All Things Ooogie Boogie Bash!
If you don't know what Oogie Boogie Bash (OBB) is, it is the equivalent Halloween celebration to Walt Disney World's "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" that is held in Magic Kingdom each fall.
Tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash are sold usually in late June or early July, and once they are sold out, they are gone for the year. This not an event that typically has a restock or new availability of tickets.
Basics: Oogie Boogie Bash is held on select nights from early September through the end of October. The Oogie Boogie Bash 2024 schedule is as follows:
August Dates:
Sunday, August 25; Tuesday, August 27; Thursday, August 29
September Dates:
Tuesday, Sept. 3; Tuesday, Sept. 10; Thursday, Sept. 12; Sunday, Sept. 15; Tuesday, Sept. 17; Thursday, Sept. 19; Sunday, Sept. 22; Tuesday, Sept. 24; Thursday, Sept. 26; Sunday, Sept. 29
October Dates:
Tuesday, Oct. 1; Thursday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 6; Tuesday, Oct. 8; Thursday, Oct. 10; Sunday, Oct. 13; Tuesday, Oct. 15; Thursday, Oct 17; Sunday, Oct. 20; Tuesday, Oct. 22; Thursday, Oct. 24; Sunday, Oct. 27; Tuesday, Oct. 29; and Thursday, Oct. 31, Halloween night.
If you don't have Oogie Boogie Tickets and plan to attend the Disneyland Resort during any of those dates, this is the best tip we can give you: If you have a park hopper ticket or a Magic Key, schedule your starting park for California Adventure (DCA) that day. This is because the crowds in the morning will be a bit lower, in anticipation for the crossover of party guests that begins at 3PM. Everyone without an OOB ticket for that night must exit the park at 6PM. If you have a Magic Key or a Hopper Pass, at that point you've enjoyed low crowds for most of the day, and can now cross over into Disneyland to enjoy the remainder of the night.
If you DON'T have a Magic Key or a Hopper Pass, and instead have a "One Park Per Day" ticket, you want to schedule YOUR starting park for Disneyland that day. This way, you won't be taken by surprise when it hits 6pm and you are escorted out of California Adventure and can't go into to Disneyland for the night. If you need clarification about this or have questions, PLEASE ASK. We would love to help you make sure you are ready to roll with the correct reservations for those days.
For those of you attending the Oogie Boogie Bash, please read on for info about the party:
HIGHLIGHTS:
At 3PM you can start entering the park with your Oogie Boogie ticket. Lines to enter usually start pretty early on, so if you want to maximize your party time, plan to arrive at the gates around 2:15. In past years, we’ve had really good luck entering from the Grand Californian entrance into DCA over by Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, but last year we heard that they had possibly shut down that access for anyone that isn’t a hotel guest, so if you want to give that entrance a try maybe do so at your own risk unless you are a hotel guest.
Between 3-6PM is your time to enjoy the park. Get your rides in, get a bigger meal in for the evening (or do a parade dining package at Wine Country), and so you don't have anything standing in the way of really digging into the Treat Trails, the parade, etc when the party officially starts at 6PM.
TRICK OR TREAT TRAILS:
At 6PM, Oogie Boogie will welcome you to the party. At this point in time, Treat Trails start and you can begin wandering through the various queues, interacting with the Villains hosting each area, and of course, trick or treating. Plan to bring some BIG bags. Like...think large size Disneyland Merch bags or similar. They will give you a little bag when you check in, but you'll fill it up in one treat trail. This is a great time to also consider having a stroller with, even if your kids don't use it much.
The treat trails in 2023 were positioned as follows. We’ll update this as soon as we have 2024 info!
-Oogie Boogie: Animation Building on Hollywood Blvd
-Judge Doom: Down between Soarin' and the airplane by Grizzly River Run
-Syd from Toy Story: Pixar Pier
-Mother Gothel: Up by the waterfall next to Grizzly River Run
-Mad Madame Mimm: In the alcove just outside of Avenger’s Campus
-Ernesto de la Cruz: In the Hyperion Theater Courtyard
-Agatha from Wandavision: In Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum in Avenger's Campus
-Yokai/Professor Callaghan from Big Hero 6: SanFransokyo
-A non-character trail in Cars Land by Radiator Springs Racers
-Treats handed out as you enter the park gates and as you leave
COSTUMES:
Unlike a regular park day, costumes are allowed (and encouraged) for both kids and adults to wear during the Oogie Boogie Bash. There are rules in place like no capes below the waist, no realistic weapons (things like light sabers are allowed), no long dresses that drag on the ground, no masks, etc. Please make sure you google the dress code before planning your costumes. BUT once you've checked the rules, you can go as crazy or as simple as you'd like! Some people just wear a fun Halloween t-shirt, others go full costume and makeup and accessories. There is no wrong answer at Oogie Boogie Bash. ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND: September and October in the parks is a pretty hot time of year. Anything full fleece onesie, layered, etc is not going to be comfortable all night long if it's a hot day, so think lightweight and layers, especially for little kids! (No fleece Sully costumes, etc.)
MONSTERS AFTER DARK
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout crosses over in the evenings to Monsters After Dark. It is the same ride, but with different screens and music, and is a bit more dark and high intensity than the typical ride. The ride crosss over to "Monsters After Dark" starting around 3pm. This is another great use of that time pre-party before the official festivities begin! We don't recommend waiting in lines and riding rides during the actual party, just because we like to hit up all the trails and see the special entertainment, but if you are just a family that wants to hit low wait times, you can ride to your heart's content on most attractions throughout the night.
FRIGHTFULLY FUN PARADE:
There are typically two showings of the Frightfully Fun Parade during OBB and you don't want to miss seeing it! We like the earlier parade because we have young kids who are not too tired by then, but if you are a group of teens or adults, consider waiting for the later parade, because the crowds will be lighter. In years passed we have taken advantage of the Parade Dining Package at Wine Country Trattoria. It is really quite reasonably priced, and it gets you a reserved standing section for the parade that is very spacious with no one crowding you, and you don’t have to waste party time standing around to stake it out. If you think this is something you might like to do, watch for a reservation as soon as you hit your 60 day reservation window. These reservations are LIVE on the Disneyland website right now. You can always cancel if it doesn't end up seeming like something you want to do. I highly recommend a 3:30/4:00pm slot so you can get your favorite choice of parade time, and so you don't waste time sitting to dine once the official party has started. Feel free to ask more questions about this process if you are confused. Our inbox is open.
This year there is also an Oogie Boogie Parade Dessert Party offering available. This experience is $89 per person, ages 3 and up. If you have a child under three that will be with you, that is acceptable but you have to hold them on your lap. If they want a chair, you have to pay for a regular priced spot. You can read all the details about this option and make your reservations by clicking HERE.
MICKEY TRICK AND TREAT DANCE PARTY at the Disney Junior Theater:
Historically, one of the fun events you can do at OBB if you have little ones (or even just adults) is Mickey's Trick and Treat Dance Party. This is a 15ish minute show that runs several times throughout the night. It features Mickey and Minnie and friends singing some spooky musical numbers, candy and streamers are tossed, and it's just a great little high-energy activity to get the little ones excited. Beginning in the 2024 Halloween season, this show will no longer be an Oogie Boogie Bash offering. Instead, you can catch this show during regular park hours several times a day in the Disney Junior Dance Party building. Definitely make sure to check it out if you are visiting during the Halloween season—it is one of our kids’ favorite shows!
VILLAINS GROVE:
This is the biggest question I've gotten ever since we started attending Oogie Boogie. What is Villains Grove, and when/how do I see it?
Villains Grove is an amazing light and sound display that is created over in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area over by Grizzly River Run. You can search videos of Villains Grove on YouTube if you want a visual, but sometimes it's fun to be surprised! This is a walk-through attraction that takes about 10-15 minutes to walk through once you enter. It features really incredible projections, sound effects, fog, and more. It is spooky and fun, but not at all too "scary" for kids--at least my kids are never scared of it.
The biggest trick to visiting Villains grove is TIMING. The grove opens at 8PM and there can be a long line to enter. You don't want to get stuck spending more time in line than you need to, BUT you also want to wait until dark to fully enjoy the lighting features. Our typical strategy has been to hit it between parades. Try to get yourself a great parade spot for the first parade showing over by the Little Mermaid/Pixar Pier bridge area. When the parade is done, walk over to the line at Villains grove, before the crowds descend. You could also plan to stand close to Carthay Circle restaurant for the parade and make a pretty quick escape over past Soarin' to enter the Villains Grove queue as well.
If the line is still crazy, try again toward the end of the night--but make sure you ask cast members when they will stop allowing guests to enter the queue so you don't miss it.
CHARACTER MEET & GREETS:
If you don't mind waiting in some lines to meet characters, there are usually some really unique photo opportunities at Oogie Boogie Bash. In the past we've seen Claude Frollo, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Governor Ratcliffe, Prince John, Shan Yu, Pain and Panic, Hades and Meg, and more! Usually those villains are set up with backdrops right in front of the Grizzly River Run Mill wheel.
This year there are special character appearances from Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus in the Hollywood Backlot. Bruno from Encanto was found in front of the Grizzly River Run Mill Wheel. Lotso the Bear can be found down by Pixar Pier.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse can sometimes be seen in their Halloween best down in front of Pixar Pier at Paradise Bay. This line can get long, so if it's a priority, watch the line carefully for a good opportunity. Other "non-villain" characters can also be found throughout the park. We've seen Elsa and Anna, Barley, the Incredibles and more. Photopass is also included with your Oogie Boogie Bash tickets, so you can benefit from some great character and ride photos throughout the evening if that's a priority for you.
All in all, the best advice I can give you is to go into Oogie Boogie Bash with a game plan. Usually, we recommend taking the parks a little bit at the pace you need to, and not trying to "schedule" everything, but with such limited time at a OBB party, and so much to get done, you really want to study the trails, the character meets, the food options, and more before you get there so you can prioritize your evening. There are lots of YouTube videos out there if you want to get a better visual for what the park will be like, and of course, you are always welcome to ask questions in the comments here! We'd all love to help you be prepared for Oogie Boogie!