Star Wars Nite: Disneyland After Dark Details & New Notify Feature for Virtual Queue

Disney has released more details about the 2024 Star Wars Nite, the Disneyland After Dark special event during Season of the Force that’ll feature galactic entertainment, themed snacks, and unique photo ops. This covers what to expect during the party, plus when tickets will go on sale and how the virtual queue buying process is changing.

In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Disneyland After Dark parties are limited-time parties that take place after regular park hours and feature unique themes, festivities, character meet & greets, special nighttime entertainment, access to attractions with reduced wait times, and more. It’s the Disneyland equivalent of After Hours at Walt Disney World, albeit typically with more on the thematic front. In this case, that means Star Wars stuff.

With each separately-ticketed Disneyland After Dark party, attendees get 4 hours of party time after the parks close to day guests. Plus, there’s a 3-hour pre-party mix-in at the same park as the event. That amounts to a total of 7 hours park time, minus however long it takes to check into the event.

In addition to all the Star Wars themed fun brought to life just for the party, admission also includes commemorative keepsakes such as a souvenir credential and an event guide map, plus unlimited digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos taken throughout Disneyland After Dark, which is a nice since a lot about these events revolves around photos and fun.

Here are Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite party dates:

• April 16, 2024
• April 18, 2024
• April 23, 2024
• April 25, 2024
• April 30, 2024
• May 2, 2024
• May 7, 2024
• May 9, 2024

Read on for all the details, including the dates these tickets go on sale, Magic Key pre-sale opportunities, plus a new “notify me” option that will be available to you while you’re waiting in the online queue to purchase tickets!

During Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite, get ready to dive into an expanded array of themed foods and experience out-of-this-world entertainment offerings with new plot twists and enhanced excitement:

• Dine on over twenty new snacks available only during Star Wars Nites
• Guests in Star Wars-themed costumes are invited to participate in a special cavalcade, where they will join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in a march down Main Street, U.S.A., culminating in a group photo in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, illuminated with galactic projections.
• Bring your lightsaber and learn how to handle it with skill, concentration, and a clear mind with a quick stop at the Star Wars Nite Lightsaber Instructional at “it’s a small world” mall. You’ll be introduced to all-new maneuvers specially crafted for this year’s recruits. All members of the Light Side and/or Dark Side are welcome.
• Dance along at the Galactic Dance Party with a Master DJ on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Bring your lightsabers and gather at the Millennium Falcon for a Resistance Show of Unity!
• Be prepared to encounter Captain Phasma and her elite unit of Stormtroopers in Tomorrowland.
• Immerse yourself in multiple Star Wars-themed photo opportunities, featuring some new places and faces from across the Star Wars universe!

In addition to all the themed fun that comes to life just for the party, you’ll have the opportunity to ride popular attractions after regular park hours, often with lower wait times!

Unlike some other Disneyland After Dark nites, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance should be open during Star Wars Nites. We haven’t yet received confirmation of that for 2024, but it’s been the case during past events.

Star Wars Nite Ticket Sales Dates

Also new for this event, Inspire Magic Key holders will have the first opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets for Star Wars Nite. On Tuesday, February 20, 2024 (no earlier than 9 a.m. PT) Inspire Key holders may purchase from a select amount of pre-sale tickets on Disneyland.com.

Then, on Wednesday, February 21 and Thursday, February 22, all Magic Key holders will have the opportunity to purchase from a select amount of pre-sale tickets. On Friday, February 23 (no earlier than 9 a.m. PT), tickets will go on sale to the general public.

Tickets are limited and subject to availability. Note that for Disneyland events, the presale period only offers a limited number of tickets, meaning that, for example, the May 2 party could sell out on February 20–but then be available again on February 21, selling out on February 22. It would then be available again on February 23…and could not sell out at all after that. Obviously, this is a made-up hypothetical to illustrate the range of possibilities.

Generally, ticket sales are not as competitive for the Disneyland After Dark events as Oogie Boogie Bash. That Halloween Party sold out on its first day of Magic Key presale last year, and then again on its first day of general public sales. Many fans waited hours in the virtual queue both days and still came away empty handed. I’m guessing there will be no such horror stories with Star Wars Nite.

Disneyland After Dark does sell out; but not always, and usually not immediately. Moreover, even though a virtual queue is used, it’s not usually as bad as the one for Oogie Boogie Bash. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t buy on day 1–if you plan to attend and aren’t flexible as to the date, you should. Just that Disneyland After Dark is not nearly as competitive as Oogie Boogie Bash.

New ‘Notify Me’ Option in Virtual Queue

Speaking of which, Disneyland is debuting a new “notify me” feature for the virtual queue to purchase Star Wars Nite tickets. If you’re waiting in the online queue to buy Disneyland After Dark tickets, you may have the option to be digitally notified when it’s your time to enter the ticket store.

To participate, once in the virtual queue, choose the “notify me” option and enter your email address. You’ll receive an email letting you know it’s your turn to return to the waiting room in order to enter the ticket store site. From the time your turn begins, you’ll have ten minutes to use the link to return to the site.

If you don’t use the link to return to the site within 10 minutes of when your turn begins, you’ll lose your place in line and will need to re-join the queue at the back of the line. The link will no longer be valid once your turn has ended or after the link has been used to return to the site, whether you purchase tickets or not. If this happens, guests will need to re-join the queue at the back of the line. Guests should check spam and/or junk folders to ensure the initial email confirmation is sent.

This sounds an all-digital version of the callback option that some customer service phone lines have been using for years. I am a huge fan of this, and am very happy to see Disneyland rolling it out. I also think it’s really smart to do a trial run of the “notify me” option for Disneyland After Dark. Even though it’s not as needed due to lower demand, it should be a good test ahead of Oogie Boogie Bash, which was an absolute nightmare last year–and almost certainly would be again in 2024.

Making sure the “notify me” feature works well in a lower-stakes setting and ironing out whatever problems might exist is a great move–much better than a ‘trial by fire’ approach if it would’ve debuted during Oogie Boogie Bash. This being Disney IT, it would be premature to say “kudos” since who knows what could happen! But I’ll nevertheless give a golf clap for recognizing the need for this and trying to implement something. If it works and saves me a dozen-plus hours in the virtual queue for Oogie Boogie Bash, I’ll upgrade that to thunderous applause.

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 the lineup during Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite in 2024? Excited or disappointed about the entertainment and other offerings? Looking forward to Disney IT debuting a “notify me” feature for the virtual queue? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!