A Guide to Disneyland Resort During Halloween

If there is anywhere in the world you should want to celebrate Halloween, second only to being in Salem with the Sanderson sisters, you should want to be in Disneyland. Disneyland pulls out all of the stops for the spookiest time of the year, combining over-the-top decor, with great extras in the park, to make it one of the best times of year to plan a family trip. Disneyland gets started on the spooky fun early, and the Halloween season is celebrated in the parks from August 23rd to October 31st this year. Disneyland also throws the wildly popular Oogie Boogie Bash each year, which is a hardticketed event that celebrates all things spooky. While it's already sold out this year, if you're interested in attending in future years, make sure to get tickets as soon as they become available!

At Be Our Guest Vacations, we’re experts on spooky season - especially how Disney does it! It’s not too late to plan an early autumn trip to the happiest place on earth (fall break, anyone?), and we’re here to help. Looking for the best time of year to make a trip to see the Halloween festivities? August and September historically see much lower crowds than the month of October, but you'll have cooler weather the closer you get to Halloween itself!

Decor

Disneyland Resort is known for its iconic and over-the-top Halloween decorations. You’ll find a giant Mickey-shaped pumpkin heralding the park's beginning, followed by pumpkins decorating Main Street U.S.A. Stop by Frontierland to visit the ‘Halloween’ tree, which is especially beautiful at night, when it glows with thousands of orange twinkle lights. If you’re spending the day at Disney’s California Adventure, make sure to check out the Headless Horseman statue near The Carthay Circle, and ‘Radiator Screams’, where you will see Cars Land decorated for the holidays, and even get to meet some of your favorite characters from Cars dressed in their Halloween costumes! At night, the trees near the fountain on Buena Vista Street light up purple, for a spooky and beautiful ambiance that’s unmatched. 

Seasonal Food

Every year, Disneyland Resort pulls out all the stops with its seasonal food. Disneyland has annouced some of the food that you can expect this year, which you can read about here. Some of the items that we're most looking forward to are below:

-Alien Buzz Macaron filled with berries and cream at Alien Pizza Planet.

-Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake with spiced anglaise, chocolate crumb, and pecan tuile at the Blue Bayou Restaurant.

-Daisy’s Goody-Goody Donuts: House-made mini apple cider donuts with spiced apple sugar at Daisy's Cafe.

-Fantasyland Garlic Cheesy Brat: Bratwurst in a cheesy garlic pretzel bread at Edelweiss Snacks.

-Jack-O’-Lantern Mickey Pumpkin Macaron: Pumpkin macaron shell filled with caramel buttercream and pumpkin cheesecake at The Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe.

-Blueberry Corn Dog: Hand-dipped corn dog topped with blueberry compote and bacon powdered sugar at the Little Red Wagon.

-Poison Apple Cake: Red cinnamon cake with cream cheese & caramelized apple filling, red cream cheese frosting, and a green ganache at The Plaza Inn.

-Slow-burning Mac and Cheese: Pasta with red pepper cheese sauce topped with chile-cheese puffs at Cozy Cone Motel 3.

-Mango-Habanero Chicken Strips tossed in mango-habanero sauce, topped with green onions, and served with steak fries drizzled with ranch dressing at Flo's V8 Cafe.

Your specialist at Be Our Guest Vacations can make sure to offer some tips and tricks on what treats to prioritize your stomach space, and your wallet on!

Character Meet and Greets

One of my favorite parts of the Disneyland Resort is that they have characters that are a little more free-roaming, instead of the set meet and great spots you tend to find at Walt Disney World. Even better? You can usually find them dressed in their seasonal best, which includes Halloween looks during the spooky season. You will normally find characters on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure and Town Square in Disneyland. Protip: download the Disneyland app for the latest information on where to find characters! Disneyland has also been teasing on their website that you will have chances to meet Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas in the parks this holiday season, so keep an eye out for them! When they do meet and greats, they're usually spotted near The Haunted Mansion.

If meeting characters in their Halloween best is a priority for you, you might want to consider booking a character meal at either Goofy's Kitchen at The Disneyland Hotel, or at Storytellers Café at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. All of these characters will be dressed for the season, and you'll be able to meet them in a more relaxed enviornment.

Overlays

Disneyland holiday overlays have a cult following, and it’s easy to see why. I think if you asked me to pick between never getting to eat a Dole Whip again, and never getting to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday again, I would be saying goodbye to pineapple soft serve forever. Disneyland has FOUR spooky ride overlays for Halloween. 

-Haunted Mansion Holiday
Jack Skellington has taken over the Haunted Mansion, with a holiday clash that brings the best of Halloween and Christmas, in a ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ overlay. Try getting a Lightning Lane to ride this one after dark, when the outside of the building comes alive with lit candles and jack o’lanterns. 

-Luigi’s Honkin Haul-O-Week
Luigi’s gets an overhaul with spooky music, which is perfect for the season.

-Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark
Join Rocket as you embark on a Halloween mission to save a fellow Guardian. 

-Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree
Disney calls this a ‘Halloween Hoedown’, but my favorite part is the trees around the ride covered in purple twinkle lights. 

Entertainment

-Halloween Screams
The Halloween Screams fireworks show is only on select nights, so if you have your heart set on setting it, make sure to check the times before your trip. This is a great show, that celebrates some of Disney’s best villains - and in a fun moment, Zero, from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ flies across the sky! Make sure to watch from Main Street U.S.A. for the best viewing area! While the fireworks don't take place every night, you will be able to see the Halloween Screams projection show from Main Street U.S.A. every night.

-Mickey’s Trick and Treat
This Halloween stage show takes place in Disney California Adventure and features Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. This show has two original songs, and a lot of fun effects that are perfect for the whole family. 

-Plaza de la Familia
If you cry every time you hear ‘Remember Me’, then this show might be for you. This show celebrates family, and the spirit of Día de Los Muertos, as told by the Pixar movie Coco. There’s also a place where you can post your own messages to your family at the Mexican Árbol de la Vida.

Halloween is one of the best times of the year to visit Disneyland, and if you’re already dreaming of pumpkin spice and cooler weather, then now is the time to reach out to Be Our Guest Vacations. We take the stress out of planning your trip, so you can focus on what matters - making spooky memories with the people you love! We also can help you find the best accomadations on-property for your trip, and monitor promotions constantly, to make sure you're getting the best deal!