What’s New & Returning for Halloween 2023 at 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 2023. 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 2023 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 1 through October 31, 2023. It’s also likely that some of the festivities will continue beyond that for Día de los Muertos on November 2, 2023.
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 25, 2023–but that would be the first time Halloween at Disneyland starts in August.
Honestly, given the high-demand for all things Halloween, the season should kick off earlier. Pulling forward some demand to the off-season right after school goes back into session would be the savvy move, and is precisely what Walt Disney World has done for years.
Sure, some Disneyland diehards would complain about Halloween starting in summer, but that’s going to happen regardless. The reality is that Halloween draws huge crowds and Oogie Boogie Bash sold out in record time last year.
Adding more dates–both for Halloween as a whole and the hard ticket party–is simply the smart move and a good way to even out crowds throughout spook season. It would be more lucrative for Disneyland and better for guests, even if it resulted in some complaints.
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. Last year was an almost entirely normal Halloween season at Disneyland, with only a couple of very minor exceptions–and those omissions could be gone for good.
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 2023. Most notably, Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party will return to Disney California Adventure. We’ve had a blast at that event in its first 3 years, and have every intention of attending again. Each year, there are new and different offerings, and they’re often not announced until after tickets go on sale. (Last year, the new additions weren’t announced until after tickets totally sold out.)
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 wondering, tickets didn’t go on sale for Oogie Boogie Bash until the middle of summer last year. 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 2023.
Next up, Disneyland Resort has revealed the new Halloween 2023 outfits for Minnie & Mickey Mouse!
This year, they’ll don luminescent sheer fabrics that will give a ghostly glow to their festive new ensembles at Disneyland. Be on the lookout for lots of cobwebs and details like bat bowties and spider-shaped bells! I can’t wait to join Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their friends in their bewitching attire this Halloween season!
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 currently listed on Disneyland.com. Until officially announced for 2023 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 2023 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. It’s been a while since Ghost Galaxy last ran, and it’s overdue for a return. It’s quintessential, kitschy Halloween fun. Like a cult classic b-horror movie that is just good, dumb fun.
Next, World of Color – Villainous! It was not shown last year, even after World of Color had returned in general. So it would make sense for it to not return once again. However, World of Color helps absorb crowds, which means a higher capacity cap during Oogie Boogie Bash. That means more ticket sales. After Oogie Boogie Bash sold out in record time last year, we’d imagine that Disneyland is trying to find any way possible to increase capacity. Whether that means adding entertainment or event dates remains to be seen, but one way or another, we expect Oogie Boogie Bash to be bigger than before during Halloween 2023 at Disneyland. As always, we’re really looking forward to Halloween Time at Disneyland. Outside of Christmas, it’s our favorite seasonal event of the year!
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Your Thoughts
Are you excited for 2023 Halloween Time at Disneyland? Planning on doing Oogie Boogie Bash? What’s the highlight of the spook season at the California parks for you? 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 LOVED Ghost Galaxy Space Mt!!! I loved seeing that eye ball on top of it anywhere in Tomorrowland. I loved how scary and fun it was! I am super bummed they haven’t had lately.
We are going September 5-9th and are wondering if we will be able to see Wondrous Journeys still. It will still be the 100th, but I am not sure if the Halloween fireworks will replace it entirely.
I know we don’t have official dates, but is it relatively safe to assume that the decorations and Haunted Mansion Holiday would be up and running by the weekend of Sept 8-10? Asking for a friend who is debating a stopover at Disneyland on his way to see friends in Thailand. (It’s me, I’m the friend.)
98% safe assumption.
(Only reason for the other 2% is if something accidentally breaks during the changeover and pushes back reopening. See the IASW flooding from 2 years ago.)
I’m hoping that Ghost Galaxy is gone for good. I didn’t think it was a particularly well done overlay, either in California or in Hong Kong.
Maybe this makes me a curmudgeon before my time, but when I go to Disneyland, I really do just want honest-to-goodness Vanilla Space Mountain. No Star Wars, no Ghost Galaxy, just the typical post-05 version with the Giacchino score pulsing throughout. THAT Space Mountain is one of my favorite rides in the world. I understand the notion of doing something seasonal for a holiday, but to me the execution doesn’t match the concept. So far, for me, the Space Mountain overlays have been solutions in search of a problem.
I don’t think that makes you a curmudgeon, and honestly, I think that I’M the outlier here. I love Ghost Galaxy for its rough-around-the-edges kitschiness, not because it’s well-done. It’s just goofy and weird, and for a few months of the year, that’s more than okay by me.
If I were a tourist visiting Disneyland for the first time ever, I’d have a very different opinion…which is probably why Ghost Galaxy hasn’t been done in however many years!
I actually feel the same way about the Haunted Mansion overlay. I LOVE regular HM and I don’t love that from August to January it’s out of commission for the overlay! I know I’m in the minority on this and I know they won’t drop it or shorten the amount of time it runs, but I’m just not a fan!
Tom On Another site say’s Halloween party start august- so I should be good- check WDW news today – says august 11 first day
Wait- i think its DW – I got confused between two articles 🙁
Hi Tom, we are going late August- a friend of mine who is a Disney pro ( we are no slouches but he goes several times a year) is telling me that haunted mansion will be shut for overlay- is that true? 🙁
Haunted Mansion Holiday usually reopens from a multi-week closure 1 day before the start of Halloween season. So your friend is right if Halloween season starts on September 1, 2023. That’s the safe bet at this point, but I really hope they do the smart thing and start a week earlier (in which case, Haunted Mansion Holiday would open a week earlier).