I just returned from attending this year’s first Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween party at Disneyland and can’t wait to share some details! This is an after-hours Halloween party at Disney California Adventure. Since I had such a great time, and I know some of you are likely to attend this frightfully fun event as Halloween draws near, I want to share some of the tidbits that make this party so special so you know all of the things to do while you are there.
Keep in mind that all of the party tickets for 2021 have sold out. If you have an on-site hotel reservation, you might be able to ask when you check-in if the hotel has any extra tickets. In the past, they’ve had a few extras available for purchase, but I haven’t heard of that recently.
When Are the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Parties?
The Oogie Boogie Bash party dates for 2021 are September 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30, and October 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 31.
If you have a ticket for the party, you’re able to enter Disney California Adventure Park at 3:00 pm. The party begins at 6:00 pm and ends at 11:00 pm. Non-party guests will leave the park at 6:00 pm when the party activities start happening.
TIPS! My recommendation if you have a party ticket and park ticket for the day is that you spend the whole day in Disney California Adventure Park and check-in for the party while you’re already in DCA. The crowds during the day will be a bit lighter as many non-party park guests will choose to spend their day in Disneyland since DCA closes so early.
If you don’t have a park ticket, only a party ticket, I recommend you get to the turnstiles around 2 pm for the party. The line ups to get into the party get crazy long and I heard many people spent 30-60 minutes of their “mix-in” bonus park time waiting to get into the parks and then spent another 30 minutes waiting to get their party wristbands.
For guests who do not have Oogie Boogie Bash party tickets, I would recommend considering a park hopper ticket. Spend the early part of your day in DCA and then move over to Disneyland between 1 pm and 6 pm. Beware that the turnstile lines get extremely long between 3 pm and 6 pm on Oogie Boogie Bash party nights.
Countdown for the Top 10 Things to Do at Oogie Boogie Bash
10. Cars Land
This is technically part of the general Disneyland Halloween Time festivities, but the traditional transformation of Radiator Springs each fall is something not to miss. This is a perfect stop during the three-hour mix-in before the party officially begins. Luigi and Mater have re-themed attractions and the whole area is decked out in the best lights and displays you could ever hope for. Keep your eyes open for special holiday touches all around the land.
And if you have time at night, riding Radiator Springs in the evening is a totally different experience than during the daytime. Some may even think it’s way better!
9. Guardians of the Galaxy
This exciting attraction gets a movie monster makeover Marvel style with a special seasonal update that rivals every other holiday retheme from Haunted Mansion to It’s a Small World. You don’t have to be at the event to enjoy this attraction either, but it’s a stop you definitely have to make at some point in the evening if you won’t be back in the park another evening.
During the Oogie Boogie Bash party, there are also some creature catcher cast members roaming around Guardians to capture some vyloos.
TIP! If any of your group is dressed up in Marvel costumes, there is a great Stark Enterprises mural gate wall near the Guardians’ ride exit.
8. Carthay Circle
The ambiance throughout the park at Halloween Time is spectacular and at Oogie Boogie Bash, the Cathay Circle Restaurant takes on a delightfully frightful tone as projections transform the building into an animated tower swarming with bats.
The fountain in front of Carthay Circle also is a prime place to spot rare Disney villains, like Hades and his sidekick, Pain.
7. The Headless Horseman
There are two references to the Headless Horseman from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The first is a remarkable statue on Buena Vista Street perfect for photo ops. You can also request “magic shots” from the Photopass photographer at this location.
The second is in the pre-parade… that’s right. The pre-parade. Just before the parade begins you’ll see a real headless horseman galloping down the parade route after poor Ichabod Crane.
6. Mickey’s Trick & Treat
This Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween show is a must for families with young kids. It’s a Mickey Mouse storytime event and takes place in the Disney Junior auditorium in Hollywood Land. It’s an interactive musical show with a mad scientist and lots of dazzling effects from projections to bubbles. Plus, kids will get treats!
Keep in mind that there are very limited times offered for Mickey’s Trick & Treat show. But here’s a tip, they start letting people in the auditorium about 5 minutes before showtime, and the showtime is actually about 5 minutes after the listed start time.
So, don’t worry about lining up early as the theater is large. Instead, show up at showtime or just a few minutes before. The show will last about 15 minutes. Showtimes, when I attended, were 6:15, 6:55, 7:35, 9:00, and 9:50 pm.
5. Halloween Food
Disneyland does an amazing job of creating seasonal food available only during their holiday seasons. During Halloween, you can grab some specialty churros, character macarons, and plenty of other tasty treats, including some Ghost Pepper Nachos that feature green tortilla chips.
© Stuffed Suitcase
During the Oogie Boogie Bash, there are three Halloween dishes available at Flo’s V8 Cafe (Cars Land) that are only available during the party.
- Loaded Buffalo Chicken Fries – Steak fries topped with cheddar cheese, chicken tenders tossed in buffalo sauce, and celery bits drizzled with ranch
- Loaded Gravy Fries – Steak fries topped with chicken tenders, jack cheese, and smothered in gravy
- Loaded Chili Fries – Steak fries topped with cheddar cheese, Walt’s Chili, diced onions, and sour cream
4. Frightfully Fun Parade
Since there isn’t a parade happening during regular park hours, the Frightfully Fun Parade at Oogie Boogie Bash shouldn’t be missed. It’s a spooky parade for all ages complete with villains and of course, Mickey Mouse. The parade happens twice during the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween party, at 7:50 pm, and at 10:05 pm.
I love the Nightmare Before Christmas and Haunted Mansion segments, the grave digger dancers are awesome, and my favorite part was the villain float that featured many of Disney’s most popular evil characters.
If you want to splurge on special parade viewing you can consider paying for a Parade Dining Package. There are two options, both require reservations although you can check with the restaurant for walk-up availability.
The Wine Country Trattoria is a prix-fixe 3-course meal that you eat between 3-6 pm and then you’re given a ticket to enter a reserved standing parade section. For the Sonoma Terrace Dessert Party, you check-in and are seated at a table to watch the parade and are given a plate of desserts and a couple of drinks.
Check out my full reviews and comparisons of the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party Parade Dining Packages.
3. Photopass
You may not have realized, but your Oogie Boogie Bash party ticket comes with Photopass! So take advantage of this perk and get lots of pictures around the park.
- Check out the magic shots near the Headless Horseman Statue on Buena Vista Street
- Capture a cute photo in front of the Cars Land sign with the witch car
- Don’t miss posing with some villains near Villian’s Grove
- Find some Pixar Pals on Pixar Pier
- See some Fab 5 friends dressed up for Halloween at the waterfall near Avenger’s Campus
- And more!
2. Villains Grove
This attraction is unique to the Oogie Boogie Bash party and I loved it. However, I do know some of my friends found it a letdown. Normally the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is for kids, but during the party, this attraction takes on an ethereal and ominous tone as you encounter disappearing digital images of popular Disney villains.
You will meet no characters during this walk, nor will you get any treats. You wind your way around the trail and encounter sections of the trail dedicated to specific villains, like Maleficent, Scar, and the Cheshire Cat. Some cast members might be nearby to help you spot the disappearing villains, but you can also attempt to spot them yourself.
I recommend you walk slowly and look for the sparkling lights to see what character they come together to create. I also recommend visiting when it’s dark as the projections show up better.
I loved the images I captured here, but I’ll admit that Villains Grove might not be how some want to use their time. We waited about 15 minutes to get in and then it was about a 10-15 minute walk-through. You can check the wait times in your Disneyland app. We visited during the first parade, so many party guests were watching the parade instead of doing Villains Grove.
1. Treat Trails
Of course, the main reason many like to go to the Oogie Boogie Bash party is that we get to trick or treat at Disneyland! First off, they are sponsored by Mars Wrigley, which means only one thing…good candy. That’s important! Responsible adults (and parents) will be happy to know that each treat trail also has a “healthy” option like apple slices, grapes, and pretzels.
Just as important as the treats, the treat trails are immersive environments with engaging character encounters along the way. There are 10 treat trails and most of them have villains, including Oogie Boogie himself!
TIP! The trick-or-treat trails at the front of the park were the busiest at the start of the party. Later at night the lines for those shortened. After the parades the lines for treat trails and Villains Grove got a little long again, but not like the start of the party.
Also, realize that at the very end of the evening some of the trick-or-treat stations inside the trail will run out of candy and not be replenished.
Which Characters are at the Disneyland Ooogie Boogie Bash Trick-or-Treat Trails [2021]?
- Hollywood Land (Hyperion) – Mad Hatter
- Hollywood Land (Backlot) – Cruella de Vil
- Hollywood Land (Animation Academy) – Oogie Boogie
- Avengers Campus (Sanctum) – Agatha
- Avengers Campus (Entrance) – Dr. Facilier
- Pixar Pier (Pixar-Pal-Around) – Sid
- Grizzly Peak (Grizzly River Run) – Evil Queen
- Grizzly Peak (Soarin’) – Maleficent
- Buena Vista Street – no character
- Cars Land (Radiator Racers) – no character
How Much Candy Do You Get at Oogie Boogie Bash?
You can see from the image below the candy haul I got. I visited 8 of the 10 trails. It filled about 1/3 of a canvas tote bag. Within the trail, there are about 5-6 stations handing out treats and each of those gives you about 2 pieces of candy. Little kids might get a few more. :)
I will note that this year they didn’t have a great plan for those with food allergies. The cast members offered to handpick the treats you could get, although they were all mixed in with the other treats including lots of peanut options. There was mention of tattoos being available for those who couldn’t have candy.
Oogie Boogie Bash Map
Here’s a scan of my map from the 2021 Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party. You can also find the treat trails on this Disneyland digital map.
Now you know how to spend the 8 hours you have in the parks and the 5 hours of Oogie Boogie Bash party time. Have any questions? Ask away! And don’t forget to read my info about Disneyland at Halloween and my comparison of the Oogie Boogie Bash Dining Packages.
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