Have you been to Disneyland in the Fall? Halloween at Disneyland has become an ever popular time to visit Disneyland Resort! One of the main reasons is because they offer the Halloween Party over at Disney California Adventure Park called Oogie Boogie Bash!
Now, we’ve already written a post about Halloween Time at Disneyland that you can check out here. This time of year has a lot of amazing Fall and Halloween inclusions included in your ticket price. You will get to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday over at Disneyland Park, as well as adorable fall decor all up and down Mainstreet!
Over at Disney California Adventure, you can see the Headless Horseman statue and lit up Halloween elements at night. Halloween time launches as soon as September starts and goes to Halloween night!
But the biggest draw of going during Halloween Time is going to be the Oogie Boogie Bash!
If you want all the juicy details on Oogie Boogie Bash specifically, you’ve come to the right place!
What is OOGIE BOOGIE BASH?
This is a Halloween Party in Disney California Adventure Park that requires a special event ticket to participate. The party starts at 6pm… but pro-tip, you can get in as early as 3pm without a Park ticket!
This is a family friendly event, and not at all comparable to a Horror Night that you would see at other Parks in the area. I took my kids to the Halloween Party in Florida last year and didn’t feel at anytime it crossed the line from fun to scary!
Tip #1:
First tip of this blog post is if you are going anytime in September or October, we highly recommend Park Hopper tickets. A park hopper can be added onto your ticket for $60 USD per person, on a ticket that is 2-5 days long. The beauty of this is that you will be able to hop over to Disneyland on days that DCA closes early (6pm!) AND on the mornings of the party and the day after, the crowds can be kind of wonky… ie, DCA can be quieter on party days (because people with 1 park per day tickets don’t want to pay for an 8am to 6pm ticket) and then Disneyland is busier on days that have the party. To that same point, DCA can be very busy on days that don’t have parties, because a lot of people will wait to go on those days, and voila! Lots of people.
Tip #2:
Schedule your Oogie Boogie party day for a “non” park day when possible.
This is a perfect thing to do on an “off day”. You can sleep in and enjoy the pool, then head over to DCA for 3pm and enjoy the event! You don’t have to worry about changing into your party clothes (more about that later!) and you can prepare for a late night!
Where do I get my tickets?
Last year this event sold out ALL dates in under 24 hours! While we would normally suggest purchasing through a travel agent, this is one of those events that we recommend guests try to get directly with Disney on the  Disneyland Website. The tickets release no earlier than 9am on June 27th for Magic Key Holders (Annual Pass Holders) and no earlier than 9am on June 29th for everyone else.
The best strategy is to have SEVERAL credit cards ready (in case one doesn’t work) Also your first date choice, as well as a back up or two if needed. Make sure that you have your address EXACTLY MATCHING your billing address of the credit card you are using. I find that an incognito window on a chrome browser works best, AND make sure the Disneyland site has “US English” in the top right corner. I usually try on both my computer and my phone.
Be patient, but start in the morning, and expect it to take til about lunch time. As long as you try the day of, you should get your first choice.
As far as dates and pricing goes, here are the details:
The party runs every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday for all of September (after Sept 5th) and October.
Pricing:
Tip #3:
You can get into the Party as early as 3pm! I recommend heading to the gates as early as 2:15/2:30pm, because you are going to see a lot of people doing the same thing. Let the kids run off to the side while you wait, or come with a coffee in your hands and a snack for the kids and just wait. This will allow you to get in soon after 3pm and really maxamize that party ticket!
Note – for non party goers that are in DCA that day, they will slowly have you leave after 6pm. I was there last year and had ordered food at 5:55pm, and they let us eat it and we were there until 6:10pm and no one kicked us out – but we wouldn’t have been able to get in any character lines, treat trails or ride lines without proof of having a party ticket!
It’s nice to get into the Park while it’s still light for some photos!
Tip #4: Plan out your Party!
Pick up a paper brochure for the party and plan out what is most important. Low rides? Characters in unique costumes? Candy? Parade?
It can be easy to forget what time it is and miss out so we recommend that you have alarms set before important things so you don’t forget!
There’s also special food offered just for the party! You can divide and conquer (one parent take kids in line for a character meet, the other get a specialty churro, that sort of thing!)
What happens at the Oogie Boogie Bash?
Here is a list of the offerings. Each one of these things ONLY happens during the party, so you are unable to catch any of it without a ticket!
- Frightfully Fun Parade
Don’t miss this spirited masquerade cavalcade starring Mickey, Minnie and some of your fave Disney villains! - Mickey’s Trick and Treat
Watch Mickey Mouse and friends as they headline a live show filled with not-so-scary Halloween tales. - Immersive Treat trails
M& M’s, skittles and snickers sponsor the event, along with other Halloween favorites! The villains oversee the festivities from their thrones!
Note – there are allergy options as well, including nut free options!
- Villains Grove
Explore Redwood Creek Challenge Trail like never before as the worlds of Disney villains unfold via ethereal scenes replete with hauntingly beautiful colour, sound, light and shadow.
- Carthay Circle
Hold onto your hats as clouds of black bats coil ’round Carthay Circle’s Bell Tower while spellbinding effects transform the building.
- Commemorative Keepsakes
Receive an event guide and unlimited downloads of Disney PhotoPass digital photos taken during the party. (Event guides are limited to one per ticketed person.) - Scan your event admission ticket into the Disneyland app to access Disney PhotoPass digital photos captured during the event. Photos can be downloaded from your Disney account as often as desired, up to 45 days after initial capture. Disney PhotoPass service is subject to the Disney PhotoPass terms and conditions and the Disney PhotoPass expiration policy. Online registration required. Disney PhotoPass photos must be linked to your Disney account to be downloaded.
Tip #5: Eating at Oogie Boogie Bash
The lines for the party-exclusive foods will be longer than your average wait times. You definitely want to be strategic about this! We suggest having a decent sized lunch around 12:30pm or 1pm, so that you aren’t super hungry when you arrive – as well as eating around 5:30pm before the party officially starts. Pick one or two things that you must try and make time for those!
What should I wear?
One of the especially fun things about the Oogie Boogie Bash is that the rules for adults dressing up on a regular Park day go out the window! You are allowed to be in full costume, and dress up to look like your favourite character.
There are some guidelines to adhere to, so we recommend that you read them before spending a lot of time or money on your costumes! You can read them here.
Tip #6: Choosing what to wear
There are going to be people that attend that go ALL OUT on costumes. Like, your jaw will be on the floor! This isn’t going to be everyone, though, so we recommend that you consider things before deciding.
Consider:
– what the temperature will be
In September, it can be VERY hot. In October, it can be exceptionally cold. It may even be wet! There is no way to predict for sure, and it can vary drastically.
– what kind of a party goer you are
If you are going to just get a lot of photos and walk around, you might want to have accessories and a stiffer costume. But if you want to still enjoy rides, it might be a good idea to consider a more comfortable costume or clothing.
– how much room you have!
We fly with carry on luggage only, so an extra costume is really out of the question. We opted for matching nightmare before Christmas shirts for our family (this picture is us in Florida in September when it was sweltering hot!)
Some ideas:
Pinterest is a great source for good ideas, as well as Instagram and Tik Tok. Group costumes are very popular, as is a theme as a family. If there are 5 of you, you might consider going as the “Fab 5” for instance.
Disney Bounding is  another popular way to enjoy the Oogie Boogie Bash. This is taking every day clothing items, most often from what you already have!
Having shirts custom made is another great idea! Or simply a Disney Halloween shirt from somewhere like Old Navy.
Tip #7: Take advantage of lower wait times for rides!
The party is going to offer exclusive content and things to do, so you will definitely want to balance this with those things – but the ride lines will be lower than any other time, so make sure to pop into a few of your favs and ride them! Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark is a must do for us, as well as the two Halloween Theme Cars Land rides!
What happens if I missed out on buying Party tickets and I still want to go?
So here’s the honest truth. It’s very upsetting if you wanted to go and are unable to get tickets. We do NOT recommend purchasing tickets that are sold privately. Too much can go wrong! It’s against the terms and conditions, it can be a scam… to name a couple. If you are staying onsite at one of the three onsite Disney properties, they are supposed to hold back some tickets for you. Be sure to check that on check in day!
Otherwise, plan for another year and watch for the release date!
We hope this blog post was helpful and informative… if you feel there was anything we missed or have thoughts, we’d love to hear from you!
Have a magical day,
Erica
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