Disney Parks invited us to attend Disneyland Halloween Time and Oogie Boogie Bash. All opinions are my own.
It is officially Disneyland Halloween time! It is my favorite time of year at Disneyland. I do love Christmas time at Disneyland too, but there is something that feels extra special at Halloween. We were lucky enough to get to attend the opening night of Oogie Boogie Bash and be some of first people to experience Halloween at Disneyland. Read on to find everything you need to know about Halloween Time at Disneyland.
When Does Halloween Start at Disneyland?
Starting September 2 – October 31st, you can enjoy the Mainstreet Pumpkin Festival, including the iconic giant Mickey carved pumpkin. Honestly, there is no better time to visit Disneyland than during Halloween. I absolutely love walking through the front gate and seeing the giant Disney character-shaped pumpkins on top of the entrance way. Then, you make your way through the entrance and you see the Halloween Mickey-shaped flowers in front of the train station. As you round the corner toward Mainstreet, you’ll see the street lined with lots of pumpkins and pumpkin decor. The entire experience is just as amazing during the day as it is at night. We were lucky enough to get to be there at sunrise and sunset this year, and there’s nothing quite like seeing Disneyland in all the stages of light.
What is Disneyland Halloween Time?
Halloween Time is the phrase and hashtag Disneyland is using to talk about all things Halloween happening at the parks. If you’re wondering what some of the highlights are at each of the parks, I’m going to share my favorites.
Character Greetings: First of all, you will see lots of characters dressed up in their Halloween finest. It was so fun for my kids to get to meet Goofy and Mickey and Minnie during our early-morning trip to Disneyland. We got to enter the park at 6:30 am, so we got a private tour of Mainstreet and one on one time with the characters. You will see characters dressed up at both Disneyland and California Adventure. At California Adventure, you might also see some of the Cars characters in costumes.
Rides: Several of the rides at both parks are changed up for Halloween Time. This was our first time riding the Haunted Mansion at Halloween, and it was definitely an unforgettable experience. Even if you’re not a huge Nightmare before Christmas fan, it was still a really fun ride. Over at California Adventure, Luigi, Mater, and Guardians of the Galaxy rides also take on some Halloween-themed fun.
Food & Drink: Disney is known for their festive goodies. We were lucky enough to get to participate in two dessert-focused receptions during our time at the park. We got to try several Halloween-themed goodies and beverages. You can see some of them in this video.
What is Oogie Boogie Bash?
If you’ve never been, Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash is an immersive Halloween party for the whole family. Tickets for this year are sold out, but if you have the chance to attend in the future, I’d highly encourage you to get tickets early. Tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash include the following:
Park Admission – Early admission to Disney’s California Adventure, starting at 3:00 PM. The party actually starts at 6 PM.
Treat Trails – There are immersive Treat Trails, which means you get to walk down trails lined with Halloween decor, music, and villians.
Character Experiences – There are more opportunities to meet your favorite characters.
Special Halloween Decor – The lights, sounds, music, and more is so unique and immersive during the Oogie Boogie Bash.
Limited Admission to California Adventure – Because this is a ticketed event, there are fewer people in the park, so more opportunities to go on rides and be immersed in the Halloween experience. We were actually able to ride Web-Slinger, one of the newer rides in the Avengers Campus because so many of the other guests were walking on the treat trails. We went on three rides in a short amount of time given the short wait times for rides.
Halloween Parade – There was a really fun Halloween-themed parade that we were able to get a front-row seat to watch. It was a really fun and immersive parade experience that you won’t want to miss.
These are just some of the highlights of the Oogie Boogie Bash experience. It definitely was a highlight for the kids and me. If you get the chance to snag tickets this year or in the future, I know you will enjoy it!
Halloween Disney Merchandise
Our friends at Disneyland gave us a few of the Halloween-themed items available for purchase this year, including an adorable light-up Mickey pumpkin-shaped treat bucket, a light-up necklace garland, Minnie ears, and this adorable Boo hat. You can find all of the cute Disney merch at the Disney stores in Downtown Disney and within the parks. My kids also opted to get a build-your-own light saber and Gigi got Baby Yoda ears to go with their Star Wars-themed costumes this year. A lot of these items are available year-round, but of course the Halloween-specific items are seasonal.
Other Fall Activities at Disneyland
Beyond the Halloween festivities, Disneyland also celebrates Dia de Los Muertos at each of the parks.
This was our second time getting to attend Oogie Boogie Bash and participate in all the Halloween festivities at Disneyland. We had such an amazing time and we can’t wait to visit again in a few weeks. If you haven’t had the chance to experience Disneyland Halloween yet, I would highly encourage you to go. There is just something indescribable about being there amongst all the amazing decorations and happy people. It really is the happiest place on earth.
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