Halloween at Disneyland | What You Need to Know (2018 Edition)

Last Updated on: February 18th, 2024

Sorry to break the news folks, but summer is almost over and we are starting to see more and more Halloween products in stores. It seems like a good time to give a little rundown on what you can expect this Halloween at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Here is everything you need to know…

halloween disneylandDisneyland Halloween Celebration Dates:

Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will be celebrating Halloween this year from September 7th – October 31st.

Halloween at Disneyland Park:

Two popular Halloween overlays return to Disneyland rides as Haunted Mansion becomes The Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain transforms into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. These overlays are super-popular with park visitors as they  add amazing new visuals and sound effects to these two classic Disney rides.

In Frontierland, visitors can experience the Dia de los Muertos tribute which commemorates the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday. This special exhibit will feature musical trio of iconic skeleton figurines, brightly colored flowers and other decorative items.

Mickey’s Halloween Party

Of course, the centerpiece of Disneyland’s Halloween celebration is the popular Mickey’s Halloween Party. This special-ticket event is an after-hours trick-or-treat party featuring special entertainment, character encounters and PhotoPass opportunities. The event also features the special Halloween Screams fireworks show and the Frightfully Fun Parade, which is kicked off every night by the infamous Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

Dates for Mickey’s Halloween Party 2018 are as follows: Sept. 19, Sept. 21, Sept. 24, Sept. 26, Sept. 28, Oct. 2, Oct. 5, Oct. 9, Oct. 12, Oct. 16, Oct. 19, Oct. 23, Oct. 26, Oct. 29, Oct. 31

Halloween at Disney California Adventure:

The first thing visitors to Disney California Adventure will notice this Halloween is a giant Oogie Boogie silhouette greeting them as they enter the park, once inside, they will enjoy special holiday decor and an enormous, 10-foot status of the Headless Horseman in Carthay Circle.

Cars Land will be getting its Haul-O-Ween overlay again this year. This will include a number of special meet and greets with Cars characters in their costumes, along with a Mater’s Graveyard overlay for the Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree ride and a Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween theme for the Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters ride.

The Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! ride will be transformed for the holiday into Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark with a special spooky story line throughout the ride experience.

One of the more exciting additions this year will be a Vampirina meet and greet. The star of the popular animated Disney Junior show will be greeting visitors at the park and will also be participating in the Frightfully Fun Parade in Disneyland Park.

Of course, no good holiday party at a Disney park would be complete without special treats and merchandise. There will be plenty of special items to be found at both parks throughout the celebration. I will be adding more here about that as items are rolled out.

Special Halloween Photo Opportunities:

In our Insta-crazy world, photos have become a key part of the overall theme park experience. Knowing this, Disney has created 13 spooky new photo opportunities just for Halloween ad Disneyland. Here is a rundown of the 13 new moments (source):

 

  • Strike a pose with Vampirina: For the first time at the Disneyland Resort, popular Disney Junior star Vampirina will greet guests and take photos with them, beginning this Halloween season. Vampirina, also known as “Vee,” brings the spooky fun with her wherever she goes, from Transylvania to Pennsylvania…to Disney Parks. Guests may find her in Disney California Adventure Park.
  • Capture the dreadfully delightful décor on Buena Vista Street: At Disney California Adventure, Buena Vista Street is decked out for Halloween Time. Must-see photo spots include Oogie Boogie looming over the park’s entrance marquee and the haunting Headless Horseman statue across from Carthay Circle Restaurant.
  • Snag a snapshot on Main Street, U.S.A.: What Halloween time photo is more classic than the Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern on Main Street, U.S.A.? Main Street photo moments don’t have to stop there, though. This area is brimming with festive décor, from beautiful banners to fall-inspired flowerbeds.
  • Snap a photo outside Haunted Mansion Holiday with Jack Skellington and Sally: Jack Skellington and Sally will materialize in New Orleans Square near the Haunted Mansion. Afterwards, guests may hop into a doom buggy and celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” with a ride on Haunted Mansion Holiday. Happy haunts materialize outside the attraction, too, as guests use the Play Disney Parks app to find Halloween-themed gameboards, listen to a special Disney Villains playlist by accessing Apple Music®* from within the app, and receive special Halloween attraction ride achievements for Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.
  • Take a Halloween portrait with Mickey Mouse and friends: Catch the “Fab Five” ­– Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto – sporting their Halloween costumes along Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure. These photo moments offer a fun and festive spin on classic photos with the beloved characters that started it all.
  • Watch intergalactic ghosts appear in your Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy photo: As guests visit Tomorrowland, the home of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, spooky sounds and spirits surround their rocket ship as it races through the stars, and an on-ride photo of the eerie experience is waiting at the exit. This attraction is best experienced with Disney MaxPass to snag a digital Disney FastPass selection (subject to availability) and receive unlimited digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos captured during the day, including images like these.**
  • Return to The Collector’s Fortress after dark:Daring guests will return to The Collector’s Fortress after the sun sets for a risky rescue mission at Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark, the seasonal edition of popular attraction Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! At dusk, the Fortress makes for a terrifically terrifying photo opportunity.
  • Commemorate your cruise though Radiator Screams in Cars Land: Radiator Springs becomes Radiator Screams for the “Haul-O-Ween” season. Take a spine-tingling spin on Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween and Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOreeand check out all the frightful additions from Scary the Scare-car to the creepy, crawly Spider-car at Flo’s V8 Café.
  • Celebrate the season with the Cars in their “car-stumes”: Strike a pose with Lightning McQueen, Mater and friends in their creepy and cute “car-stumes.” Guests will find Mater dressed up as a “van-pire,” Lightning as a super hero, Cruz Ramirez as a pirate, Red the Fire Truck as a clown and DJ as a punk rocker.
  • Photograph festive food and beverage: Choose from new offerings like sweet potato hand pie, chocolate graveyard sponge cake or layered pumpkin cheesecake at Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, U.S.A. Over in Disney California Adventure Park, try the conchita, a traditional Mexican sweet bread complete with a decorative topping in the shape of main character Miguel from Disney-Pixar’s “Coco,” making it all the more photo-worthy.
  • Take a selfie to show off your seasonal souvenirs: Foodies and photographers alike will delight in the new merchandise offerings this year. Suited for all your spell-casting and potion-brewing needs, the Cauldron Premium Popcorn Bucket and Green Poison Apple Stein are available for the first time. In addition, guests will find a wide array of seasonal t-shirts, mugs, plush, pins, purses and more throughout the resort.
  • Witness a Grand pumpkin display at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa: At Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, guests will feast their eyes on a sweet surprise – a pumpkin patch built out of cereal treats, 200 pounds of icing, 100 pounds of chocolate and 300 pounds of fondant. This delicious display sits 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide inside the lobby of the hotel, and the Oogie Boogie pumpkin is over four feet tall. See if you can capture a hidden Mickey or two in your photo.
  • Smile and say “Halloween” with your favorite pumpkin at the Downtown Disney District display: The pumpkin display in the Downtown Disney District includes plenty of pumpkins with bright, saturated colors and interesting shapes and textures. The impressive assortment includes 17 different types of pumpkins in a variety of styles, with more than 2,150 pumpkins and squash on display.

 

Special Halloween Food Offerings:

Guests to Disneyland Resort this Halloween will find their visit extra-tasty as a number of new treats will be introduced for the season. Below is a rundown of these new food options (source):

Disneyland Park Churros

  • Churros near Big Thunder Mountain – orange sugar churro with candy corn sauce
  • Churros near Haunted Mansion – pumpkin spice churro with cream cheese frosting
  • Hungry Bear Restaurant – churro bites cereal sundae with fruit cereal-dusted churros, cereal milk anglaise, strawberry ice cream and raspberry sauce
  • Golden Horseshoe – Cookie dough ice cream and cookie butter sauce, garnished with a cinnamon sugar-dusted churro and topped with cajeta and whipped cream
  • Churros near Town Square and Sleeping Beauty Castle– Maleficent churro covered with chocolate cookie crumbles (marshmallow dip option)
  • Churros near Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters –sour apple churro (caramel sauce option)

Disney California Adventure Park Churros

  • Willie’s Churros – purple, green and orange sugar churro; pumpkin spice churro
  • Churros near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail – s’mores churro with graham cracker, chocolate chips and a marshmallow drizzle
  • Churros near Goofy’s Sky School – purple sugar churro
  • Cozy Cone Motel – pumpkin spice churro with cream-cheese dipping sauce

Halloween Candy at Disneyland Resort

  • Minnie witch, Jack Skellington and Evil Queen apples
  • Jack Skellington and bat cake pops
  • Mickey Mouse mummy, Oogie Boogie and Maleficent crispy treats
  • Mummy marshmallow
  • Pumpkin fudge

Disneyland Park

Red Rose Taverne

  • Black rose dessert – black truffle mousse with raspberry compote and a candy spider

Troubadour Tavern

  • Cookie decorating kits

Rancho del Zocalo

  • Orange sugar skull pot de crème
  • Frozen Abuelita® horchata – frozen Mexican hot chocolate layered with frozen horchata and topped with whipped cream

Café Orleans

  • Crab and corn chowder

French Market

  • Halloween-themed dessert trio with worms and dirt, salted-caramel pudding and pumpkin pie
  • Mansion spider bundt cake – chocolate bundt cake with green icing and chocolate spider

Mint Julep Bar

  • Pumpkin spice Mickey beignets

Bengal Barbecue

  • Musubi special – spiced ham musubi with lemongrass jasmine rice and pineapple teriyaki sauce, served with pickled daikon and carrots topped with furikake flakes

Carnation Café

  • Haunted Firehouse Chicken Sandwich – red pepper coulis, white cheese sauce, crispy pancetta and arugula on yellow sliced bread

Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor

  • Apple pie á la mode – vanilla ice cream with warm spiced apples, crumble topping and caramel drizzle

Jolly Holiday Bakery Café

  • Sweet potato hand pie – sweet potato pie filling topped with orange white chocolate glaze and toasted mini-marshmallows
  • Cruella de Vil brownie – brownie in a spotted cup with black dark chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse and a Cruella de Vil logo
  • Graveyard cupcake – chocolate cupcake with cherry filling, dark chocolate mousse, Halloween sprinkles and a chocolate tombstone
  • Spice bundt cake
  • Pumpkin layered cheesecake
  • Pumpkin muffin
  • Mickey mummy macaron

Refreshment Corner

  • Halloween hot dog – with spicy meatballs, cheese sauce and oven-roasted tomatoes

Plaza Inn Restaurant

  • Main Street Mickey’s pound cake – pound cake filled with blueberry compote and cookie crumbles surrounded by whipped cream and garnished with black sugar and mint
  • Halloween Minnie Mouse cake – cinnamon-praline bundt cake with an apple center and finished with an orange glaze and sprinkles

Galactic Grill

  • Spider parfait – chocolate cake, vanilla and chocolate pudding and a thick layer of ganache

Alien Pizza Planet

  • Cosmic chili pasta – pinwheel pasta, chili, cheese and green onion
  • Alien spider parfait – chocolate cake, pudding and a thick layer of ganache

Disney California Adventure Park

Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café

  • Sleepy Hollow cupcake – red velvet cupcake with Headless Horseman chocolate piece

Clarabelle’s Hand Scooped Ice Cream

  • Spider silk macaron sandwich – black macaron with charcoal-tart cherry spun ice cream topped with popping candy and raspberry sauce
  • Bat wing raspberry sundae – white chocolate raspberry swirl ice cream with raspberry splatter, red sprinkles, whipped cream and bat wing cookie

Mortimer’s Market and Boudin Bread Cart

  • Mickey bread with fangs

Smokejumpers Grill

  • Green Apple Spell Lemonade – lemonade with sour green apple syrup, cherry popping pearls and raspberry sauce

Pacific Wharf Café

  • Pumpkin bread pudding
  • Mickey bread with fangs
  • Bacon cheddar ale Soup

Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta

  • Anti-vampire pizza – roasted garlic sauce, marinated chicken smoked gouda, mozzarella, roasted red peppers and a tomato-harissa sauce drizzle

Bayside Brews

  • Featuring pumpkin hard cider and Karl Strauss Oktoberfest beer

Corn Dog Castle

  • Spicy pepper jack dog – dipped in corn batter, drizzled with blackberry sauce and topped with sweet pineapple salsa, pickled serranos and crushed cheese puffs

Award Wieners

  • Pumpkin spice funnel cake fries (starting mid-September) – funnel fries dusted with pumpkin spice sugar, pumpkin spice sauce and pumpkin spice whipped cream
  • Cookies and cream funnel cake fries – funnel fries dusted with crushed chocolate cream cookies and topped with cream cheese, cookie pieces and whipped cream
  • Anaheim Brewery Oktoberfest beer
  • Oktoberfest dog – kielbasa sausage topped with caramelized onions, sauerkraut, Oktoberfest beer cheese with green onions

Schmoozies

  • Croissant donut – filled with peanut butter and jelly
  • Caramel apple smoothie – apple, caramel and ice cream
  • Whoopie pie – filled with espresso chip ice cream

Hollywood Lounge

  • Bone chilling apple cider (non-alcoholic)
  • Spitfire cider – apple cider with cinnamon whiskey
  • Elysian the Great Pumpkin Imperial Ale
  • Ballast Point Dead Ringer Oktoberfest Lager
  • Supernatural spirit – cotton candy lemonade with vodka
  • Ghoulish delight (non-alcoholic) – cotton candy lemonade

Studio Catering Truck

  • Fire dragon tacos – pork belly with kimchi slaw, Korean BBQ sauce and Sriracha crema

Flo’s V8 Café

  • Candy cone pie – cream pie with vanilla, butterscotch and white chocolate pudding
  • Pumpkin spice shake

Cozy Cone Motel

  • Slow-burnin’ mac and cheese cone – pasta with spicy red-pepper cheese sauce topped with crushed chile-cheese puffs and served in a bread cone
  • “Spokey”-cone macaron – Filled with marshmallow buttercream and candy corn

Do I Need Tickets?

Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park is a special ticket event. Tickets are currently starting at $105 per person (aged 3 and up) and can be purchased online at Disneyland.com/party (until the day before the event), at the Disneyland Resort main gate and by phone at 714-781-4400.

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About the Author

Craig Smith
I am founder and editor of DisneyNews.us. My passion for all things Disney goes pretty far back to my first trip to Walt Disney World in the mid-80's. I have since returned to the magical place more than 20 times. I started this site when I came to the realization that I spent a significant portion of my day reading articles about Disney and watching Disney content with my 8-year old, so it made sense that I would start sharing some of what I read and see and building a little community around it. Other interests include 80's nostalgia, vintage toys, video games, LEGO, Star Wars and tech gadgets. Other sites include DMR and VideoGamesStats.com.