Dealing With Crowds During Halloween Time At Disneyland-2024

Halloween time is a great time to visit the Disneyland resort! If you’re planning a visit to Disneyland at Halloween Time, you’re probably wondering what the crowds will be like and what you can expect. Is it crowded at Disneyland during Halloween time? How crowded is Disneyland on Halloween day? I’ll answer all of those questions, plus give you all the info you need to know. Halloween time is incredibly popular at Disneyland. It’s popular for good reason, it really is so much fun! I’ve got a bunch of information about crowd levels, weather, and visiting Disneyland Park at Halloween time that will be helpful for you.

Disneyland Resort Halloween Mini Course

Before we get going, I want to tell you about my Disneyland Resort Halloween Time Mini Course! This mini course covers EVERYTHING you need to know about Halloween Time At Disneyland! Includes free printables! Don’t waste your time searching through websites and social media posts for information on Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort. My mini course tells you everything you need to know to rock your Disneyland vacation like a pro! Find out more here.

I’ve got an episode on my podcast about visiting Disneyland when it’s crowded. Check it out!

Halloween Time At Disneyland- Info

Halloween time at Disneyland in 2024 runs from August 23rd – to October 31st. There’s so much to see and do in each park during Halloween! From decorations, ride overlays, and character costumes, to the Oogie Boogie Bash, I’ll talk about it all so you can know what to expect and share my best tips to help you have a great time. This is just a brief overview of Halloween Time at Disneyland. For a more in-depth guide to all the Halloween festivities, click here.

I’ve got a complete guide to planning your Disneyland vacation which is a great place to start if this is your first visit, or you’ve had other visits that didn’t go as smoothly as you would have liked. This guide walks you through the process of planning your Disney vacation step by step! Check it out! You’ll also want to check out my top Disneyland tips.

Halloween Time At Disneyland- Discount Disney Park Tickets

Please be aware, that Disney theme parks all require park tickets and reservations. Make sure you have both! Please don’t pay full price for your Disney tickets or hotel. My partners at Get Away Today have the very best deals on tickets and hotels. Their customer service is top-notch and they even have layaway plans. You can find them here. If you book a package with park tickets and a hotel room you can use my code MIX10 to save an extra $10. That’s more churro money, friends!

I have a bunch of hotel reviews that might be helpful for you if you’re still trying to decide where you’d like to stay. I prefer to stay at a hotel within walking distance of the Disney parks. This is a great option for our family because I love being able to just walk over to the parks and walk back to the hotel when the day is over.

Halloween Time At Disneyland- Crowds

You can expect fairly moderate crowds at the Disneyland resort during Halloween time. If you’re looking for lower crowds, September is your best bet. The parks will get more crowded the closer it gets to Halloween. You’ll find the biggest crowds right before Halloween. Tuesday- Friday will have the lowest crowds of the week. Halloween night will be pretty busy, but not out of control. You’ll still be able to have a great time, even with crowds if you visit Disneyland on Halloween Day.

I’ve got tons of information about Disneyland in August, Disneyland in September and Disneyland in October including a Disneyland crowd calendar, events, what to expect, weather, and more! Make sure you check them out so you can have all the information you need when visiting Disneyland at Halloween time.

Halloween Time At Disneyland- Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Halloween time at Disneyland brings crowds and long lines. If you’re concerned about crowds and long lines, Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a great way to skip the lines on the most popular rides during the Halloween season. Genie plus is the new system that replaced the MaxPass/Fastpass system. It costs $25 per person(starting cost), per day, and includes photo pass. I’ve got a ton of information about using Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland that will be helpful for you. Make sure you check it out.

Halloween Time At Disneyland- Rope Dropping

Another great way to avoid crowds at Disneyland during Halloween time is to rope drop. Have you heard about rope dropping at Disneyland? It basically involves arriving at Disneyland extra early so that you’re one of the very first guests in the park. Then, you can take advantage of extremely low crowds while all the other guests are just waking up and making their way to the parks.

Rope dropping isn’t for everyone, but it is a really effective way to hit some of the more popular attractions without the long waits that you’ll find later in the day. I’ve got a ton of information on rope dropping including tips and strategies. You can find it here.

Dealing with crowds at Disneyland can be a bit annoying. I’ve spent a ton of time at Disneyland and have come up with some strategies for touring Disneyland even when it’s crowded. There are lots of things you can do to avoid the crowds or work around them if you know what you’re doing. You can check out that information here.

Halloween Time At Disneyland- Weather

Most people picture fall leaves, sweaters, apple pie and crisp fall air when they think about fall and Halloween time. Well, I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but Halloween time at Disneyland is almost always crazy hot. In fact, it’s one of the hottest times of the year. So, if you have big plans to wear a cozy sweater and sip hot apple cider while you stroll down main street, you’re going to need to reconsider your plan! I’ve got a bunch of information about the weather at Disneyland(month by month guide).

Halloween Time At Disneyland- What To Wear

What you wear to Disneyland during Halloween time matters. You want to be comfortable and that means planning ahead a bit. I’ve got a guide on what to what to wear to Disneyland that will help you plan for your vacation. I also like to dress for the season and that means a cute Disney Halloween shirt. You can find some really cute, inexpensive ones on Amazon.

I also love wearing a pair of Halloween Mickey ears! I don’t like the Mickey ears that Disney sells. They give me a headache. My favorite ears are from Allie’s ears! She makes them custom and has a shop on ETSY. I love supporting small shops whenever possible! Use my code MIXINMAGIC10 for 10% off!

What to Expect During Halloween Time at Disneyland

Here’s a quick guide about what you can expect at Halloween time at Disneyland. For a full guide check out my Halloween Time At The Disneyland Resort post. It’s full of tons of information including a free foodie guide printable!

Characters

Your favorite Disney characters will be out and about in their Halloween costumes! If you thought Mickey Mouse was cute, what until you see him in his Halloween costume! I love getting some photos with the characters. You can also expect to see a few more Disney villains roaming Disneyland, especially around Main Street USA and Fantasyland. If you’re wondering where to find characters, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a guide to finding characters at Disneyland that will help you easily locate your favorites! No more wandering around aimlessly, hoping you run into them!

Haunted Mansion Holiday

Jack Skellington has taken over the Haunted Mansion and transformed it into the Tim Burton Nightmare Before Christmas! The Haunted Mansion Holiday is probably the most popular overlay that Disneyland does. I’ve got a whole episode dedicated to it on my podcast. I find this version to be less scary for little kids than the original version. It’s got lots of bright colors and fun music, so it might be ok for your little ones.

This overlay is incredibly popular! That means it’s going to have very long lines, especially as the day goes on and into the evening. Make sure you ride it earlier in the day(this is a good one to rope drop during Halloween time!) or use Lightning Lane Multi Pass to avoid the longest lines.

Main Street Pumpkin Festival

Halloween is in full swing on Main Street U.S.A. You’ll find it full of pumpkins. Make sure you get a picture with the giant pumpkin! It’s one of my favorite parts of the Halloween holiday season. The pumpkin has a different face on each side, so grab a picture with both sides!

Halloween Scream

Halloween screams is a special show hosted by Jack Skellington. This fun projection show is Halloween perfection and is followed by fireworks on select nights. I prefer to watch the show near “it’s a small world” for lower crowds.

What To Expect During Halloween Time At Disney California Adventure Park

Here’s a quick guide about what you can expect at Halloween time at California Adventure. For a full guide check out my Halloween Time At The Disneyland Resort post. It’s full of tons of information including a free foodie guide printable!

Radiator Screams

Carsland has been transformed into Radiator Screams for the Halloween season! This is an absolutely amazing part of Halloween time at Disneyland! You don’t want to miss it! Make sure you check it out during the day and again at night. Carsland has a great vibe at night! There are even a couple of ride overlays in Carlsand that are really fun. You can find out more information here.

Halloween Decorations

California Adventure is filled with decorations. Bats have taken over Buena Vista Street! My favorite part is the Headless Horseman statue in Town Square. It’s the perfect photo opp. Make sure you stop by and night for a peek when it’s all lit up! There’s usually a photographer there to take your picture. Don’t forget, photo pass is included with Genie plus! So, if you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, make sure you take advantage of the photographers all over the park.

Guardians of the Galaxy– Monsters After Dark

Guardians of the Galaxy is transformed into Monsters After Dark every afternoon. Check your app for show times. This is a scarier version of the attractions, but one that is so much fun! Make sure you save your lightning lane for this attraction for later in the day if you’re using Lightning Lane Multi Pass and want to skip the long lines!

Plaza de la Familia

Celebrate Dia de los muertos at the Plaza de la Familia. There’s so much to see and do here! Enjoy live entertainment, specialty food items, and free crafts for the kids! You can even enjoy a musical celebration of Coco and meet Miguel!

Oogie Boogie Bash

The Oogie Boogie Bash is a special event held on select nights in September and October in California Adventure. This special event requires a separate ticket. If you’re interested in attending, you can find all the information you need to know on my Oogie Boogie Bash post. It includes party dates and prices, what to expect and costume guidelines.

My favorite parts of the Oogie Boogie Bash are the Trick or Treat trails(expect to get a ton of candy!), the fun parade, and Villians Grove. It really is such a fun event! I look forward to it every year.

This is probably the most popular of all of the Disney special events. Tickets for this event will sell out! They go on sale on June 27th for Magic Key holders and June 29th for the general public.

Halloween Time Food and Beverage

Disneyland goes all out with special Halloween food this time of year! It’s so much fun to see all the yummy creations that they come up with! I love going around and trying all the Halloween food and treats! Each year, Disneyland releases a Halloween Foodie guide. I take this guide and create a cute printable! This way, you can print it out, circle the things you want to try, and check them off as you go along. Kids especially love to check items off of the list. I’ll update this for 2024 when the foodie guide is released! You can find my free Halloween printables here.

Downtown Disney at Halloween Time

Downtown Disney has lots of fun things going on at Halloween time! You can expect to find Halloween decorations and lots of specialty food items. I love to check out the different seasonal flavors at Salt and Straw! They are so yummy!

As you can see, there’s so much to see and do at Halloween time at the Disneyland Resort. Because there’s so much going on, it’s a very popular time to visit. So, you can expect larger crowds. But, just because it might be a bit crowded on your vacation to the happiest place on earth, doesn’t mean that you can’t have an amazing time!

Make sure to check out my YouTube videos for helpful info and my podcast for lots of Disney planning information! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search for “Mix In Some Magic” Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for lots of Disney tips and fun and make sure you join my Disney planning Facebook group! It’s a great place to ask all your Disneyland planning questions and get expert help.