There is actually almost too much happening at Disneyland for Halloween that it may be hard to cram it all into one theme park day. To make sure you have the most spooktacular Disneyland trip, here are the best things to do at Disneyland during Halloween to prioritize first.
Over at California Adventure Park, Disney is celebrating Día de Los Muertos with Coco at Paradise Gardens. This totally immersive experience has characters, shows, and tons of Insta-worthy backdrops for some cute pics with your familia. Foodies will also love the seasonal menu at Paradise Garden Grill with Coco-inspired eats and treats.
At night during the Halloween season, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! becomes an all-new ride. The storyline changes and instead of breaking out the Guardians of the Galaxy, you’re trying to avoid monsters while saving Groot. It’s a lot scarier than the OG version, so just be mindful of that.
Until Halloween, you’ll get to enjoy the Halloween Screams fireworks show with music from The Nightmare Before Christmas and various Disney villains. The fireworks only happen on select nights, but you can still see the music and projections on Sleeping Beauty Castle every single day.
While both Disneyland and California Adventure Park have makeovers for the Halloween season, no land is more festive than Cars Land. It’s like every inch is covered in Halloween decor that’s not only Insta-worthy but also super punny. Along with taking tons of pics, make sure to grab some Halloween treats at the Cozy Cone Motel as well.
You don’t even need a park ticket for this fun Halloween activity at Disneyland. In the Grand Californian Hotel lobby, there is a Holiday Cart with delicious treats. Grab something like a Gingerbread Zombie Cookie and snap a picture of it front of the Oogie Boogie display, made entirely of candy.
Immediately on Main Street, you’ll be greeted by a Mickey Mouse pumpkin as you enter Disneyland. While a picture in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle is a must for the ‘Gram the rest of the year, during Halloween, your priority should be on the pumpkin. It’s the perfect backdrop for a vacay photo of your special time in the parks.
Between the Mickey Mouse ears and festive spirit jerseys, there’s always cute new Halloween merch to shop this time of year. The Skeleton Dance collection has been especially popular, but the must-have item is the Donald Candy Corn sipper. I mean, come on — it’s (candy) corn!
Getting to dress up in costume and trick-or-treat around the park are some of the perks of attending Disney’s special ticketed event, Oogie Boogie Bash. However, the biggest draw is getting to see rare characters that aren’t normally out in the theme parks. For instance, Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle are dressed like the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus and Bruno from Encanto makes an appearance at Oogie Boogie this year.
Foodies won’t have to worry about seasonal treats. There are so many delicious and Insta-worthy Halloween menu items at Disneyland to choose from. However, since it is the fall, it’s the best time for pumpkin. While you could always go with the reliable Mickey-shaped pumpkin spice beignets or a pumpkin spice churro, anyone 21 and up should try the Pumpkin Pie Hard Float from Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream.
Who knew Mickey and his friends could be even more adorable? On Main Street, you can catch Donald in a candy corn costume and Goofy dressed like a spooky tree. It’s worth it just to chill on Main Street for a bit to see who you’ll spot for an Insta selfie or TikTok video.
It just wouldn’t be the holidays without visiting Haunted Mansion Holiday. Throughout the holiday season, Haunted Mansion has been taken over by The Nightmare Before Christmas for an all-new ride featuring your fave characters like Jack, Sally, and Oogie Boogie. The one thing to look out for is the gingerbread house, which is different every year and made with real gingerbread.