Spending Halloween at Disneyland with Kids

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Last Updated on March 27, 2024 by Leslie Stroud

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We attended our second Halloween party at Disneyland and loved it both times with all our Halloween-loving selves! I’m a HUGE Halloween fan- in fact, it is very closely tied with Christmas being my favorite holiday. For some years, I have enjoyed Halloween more. I think I feel less pressure than Christmas to fulfill some pre-set expectations of a holiday. Anything I do at Halloween just seems like an extra bonus in the fun-mom account.

I think this party is still not hugely advertised and is a lot of word of mouth. However, it is growing! I noticed this year, they started the parties in mid-September, and it seems all are sold out. Halloween decorations were officially in place by September 7th, which surprised me a little bit.

My favorite part of the party is, of course, a reason to dress up. I’ve been a big fan of costumes for a long time. See this gem from when Lucy was just a wee babe. In fact, this may have been the first time we left her with a sitter. We attended a friend’s Titanic party and won for best costumes in some category.

The party at Disneyland was really, really fun, and I’m so glad I had a friend to tell me about it (thanks, Darcy!). They limit the number of tickets, which is the biggest benefit. Crowds start rolling out when the party starts, but they don’t officially kick you out. You could be in the park and probably just sit and people watch. However, once the party time has started, you can’t go on any rides or enter certain areas without a wristband (and they do check it multiple times). This means the rides are really light and easy! Splash Mountain was so sparse we got to ride twice and could have gone a third time without even getting in line again. Indiana Jones was 5 minutes. Any Disney-goer will recognize this as simply amazing. It is a great time to get on those rides you may not have done yet or have been wishing for.

The Trick-or-Treating itself is also enjoyable. They have various “stations” set up around the park, out of the way of the main walkways, which all serve the same treats/snacks/candy. They are really generous and you could easily go through twice. You get small treat bags at the front, but they won’t hold enough for long if you are serious about the candy. So bring your own or support Disney further by buying one at the shops.

You’ll see tons of the villain characters. We saw Jafar, Gaston, the villain from Princess and the Frog (Dr. Facilier), Cinderella’s step-mom and step-sisters, Ursula and Cruella DeVille, just to name a few. There is a fun villain parade, which we saw last year. This year, they also added fireworks to the party, which is a fun touch! At this time of year (in September), the fireworks only happen on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

Many families dress up, and you’ll see some fun themes (maybe high-five a few brave fellow costumed parents like us). It’s Halloween magic on an epic level- Disneyland and Halloween collided.