The Oogie Boogie man is back at Disney California Adventure Park! Each year, the Oogie Boogie Bash is one of our very favorite Halloween traditions. Oogie Boogie pulled out all the stops with tricks and treats like amazing villain interactions, the Frightfully Fun Parade, lots of candy and, of course, Villains Grove.
Grab your Halloween costume and a bag to put some candy in (pillowcases and those plastic jack-o-lanterns are also welcome, and let’s take a peek at all of the spooky sights coming to Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party this year. (Updated July 21, 2023)
Going to Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party
Just like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World at the former Mickey’s Halloween Party in Disneyland, Oogie Boogie Bash is a separately ticketed event at California Adventure that. Sadly, tickets for this year’s Oogie Boogie Bash are already sold out. (For 2023, tickets were priced between $134 for select earlier event dates up to $189 right around and on Halloween.) However, if you were lucky enough to snag tickets, or if you are already thinking ahead to next year, this guide is for you.
This year, the party runs from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from September 5 to October 31. During that time, California Adventure will be closed during these hours to those who do not have a ticket to party. 2023 Oogie Boogie Bash dates include:
September
- Tuesday, September 5
- Thursday, September 7
- Sunday, September 10
- Tuesday, September 12
- Thursday, September 14
- Sunday, September 17
- Tuesday, September 19
- Thursday, September 21
- Sunday, September 24
- Tuesday, September 28
- Thursday, September 28
October
- Sunday, October 1
- Tuesday, October 3
- Thursday, October 5
- Sunday, October 8
- Tuesday, October 10
- Thursday, October 12
- Sunday, October 15
- Tuesday, October 17
- Thursday, October 19
- Sunday, October 22
- Tuesday, October 24
- Thursday, October 26
- Sunday, October 29
- Tuesday, Sunday 31
Although the party doesn’t start until 6:00 PM, your Oogie Boogie Bash ticket allows you to enter California Adventure early at 3:00 PM. The line to get into the park will be long at the front gate, but should things work out like they have in years past, there should be little to no line through the Grand Californian entrance This is a super convenient and lesser-known entrance from the hotel that takes you right into the park, close to the Grizzly Rapids ride.
As a bonus, you should be able to see the Oogie Boogie display made completely out of sugar that usually takes over the hotel lobby. Once you walk through the hotel and get to the security and entrance booth, have your Oogie Boogie Bash ticket ready to show. Then, after you are in the park, you will be given your party wristbands, a map/party guide, and your treat bags.
If you arrive for the 3:00 early entrance, enjoy some rides and eat dinner before the party starts so that you can really maximize your time enjoying everything the party has to offer once it begins. If you have some more popular rides like Soarin’, the Incredicoaster, Guardians, or Radiator Springs Racers on your list to do, keep in mind that those lines will be significantly shorter during the party. The park capacity is much lower, which means you’ll be able to run onto rides with little to no wait times. Just one of the many perks of attending a separately ticketed event!
At 6:00 PM, you’ll hear the monster of the hour Oogie Boogie himself announce that the party has begun. Spooky music will set the mood, and everyone who does not have a wristband for the party will be asked to leave. Now it’s time to party!
Treat Trails and Villain Interactions
There are typically 9 or 10 Treat Trails to go trick-or-treating during the Oogie Boogie Bash. So, plan on bringing home a lot of candy! The bag you are given will not be enough to hold all the candy if you hit all 10 treat trails. You may want to bring a big empty backpack or a larger bag to empty your candy into at some point in the night. The cast members are very generous with how much candy they give, especially closer to the end of the night. In addition to candy, there are usually also snacks and fruit handed out. Some candy stations have bagged apple slices, grapes, pretzels, graham cracker bites, and Pirate’s Booty. We’ve also received some cute Nightmare Before Christmas temporary tattoos at one of the treat trails as well.
In addition to stocking up on Halloween candy, the majority of the treat trails have character interactions. These villains are a huge highlight of the Oogie Boogie Bash! Each villain is sitting or standing on a themed stage. They will talk to you as you walk through the treat trail, always while staying true to character. Don’t be surprised if Sid pokes fun at your costume or even your kids! You will usually find two treat trails in Hollywood Land, one on Buena Vista Street near Avengers Campus, two in Avengers Campus, two in Grizzly Peak, one in Pixar Pier and one in Paradise Gardens Park. Villains you might see along the way include:
- Dr. Facilier (or Shadow Man) from Princess and the Frog
- Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas
- Cruella de Vil from Cruella, the most recent movie, not the original cartoon
- Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone
- Mother Gothel from Tangled
- Ernesto de la Cruz from Coco
- Agatha Harkness from WandaVision
- Sid from Toy Story
- The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
Villain’s Grove
One of the big highlights of the night for our family was Villains Grove. It is a must-do! The Redwood Creek Trail in Grizzly Peak has been completely made-over for a spooky walkthrough that is mesmerizing for both kids and adults. Be sure to save this for once it is completely dark outside. Complete with fog, lights, and eerie music, it is the perfect Halloween experience.
Each area is inspired by a Disney villain, like Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (with floating candles, this spot’s villain influence isn’t as obvious), Maleficent, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, Scar, and Dr. Facilier. There is an amazing light show in the trees that at one point had my daughter asking, “Are we inside or outside?” The line to get in will be long, but don’t let it deter you. It moves quickly and you won’t regret doing it at least once!
Mickey’s Trick and Treat
Across from the Monsters Inc. ride over in Hollywood Land, Mickey and Minnie host their own little party that is, of course, a hit for little kids! You can join them for a costume party with dancing and a fun story. In past years, this has happened at 6:15, 6:55, 7:35, 9:00 and 9:50 PM, so you will need to plan accordingly to make it to one of the party times. We recommend attending while you are hitting up the Hooywood Land treat trails. That way you don’t have to backtrack.
Frightfully Fun Parade
We don’t know about you, but we love a good parade, especially when there is a slew of villains involved. There are generally only two parades during the party, typically at 7:45 and 10:00 PM. Usually, parade spots are always easier to get for the later time. However, since the capacity is low for this party, you shouldn’t have to wait too early to snag a spot for the earlier parade either.
The parade starts in the back corner of the park, near the restaurants and Silly Symphony Swings in Paradise Gardens Park by Pixar Pier. If you choose to watch the 7:45 PM parade, you could find a spot at the beginning of the parade’s path and grab dinner with the conveniently located restaurants. (Be sure to check out the all-new San Fransokyo Square this year!) This keeps your wait time for the parade short since you’ll be seeing it first and maximizes your overall party time so you can eat dinner while waiting for it to begin.
Our family has done this with a few other parades in the past and it has worked well. Once the parade is over, you may want to enjoy Pixar Pier. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck behind the parade trying to go the other direction. The parade passes in front of the Little Mermaid ride, then ends at Guardians of the Galaxy. We found a spot across from Little Mermaid about 20 minutes before the 7:45 parade and had no problem fitting our large group comfortably. (Pro Tip: Sitting in front of the Little Mermaid ride to watch the parade gives you the amazing backdrop of the Pixar Pal-A-Round, formerly known as Mickey’s Fun Wheel.)
The Frightfully Fun Parade has all the Disney Halloween classics: villains, evil step-sisters, a Haunted Mansion float, and the Headless Horseman kicking off the parade! In past years, the Headless Horseman was a bit more spooky for kids as he slowly walked down the parade path to eerie music. More recently, he’s been accompanied by some friends from the Colonial time period and moves to slightly more upbeat music. It is such a fun addition to the parade and a Disney Halloween party classic. Don’t miss the statue off of Carthay Circle as well!
Other Party Perks
Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
One of the great Oogie Boogie Bash perks is that there is a much shorter line than usual for the Spider-Man ride, Web Slingers, the newest attraction to hit Avengers Campus. We passed by it near the end of our Oogie Boogie Bash night and saw that the line was 20 minutes long. If you haven’t been on the ride yet or you don’t want to pay for Lightning Lane during the day, definitely make it a point to during the party.
Short Lines
Speaking of short lines, as we mentioned before, the capacity is much lower than a typical night in the park. We ran onto a couple of rides with no wait time at all. Popular rides that usually have a long line are only about 20 minutes long. We attended the party with a large group of 4 adults and 5 kids and we were still able to hit all the treat trails, watch the parade, and ride Toy Story Mania, Soarin’, the Cars Land rides, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Little Mermaid all just during the party hours. If you do go on some rides, you might not be able to hit everything the party has to offer, so you will just want to prioritize what is most important to you that night.
Characters
One of our favorite parts of Halloween time at both Disneyland and California Adventure is seeing the characters in their Halloween costumes. While this isn’t exclusive to the Oogie Boogie Bash, it is still fun seeing the characters dressed up and some additional villains during the party. The characters add so much to the magic!
Food
Exclusive food will be available just during the Oogie Boogie Bash at select California Adventure restaurants. Stay tuned for our foodie guide once the menu is released!
Oogie Boogie Bash Tips & Tricks
There is definitely no wrong way to do the Oogie Boogie Bash. For some people, having a schedule adds stress to the night instead of optimizing the fun. If following a schedule is not your thing, our general recommendation for any Disney trip is always to have a couple of rides or experiences that you definitely do not want to miss, and then let the day take you wherever you end up!
So many magical moments or small Disney details can be lost in running from one thing to the next trying to cram everything in. That being said, if you really want to optimize your few hours at the Oogie Boogie Bash, we do recommend having a general game plan and following the Treat Trails in order so that you don’t have to backtrack. Feel free to follow your heart and go whichever direction you choose around the park. Just remember to keep your map close by and check it often so you can squeeze in the timed entertainment offerings.
We had such an amazing night each time we’ve gone and can’t wait to go again this year. If you snagged tickets to the party this year, let us know your favorite part!
