1At the gate: The peak-time badge shows "Peak in ~2h" – you have until around 11:30 for your first highlights.
- 2Open the Taron page: The prediction chart shows 9:30 ≈ 15 min, 12:00 ≈ 65 min, 15:00 ≈ 40 min → ride right after opening or mid-afternoon.
- 3Lunch during peak: Instead of queuing at noon, you grab lunch. Live trends confirm: by 15:00 the wait is dropping – perfect moment to ride.
How accurate are predictions?
Accuracy varies by park and forecast window. Each attraction's detail page shows its prediction quality – from Poor to Excellent. More historical data means more precise forecasts. Short-term predictions (1–3 days) are inherently more reliable than longer-range ones (7–14 days).
Wait time sparklines
Every attraction card shows a small sparkline graph with the wait time trend over the last few hours. You can instantly see whether queues are building up, holding steady or shrinking.
Taron · Predicted wait times (Saturday)
15
22
38
55
70
68
52
40
30
22
14
9h
10h
11h
12h
13h
14h
15h
16h
17h
18h
19h
Best slots: right at opening (9–10h) or from 18:00
Tip
Combine calendar and predictions: pick a green day from the calendar, then check the hourly forecast on the attraction page to find the quietest slot. You'll always arrive at the shortest queue.Who is park.fan for?
👨👩👧👦
Families
Planning a perfect day out for everyone
- Crowd calendar: which day has the shortest queues?
- Weather in the calendar: planning for a rainy day? Check indoor rides!
- Favorites: save the 10 must-do rides for kids.
- Live wait times: decide on the fly which ride to do next.
🎢
Theme Park Enthusiasts
Every minute must be optimised
- Crowd level (P50 baseline): understand if a ride is genuinely above average – or just "normal".
- Historical trends: when does Taron typically have short waits?
- Trend indicators: queue rising? Wait 20 minutes and it might be shorter.
- Single Rider / Lightning Lane: all queue types shown with times and prices.
🌟
First-Time Visitors
First time at a major theme park
- Search: find your park quickly, even if you don't know the exact name.
- Park map: get oriented before and during your visit.
- Status badges: green = running, orange = brief issue, grey = closed today.
- Crowd calendar: colours tell everything – green is good, red is stressful.
⚡
Spontaneous Visitors
Last-minute decision, maximum efficiency
- Location: park.fan automatically finds your nearest park.
- Live wait times: instantly see what's open and how long the wait is.
- Trend indicators: queue falling? Perfect moment to join.
Popular Parks
park.fan covers 150+ theme parks worldwide – from Walt Disney World to Universal Studios and Europa-Park. Here are the most-visited parks in your region with live data:
Magic Kingdom Park
Orlando
ClosedOpens: 01:00 PM (in 1 h. 1 Min.)
Universal Studios Florida
Orlando
ClosedOpens: 02:00 PM (in 2 h. 1 Min.)
Disneyland Park
Paris
15 minutes
33/41
operatingCloses in 8 h. 1 Min.
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo
5 minutes
22/53
operatingCloses in 1 Min.
Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo
5 minutes
17/44
operatingCloses in 1 Min.
Universal Studios Japan
Osaka
10 minutes
28/33
operatingFrequently Asked Questions
How often are wait times updated?
Wait times are updated every minute. For some parks, updates occur every 2–5 minutes depending on data availability.
Where does the data come from?
park.fan sources live data from ThemeParks.wiki, Queue-Times.com and Wartezeiten.app.
Is park.fan free?
Yes, park.fan is completely free and requires no registration.
Are favorites synced across devices?
No, favorites are stored locally in your browser (localStorage). They're only available on the device where you saved them.
How far ahead does the crowd calendar forecast?
The calendar shows forecasts for 30+ days ahead. Forecasts for dates further away are naturally slightly less precise than near-term predictions.
How many parks are covered?
park.fan currently covers 150+ parks with 5,000+ attractions worldwide – from Walt Disney World and Universal to Europa-Park, Phantasialand and parks across Asia and Australia.