Here are 13 reasons why we think you should visit the Disneyland Resort during the Halloween season.
13. Headless Horseman on Buena Vista Street
The decorations on Buena Vista Street are a bit low key, but fit the area. The Headless Horseman near Elias & Co., however, is awesome.
Definitely check out this photo op and hang out for awhile to see if you can hear the horsemen ride by.
12. Halloween Treats
Seasonal treats have become a year ’round thing at the Disneyland Resort, so it’s no surprise that you’ll find pumpkin shaped foods at both parks.
You’ll likely never be able to enjoy them all without a sugar overload, so be very choosy and always remember that sometimes Disney desserts look way better than they taste.
11. Halloween Merchandise
Haunted Mansion and Jack Skellington are always popular merchandise lines, but are even more popular during the holidays.
Mickey and his pals also have their own seasonal merchandise, and you might even find some treasures featuring the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus.
10. Pumpkins on Main Street, U.S.A.
The look of Main Street changes throughout the year, and Halloween is no exception.
The iconic HUGE Mickey pumpkin makes an appearance and a plethora of smaller jack-o-lanterns decorate the businesses up and down the street.
9. Plaza de la Familia
During Halloween, Paradise Gardens becomes Plaza de la Familia with decor and activities themed to Coco.
Look for crafts, unique food items, entertainment on the bandstand, and some of your favorite characters, including Miguel.
New this year is The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate The Musical World of Coco, which is performed several times a day. The show brings to life songs from the Pixar film.
8. Costumed Characters
The Disney characters must have a huge closet.
Nearly every year Mickey, Minnie and their pals get new outfits for the season. They even change clothes when they move from Disneyland over to California Adventure. This is a great opportunity to get a unique photo with one of your favorite characters.
You might see more villains out on Main Street, U.S.A., and you’ll want to keep an eye out for Jack Skellington and Sally in New Orleans Square.
If you’re looking for just a quick glimpse of your favorite characters, plus a few villains, check out Mickey and Friends Halloween Cavalcade, which runs twice a day down Main Street.
7. Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween / 6. Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree
During Halloween Time, both of these family attractions in Cars Land receive a minor overlay with new music to fit the season.
Luigi and Mater have recorded new songs and announcements that are perfect for the season. Even if you only experience the attractions once or twice, stick around and listen for awhile. You might even hear Mater telling Halloween dad jokes.
5. Oogie Boogie Bash
This after hours Halloween party at California Adventure is so popular that it sells out very quickly, so put this on your list for next year.
In addition to trick-or-treat stations, look for unique food and merchandise, plus some villain meet and greets you don’t see every day. Some people say that the villain interactions are worth the ticket price alone.
4. Halloween Screams
Fireworks in Disneyland Park are (almost) always great, but they are even more magical during the holidays and this Halloween version hosted by Oogie Boogie and special guests is no exception.
Now that the after hours Halloween party has moved across the esplanade, guests can enjoy Halloween Screams as part of a regular park day…at least on the weekends. During the week, the show switches to projections only.
While catching the show with a view of Sleeping Beauty Castle is the absolute best, much can be said for the ease at which you can watch it from the area in front of “it’s a small world.”
3. Cars Land Decor
This is what happens when Cars decorate for Haul-O-Ween and when you let Imagineers and designers go wild.
In addition to the attraction overlays I mentioned earlier, nearly the entire land is decorated as only the residents of Radiators Springs can do. It’s amazing what you can do with gas cans, wrenches, mufflers, and more.
2. Haunted Mansion Holiday
This is the king of the holiday overlays, premiering at Disneyland Park in 2001.
The classic Haunted Mansion is almost completely transformed with The Nightmare Before Christmas characters, decor and music turning the attraction into a creepy holiday wonderland.
Since this is what happens when Halloween meets Christmas, the holiday version is available for several months, this year running from mid-August through early January.
Haunted Mansion holiday has become a nostalgic favorite and some people, I won’t say who, enjoy it more than the original attraction.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark
This simple transformation is so imaginative that it quickly became my favorite of the Disneyland Resort Holiday overlays. Monsters After Dark at California Adventure is not just a holiday version of the attraction of the attractions, it’s a sequel.
When Rocket releases the Guardians in the original attraction, he releases EVERYTHING in the Collection, including some pretty scary monsters that take over the building.
What’s even more amazing is that this overlay runs in conjunction with the original. During the day, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! operates as normal, then at a dusk a quick change happens and the monsters are unleashed.
Mission: BREAKOUT! is one of my favorite attractions at the Resort, so it’s not surprising that I love Monsters After Dark so much. See if you can hit both versions of the attraction in a single day.
What are your favorite Halloween things at the Disneyland Resort?
Tom is the former host and producer of the Disneyland Edition podcast, and is now providing Disneyland content from the parks. He enjoys traveling with friends and spending time with family, including his son and grandson. In his spare time he volunteers with Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts, and help found his son's former Cub Scout Pack. His favorite Disneyland attraction is Space Mountain.
