Oogie Boogie Bash is an After Hours event at California Adventure. You can dress up and enjoy the park in a spooktacular way. Below I have included what you can expect and my tips for this event.
Dressing Up
Typically at the Disneyland Resort adults are not allowed to dress up in costumes. However, at Oogie Boogie Bash everyone is allowed to be in costumes. Coming up with a fun costume to wear around the park is exciting but there are a few things you will want to consider before settling on your costume.
2. You will want your costume to be functional to wear around the park. If you are going to want to ride the attractions you will want to make sure you have a costume that will allow you to get on the rides easily. Also you will be doing a lot of walking so you don’t want to be having to carry a heavy costume around the park all night.
3. California’s weather during the fall fluctuates. Make sure your costume isn’t to heavy so you don’t get hot while walking around the park. If possible have a costume with layers so you can cool off easily.
4. If you are wanting to wear a wig there are some rides you probably won’t be able to go on because you will risk losing it. So if your main objective is to ride the big rides I recommend not wearing a wig.
Special Activities
There are many special events and activities that are available to all event guests. Below are the events that I participated in last October. For the full list of events follow this link to Disneyland's website.
Trick-or-Treat Trails
Throughout California Adventure you can go trick-or-treating. Cast members will be handing out tons of candy and other treats at each spot. Last year we walked away with 5 pounds of goodies. Some of the trails have characters that will talk to you as you walk by. If you are wanting to do these treat trails make sure you have a backpack to put the candy in. Disney provides each person with a trick-or-treat bag but they fill up quickly. We had a backpack that we dumped the candy from the trick-or-treat bags into. This helped our trick-or-treat bags from over flowing too much.
Frightfully Fun Parade
The Frightfully Fun Parade is a family-friendly spooky cavalcade. The Headless Horseman will ride by a few minutes before the parade. Mickey and Minnie lead the way in their Halloween costumes. You will get to see some of your favorite Disney villains on Halloween decorated floats. The parade route is fairly long. For both showings the parade starts at Paradise Gardens Park and ends in Hollywood Land. We went to the second showing and sat on the curb across from The Animation Studio. We probably waited about 30 minutes before the start time. During this time a couple of us saved the spot and the rest went and got treats. Keep in mind that if you are by the Animation Studio you are at the end of the parade route, so you will be waiting approximately an extra 15 minutes after the parade begins before it will get to you. From what I could see there is a lot of places to sit or stand along the parade route, even if you wait until closer to the start time. There are some benches along the route, if you want those you will need to secure your spot sooner. No matter which showing you go to and where you sit you will not want to miss this parade.
Villains Grove
All of Oogie Boogie Bash was a blast but Villains Grove was my favorite part. The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail gets transformed into a stunning walking light show. Each section is themed for a different villain. Be sure to stay in each section for a few minutes as things change around you. Villains Grove is very popular. We decided to walk through it while the first showing of the parade was going. There were still quite a bit of people but we didn't have to wait and we were able to take our time and enjoy it all. So, I recommend going to Villains Grove during either of the parades to have a shorter wait time.
Character Experiences
Throughout the event there are many different characters you can talk to and get pictures with. Even rare characters can be spotted. The classic characters will sometimes be in unique costumes or outfits. We met Captain America, Maleficent, Cruella de Vil from the new Cruella movie, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and Mickey and Donald in their Kingdom Hearts outfits. There were many other characters as well but it is almost impossible to meet them all. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled to see which characters you can meet.
PhotoPass Photos are Included
All PhotoPass photos taken at the Oogie Boogie Bash are included with your ticket. There are many PhotoPass Photographers located throughout California Adventure all night long. Some are with characters and others will take your photo with the scenery. What better way to commemorate getting to wear a costume in a Disney park then having professional photos taken. We had so many photos taken throughout the night and now we have these memories forever. Be sure to use this free perk during the party.
Ride Wait Times
One of the best things about the Oogie Boogie Bash is the low wait times for the attractions. Disney only sells a select number of tickets for each night, this makes the attendance in the park lower. We walked onto 3 different rides and because the line was so low for Monsters Inc. they let us ride it again without getting off. After Hour Events are a great time to ride the attractions with little to no wait time.
An Extra Day at California Adventure
One of the best things about the Oogie Boogie Bash is you can get into California Adventure at 3:00 PM. This allows you to have an extra half a day in the park without using your park ticket. When you are making your Theme Park Reservations for the rest of your trip be sure not to make one for the day you are attending the bash. This is a great day to sleep in and then head over to California Adventure before 3:00 so you can get in and start riding attractions before the park closes to the public at 6:00. When I went last October we had our 5 day Park Hopper tickets and Oogie Boogie Bash tickets, so we ended up with a total of 5 and a half days in the parks. Now keep in mind your Oogie Boogie Bash ticket will only get you into California Adventure. If you are wanting to go to Disneyland earlier in the day, you will need to make a Theme Park Reservation for Disneyland and use your regular ticket.
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