I love Halloween, spooky decorating, trick-or-treating, and candy corn, so it’s really not surprising that I also love Halloween themed events. Los Angeles has such a wide variety of Halloween experiences throughout the season (i.e. early September through October 31st) that, depending on your level of fear tolerance, there’s pretty much something for everyone and at every age, ranging from spooky to scary to downright terrifying. And yes, this Halloween season is wrapping up, Christmas has taken over Costco and Home Depot, and the Christmas decorations have already started to appear at the theme parks, but the growing popularity of Halloween themed events means that it’s never too early to plan ahead for next year.If it’s big scares that you’re after, then you should make sure to grab yourself a ticket forHalloween Horror Nightsat Universal Studios in Hollywood and/or Orlando andKnott’s Scary Farm, where you’re able to find yourself chased by clowns with chainsaws or have any variety of creature give you a jump scare in the fog, as you make your way to each elaborately decorated haunted house or maze. But if you prefer not to have to look over your shoulder all night long, one of my personal favorite Halloween events to attend isOogie Boogie Bashat Disney California Adventure.The Disneyland Resort always goes all out for Halloween. With a regular park ticket, you can still get a pretty complete Halloween experience, with decorations, ride overlays (i.e.A Nightmare Before Christmastaking over Haunted Mansion), special limited food and drinks, and characters in the best costumes. I actually used to annually attendMickey’s Halloween Partywhen it was held at Disneyland and always had a great time, so I was initially disappointed in the move to DCA when they decided to debutOogie Boogie Bash, but I quickly got over that disappointment as I became familiar with what the Halloween special event has to offer.If you splurge on tickets forOogie Boogie Bashat DCA, which can be pricey and gets even pricier on Halloween itself, you will have a pretty well-rounded experience. One of the coolest aspects of the event isVillains Grove, which turns the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail into an ultra cool and ethereal world that pays tribute to Disney villains like Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Dr. Facilier, Scar and the Queen of Hearts. As you walk through the trail and soak it all in, you can rest assured that no one will jump out at you or try to scare you. But be aware that the wait time to get intoVillains Grovecan be fairly extensive, so factor that into your plan because you don’t want to take up too much of your limited time in line. Another can’t miss entertainment offering is theFrightfully Fun Parade(which runs twice a night) led by Minnie and Mickey Mouse in adorable Halloween outfits and featuring several Disney villains, Jack Skellington and Sally, and the Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, all accompanied by a very catchy tune that you’ll be humming all night long. And yet another absolute must-do are the immersive treat trail experiences where you can interact with villains, including Oogie Boogie himself, as you make your way past the treat stations to pick up candy.At an event likeOogie Boogie Bash, timing is everything. It’s best to go into any of the limited events with a game plan, to do as much as possible. Personally, one of my favorite aspects of the special events at the Disneyland Resort is the fact that they always include fun character experiences and photo opportunities that you don’t get on a regular day at the parks. If it’s something super rare or brand new, then it’s likely to be an even bigger draw. For me, at the top of my list forOogie Boogie Bash2022 was the photo opp with Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and Clarabelle as the Sanderson Sisters fromHocus Pocus, which I was sure to get in line for before the party even started so that I could hit it up first, along with the treat trail experience with Ernesto de la Cruz (from the animated filmCoco) singing “Remember Me.” I can’t put into words how incredible it was to see that character realized in such a way, as he performed at the microphone. It was so mesmerizing that I could have watched him, all night long.My only complaint aboutOogie Boogie Bashis that there is still an unfortunate lack of The Muppets being utilized for experiences at the Disneyland Resort. They made an appearance singing Christmas carols on Main Street for theMerriest Nightsholiday party held at Disneyland in 2021 (which will not be happening in 2022), for what was truly one of the best character experiences I’ve ever witnessed, so it was disappointing that they weren’t involved in the Halloween festivities, especially after how great the Disney+ originalMuppets Haunted Mansionwas. Lack of The Muppets aside,Oogie Boogie Bashis a ton of fun and I hope they continue to have new character experiences at the event and keep changing things up, even in small ways, every year. So, if you’re interested in attending the event in 2023, be aware of how popular it’s become and keep an eye out for announcements about when tickets go on sale. You don’t want to miss out!
