*updated June 13, 2025
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!
What to expect
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 exclusive hard to get special ticketed event –Â Oogie Boogie Bash!
I have sent people to the party for a few years as a travel agent, but this year I was lucky enough to experience it myself so i’ve got all the tips and tricks for you!
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.
Lightning Lane Multipass is also an add on that is cheapest added to your ticket in advance and I highly recommend it for this season. It can’t be used during the party (and truth is, it’s not needed) but it’s great for the days before and after the Party!
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!
Now – I’ll play the devils advocate for a minute since I just went. If you have enough days for this to be on an off day, by all means, this is excellent. But did you know the difference of a 4 day ticket and a 5th day ticket is not very much? So I had a park day this day – and we actually had a strategy to be in the park before the lines to get in happened – and it really paid off. So all that to say – there is no exact right way to do this. Every family is different – every way can be the right way depending on your exact needs for your trip. This is my favourite part about being a travel agent – I get to help customize your trip for YOUR needs!
Where do I get my tickets?Â
In the last few years this event sold out ALL dates in under 9 hours! This year it was even more stressful as the website crashed in the first 10 minutes and it because increasingly frustrating that some still got in while the rest were paused. They resumed sales a couple of weeks later, but they put people in the queue at random and while most of my clients got tickets, some didn’t. Note: Once you are “in” to buy tickets – you can sign in and out of different accounts – so buddy up when possible!
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 24th for Magic Key Holders (Annual Pass Holders) and the queue will open at 8:45am on June 26th 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, set an alarm for 8:40am. New this year – they will send you a text or email when it’s your turn to enter the waiting room! (the waiting room is random so there is no advantage to being on early).
I also recommend having several people logged in and trying – friends, family. Once you get in and purchase, I recommend taking a screen shot of the tickets in case there is an error. You should see the tickets on your app immediately! Once you purchase up to 8 tickets, you should be able to sign out and into another account as well if you know others that are trying!
As far as dates and pricing goes, here are the details (2025 pricing):
The party runs nearly every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday for the entire season.Tickets are required for 3 years old and up (and the same price for everyone).
Pricing:
Sunday, Aug 17th $139 USD
Tuesday, Aug 19th $139 USD
Thursday, Aug 21st $154 USD
Sunday, Aug 24th $154 USD
Tuesday, Aug 26th $139 USD
Thursday, Aug 28th $154 USD
Sunday, Aug 31st $154 USD
Tuesday, Sept 2nd $139 USD
Tuesday, Sept 9th $139 USD
Thurs, Sept 11th $154 USD
Sun, Sept 14th $169 USD
Tues, Sept 16th $139 USD
Thur, Sept 18th $154 USD
Sun, Sept 21st $169 USD
Tues, Sept 23rd $154 USD
Thur, Sept 25th $169 USD
Sun, Sept 28th $169 USD
Tues, Sept 30th $154 USD
Thur, Oct 2nd $169 USD
Sun, Oct 5th $179 USD
Tues, Oct 7th $179 USD
Thur, Oct 9th $179 USD
Sun, Oct 12th $179 USD
Tues, Oct 14th $169 USD
Thur, Oct 16th $179 USD
Sun, Oct 19th $179 USD
Tues, Oct 21st $179 USD
Thur, Oct 23rd $179 USD
Sun, Oct 26th $189 USD
Tues, Oct 28th $189 USD
Thur, Oct 31st $199 USD
Tip #3:
So if you are reading this and hoping to go in future years, here’s another pro-tip. Book your dates with at LEAST three OBB options – meaning a Sunday, a Tuesday and a Thursday. Because while some nights sold fast, the nights before and after didn’t so pivoting was important.
The Canadian Thanksgiving weekend was the first to sell out this year. In years past it was the first night and Halloween night – so we don’t know for sure and this is the best way to cover all your basis if you are booking in advance (which I do recommend!)
Tip #4: Timing
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 maximize that party ticket!
For off-site guests there will be some gates that say “special party entrance” which is where you will go if you don’t have regular admission that day.
For on-site guests, you can enter via the Grand Californian private entrance BUT it was much, much longer than going around and entering through the esplanade! The best bet is the super secret entrance that says it’s exclusive for Paradise Pier guests – we tried with our Grand Californian key and they told us that as long as the key opens the gate, that entrance can be used – so any of the 3 resorts. The security line is VERY short and you will get your wrist bands.
Lastly, if you ARE in the park already on a party day and have a party ticket, head over to the Cars Land entrance and get your bag and wristband early – it took us less than 2 minutes and voila! We were all set.
It’s nice to get into the Park while it’s still light for some photos!
What if I’m not going to the party on a DCA day?
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.
Tip #5: 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!
The biggest elements are listed below, but some tips now that I’ve gone are:
– Start with treat trails. Only prioritize the trails with character meets.
There seemed to be a flow of how the line started and we always ended up double-backing into the line. For the pier area, go to the RIGHT passed Little Mermaid.
For the characters to the left of the Park, go in on Hollywood Blvd and do all of the characters in a big loop.
Plan for the second parade – there will be far less people!
Villains Grove is a MUST – we headed there after the second parade and while the line was huge, it went very fast and they didn’t rush us out.
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!) There wasn’t a huge amount of options and nothing was massively important but I did get a panic churro (it literally turned my mouth blue!) and some of the girls got a specialty glow drink!
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 #6: 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 #7: 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.
My staff went as the princesses from Wreck it Ralph and it was SO FUN! I went as Vanellope – the pants were the hardest part, so I bought them on amazon. Then I thrifted the skirt, bought a hoodie at Walmart and changed the strings, and used my girls hair accessories as well as a few accessories from my Stampin Up collection and voila!
Tip #8: 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!
We did Guardians of the Galaxy twice because it was a walk on! That was the only ride we did – we found the treat trails, villains grove, food lines and the parade took up the rest of our time.
Tip #9: How do I bring home all that candy?!
If you are flying in and out of the party, this was a concern for me. I actually was worried I was going to have to leave it all at the hotel. However I ended up just bringing it home in a shopping bag even though it was technically a third carry on. I checked my carry on since it was a direct flight home for free (after security, I gate checked it). Then I was good to go!
This year they had a great selection of candy, but they were also handing out apple slices and carrot sticks. I actually said to one of the Cast Members with the carrots “what did YOU do to get that bin?!” Haha. Remember if you are coming from Canada like me, you should eat or get rid of fruits and vegetables before flying home.
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 will may 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