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Planning a trip to Disneyland around Halloween? Make Mickey’s Halloween party a part of your trip. Here’s your guide and all you need to know about Mickey’s Halloween party and why it’s a great addition to your Disneyland trip!
When I was growing up, my family and I would vacation at Disneyland about every three or four years. It was always our big trip and one that we loved more than anything! We always traveled in the summer because my parents were not fans of taking us out of school. I always had going to Disneyland at Halloween on my bucket list and finally crossed it off my list about seven years ago when my oldest was a toddler. It was magical and so amazing!
Then, more dreams came true when we decided to take my two boys in October. We had never been to Disneyland with just the four of us. I booked our trip in March of that year through Get Away Today and used their layaway plan (check out this post for details). That gave us several months to save for our trip without having to worry about it not being booked. And we added one more special surprise to the trip-we bought tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party!
You can find more information about using layaway for your trip here. And if you’re ready to book your Disney trip, Get Away Today are the experts! They can answer any questions you have and get you great deals for your trip. When we booked, we got an extra night free at our hotel! And those deals are available again when you book with them. They’ve put together some of their very best specials available during Halloween Time:
- September: Adults at Kids’ Prices – save up to $19 per ticket!
- October: 5th Day Free Park Hopper Tickets
- Extra Night Free specials at select hotels through September and October
- Layaway Plans from just $125 down (final payment due 15 days prior to travel
Here’s a blog post from Get Away Today with details about Halloween Time and what you need to book your vacation.
If you aren’t familiar with Mickey’s Halloween party, here are some basic things you need to know.
Mickey’s Halloween Party usually sells out every single night of the event. Note that even when every Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland is sold out online, it is possible that you could have luck by calling. (Here’s the phone number: (714) 781-4636. Additionally, Guest Services at the three Disneyland Resort hotels might have tickets for guests staying at those resorts. We bought our tickets as soon as they went on sale.
A lot of people don’t seem to understand how these special event ticket parties work, so I want to break it down in simple and concise terms: a regular park ticket will not grant you admission to Mickey’s Halloween Party. You must purchase the special event tickets to stay in Disneyland once Mickey’s Halloween Party begins. Yes, this means purchasing two tickets for the same day if you plan on attending the party the same day as one of your park passes.
On the other hand, a party ticket for Mickey’s Halloween Party does grant you admission to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure 3 hours before the event officially begins. This is a big reason why Mickey’s Halloween Party is so popular with locals in Los Angeles and Orange County who are not Annual Passholders–it’s a less expensive way to see the Halloween offerings in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with lower crowds and at a cheaper price. Even though it’s not the whole day, it’s a good value if you’re a local who is not an Annual Passholder.
So the big question is, was it worth it? And our answer is YES! It was absolutely worth it. It was the highlight of our trip.
#1: Plan to Add Mickey’s Halloween Party as an Extra Day
For our family trip, we purchased a three day park hopper pass. We could have done the Halloween party on one of those days and it would have still worked out just fine. But we actually used the Halloween party as an extra fourth day in Disneyland. The Halloween party requires its own ticket so we ended up with four days of fun. We arrived in California on Monday morning and had our tickets for the Halloween party Monday evening. We used our regular passes Tuesday-Thursday. The park is open to party goers at 4 o’clock so you really do get plenty of time to enjoy Disneyland. And the best part is that the crowds die down once everyone but the party guests leave!
#2: Yes, You Can (and Should) Dress Up In Costume
This is your chance to dress up for Halloween while at Disneyland. Our kids were so excited for this! They love Star Wars and we found costumes for them at the Disney store. One of them went as Kylo Ren and the other as Darth Vader. My husband and I admittedly don’t really dress up for Halloween and didn’t bring anything for ourselves. I do wish we had so when we do it again, we will have costumes of ourselves.
Be sure to follow the Costume Guidelines. Disney does have some rules and you don’t want to show up with something you can’t wear. You can check the guidelines out here.
#3: Make Riding Popular Rides A Priority
Because Mickey’s Halloween Party is a ticketed event, and they only have so many tickets available each night, the crowds are not as bad during the party. It was really enjoyable and much more relaxing! We didn’t have a long wait on any of the rides. In fact, my husband and oldest son were able to ride the Indiana Jones ride, one that generally has incredibly long waits, twice in two hours because the lines were so short! We hit every ride we wanted to in just a few hours time including Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and others. This is a great time to get on rides that don’t have a Fastpass too.
My kids were also able to participate in the Star Wars Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple. It’s a great experience that books up quickly but we jumped on it as soon as we entered the party. The kids received Jedi hoods, light sabers, and special training and then battled forces from the Dark side. If this is something your kids want to do, I recommend going to Tomorrowland as soon as you get in the park and signing up at the Star Wars Launch Bay for a time.
#4: Don’t Miss the Entertainment
The entertainment is exclusive to Mickey’s Halloween party. You can hang out with Disney villains and snap a photo at Villain’s Square. This is the best way to get snapshots with a handful of villains at once. The Disney characters are all dressed up in their Halloween costumes too! And because your little ones can dress up, it’s the only chance you’ll have to see them in their Halloween best with their favorite Disney characters dressed up too.
The Headless Horseman rides down Main Street during the party, a really fun a scary treat! We enjoyed sharing the story of the Headless Horseman with our kiddos. It’s a great story that isn’t too scary for them.
We also really enjoyed watching the New Orleans Square Singers floating on raft in the Rivers of America. They were decked out as ghouls singing Halloween tunes while silently floating by. At times, they were enshrouded with fog.
Also, be on the lookout for other spooks and fun. The scarecrows and other fixtures are actually alive and interact as guests walk by!
#5: Grab the Exclusive Food While You Can
The rumors are true. Disneyland has exclusive food that you won’t want to miss for Halloween! And you can grab the exclusive Halloween popcorn bucket if you’re lucky enough to find it. It changes each year and is a collectible item for many people. The rest of the park has special pumpkin infused treats like the Pumpkin beignets at New Orleans Square. There is something special at every food stop in the park so be prepared to try a few! It’s worth it.
#6: Plan for the Frightfully Fun Parade
This is one fun parade! I love Halloween and really enjoyed this parade. They had villains on hand, fun music, and our favorite characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes. You will definitely want to plan on seeing this. They have a couple of times during the evening so be sure to plan your night accordingly so you don’t miss it!
#7: Don’t Miss the Fireworks
The Halloween Scream Fireworks are something you will only see at Mickey’s Halloween party. They project videos on Cinderella’s castle. play spooky tunes, and sync fireworks to make a frightful display that only Disney can do. We loved watching this! And, as we usually do, we enjoyed watching the show while walking from side of the park to another. It’s a little trick we learned years ago-if you hit up rides during parades or fireworks, the lines are shorter. And you can see the fireworks from many different places, including while you are walking to the next ride. We generally hang out for a about five minutes and then start walking to our next attraction. And we never feel like we miss anything.
#8: Trick or Treat!
It’s true-you can trick or treat in Disneyland! They have stops set up around the park on their candy trail and they do hand you a bag when you come in to store your treats. You can also pick up a Mickey Halloween treat bag in one of the stores that will last for years to come. We still have one my parents bought a few years ago for our kids! We honestly only stopped at a few of the places because our kiddos wanted to get on rides and see the parade.
#9: Enjoy the Rest of Halloween Time
There really is something magical about Disneyland at Halloween. And during the party, you get to enjoy it in the evening when all of the Halloween Time decorations are at their best! From the Mickey ghosts on the light posts to the Disney character Jack-O-Lanterns, there are plenty of sights to enjoy. Disney also has two special rides during Halloween. They turn the Haunted Mansion into the Haunted Mansion Holiday, a nod to The Nightmare Before Christmas. And the ever popular Space Mountain becomes Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy with some creepy haunts to scare along the ride. A hint about this one-if you have a sensitive kiddo, it may scare them a bit. My oldest was seven when we went and the ghost frightened him a little.
If you’ve never been to Disneyland at Halloween, what are you waiting for? It was the best family vacation we have had and worth every penny. And remember to book with Get Away Today to save and to be sure that your trip is as smooth as can be.