Disney is aware of how you can rejoice a vacation, however few theme park celebrations examine with Halloween Time at Disneyland in Southern California. From the large Mickey pumpkin head within the middle of City Sq. in Disneyland Park to the Headless Horseman statue menacing company 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 well-liked fall season is its after-hours Halloween social gathering, Oogie Boogie Bash. Named for the jovially evil character in Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas,” the social gathering theme is a bit daring whereas nonetheless protecting 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 will you snag its hard-to-get tickets and profit from 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 every year. 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 value?
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 may have to buy common admission individually. That mentioned, most company 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 company each have entry to Disney California Journey on the similar time. This era normally begins at 3 p.m., extending the social gathering expertise by as much as three hours.
As a result of the social gathering 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 worth level, there was unprecedented demand for Oogie Boogie Bash tickets over the past a number of years. Locals love attending yr after yr, and out-of-towners usually prioritize it as nicely, particularly as a result of it usually coincides with their longer fall break journeys.
There’s normally 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 company begins June 26.
As quickly as the general public sale begins, count on some events to start out promoting out nearly instantly. In a minimum of a few current years, each single social gathering date has bought out lower than 24 hours after the general public sale started.
Subsequently, it is vitally vital to know with certainty whether or not you wish to attend Oogie Boogie Bash earlier than the sale date so you should buy 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 (normally 9 a.m. PDT on sale day). The location locations all company in a digital queue. Clear your calendar as a result of this queue can typically take a number of hours. Make notice of your digital queue ID, as you should use it to reenter the road in the identical place if it’s essential to change units or have a pc malfunction.
The social gathering dates most definitely to promote out rapidly embody Halloween evening itself and the least costly social gathering dates. Events round well-liked fall break dates in early and mid-October will also be in demand.
What’s included with an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket?
When you’re questioning what a virtually $200 ticket (and perhaps hours in a digital queue) delivers, the leisure and different particular actions throughout Oogie Boogie Bash are fairly in depth. Most company will not have time to do the whole lot. This is what it’s a must to 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 just a few more healthy snack selections) at near a dozen deal with trails strategically scattered all around the park.
These deal with trails provide rather 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 company as they stroll by way of, with extremely entertaining outcomes. The actors make the deal with trails simply as well-liked with adults as they’re with youngsters.
Some favourite villains, together with Oogie Boogie himself, return yr after yr, however Disneyland retains issues contemporary by including a number of new villains to the lineup every year 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,” Decide Doom from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and Hades from “Hercules.”
Character meet-and-greets
Whereas it is potential to get your character repair from the interactive deal with path villains alone, Disneyland has a number of extra character meet-and-greet stations in the course of the social gathering. Right here, company can stand up near take photographs and get autographs with the characters as nicely.
Meet-and-greets are normally a mixture of conventional Disney characters in particular seasonal costumes and different Disney villains. Widespread 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.
When you’re used to scare zones of Common or Six Flags parks throughout Halloween haunts, this is not that — there aren’t any leap scares to be discovered. In reality, there aren’t 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 would possibly hassle some delicate youngsters, however I’ve seen loads of youthful youngsters actually benefit from the options with no issues. Word that Villains Grove normally is not obtainable in the course of the first hour or so of the social gathering. Most of the results are solely seen after darkish, so Disney waits to open it till after sundown.
Frightfully Enjoyable Parade
Twice per evening throughout every social gathering, 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 resembling 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 social gathering time ready or tenting out (or needing to purchase a dessert social gathering ticket). The route begins at Paradise Gardens close to Goofy’s Sky Faculty. 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 can run throughout your complete Halloween season this yr (together with throughout Oogie Boogie Bash) focused particularly for youthful company. The theater that normally hosts the “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Dwell” present as a substitute may have an identical Halloween-inspired reside efficiency.
“Mickey’s Trick and Deal with” present doesn’t have any spooky components and options the Fab 5 characters. Anticipate plenty of dancing, adopted by just a few sweet treats.
Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Darkish
Whereas additionally not particular to Oogie Boogie Bash, company 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 journey overlay options heavy steel music and plenty of monsters.
The journey is not fitted to small youngsters. It’s important to be a minimum of 40 inches tall to journey, and it options huge drops, loud sounds and doubtlessly scary moments.
Sensible ideas for visiting Oogie Boogie Bash
Know what to put on
An vital a part of the enjoyable of Oogie Boogie Bash is that every one company can costume up in costume. The artistic group of better Los Angeles normally outdoes itself with this uncommon alternative. Many households and buddies plan elaborate group costumes, each Disney and non-Disney themed.
Though it may be enjoyable to decorate up, the social gathering will not be as enjoyable in case your costume is not acceptable for the climate. Some company might not notice that Southern California’s summer season 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.
When you plan to start out in the course of the 3 p.m. mix-in time, temperatures might be nicely over 90 levels on many social gathering dates. Lengthy sleeves, fleece or numerous layers can really feel stifling. I normally 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
When you plan to be on the social gathering from 3 p.m. till closing, you may cowl numerous floor and burn numerous energy — and you will want some lasting gas to maintain you going. Planning to subsist on sweet alone is not a recipe for social gathering success.
As soon as the social gathering begins, nevertheless, it is laborious to justify spending treasured time sitting down for dinner. For that purpose, I like to recommend utilizing the mix-in time to eat an early dinner so you’ll be able to profit from occasions unique to the social gathering. I normally use the Disneyland app’s cellular ordering characteristic once I enter the parks to preorder a pickup round 4:30 or 5 p.m.
When you nonetheless really feel hungry later within the night, there are snacks you’ll be able to seize on the fly that will not take an excessive amount of time, from corn canine to the choices on the Cozy Cone.
Plan a sensible technique for navigating the social gathering
Whereas Oogie Boogie Bash is capacity-controlled, it not often has what I would think about low crowds. You want a sensible technique to navigate across the choke factors. (Attempt to zig when others zag.)
After attending a number of occasions, I’ve observed just a few methods which have paid off for me:
- Trip sights in the course of the first parade: Company who cannot keep up till park closing will prioritize watching the primary parade earlier than they go away early. Meaning many sights 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 yr.
- 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 social gathering. I would advocate leaving the preferred villains till as late within the evening as potential, when strains shall be shorter. It is a bonus that you just will not should lug round luggage of heavy sweet for everything of the social gathering when you wait a bit to trick-or-treat.
- Character strains are the most important time suck: The meet-and-greet characters are at all times the longest strains of your complete social gathering. When you 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 upfront.
- Choose up a celebration map: Even if you’re a daily at Disneyland, the parks really feel completely 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 inns obtainable inside strolling distance. The very last thing you wish 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 normally hits the mark and justifies its excessive worth. I’ve at all times 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 sort of go to.
There are various different splurges and add-ons which will should take precedence. Do not let FOMO bust your price range.
Earlier than spending tons of of {dollars} to attend, think about whether or not the social gathering will work in your touring household or group. I not often advocate it for company with small youngsters, 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 in 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.
