Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland

By D’Land Hubby

 

Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland actually started in 2005 at Disney’s California Adventure. This is a special hard ticketed after hours event that brings Trick or Treating to the Disneyland Resort. The early years were a test to see if Disneyland could bolster its attendance during a slow October month much like Knott’s Scary Farm for the older crowd. We were able to attend our third party and our first since it has moved to Disneyland in 2010.

 

 

 

What you get

Your ticket price ranges from $63 to $70 per ticket. Annual Passholders can receive a discount. Tickets are limited and you should plan on purchasing your tickets earlier in order to avoid missing your chance to attend the event. As I’m writing this article, every single Friday night party has already sold out. Halloween and the first night are usually two of the quicker nights that sell out the earliest.

Your ticket will also include parking into the resort, this is a $17 savings for your trip. Plan to park at the two main lots, Mickey & Friends Parking Structure or the Toy Story lots. Buses or trams will still be available to return you to the parking lots after the party has concluded. Your ticket includes entry into the five hour party after the park officially closes. You will also have access to entering the park three hours early. During the early entry you can visit two pre-party entertainment locations at Big Thunder Ranch or Toon Town. So, for the cost of approximately 70% of a standard days entry fees you will have parking, a ticket, and have access to 8 hours in the park.

 

Two Reasons to Choose to Attend Mickey’s Halloween Party

First, for those who want access to the attractions without the crowds

Not every attraction is open during the Halloween Party but most of them are. As we walked through the park we noticed that the long lines that plague some of the popular attractions were minimal. Haunted Mansion Holiday was about 20 minutes, far better than during normal park hours. We noticed wait times less than ten minutes for attractions like Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, the Matterhorn, and Star Tours. If you worried about missing something special than check the listing of the open attractions and plan to visit those attractions prior to the party starting. My guess is that you can visit over 15 attractions in the five hour block during the party time. This is a full days worth of riding attractions in a much shorter time frame.

 

Second, for those who want to see the holiday entertainment

This is a unique opportunity for Disneyland. This is currently the only hard ticketed event that is opened to the public. As a result, Disneyland makes sure to give you some special programming that you will not want to miss.

1) Trick or Treating

Throughout the park you will find Trick or Treating stations. You can enter the lines whenever you like and get back into line if you like. Typically, the lines are long at the start of the party but start to level out somewhere around 2 hours after the party starts. I’m going to guess this is the time when the little ones start to doze off to Neverland. They do offer “healthy” options if you would prefer carrots or crackers over candy. Make sure you bring your own Trick or Treat bag as the ones they provide are quite small and easily rip. We brought home over 5 pounds of candy and this is not our priority during our trip.

2) Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade

Disneyland will host a unique parade that can only be seen during the party nights. Here you will find numerous characters dressed up in their Halloween best driving between Main Street and It’s a Small World. Their are two showing every night so plan on the early showing if you have little ones who will fall asleep and head to the later one for smaller crowds.

3) Special Halloween Themed Fireworks

Jack Skellington will take over the nightly fireworks on party night. Here you will hear some of your favorite villains music bursting with the sound of fireworks. The best viewing spots in the park are in front of the castle but you can always find great locations with fewer crowds throughout the park. Please remember that the fireworks may be cancelled for weather beyond the control of Disneyland. Our fireworks show abruptly stopped in the middle of the show when the winds started to pick up creating an unsafe environment for Disneyland guests.

4) Special Live Entertainment

Disneyland hosts two different entertainment venues that you might like to check out. Monsters U Dance Party is held in the Tomorrowland Terrace at various times throughout the night. Each event will include a visit by Mike and Sulley in a monster scare-off. The Cadaver Dans are the second special entertainment offering found on the Rivers of America. Here they will float by while singing some of your favorite Disney themed Halloween favorites. With so much to do we didn’t stay very long at the Monsters U Dance Party  but it looks like a lot of fun. We happened to be at the Rivers of America during the Cadaver Dans show but I, personally, wouldn’t make an effort to make this a priority.

5) Character Interactions

The characters are out in force during the Halloween Party. The Disney Villains will be found on Main Street, Mickey and Minnie in Big Thunder Ranch, Disney Pirate Plans at the Frontierland Dock, Princesses at the Fantasy Faire, Phineas & Ferb at Innoventions, Star Troopers next to Star Tours, Friends of Aladdin at Aladdin’s Oasis, Toy Story Pals at Big Thunder Ranch, Jack Skellington & Sally in New Orleans Square, and Winnie the Pooh and Friends in Critter Country. Some of the characters are in their Halloween costumes while others are just there to enjoy the party. Other characters might be found roaming around the park. We caught a glimpse of Chip looking threw a candy bag and trying to sit in a families stroller.

For more information about Mickey’s Halloween Treat or to purchase tickets, click here.