Halloween 2022 Dates & Details Announced for Disneyland & California Adventure
Disney has announced that Halloween Time at Disneyland and California Adventure will return with frightfully fun experiences and entertainment in September and October 2022. This post shares details of the announcement, what’s missing, and what else to expect.
We’ll start with the big thing that’s missing…dates! Disneyland hasn’t released specific dates for anything. As covered in our full 2022 Guide to Halloween at Disneyland Resort, spook season started the first Friday of September last year, just in time for the Labor Day holiday weekend. We expect that precedent to be followed again, meaning Halloween Time at Disneyland will run from September 2, 2022 through October 31, 2022.
Keep in mind that this is just a guess, albeit an informed one. Disneyland typically begins Halloween Time on a Friday–there’s always the possibility they’ll start a week earlier this year, kicking off on August 26, 2022–but that would be the first time Halloween at Disneyland starts in August. A week later on September 9, 2022 is also possible–but that’s during the D23 Expo, and would be a recipe for disastrous crowds. So we’re going to play it safe and go with September 2, 2022.
In terms of what else is missing…almost all other details! The good news is that most of the major draws of spook season returned to Disneyland and DCA last year. Unlike Walt Disney World, last year was a pretty normal Halloween season at Disneyland, with only a few minor exceptions.
Haunted Mansion Holiday and Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark were both back, as were the Halloween Screams fireworks and the Frightfully Fun Parade. All of the beloved seasonal décor like the giant Mickey Mouse jack-o’-lantern on Main Street was out, and delicious fall treats were available for purchase.
Now let’s turn to what Disneyland has announced for Halloween 2022. Most notably, Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party will return to Disney California Adventure. We had a blast at that event in both its inaugural year and last year. Our Guide to Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party covers anticipated dates, details, and pricing, so we won’t rehash that here.
For those who are curious, tickets didn’t go on sale for Oogie Boogie Bash until the middle of July last year. While it could be earlier now that there’s more normalcy this year, don’t count on it. Disneyland typically has a more laid back approach to Halloween party ticket sales–probably because they sell out quickly, regardless. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t expect Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party tickets to go on sale before June, with July 2022 being the safer bet.
Our hope is that with a year of certainty and stability, Disneyland takes some time to tweak Oogie Boogie Bash. Keep in mind that last year’s party was announced only a couple months after the parks reopened from their year-plus closure. Disney undoubtedly scrambled to pull that together on relatively short notice. The only other year Oogie Boogie Bash was held was the inaugural event.
In other words, Disneyland hasn’t really had a great chance to ‘test and adjust’ based on guest feedback. Here’s hoping the 2022 Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party is iterated on and improved based on what was learned from the first two years. (To be clear, this isn’t to suggest it was a bad or flawed event–quite the contrary. We’re only wondering how much better it can get with more planning time, feedback, etc.)
Another thing Disneyland has revealed for Halloween 2022 is new outfits that Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will don for the upcoming spook season in Disneyland.
As you’ll see depicted in this artist concept rendering, Mickey and Minnie are ready to go trick or treating! They, along with their pals, are currently busy sewing, crafting, and painting these charming, “homemade” looks that they all will be wearing for Halloween.
The final reveal technically isn’t specifically tied to the Halloween season at Disneyland Resort, but it continues with the “spooky spirit.” Xochitl Gomez from the new film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has an exciting announcement of a new character coming soon to Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure.
America Chavez is coming to Avengers Campus for a limited time, beginning May 6, 2022!
What follows are other elements of Halloween Time at Disneyland that we’re assuming will return based on a mix of past precedent and what’s still listed on Disneyland.com. Until officially announced “for 2022” all of this is subject to change.
As always, Main Street USA is the heart of Halloween at Disneyland. Guests will enjoy taking photographs with the iconic giant Mickey Mouse jack-o’-lantern in Town Square. The Main Street Pumpkin Festival transforms storefronts with whimsical pumpkins.
As guests journey into the park, they will find pumpkin statues representing Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Critter Country and Frontierland surrounding the Partners Statue in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. In Frontierland, there will be a celebration of the Day of the Dead with a colorful Dia de los Muertos tribute featuring a musical trio of iconic skeleton figurines, brightly colored flowers, and other decorations.
Haunted Mansion Holiday will feature a merry makeover of the beloved eerie estate. Jack Skellington is behind the mayhem, decorating the mansion with frightfully festive touches inspired by “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Dedicated fans of the holiday haunted house will look forward to spotting the annual gingerbread house on its precarious perch on the ballroom table, making its 21st appearance for this collision of two holidays. Other favorite sights await, including Sally, Zero and other characters from the movie.
Every weeknight during the Halloween season, guests will enjoy a dreadfully delightful treat in the form of “Halloween Screams”, a supernatural projection and special effects show.
On weekend nights, Halloween Screams also will take to the skies with fireworks. Guests will be able to view the nighttime spectacular from several different locations throughout the park, including Main Street, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Rivers of America, and the facade of “it’s a small world.”
At Disney California Adventure, Oogie Boogie will once again loom over the entrance. On Buena Vista Street, Mickey Mouse and friends will be throwing it back with old-fashioned Halloween costumes, once again meeting & greeting guests with hugs, autographs, and everything else.
Seasonal décor will also add to the Halloween ambiance on Buena Vista Street. At night, the facade of Carthay Circle Restaurant oozes with Halloween magic as bats swarm, energy pulses from within and projections light up the iconic tower structure with a spellbinding display. Also returning to this plaza is the 10-foot-tall statue of the Headless Horseman holding his jack-o’-lantern head to the sky.
Popular attractions will be transformed for the Halloween season at DCA. Cars Land will once again transform for its Haul-O-Ween makeover, as Radiator Springs becomes Radiator Screams.
Lightning McQueen, Mater, Cruz and Red will be ready to greet guests in their “car-stumes” before they race off to go “trunk-or-treating.” Guests can continue the family-friendly fun by taking a spin on popular Cars Land attractions that rev up with Halloween spirit: Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree croons spooky songs to become Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree, and Luigi’s Rolickin’ Roadsters takes guests on a wicked whirl as it becomes Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween.
The facade of Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT! will spark a state of total emergency as the attraction is transformed at night into Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark, offering an exciting Halloween adventure filled with creepy creatures and thrilling drops.
While the Guardians of the Galaxy have successfully escaped The Collector’s Fortress, Groot was accidentally left behind. Guests can successfully complete their rescue mission to save Groot by helping Rocket distract creatures from around the galaxy that have gotten loose. By teaming up with the Guardians, every guest can find their inner hero this Halloween season.
Finally, there are the question marks for 2022 Halloween Time at Disneyland. First, there’s the question of Ghost Galaxy, the Halloween overlay of Space Mountain. It’s possible this will be announced later, as it’s not typically as high profile of a change as Haunted Mansion Holiday or Monsters After Dark. With Hyperspace Mountain happening this year, we think Ghost Galaxy is in the cards (even though it hasn’t returned in other recent years when Hyperspace Mountain ran).
Next, World of Color – Villainous! This was shown during the first year of Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party, and it received decidedly mixed (to put it charitably) reviews. It was not shown last year, but that’s because World of Color received a lengthy refurbishment and the regular show didn’t return until last week. World of Color helps absorb crowds (which means a higher capacity cap during Oogie Boogie Bash–and more ticket sales), so we’re betting it returns. It would be atypical of Disneyland to retire a show so quickly after its debut.
As always, we’re really looking forward to Halloween Time at Disneyland. Outside of Christmas, it’s our favorite seasonal event of the year!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
Are you excited for 2022 Halloween Time at Disneyland? Planning on doing Oogie Boogie Bash? Do you think World of Color – Villainous or Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy will return? Expect any other surprises? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I am planning a family trip down for Halloween. Though we visit at least annually, we have never been in the parks at Halloween time. Looking forward to the decorations and events!!! Hoping the dates for the after hours party come out soon, so we can plan around the early closing times.
Thank you for the update, Tom! We attended the Boogie Bash last year and had a blast. This was our first Disneyland Resort Halloween event. I read your posts from the 2019 party to plan our night and your recommendations were spot on!!
Of our 3 visits to the Disneyland Resort in 2021, the Boogie Bash was absolutely our favorite- short ride lines, yummy treats, upbeat cast members. Since we focused on rides, we did not see any parades or shows. We did have time to run thru a few trick-or-treat lines, and the treats were generous.
Hoping to attend again this year!
Tom do you recall how quickly Oogie Boogie Party sold out last year?
Hi Tom,
Will the Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark be available to all guests? Or, is this only for the hard ticket party? Just trying to figure out what is available to everyone who doesn’t buy the after hours hard ticket event. Thank you
Hi Tom,
Having been to both Mickey’s Halloween party at Disneyland and Oogie Boogie bash at DCA last year, we much preferred the MHP at Disneyland by a long shot! The ambience of the party at Disneyland was so much better in our opinion. One more note to others last year about the Oogie Boogie party when purchasing tickets. I had a Disney gift card and they would not allow me to use it to purchase tickets which really made us angry, clearly stating on the gift card that it can be used to purchase Disneyland tickets.
how early do you think halloween parties will begin at disneyland? do they start as early as the first week of september?
Hi Tom,
any speculation on when Christmas at Disneyland might be? We go Nov 2-6 and were hoping to see the castle lights..Will the Haunted Mansion still be decorated? I’ve never been to Disneyland and I’d love to know what to expect as far as decorations during that first week of November. Thanks!
Haunted Mansion remains decorated throughout the entire Halloween and Christmas seasons, so that will still be there for your visit. The castle will be in the middle of getting decorated, so it’s unlikely the lights will be turned on during your trip, which is a huge bummer!