Updated for 2022!
Oogie Boogie Bash is the Halloween party at Disney California Adventure Park which started in 2019 at the Disneyland Resort. It runs from September 6th- October 31st on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Tickets are sold out but I wanted to share with you our experience at Oogie Boogie Bash, especially for those that have tickets.
For those of you that didn’t get Oogie Boogie Bash tickets, BUY THEM WHEN THEY GO ON SALE. In 2022, tickets went on sale on June 28th for Magic Key holders and on June 30th to the general public.
I’ve been to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World as well as Mickey’s Halloween Party which was a Disneyland Halloween Party before they changed it. But Oogie Boogie Bash might be my favorite! I’ll explain more later on in this post but here’s some basic information about OBB which is also available on the Disneyland website.
Oogie Boogie Bash Info
- Oogie Boogie Bash is a special ticketed event that must be purchased separately.
- Ticket prices range from $129-$179/ person depending on the day.
- Oogie Boogie Bash dates are on select nights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from September 6th – October 31st. Tickets are SOLD OUT.
- You can enter the park 3 hours prior to the party starting. This is considered the mix-in time because non-party guests are still mixed in with party goers.
- Party Hours are 6pm- 11pm.
- DCA closes early to non-party guests on party nights.
- If you’re already inside the park, you can check in at the Blue Sky Cellar at the beginning of the mix-in time. Just show them your party ticket.
- Guests of all ages are allowed to wear costumes but make sure you follow their costume guidelines.
- You can do a dining package at the Wine Country Trattoria (or a dessert party) for guaranteed seating for the Frightfully Fun Parade.
Activities
There are so many FUN experiences and activities for guests of all ages at the Oogie Boogie Bash. Whether it’s a parade, character meet and greets or interactive treat trails, Disney really outdid themselves with this amazing party. Sometimes they have special photo opps or freebies for Magic Key holders!
Mickey’s Trick & Treat
Mickey Mouse and pals host an interactive Halloween party with dancing, a not-so-scary story and a special treat. (I WANT CANDY!!) Mickey’s Trick & Treat is located in the Disney Junior Dance Party theater- now known as the Disney Theater. We really enjoyed it! Show times are 6:15, 6:55, 7:35, 9:00 and 9:50. The only part that was a little bit hectic was the end when the show was over and the Cast Members were going to distribute candy. There was no organized line so it got crowded. The CMs at the exit all distribute candy so head towards the exit!
Villains Grove
The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is transformed into a dream-like haven for the Disney Villains! Villains Grove opens after dusk (around 8pm) and lines can be long but it moves quickly and is totally worth it. The special effects transform the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail into a magical and unique place. (A’s only complaint was there was no candy after walking through the whole trail. LOL!) Strollers are not allowed inside because you have to walk up and down stairs.
Frightfully Fun Parade
The Frightfully Fun Parade shows during Oogie Boogie Bash at 7:45pm and 10:00pm. It starts off by Paradise Garden Park and ends by Guardians of the Galaxy for both performances. Before the parade, the headless horseman rides again! You definitely don’t want to miss this. We ended up watching the second performance and waited near Hollywood Land which is the tail end of the parade. We sat on a curb and enjoyed some of our treats. By this time, we were just exhausted.
Treat Trails
There are 10 treat trails with an assortment of snacks, fruit, veggies, and tons of candy. The treat trails had 7-10 treat stations so even if you get a handful of treats at each station, by the time you go through the treat trail, your bag will start to get heavy.
In 2021, something that was SOOOOO fun was how Disney added 3 additional interactive treat trails from 2019, so now there are 8 interactive/immersive treat trails with characters that interact with you as you passed through. Be sure to catch Cruella (Hollywood Land- Hollywood Backstage Lot), Agatha (Avenger’s Campus), Sid (Pixar Pier), Oogie Boogie (Disney Animation Courtyard), Dr. Facilier (near Carthay Circle), Mad Hatter (Hyperion Theater Courtyard), Maleficient (Grizzly Peak Airfield) and Evil Queen (Grizzly Peak Mountain Road.)
The most visually stunning one was Oogie Boogie’s treat trail because all the screens in the Animation Academy had projections on it. The most popular one was Cruella! The line consistently seemed the longest there!
Special Character Meet & Greets
We did not make it a point to try and see any of the special characters. Photo pass was included but we didn’t take advantage of it because we didn’t want to wait in line. The picture below is from 2019 at the end of the party. The line for most of the special character meet & greets were really long and wasn’t a “must do” for us.
What We Did
The other Disney Halloween parties I’ve attended always felt rushed and like I wasn’t able to do everything and see everything I wanted to in the allotted party time. At Oogie Boogie Bash, I felt like I was able to do everything I wanted to and didn’t feel rushed! The time did go by quickly but there wasn’t anything we didn’t get to do that we wanted to. We skipped the Oogie Boogie treat trail because A didn’t want to see him (LOL!) and we missed the treat trail on Buena Vista street. But we still got plenty of treats and just loved being there!
Here’s our schedule (2021):
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- 3:45- Arrived at Mickey & Friends
- 4:15- Checked in at main gate where we got our wrist bands, treat bags and maps.
- 5:55- Waited at Mad Hatter Treat Trail but wasn’t letting anyone in at 6:05pm so we headed to the Disney Theater
- 6:10- headed to the 6:15 Mickey’s Trick & Treat show- about 15 minutes long.
- 6:35- went to the Mad Hatter Treat Trail- line took about 10 minutes
- 6:45- Cruella’s Treat Trail- line took about 15 minutes
- 7:05- Dr. Facillier’s Treat Trail
- 7:15- Saw Pain, Panic, Hades and Meg at the fountain by Carthay Circle
- 7:20- Maleficient Treat Trail
- 7:30- Evil Queen Treat Trail
- 7:45- Sid Treat Trail
- 8:00- Rested/snacked
- 8:15- Carsland Treat Trail
- 8:20- Agatha Treat Trail
- 8:40- Villains Grove- long line
- 9:20- Rode Little Mermaid
- 9:30- Went to Hollywood Land to rest and found a viewing area for the Frightfully Fun Parade
- 10:10- Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow
- 10:25- Second parade came through to Hollywood Land (near end of Parade route)
- 10:40- Cruella Treat Trail again
- 10:45- Took Pictures with friends at the end of the night and left
- 11- 11:30- Walked that LONG tram route back to Mickey & Friends Parking Structure
Why I Liked This Halloween Party
Oogie Boogie Bash might be my favorite Disney Halloween Party! DCA had so much more space for everything. It didn’t feel crowded because of the limited capacity. There were a lot of people in lines for treat trails and character meet & greets but the layout of DCA seems better suited for a party like this because rides and buildings are more spaced out. The immersive treat trails were SOOOOOOO amazing and the character treat trails were entertaining! Despite Covid-19 rules and restriction, it was still such a fun time! I also love how every year they introduce new villains as well as your favorite Disney villains.
This special ticketed event is a great opportunity to have fun, ride rides with low wait times, and see rare characters. We had the best time! Last year (2022), I wasn’t able to grab tickets before they sold out but I won’t make the same mistake again.
Tips
- If you’re a Magic Key holder, grab a theme park reservation so you can spend the day at Disneyland and enjoy Halloween time at Disneyland park before the special event.
- Take advantage of the mix-in time to eat, take pictures in daylight and ride a few rides.
- Have a plan! We knew exactly what we wanted to accomplish- basically get candy. If you want to take a picture with the special characters (like the Sanderson Sisters in 2022) then you need to make that a priority because you might be waiting in long lines for that experience..
- Bring an extra bag or two. I brought a reusable bag and A had a bigger treat bag. They gave us SO MUCH CANDY AND TREATS. The treat bags they give you are definitely NOT BIG ENOUGH!
- Watch the second showing of the .parade. Most people want to watch the first parade so there seems to be better viewing for the second.
- Take advantage of mobile ordering so you’re not waiting in line for food! Be sure to download the Disneyland App because that also has times for the shows and is such a useful tool!
- Divide and conquer. If you come with your family, have one adult take the kids to the treat trails while another one waits for an experience.
- Dress up in your favorite Halloween costumes and have fun!! We decided to join our friends as Loki Variants and I made these t-shirts for A & I. I am her juice box. (If you’ve watched the Loki show on Disney+ then you’ll know!)
- Be sure to follow all local and state guidelines for Covid-19!
Have you been to a Disney Halloween Party?
