Oogie Boogie Bash Tips: 3 Things NOT To Do At The Disneyland Halloween Party

A Disneyland Halloween is arguably one of your family’s best experiences if you are into the spooky season. The Oogie Boogie Bash has replaced Mickey’s Halloween Party – for the better! Is Oogie Boogie Bash worth it? HECK YEAH. It’s jam-packed with opportunities and creepy (but not too scary) fun. But even when an event is showing out, there are bound to be some misses. Here are three things NOT to do at Oogie Boogie Bash during the Disneyland Halloween party. Use these Disneyland tips for Oogie Boogie Bash to maximize the fun!

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What Is Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash?

This is THE Halloween party at the Disneyland Resort.

The event is happening on select nights at Disney California Adventure Park and is a separately ticketed event.

When Is Oogie Boogie Bash Happening This Year?

Here are the 2023 Oogie Boogie Bash party dates, times, and prices:

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 – $134
Thursday, September 7, 2023 – $144
Sunday, September 10, 2023 -$159
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 – $134
Thursday, September 14, 2023 – $144
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – $159
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – $134
Thursday, September 21, 2023 – $144
Sunday, September 24, 2023 -$159
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – $144
Thursday, September 28, 2023 – $144
Sunday, October 1, 2023 – $169
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 – $159
Thursday, October 5, 2023 -$159
Sunday, October 8, 2023- $169
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 – $159
Thursday, October 12, 2023 -$159
Sunday, October 15, 2023 – $169
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 – $159
Thursday, October 19, 2023- $159
Sunday, October 22, 2023 – $169
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 – $169
Thursday, October 26, 2023 – $169
Sunday, October 29, 2023 – $189
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 – $189

Oogie Boogie Bash Tips: Don’t Wait!

The parties will sell out; they always do! In 2022, all parties were sold out by August 23.

ETA: all parties sold out within 2 days in 2023

So use this Oogie Boogie Bash tip: get your tickets EARLY!

The tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash went on sale June 27 (no earlier than 9 am PT) for Magic Keyholders.

They went on sale to the general public on June 29 (no earlier than 9 am PT).

Oogie Boogie Bash Hack: How can I get into a sold-out Oogie Boogie Bash party? ASK!

Additional tickets may be sold the day of- it never hurts to ask! In the past, military members could walk up and still purchase special party tickets, even if the event was sold out.

We’ve had conflicting information on this policy for 2023, but we certainly think it doesn’t hurt to ask Guest Services if you happen to be at the resort anyway. You may luck out!

There have also been some tickets available for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests in the past.

We asked about it this year and were told there may be some on a case-by-case basis, but in general, they did not hold back additional tickets in 2023.

Room tour of the Disneyland Hotel

Is Oogie Boogie Bash Worth It?

We absolutely think Oogie Boogie Bash is worth the hefty price of admission.

The whole park is transformed into a spooky wonderland; if that’s your aesthetic, you will be in for many treats.

And we do mean literally.

Treat trails are located throughout the park (10 in total, 8 with sweet, sweet characters!), a fabulous & Frightfully Fun parade, character photo ops, and the chance for the whole family to dress up in costume.

That’s right, adults, YOU TOO can get in on the action!

Karen from Desert Chica in her DIY Captain Peggy Carter costume at Oogie Boogie Bash

Tips For Oogie Boogie Bash: Dress In Comfortable Costumes

Adults and kids can dress up for this event!

And it’s tempting to go all out.

But remember: LA in the early fall can still be quite toasty, even after the sun goes down. Dress up, but be sure to make your costume comfortable and smart.

Worth the Price? Oogie Boogie Bash Review

When you add in the additional time in the park (you can enter at 3 pm for a 6 pm party) the ticket price will be worth it.

You can get up to 8 hours of theme park time with extra Halloween bonus experiences.

Arrive early, stay late, and enjoy all the Halloween Time at Disneyland you can!

hans character meet and greet at oogie boogie bash disneyland. Tips for oogie boogie bash including what NOT to do .

3 Things NOT To Do At Oogie Boogie Bash | Disneyland Halloween Party

You might be asking, is Oogie Boogie Bash worth the price of the ticket? If you use your time wisely to get the biggest Halloween bang for your buck, we think so.

Which, we admit, we did not.

It’s easy to say this party is great and we had a blast- all that is true.

But there were a few things we wish we had done a little differently. Check out these hacks and tips for the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland so your party experience can be even better than ours!

Our biggest Oogie Boogie Bash tips: there are things to SKIP at the party.

Here are our top three things to skip or avoid at Oogie Boogie Bash this year.

list of things not to do at the oogie boogie bash — But do NOT skip the Cruella treat trail in Hollywood Land. She slays!

1. DO NOT DO EVENT CHECK-IN AT THE MAIN GATE

As Colonel Ackbar would say, it’s a trap!

Your Oogie Boogie Bash ticket allows entry into DCA starting at 3 pm.

This is awesome- BUT… there will be many people who also think this is awesome, and the line will grow quickly.

The park entry lines are a bit long and will stay long, from 3 pm until after 6 pm when the party officially starts. This is the line for entry around 5:30 pm:

And you’re thinking: so what? It’s Disneyland! Of course, there are lines. And this is true.

The line above is to get into the parks; to enjoy the full Oogie Boogie Bash party, you must attend an event check-in once inside the park.

And that, my friends, is potentially another super long line.

How can you avoid a long time-sucking wait?

You have options.

We found three different event check-in locations once inside the park. And one of them is the smartest/fastest tip for Oogie Boogie Bash entry.

Check-in For Oogie Boogie Bash Locations

Main Gate Line. Just inside the main gate will be a long queue to get your map and wristbands. CMs will direct you to join this line, but… don’t do it! Unless it’s super short. Trust me on this- you’ll be fine! Keep walking into DCA a bit further to find another line option.
Blue Sky Cellars. This building is located across from the main entrance to Cars Land. This area is being used for the event check-in, and depending on the time you arrive, you should be able to walk right up to get your wristband. As the evening goes on, a longer line will form so this Oogie Boogie Bash tip is best used if you arrive soon after 3 pm.
Grand Californian Hotel Entrance. Many guests know about the entrance to DCA from the Grand Californian Hotel. In the mornings, this entrance is only for hotel guests. But as the day goes on, it is *usually* open for other theme park guests to use. There are reports that non-hotel guests are not allowed to enter the park for the party. BUT- even if you entered DCA through the main gate, you can get your wristband from the event check-in cart inside this entrance by GCH. The other two lines were LONG but this was a walk-up for us at just past 6 pm. Winner Winner!

2. DO NOT PAY FOR THE DESSERT PARTY OR PARADE DINING PACKAGE

We did, and we regret it.

ps- after reading this, you can request a refund and cancel your dessert & dining package if you are inclined.

We can think of many ways that we’d like to give Disney $89 — and this was not it.

The value is not there.

Sonoma Terrace Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party Review

Our group of 2 decided to go to the Sonoma Terrace Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party.

For $89 (gratuity is included), we each received a plate of desserts, a specialty alcoholic beverage, or bottled water and sodas, and reserved seating for the Frightfully Fun Parade.

The menu for the dessert party includes:

Chocolate Mousse Cake
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Cookies & Cream Tart
Caramel Cheesecake
Orange Dreamsicle Krispy
Salted Caramel Macaron
Gummy Worms

While it sounds pricey, if you are a drinker and a fan of sweets, this might not be too much more than you’d normally spend on Disney treats and drinks.

Why is this on our list of things NOT to do at Oogie Boogie Bash?

None of it is good. At least not $89 good.

The desserts are truly unimpressive (hello, they gave us gummy worms- and sadly, they were the best things on the plate!), and the beverages were not worth the calories.

This Sparkling Midnight Vodka At Oogie Boogie Bash was truly dreadful.

Sparkling Emerald Rum was a little better, but skippable.

We didn’t expect the Dessert Party food to be the main draw, but we did not expect it to be as disappointing as it was. If you want to know what you should spend your money on, check out the best Disneyland Halloween treats.

We were truly there for the close-up seating for the Frightfully Fun Parade.

And our seats were fabulous— no shade on the location and placement!

We had wonderful seats at a table to enjoy the parade without anyone blocking our view.

But ultimately I have two issues with this whole thing:

1- it required checking in 45 minutes before the parade so our desserts and drinks could be served beforehand.

and

2- the people sitting on the other side of the parade route had the same view, for $89 less.

Ahem.

See what I’m saying here? Save your money, folks!

Oogie Boogie Bash tip: check out locations against the railing along Paradise Bay lagoon about 20 minutes before the parade starts. This area will only be allowed to seat one party deep so that you will get an unobstructed FREE view of the parade!

frightfully fun parade float at oogie boogie bash.

Oogie Boogie Bash Parade Dining Package

Another part of our group chose to eat a late lunch at Wine Country Trattoria as part of the Oogie Boogie Bash Parade Dining Package.

They had mixed feelings about this experience- the value was in the food (all agreed the meal was delish!) but the seating area was not ideal.

The Parade Dining Package only offers a reserved standing or ground seating area, and again, you’ll need to ensure your spot up to 45 minutes before the parade steps off.

It’s just a lot of time to waste waiting around in these parade-viewing locations when so much more is happening at the party!

Don’t get caught in these time-suck traps at Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash.

Speaking of time sucks…

skip the villains grove oogie boogie bash — Photo: Kim @ Stuffed Suitcase

3. DO NOT GET IN THE VERY LONG LINE FOR THE VILLAINS GROVE

Our final suggestion for things NOT to do at Oogie Boogie Bash is getting in line for the Villains Grove if it’s longer than a 10-minute wait.

What is the Villains Grove?

It’s a trail full of spooky lights and sound effects.

That’s it. (insert shrugging emoji here)

It does NOT have any characters on it.

It does NOT have any candy on it.

It is NOT worth waiting 45-60 minutes in line for.

If you feel you MUST experience this one, save it for the end of the event or plan to visit during the first parade. Both will give you a 10-minute average wait, making it a smarter use of your time.

While other guests are leaving the theme park, you can take one last spooky stroll through Disney California Adventure before calling it a night!

Ok, So What Should You NOT Miss At Oogie Boogie Bash?

The rest of the event offerings were delightful! But the only way you can do it all is if you stay out of the time-sucking lines mentioned above.

We had multiple character meet and greet interactions throughout the evening, many with FREE PhotoPass opportunities included.

We also focused on the immersive treat trails where we could see new Disneyland characters up close and personal.

oogie boogie bash yokai — It was Agatha All Along! Agatha Harkness from WandaVision was in the treat trail in Avengers Campus.

Characters and a bag full of candy?

Yes, please!

The parade is a highlight, so don’t miss that one (even if it means spending a little time holding your spot on the parade route- it’s worth it!).

One note: Halloween fireworks are happening at Disneyland, but this is not a party-exclusive event this year. So pick another night to head across the way for that show.

We’re also fans of the special ride overlays in Disney California Adventure.

The Cars Land attractions are decked out in Halloween style and Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark is a must-do option!

But to be fair, you can do these without a party ticket in DCA on any night during Halloween. They are just extra fun to experience within the scope of the party atmosphere.

We hope these Oogie Boogie Bash tips help you have a SPOOKTACULAR time!