Disney is aware of methods to have a good time a vacation, however few theme park celebrations examine with Halloween Time at Disneyland in Southern California. From the large Mickey pumpkin head within the heart of City Sq. in Disneyland Park to the Headless Horseman statue menacing visitors coming into Hollywood Land at Disney California Journey Park, the resort goes all-out for Halloween in each parks.
The resort’s hottest providing in the course of the already common fall season is its after-hours Halloween occasion, Oogie Boogie Bash. Named for the jovially evil character in Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas,” the occasion theme is a bit daring whereas nonetheless retaining Disney’s family-friendly PG vibe. It is the edgier California cousin of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Social gathering in Walt Disney World.
Disney simply introduced that Oogie Boogie Bash tickets are about to go on sale June 26 for the 2025 occasion. Is the occasion value your hard-earned money? If that’s the case, how are you going to snag its hard-to-get tickets and take advantage of a celebration go to? This is what it’s essential to know.
When is Oogie Boogie Bash?
Oogie Boogie Bash runs at Disneyland Resort in Disney California Journey Park from 6 to 11 p.m. on choose nights between mid-August and the top of October annually. Traditionally, most events are on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Dates for Oogie Boogie Bash in 2025 are:
- Aug. 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28 and 31
- Sept. 2, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28 and 30
- Oct. 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28 and 31
How a lot does it price?
Oogie Boogie Bash is a separate after-hours ticketed occasion that is not included in common theme park admission.
Ticket costs for 2025 vary from $139 to $199 per particular person.
If you wish to go to the theme parks on the morning of a celebration day, you will have to buy common admission individually. That mentioned, most visitors will not discover they should buy common park admission on a celebration day.
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Oogie Boogie Bash tickets embody park admission throughout a day “mix-in” interval. Throughout this time, the day’s common ticket holders and Oogie Boogie Bash visitors each have entry to Disney California Journey on the identical time. This era often begins at 3 p.m., extending the occasion expertise by as much as three hours.
As a result of the occasion runs late, beginning within the midafternoon could also be greater than sufficient park time for many guests. Use the morning to sleep in, hit your lodge’s pool or dine and store in Downtown Disney.
How do you get tickets?
Even at its more and more excessive value level, there was unprecedented demand for Oogie Boogie Bash tickets during the last a number of years. Locals love attending 12 months after 12 months, and out-of-towners usually prioritize it as effectively, particularly as a result of it usually coincides with their longer fall break journeys.
There’s often a presale for Magic Key passholders with restricted ticket stock launched, adopted by a public sale. In 2025, gross sales will open June 24 for Encourage Magic Key passholders and June 25 for all different Magic Key passholders. The general public sale open to all different visitors begins June 26.
As quickly as the general public sale begins, count on some events to start out promoting out virtually instantly. In at the very least a few current years, each single occasion date has offered out lower than 24 hours after the general public sale started.
Subsequently, it is vitally necessary to know with certainty whether or not you need to attend Oogie Boogie Bash earlier than the sale date so you should purchase instantly.
When tickets go on sale, navigate to the Oogie Boogie Bash web page on the Disneyland web site a couple of minutes earlier than the appointed ticket launch time (often 9 a.m. PDT on sale day). The positioning locations all visitors in a digital queue. Clear your calendar as a result of this queue can generally take a number of hours. Make be aware of your digital queue ID, as you should utilize it to reenter the road in the identical place if it’s essential to swap gadgets or have a pc malfunction.
The occasion dates probably to promote out shortly embody Halloween night time itself and the least costly occasion dates. Events round common fall break dates in early and mid-October will also be in demand.
What’s included with an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket?
For those who’re questioning what a virtually $200 ticket (and possibly hours in a digital queue) delivers, the leisure and different particular actions throughout Oogie Boogie Bash are fairly in depth. Most visitors will not have time to do every little thing. This is what you must select from.
Trick-or-treat trails
One of many coolest choices at Oogie Boogie Bash is the prospect to trick-or-treat in Disney California Journey. Solid members hand out beneficiant handfuls of sweet (plus a couple of more healthy snack selections) at near a dozen deal with trails strategically scattered all around the park.
These deal with trails provide way more than easy sweet distribution. Disneyland has made them extra participating by including theming and a live-action Disney villain in most of them. The characters improvise and interact with visitors as they stroll via, with extremely entertaining outcomes. The actors make the deal with trails simply as common with adults as they’re with children.
Some favourite villains, together with Oogie Boogie himself, return 12 months after 12 months, however Disneyland retains issues contemporary by including a number of new villains to the lineup annually because it retires others. No fandom is simply too distinctive or obscure to be thought of. Within the final couple of years, additions have included Ernesto de la Cruz from “Coco,” Dr. Doofenschmirtz from “Phineas and Ferb,” Choose Doom from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and Hades from “Hercules.”
Character meet-and-greets
Whereas it is attainable to get your character repair from the interactive deal with path villains alone, Disneyland has a number of further character meet-and-greet stations in the course of the occasion. Right here, visitors can stand up near take pictures and get autographs with the characters as effectively.
Meet-and-greets are often a mixture of conventional Disney characters in particular seasonal costumes and different Disney villains. Fashionable choices the previous couple of years have included the Sanderson sisters (Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle dressed just like the witches from “Hocus Pocus”) and Bruno from “Encanto.”
Villains Grove
Villains Grove is a walk-through attraction set within the mazelike ambiance of Redwood Creek Problem Path.
For those who’re used to scare zones of Common or Six Flags parks throughout Halloween haunts, this is not that — there are not any soar scares to be discovered. In reality, there are not any characters or solid members in any respect in Villains Grove. The world is extra of an interactive artwork piece, with lighting and particular results impressed by the world of Disney villains, together with Dr. Facilier, Frollo, Scar and the Depraved Queen.
Villains Grove may hassle some delicate children, however I’ve seen loads of youthful children actually benefit from the options with no considerations. Observe that Villains Grove often is not out there in the course of the first hour or so of the occasion. Lots of the results are solely seen after darkish, so Disney waits to open it till after sundown.
Frightfully Enjoyable Parade
Twice per night time throughout every occasion, Disneyland additionally presents a full-scale Halloween parade. The Frightfully Enjoyable Parade is unique to Oogie Boogie Bash.
Led by the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hole, it options each basic and villainous characters similar to Mickey Mouse, Jack Skellington, Dr. Facilier and Cruella de Vil. The Cheshire Cat historically brings up the rear.
The parade route is prolonged, making it straightforward to view with out squandering precious occasion time ready or tenting out (or needing to purchase a dessert occasion ticket). The route begins at Paradise Gardens close to Goofy’s Sky College. It continues on the primary park path towards Carthay Circle earlier than turning down Hollywood Boulevard and ending close to Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout.
‘Mickey’s Trick and Deal with’ present
Whereas most leisure on the occasion is little kid-friendly, Disney has one providing that may run throughout all the Halloween season this 12 months (together with throughout Oogie Boogie Bash) focused particularly for youthful visitors. The theater that often hosts the “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Dwell” present as an alternative may have an analogous Halloween-inspired dwell efficiency.
“Mickey’s Trick and Deal with” present doesn’t have any spooky components and options the Fab 5 characters. Count on a lot of dancing, adopted by a couple of sweet treats.
Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Darkish
Whereas additionally not particular to Oogie Boogie Bash, visitors ought to take a look at the Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Darkish attraction in Avengers Campus whereas on the occasion. This particular seasonal experience overlay options heavy steel music and many monsters.
The experience is not suited to small children. You need to be at the very least 40 inches tall to experience, and it options large drops, loud sounds and probably horrifying moments.
Sensible suggestions for visiting Oogie Boogie Bash
Know what to put on
An necessary a part of the enjoyable of Oogie Boogie Bash is that each one visitors can costume up in costume. The inventive group of better Los Angeles often outdoes itself with this uncommon alternative. Many households and pals plan elaborate group costumes, each Disney and non-Disney themed.
Though it may be enjoyable to decorate up, the occasion is probably not as enjoyable in case your costume is not acceptable for the climate. Some visitors could not notice that Southern California’s summer time tends to reach later than it does elsewhere within the nation. August, September and even early October are sometimes when the parks are at their absolute hottest.
For those who plan to start out in the course of the 3 p.m. mix-in time, temperatures might be effectively over 90 levels on many occasion dates. Lengthy sleeves, fleece or plenty of layers can really feel stifling. I often plan a fancy dress that may work in hotter climate however that I can layer over if and when temperatures drop after the solar units.
Have a plan for meals that is not sweet
For those who plan to be on the occasion from 3 p.m. till closing, you will cowl plenty of floor and burn plenty of energy — and you may want some lasting gas to maintain you going. Planning to subsist on sweet alone is not a recipe for occasion success.
As soon as the occasion begins, nonetheless, it is arduous to justify spending valuable time sitting down for dinner. For that motive, I like to recommend utilizing the mix-in time to eat an early dinner so you possibly can take advantage of occasions unique to the occasion. I often use the Disneyland app’s cell ordering function once I enter the parks to preorder a pickup round 4:30 or 5 p.m.
For those who nonetheless really feel hungry later within the night, there are snacks you possibly can seize on the fly that will not take an excessive amount of time, from corn canines to the choices on the Cozy Cone.
Plan a wise technique for navigating the occasion
Whereas Oogie Boogie Bash is capacity-controlled, it not often has what I would contemplate low crowds. You want a wise technique to navigate across the choke factors. (Attempt to zig when others zag.)
After attending a number of occasions, I’ve observed a couple of methods which have paid off for me:
- Experience points of interest in the course of the first parade: Friends who cannot keep up till park closing will prioritize watching the primary parade earlier than they go away early. Meaning many points of interest have brief wait occasions in the course of the first parade. I had nice luck, for instance, dashing to Monsters After Darkish proper as the primary parade began one 12 months.
- Wait on the preferred deal with trails: The immersive deal with trails that includes new villains are very fashionable within the first hour or two of the occasion. I would advocate leaving the preferred villains till as late within the night time as attainable, when traces might be shorter. It is a bonus that you simply will not should lug round baggage of heavy sweet for the whole thing of the occasion when you wait a bit to trick-or-treat.
- Character traces are the largest time suck: The meet-and-greet characters are all the time the longest traces of all the occasion. For those who merely cannot miss this expertise, select one character to prioritize and line up for the expertise in the course of the mix-in interval, as much as an hour prematurely.
- Choose up a celebration map: Even if you’re an everyday at Disneyland, the parks really feel totally different throughout events. The app is not as clear about party-only choices, so decide up a bodily map to assist navigate.
Keep close by
Since Oogie Boogie Bash is a late-night occasion, I like to recommend staying close by at both an official Disneyland lodge or one of many points-friendly resorts out there inside strolling distance. The very last thing you need to do after strolling 20,000 steps as midnight approaches is stand on an Anaheim nook ready for a ride-hailing service or shuttle.
Backside line
For Halloween followers, Oogie Boogie Bash often hits the mark and justifies its excessive value. I’ve all the time had a blast the years I’ve attended and felt it delivered, however that does not imply it is value it for everybody on each type of go to.
There are lots of different splurges and add-ons which will should take precedence. Do not let FOMO bust your finances.
Earlier than spending tons of of {dollars} to attend, contemplate whether or not the occasion will work to your touring household or group. I not often advocate it for visitors with small children, because it runs too late for most youngsters’ bedtimes.
If it really works for your loved ones, have a method to get essentially the most to your cash. And when you select to skip it, relaxation assured that there is loads of Halloween to expertise elsewhere within the parks, even with out an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket.
