What happens when the travel planner doesn’t plan? You end up making mistakes like me! During a previous trip to Disneyland, my family decided to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash, Disneyland’s Halloween Party at California Adventure, at the last minute. We recently had the opportunity to attend Oogie Boogie Bash for a second time. As a result, I decided to write an article about all the Oogie Boogie Bash tips I learned as a result of my mistakes the first time around, with the hope that it will prevent you from making the same ones!
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Oogie Boogie Bash – Learn From My Mistakes!
- Buy Tickets in Advance
- Parking is not Included in Ticket Prices
- Collect Oogie Boogie Bash Wristbands
- Pick and Choose What You Want to Experience
- Skip the Parks in the Morning
- Tickets Include Photos
- Know the Parade Route in Advance
- Skip the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party
- Know Which Rides are Open
- Decide on Costumes
Oogie Boogie Bash is Disneyland’s version of a Halloween party during Halloween Time. In previous years, it was held at Disneyland Park (and called Mickey’s Halloween Party). However, in 2019, it was switched to California Adventure and renamed Oogie Boogie Bash. Several years ago, my family and I attended Mickey’s Halloween Party and we didn’t have a great experience. We were hot in our costumes, we were not prepared for the lines to see the characters, and my son was too young to appreciate the experience. When I found out that the Halloween party was being switched to California Adventure, I was intrigued and wanted to give it another try. In the end, I think the change in venue was a great decision on Disney’s part. California Adventure isn’t quite as large as Disneyland Park and it was more manageable, at least for us, than Mickey’s Halloween Party. That still didn’t stop me from making mistakes, though! So without further ado, here are the Oogie Boogie Bash tips I learned as a result of the mistakes I made!
1. Buy Tickets in Advance
Oogie Boogie Bash occurs on select days throughout the months of September and October. This year, general admission tickets will be released on July 11, 2023 (no earlier than 9 am, Pacific Time). Click here for Oogie Boogie Bash 2023 dates and ticket prices. If you’re a Magic Key member, you will have the option to purchase tickets before the general public. That’s because on June 27, 2023, Magic Key holders will be able to purchase a select amount of pre-sale tickets.
A few years ago, I would have purchased our Oogie Boogie Bash tickets in advance, however, my family’s trip to Disneyland was planned at the last minute. That August, I received an invite to the Disney Social Media Celebration at Disneyland for the following month so I tried scrambling at the last minute to buy tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash. Not a good idea. Luckily, I was still able to purchase tickets the morning of the party. How was I able to do that? At the time, Disneyland hotels kept tickets for their guests to purchase the day of the event. My family checked into the Disneyland Hotel that morning and I asked a hotel employee if they had tickets available. They did, so we made the decision to purchase them. It turned out to be a perk for staying at a Disney-owned hotel. However, the last two years have been anything but normal so it’s not clear if Disney-owned hotels will still have tickets available for their guests. To avoid any disappointment, purchase the tickets as soon as they become available on July 11, 2023. Or June 27th if you are a Magic Key holder. I have no doubt that tickets will quickly sell out.
2. Parking is not Included in Ticket Prices.
Oogie Boogie Bash tickets do not include parking. If you’re driving to Oogie Boogie Bash, you can either pay for parking in person on the day of the event or you can pay online before you arrive to the event. Parking is subject to capacity, so if it were me, I’d buy it online beforehand, instead of waiting the day of.
3. Collect Oogie Boogie Bash Wristbands
Guests must wear a wristband to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash. During our first visit, when we entered California Adventure for the party, we waited in a line near the front of the entrance to collect our wristbands, our treat bags, and a park map. The party starts at 6 pm but those with Oogie Boogie Bash tickets can enter as early as 3 pm. We started the morning off at Disneyland Park, so we didn’t get to the party until 5 pm. That was a mistake!! More about that below, but at 5 pm, the line into California Adventure wasn’t bad at all. But it looks like the line was quite lengthy at 3 pm. My friend attended Oogie Boogie Bash on the same date and she did it right – not only did she get to the party at 3 pm, but she collected her wristband, treat bag, and park map at Blue Sky Cellar, which was more manageable than the line near the front entrance.
During my family’s most recent visit, we entered the park using the entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel. What a complete difference it made. You don’t need to be a guest of the hotel to use the entrance, so you might consider that as another option if you want to forego the crowds.
The Grand Californian Hotel entrance into California Adventure had minimal wait.
4. Pick and Choose What You Want to Experience
This is a tough lesson for me. I’m the type of person who has to do all.the.things! But between the entertainment, the rides, the food, the characters, the trick or treat stations, and the limited time available, you really have to decide in advance what you are going to focus on. There’s not enough time to experience it all during the party, so pick and choose wisely.
The immersive trick or treat stations are a lot of fun but the lines can get very long.
5. Skip the Parks in the Morning
As I mentioned above, the first time we attended Oogie Boogie Bash, we spent a large part of the day at Disneyland Park because our time in Anaheim was limited and we wanted to experience everything we could. But, by the time we made it to California Adventure, we were tired. I regretted it and decided that if we did it again, we’d relax in the morning and skip going to the parks. And that’s what we did for our most recent stay. If you’re staying at a hotel with pools or a waterpark like the Disneyland Hotel or Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance Hotel, then that’s a great time to take advantage of hanging out poolside until it’s time to get ready for the party. Also, enter California Adventure as soon as you are able to as a Oogie Boogie Bash ticket holder so that you can make full use of your party ticket – and ride more rides before the exclusive Oogie Boogie Bash Entertainment begins!
Also, if you’re skipping the parks that morning, it would be a good day to plan a character breakfast for that morning (outside of the parks, like Storyteller’s Cafe or Goofy’s Kitchen). You’ll also want to eat before the party begins to maximize your time in the park.
6. Tickets Include Disney Photos
Tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash include the Disney PhotoPass, which are photos taken by Disney photographers at specific locations. To access the Disney PhotoPass photos that are taken during the event, you’ll need to scan your Oogie Boogie Bash ticket into the Disneyland app. When my family attended our first Oogie Boogie Bash, I didn’t know this until after the fact and AFTER I had already purchased the PhotoPass for the day since we had started off the day at Disneyland Park. Also, if I had known otherwise, I would have taken advantage of the PhotoPass photo opportunities before the lines became extremely long. Because it was our first Oogie Boogie Bash party – ever – I didn’t know what was all included. So learn from my mistake 🙂
Make use of the PhotoPass during the Oogie Boogie Bash!
7. Know the Parade Route
People camp out hours in advance at Disneyland Park to reserve a spot for the parades. For our first Oogie Boogie Bash, I thought we’d have to camp out at least an hour in advance to get a good view of the Frightfully Fun Parade at the Oogie Boogie Bash. Right after Mickey’s Trick or Treat Party ended, I reserved a spot for us while my husband took our son to one of the trick or treat stations. It turned out that I didn’t need to camp out for that long. The parade route is a relatively long one so guests have a better chance of getting a good view without camping out hours in advance. So study the parade route and don’t stress out about camping out a spot for a lengthy period of time. We missed out on some of the other entertainment due to my need to be early to everything.
During our most recent visit, we decided to splurge for the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party. Which brings me to my next point……
8. Skip the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party
I was conflicted about the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party. My husband and I don’t mind splurging for dining packages if we feel like they are worth it. This particular dessert party includes reserved seating during the exclusive Halloween parade plus desserts and drinks (including alcoholic beverages). More info can be found by clicking here. While we enjoyed the reserved seating and the desserts tasted better than I thought they would, I don’t think it’s worth the hefty price tag. The parade is approximately 15 minutes long and Disney recommends that guests check in for the dessert party approximately 45 minutes before the parade starts. Not only to start eating and drinking, but to also get a table that has a better view. We had a great view, but others who checked in for the party after we did had to sit behind our table. Not only that, but because we had to check-in early for the party, we could have used that time to go on some of the other rides.
The desserts we received at the dessert party.
With that being said, the service we received was fantastic. It was also a chilly evening so it was nice to have reserved seating. But again, I expected more for the price tag. I’ve included a photo of our menu below for those interested. My personal favorite was the Fudge Pop and the Red Velvet Bundt Cake, but keep in mind that the menu can always change.
9. Know Which Rides Are Open
We have previously attended Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland and some of the rides weren’t open during the Halloween Party. As a result, I wasn’t sure if all the rides would be open in California Adventures during the Halloween party. It turns out that all the rides were open without long wait times! We were even able to ride Radiator Springs and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. Yes, it’s true. WEB SLINGERS is included as a ride offering during Oogie Boogie Bash. If you love the rides, then the tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash might be worth it for the rides alone.
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure was the first ride we went on once the Oogie Boogie Bash party officially started.
10. Decide on Costumes
The weather in California in September and October can be hit or miss. My family previously visited Disneyland in September and California was experiencing a heat wave at that time. Of course, that’s the time we all wore Star Wars costumes. It was extremely uncomfortable wearing our costumes. For our subsequent visits, the weather was a lot cooler, but comfort won out. My husband and I decided to just wear jeans with Halloween shirts and for our most recent visit, my son dressed up as The Mandalorian. Definitely keep the weather, and you and your family’s level of comfort, in mind when deciding on costumes. For Disneybounding ideas, check out this article written by my friend Sarah from Sarah in the Suburbs and this article written by my friend Karen from Desert Chica.
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Also, be sure to check out my Ultimate Disneyland Halloween Guide!
Good blog. Very informative.