Review: Oogie Boogie Bash- A Disney Halloween Party at Disney California Adventure

The Disneyland Resort is in full swing for the Halloween season and September 17th was the first day for the brand new Halloween party, Oogie Boogie Bash- A Disney Halloween Party. The Halloween party was previously held in Disneyland Park but has moved to Disney California Adventure park. Sadly, all Halloween parties for this season are now sold out, which I felt was in record time. Best thing to do is buy them as soon as they come on sale. Don’t procrastinate! The main question that I hear is, “Is it worth it?” For a lot of people like myself, I think it is worth it. This new party is a complete game changer and vastly different than the old Mickey’s Halloween Party and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World. Everyone going to the party comes for different reasons whether it be for candy, rides, photo opportunities, shows, or just to show off their neat costumes! That is why this party is great! It pleases all sorts of different desires! I broke down the party into different categories and will explain what to expect along with my review.

Candy Treat Trails

Make sure to bring a bigger bag than what Cast Members hand you- believe me, you’ll need it! Make sure to have your guide handy because there are trails spread all across the park. When it comes to handing out candy, Cast Members are very generous- I mean not just one or two candies but a fist full of candy! Along with delightful candy, the Oogie Boogie Bash offers healthy options at most of the trails like baby carrots, apple slices, and dehydrated apples. We found that the wait for the treat trails were quite short compared to the lines that used to form at the Halloween party over in Disneyland.

Though they may seem long, they move really quick. The best part about the new treat trails this year are the Villains that you can find in some of them. Seeing our host, Oogie Boogie, in the animation building was amazing. You can also find the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, Mad Hatter, and more! 

Annual Passholder, listen up! There is an AP exclusive treat tail next to Goofy’s Sky School. At the end of the trail you will receive an exclusive Oogie Boogie Bash AP magnet.  

Rides

Image: Disney

During the night you can find a lot of rides will be walk-on or under a 10 minute wait. Guardians of the Galaxy- Monsters After Dark, the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: Breakout will get you into the Halloween spirit! We didn’t see the wait time for this ride go over a 20 minutes. 

Another area to check out at night is Cars Land! Radiator Springs has been transformed in to Radiator Screams! Celebrate Haul-O-Ween with Lightning McQueen, Mater, and more as they dress up in their “car-stumes” to trunk-or-treat.

Two rides have gone through a spooky transformation: Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween. Not only did the decorations change for both of the rides, the sound tracks did too! 

Entertainment

The Frightfully Fun Parade has gotten better throughout the years and is still great to see and has not changed. The only part that changed was Vampirina being removed from the parade and switched with another villain. It is not as long as a normal daytime Disney parades but it definitely gets me into the Halloween spirit! My favorite part of the parade is still the Headless Horseman Rides Again Pre-Parade, where the narrator tells the tail of the Headless Horseman as Ichabod Crane walks down the parade route while the ominous Headless Horseman is close by following frighted Ichabod as he tries to get to safety. I would recommend finding a spot 30 minutes before the parade. Wine Country Trattoria offers a 3-course dinner package where you can have dinner and then come back and enjoy the parade in a designated viewing area on the lower patio of Sonoma Terrace. If you think you may want to try this, visit Wine Country Trattoria for more information. 

If a dance party is what you’re after, look no further, there are two different shows, Mickey’s Trick and Treat; which is an interactive stage show with Mickey, Minnie and his friends where they come together and have a costume party. The other show is the DescenDANCE Party over at the Hollywood Backlot Stage; which is inspired by the hit movie The Descendants. The villainous dance party is hosted by the Greatest Dance Crew from the Isle of Lost.   

When Villains Grove was announced, I was elated to check it out. After the parade we headed over to Grizzly Peak to see how long the queue was. The queue is deceiving, it may appear long but it moves so fast that it only took about 10 minutes to get in. In this area, there are no physical characters lurking about, there are some physical props but this is mainly projections with haunting music from movies we love. As you go through a bewitching trail full of mist and fog, the wisps (from Brave) guide you through your journey. Passing through a candlelit trail with the smell of burning trees fill your senses as it captures Frollo’s Sanctuary of Hellfire. Continuing down the path, shadows of ravens appearing as they are flying above you and threatening thorns starting to grow from vines will have you feeling that the Mistress of Evil is just around the corner. As you continue on your journey you will encounter Scar’s Elephant Graveyard, Dr. Facilier’s Friends on the Other Side and more. I personally got emotional towards the end leading into the final area. The wisps guide you to safety to the Home of the Wisps. This magical area is full of enchanting lights that cover the surrounding trees and feels like a safe haven where no harm will come to you. Dawn approaches and you end your journey through mystical fog and flickering lanterns towards the glittering aurora. This was by far my favorite attraction at this event. I highly recommend doing this. 

“World of Color” is back with an all new Halloween version called “Villainous!”. In this new show,  Oogie Boogie (from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) tells a Halloween tale about a young girl named Shelley Marie who goes through self doubt and wonders if she could be an equal to the Villains she had always admired. In the end, she realizes that, deep down, there’s a little villain in all of us. “Villainous!” has two different showings and I recommend going to the last showing of the night. We showed up 20 minutes before the show and it was empty. Around 10 minutes before the show, a small crowd started showing up but that was it. If you don’t really have your heart set on being front and center, you can walk up at showtime and still have a great spot to see the show. In my opinion, this was my least favorite “World of Color” productions. The music and storyline were not my favorite. The overall message of the show was more impactful than the production itself.  

Food, Beverages, and More! 

Along with the rides, entertainment, and candy there are numerous photo opportunities whether it be with characters or with special props. Rare characters were lurking around like Friends from Disney Afternoon at Grizzly Peak Airfield, Friends from Kingdom Hearts at Grizzly Falls, Disney Villains at Grizzly River Run, and Mickey and Minnie in all new Halloween outfits near Grizzly River Run. There are so many more character greeting opportunities so be sure to check the Oogie Boogie Bash guide to see where the other ones are meeting.

There are also specialty foods available at select locations around the park along with special libations that are available. For the first time there is a Disney Halloween party that offers alcohol. The areas around the park that serve beer and wine during normal operating hours will remain open during the special event. Carthay Circle Lounge will also be open serving small bites along with their famous hand crafted cocktails. And lets not forget the exclusive merchandise only available during the parties available at select locations. 

Overall

This was by far my favorite Halloween event I have been to in the past few years at the Disneyland Resort. I felt that the crowds were significantly lower than the years past, where I felt like I could actually breathe and enjoy my surroundings without fighting through crowds and waiting in long lines for treat trails. Villains Grove was astonishing and is a “must see” area along with the Oogie Boogie treat trail in the Animation Building. A few other things to point out is Carthay Circle has a special projection show every 15 minutes after dusk. It is truly astonishing.

We had a frightfully fun time enjoying the Halloween offerings at the Disney California Adventure Park at this special ticketed event and we loved every minute of it and I am sure you will too!