One of the most Spooktacular Halloween parties is California Adventure’s Oogie Boogie Bash! This party has it all…trick-or-treat trails, live entertainment, and fantastic villain characters! It doesn’t disappoint. With the whole park dedicated to just those who have bought tickets for this celebration, it’s even better. You can get on rides faster and walk the entire park without needing to stress over the crowds. This post is about all you need to know about Oogie Boogie Bash.
Tuesdays, Thursdays as well as Sunday evenings are devoted to this bash at California Adventure. It begins in September and goes through October 31st. The celebration starts at 6 pm and finishes at 11 pm, which is ample time to stroll the entire park. Tickets range from $100 to $145, depending on the day you choose to go. Bashers obtain a wristband at the entryway. Those without wrist bands need to leave the park when it begins at 6 pm. The park allows event-goers to get in the park 4hrs before the celebration, depending on the day.
And the best part is you get to dress up in your Halloween best! Of course, few individuals don’t dress up. But why wouldn’t you!? If there’s ever a time you should dress up for a Halloween Bash, this is it! You also get free photo pass downloads, plus MaxPass access during your time at the park.
If you are thinking about going, do some research. Get your tickets early. Begin considering this bash a minimum of 6 months to a year before going. They sell out quickly! I recommend you experience this party at least once, in your life, It’s SO worth it!
If you’re staying at one of the hotels near the park, look into getting bus passes online. Or ask about them at guest services at your hotel. They’re worth it. We walked to the park and hopped on a bus when the park closed.
Thank goodness we did because the kids were dead tired and didn’t want to walk. It ended up being $15 per person, which is well worth not hearing your kiddos fuss or cry! Having to carry them back to the hotel can be rough after a long day.
Don’t plan on buying a ticket for the park and the boogie bash. If you decide to go to California Adventure in the morning, the day they are holding the boogie bash, know you’ll have to leave the park at 6 pm. To stay at the park for the party, you have to pay a separate entrance fee. And you can’t just buy a ticket then and there because they sell out months ahead. If you go to California Adventure in the morning and then hit the boogie bash, you’ll be spending money on two tickets to the same park, not worth it.
We bought tickets for Disneyland Park for Monday and tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure for Tuesday. After being at Disneyland all day and night on Monday, it was nice to sleep in Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the complimentary breakfast at our hotel, but it was worth not getting up.
You can spend your morning swimming at the hotel. Go shopping at Downtown Disney or watch some TV with your feet up. You’ll want to enjoy the Oogie boogie bash and don’t want to be dead tired by the time you get to it.
Arriving a bit early and not right when the party begins is a must, if at all possible. We got there around 2 pm and ended up inside the park around 230ish. The lines at the entrance are long; keep that in mind. Before you enter the park, each person gets a wristband to wear while inside, and they will ask to see it during your time inside the park.
They also hand out bags to put your treats in, but they’re a bit small. I recommend buying a Halloween bag. Something like a recycled grocery bag. I bought these cute pumpkin bags at the dollar store, and they worked out perfectly. Those giving out candy were filling our Halloween bags to the brim! Treat Overload!
Costumes aren’t required, but why wouldn’t you dress up. This is the only time grownups can dress up at these parks, so take advantage! We went as the Toy Story 4 characters. I bought costumes during the summertime for this bash. It’s nice not to have to worry about costumes right before packing for a trip. You’ll see tons of great costumes around the park.
California weather is warm during the day and cools at night during this time of year. Be careful of putting on something bulky and warm. We all know Halloween costumes don’t breathe well. Keep that in mind. If you can take an outfit with layers, that’s ideal.
My kids dressed up as the Benson dolls from Toy Story. I had them wear white, short-sleeve button-up t-shirts with pants as well as tennis shoes. They were able to remove their coats throughout the day and placed them on for pictures and into the night once it cooled down. The park doesn’t allow adults to wear masks. However, you can paint your face. Go to the Disneyland website and check out all the policies before you go.
Eating a meal before heading to the park is something to think about. Once the kids enter the park, they won’t want to eat any food, particularly with all the candy they give out. If your youngsters are anything like my kiddos, they won’t get hungry till you leave the park and get to the hotel; it never fails.
You can also get to the park 4 hours before the Halloween bash and have a bite to eat at one of the many great restaurants. However, my kiddos won’t sit to rest or eat. Instead, they prefer to munch here and there while going from ride to ride.
Hitting all the trails full of bins filled with sweets is such a treat! If you have food allergies or don’t care for all those sugary sweets, they do hand out healthier alternatives. Several of the options are pretzels, GoGo squeeze, Craisins, baby carrots, and apple slices.
There are about ten treat trails in the entire park. Five of those trails are the immersive themed trails that suggest a specific character performs in the middle of the trail. These five trails each host a character– Oogie Boogie, Dr. Facilier, Maleficent, The Evil Queen, and the Mad Hatter. Dr. Facilier and Oogie Boogie are both inside a venue.
Likewise, the immersive trails have special effects, music, fog, and characters like the mad hatter that will chat with you. It’s so much fun! The other trails are outdoors with twinkling lights, yet nothing like the immersive ones. If you only hit the immersive trails, it’s worth it, and trust me, you’ll get a lot of treats!
Lines fill up fast to meet the characters. If there’s a character you want to meet and take a photo with, prepare to wait in line. The lines for the rides aren’t as packed as the lines to meet the characters. If you get to the park early, you can take this time to meet and take photos with some characters before the actual bash begins.
The parade is optional. Some people enjoy the parades. Some don’t mind missing them. It’s up to you and your group. We love the parades and were able to catch one of the two showings. But we didn’t camp out to wait for it. We were able to get good seats during the last parade.
Now, as for the World of Color: Villainous, I recommend seeing it. It’s a fantastic show! There are two showings. We saw the second show, which was later in the evening. There are fewer groups at the second showing, and you get time to hit all the rides and trails before seeing it.
There are many tourist attractions taking place throughout the bash. Unfortunately, you won’t have time to hit them all, so do some research and plan on picking the ones you wish to see.
Some attractions to research are The DescenDance Party, Villianious, Frightfully Fun Parade, Villains Grove, Immersive Trails, Mickey’s Trick & Treat, character photos, rides, and food. Of course, everything you want to see at the park boils down to preference. We asked our kiddos and opted for what they wanted to see and what characters they wished to take pics with.
Consider booking through Get Away Today. They make the process easy and always have great deals! Or you can get the Disney Chase Credit Card and get some rewards like character photos, price cuts, and a nice little credit line. You can rack up points that go towards goods and discounts at Disneyland stores.
You need to be super flexible during this time and make it an enjoyable experience even though it’s exhausting! This is the moment to have a good time and not get caught up trying to plan every minute. Or else you’ll wind up getting frustrated. Your children will be irritated as well, as there goes fun out the window. So give your group options, have a good time, and most importantly … wear good, comfy walking shoes!!! It’s a beautiful experience and worth the price! Happy Hauntings!
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Last Updated on 10/29/21 by Darlingdew Lifestyle Staff