Halloween Time has returned to the Disneyland Resort. Main Street, U.S.A. is festooned with vibrant orange and yellow bunting. Halloween Time Mickey signs adorn each light post, and the giant Mickey pumpkin photo op has returned to it’s traditional location. Over at DCA, purple banners hang from the shops, and shiny-eyed bats are perched high above Buena Vista street. At night the trees glow in a beautiful and mesmerizing shade of purple. It’s simultaneously beautiful and playfully spooky. You’ll be able to experience the season from September 3rd through October 31st.
While Halloween Time brings a beautiful seasonal look to both parks, the parks are also filled with an abundance of limited-time food offerings, nighttime spectaculars, and themed entertainment.
We will cover all this, and so much more in today’s and tomorrow’s Updates. Be sure to grab some sort of pumpkin-spiced food or beverage beforehand. There’s a lot to see here!
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Halloween Time decorations have been slowly making their way into the parks for the last two weeks, but the official start date was Friday, September 3rd. As soon as the park opened, the vast majority of the guests at the park for rope drop immediately mobbed the Haunted Mansion, now decorated in the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.
A few minutes after 8am, the wait was already 20 to 25 minutes. Magnolia Park immediately became filled with the queue for the attraction. It remained as queue space for the remainder of the long weekend. Just before the ride closed to install the overlay, Mansion was a total walk-on for weeks, now it has one of the longest waits in the park. It will likely stay busy through the holiday season, though this past weekend was probably the peak of its popularity as the diehards came out to celebrate the season. The holiday overlay will continue through the upcoming Christmas season.
The pet cemetery memorials are decorated with black, white, and purple bows.
The short wait was definitely worth it. Jack, Sally, and the rest of the Halloweentown residents are back, and they have been sorely missed. Enjoy some beautiful shots from yours truly and Mike Kindrich of Haunted Mansion Holiday!
Here’s a beautiful on-ride video taken by Dusty Sage. You’ll feel like you’re there:
Halloween Screams Nighttime Spectacular
Halloween Screams also premiered on September 3rd. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the show will include fireworks. Monday through Thursday the show will be projections only. It’s a change back to how things were run back in 2019, but we’ll certainly miss fireworks every night after a long summer season.
I recorded a really good video of the show, which you can watch on YouTube. A lot of work went into creating the conditions necessary to get this video without the traditional problems that people encounter when trying to record fireworks shows. I think you will be pleased:
Disneyland Halloween Time Decorations
It wouldn’t be Halloween without pumpkins…. lots and lots of pumpkins….
And the beautiful floral display at the front of the park is swirls of orange and yellow with Halloween Time banners flanking the sides. Irresistible.
The candy corn colored banners and bunting really transform the feel of Main Street.
Not content to be just the big cheese, Mickey is currently the big pumpkin as well.
One of the most whimsical details is the murder of crows that have taken over the Fortuosity shop on Main Street. A few even have little witch hats on.
The pumpkins around the Walt and Mickey Partners statue represent the different lands in the park.
There’s even a Dia de los Muertos area just in front of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Zocalo Park).
Halloween Time Character Costumes
Here are a few of the characters in their Halloween finest. Jack and Sally can be seen on the Dream Suite balcony and the Haunted Mansion balcony.
More Disneyland Halloween Fun
Dusty takes us on a tour of all the new Halloween goodness from the Haunted Mansion and Main Street to Buena Vista Street and Cars Land…
And there’s lots of Halloween merchandise in the parks. So much of it that our Natalie Kipper put together a whole article for you:
The Dapper Dans are back!
The Dapper Dans also returned to a massive welcome on Friday.
We recorded two of their sets for you:
I’ve got to say that these little musical acts make sure a huge impact in the park. Are you as glad to see the Dan’s return as we are? And what’s still missing that would make a big difference to your enjoyment of the park?!
Turning the Magic Key
By now you’ve likely figured out whether you are going to become a Magic Key holder or not (Disneyland’s replacement for the Annual Pass program). The Keyholders were certainly the big driver of traffic this past weekend. Like old patterns returning for the first time since 2019. Friday was very uncrowded all day, until folks started getting off work, then the Keyholders showed up in droves to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday and wait for hours for the Halloween Screams Fireworks. When folks were paying full price for day tickets, they’d arrive early and stay until near closing. But now we’re back to a cycle of many guests coming for shorts periods of the day just to hang out. It’s a very different dynamic since the parks reopened, but quite familiar to how things were in the past.
Magic Key Gift Box
Everyone who purchases a Magic Key in the first 66 days will be sent a welcome box with a Magic Key pin, a button, magnet, a lanyard and a souvenir map of Disneyland. Our Dusty Sage got to see one of the welcome boxes:
Plus, Magic Key holders who enter Disneyland park will also soon be able to purchase a special popcorn bucket, shirts, etc. Some Magic Key merch is already available through customization, like a phone case with the Magic Key Logo or ear hats with a key on the back.
Starcade (Tomorrowland)
The Starcade has been turned into a Magic Keyholder experience with photo-ops and a few places to relax and charge your phone. They are utilizing a virtual queue, which fills up quickly. You can also stand-by, but the wait can be very long (and hot in the 90+ degree heat this past weekend.
Most of the photo opportunities are Halloween related.
This one celebrates the 20th anniversary of Haunted Mansion Holiday and showcases all of the spooky gingerbread houses featured in the attraction over the years. You can find the real thing on Haunted Mansion Holiday, but it’s nice getting to see the details up close.
Here we see a Disney+ tie-in to the upcoming Muppets Haunted Mansion film:
If you show up at that right time, you might even see Mickey or Minnie.
Dusty takes us on a tour of the new Starcade Magic Key lounge:
Magic Key Terrace (Disney California Adventure)
The former Al Fresco Dining Terrace which was reserved for Legacy Passholders has been renamed the Magic Key Terrace, and is now reserved for guests with Magic Keys. The menu is basically the same, which is fantastic because they still have the amazing tenderloin sliders. They are one of the best food items at the resort. The location is now available for reservations.
Pelican’s Landing
Management realized that they took out a considerable amount of seating for Project Stardust (designed to expand walkways in preparation for the big crowds expected for Galaxy’s Edge), and now they are putting some of it back. This area will add seating along the river near Harbour Galley.
New Tinkerbell Light Posts Near Partners Statue
Disney recently added new light posts that have Tinkerbell on them. There is one light post for each of the bronze character sculptures.
They look like they came right out of Disneyland Paris.
Main Street Photo Supply Closed
The Main Street Photo Supply store is permanently closed. PhotoPass services have moved to the Esplanade in front of ticket booth 3 for now. It appears that they will eventually relocate to the old newsstand at the very front of the park.
Refurbland
There has been a flurry of refurbishments in the park lately.
Tarzan Treehouse is behind tarps…
The refurb walls are down around the compass in the Esplanade.
In ToonTown the walkway project is moving along slowly. They had laid the brick two weeks ago, but it has taken them that long to finish off the edges.
The New Orleans construction project has also progressed. The scrims are now down at Pieces of Eight and Port Royal. Over the last few days, the walls have also come down.
Monorails are moving again, folks, but not carrying guests just yet. And the Tomorrowland Station got a little touchup.
Look at this glorious sight. The highway in the sky is gliding once again.
Now it’s the ticket booths turn for touchups. Though, the resort now needs far fewer ticket booths than in the past since almost all tickets and passes are handled online or in the app.
Crowds (or lack thereof)
The past few weeks have seen very low crowd levels. Even though the Magic Key program started on August 25th, it still has not been very crowded. Yes, September 4th did feel as busy as it was in July, but it was nowhere near as crazy as it used to be. On September 4th all types of tickets reached maximum capacity levels and there was no way to get into either park without a reservation made a few days beforehand. Prior to September 4th, the parks were practically empty. The point I’d like to emphasize is that even on the sold out Saturday and Sunday, the crowds weren’t horrible and the waits were not extreme. I’m starting to really like the reservation system that makes this possible.
Enjoy a few pictures of the crowds, or lack thereof.
The first 4 pictures are of wait times on the afternoon of Saturday the 4th. This was the busiest day since July. Sure, some of the wait times are high, but remember, the reservation system was capped for all types of tickets.
It was opening day for Haunted Mansion Holiday, and the wait reflects it. It was also well over 90º and that means a long line at Splash Mountain. This is what a weekend looks like. But if you had been at the park during the week, many rides were 10 minute wait or less.
Now, let’s take a look at what it has been like on week days (your ideal time to visit if you can)…
There’s no line for a Dole Whip late in the afternoon. It was like this all week.
It’s the off season, enjoy those weekdays if you can!
Mickey Mummy Popcorn Bucket
There is a special Mickey Mummy popcorn bucket on sale for $20. It’s totally adorable, and very “pop”ular.
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Let’s Hear From You
Season’s screamings everyone! Are you ready to jump right into Halloween? Able to take advantage of the much smaller off-season weekday crowds? Interested in the new Magic Key perks? Let’s hear from you below.
AND check back tomorrow for PART TWO of our update with dozens more photos of the Halloween activities in Disney California Adventure, some parks news, and much more.
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