In 2019, Disneyland Resort's Halloween party was rebranded to Oogie Boogie Bash - an annual, limited-run Halloween event with special characters, photo ops and trick or treat trails.
I'd heard so much about Oogie Boogie Bash and even though the price was quite steep this year, I took the plunge and decided to attend this year.
While I enjoy spooky season, I really do not actively celebrate Halloween. Instead of going in full costume, I wore an outfit inspired by Jack Skellington.
Oogie Boogie Bash guests are allowed to enter Disney California Adventure starting at 3PM, and the actual event runs from 6-11PM. We entered at 3PM and tried to enjoy some of the non-event things, but it was just so hot! Be aware that when you go, 3-6PM can often be crowded since the park is still technically open to the public, and in California it can still be very hot!
Right before 6PM, we made our way to one of the most talked-about treat trails of the 2022 event – Ernesto de la Cruz. It was probably around 5:45PM and there was already a huge line! I was immediately nervous, as the time at the event was so limited. I had already made the decision not to wait for the Sanderson Sisters meet and greet, since to me, it wasn’t worth it to wait over an hour.
Thankfully right before the clock struck 6PM, the line began to move fairly quickly. Since many of the treat trails are not actually meet and greets, the lines move very fast! Do not be alarmed at their length.
Seeing Ernesto was incredible! Photos and videos hardly do him justice. He was so incredibly done that my friend thought he was an animatronic!
TIP – bring your own treat bag, and make sure it’s not small. The bags they hand out when you check in are not only flimsy but small. The treat trails we visited have multiple candy/treat stops, and our bags filled up very quickly. I usually have a reusable bag with me pretty much at all times, and I ended up switching to that because of the amount of treats being given out.
Next, we visited Oogie Boogie and Madam Mim but were disappointed that after waiting in line, the characters weren’t even there yet.
We kept a good pace though, taking photos and visiting the characters we were interested in. There is so much to see and do at Oogie Boogie Bash, not even including the rides! I highly recommend keeping a brisk pace.
At some point, my friends did Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark, while I held onto the treats. While I was sitting near the exit, Wanda arrived and once I realized no one was lining up, I took advantage of this fortuitous timing and had a wonderfully long interaction with her.
I even saw Thor and Loki running around together, surprising the guests in line for Guardians. Thor asked me for candy too!
Since we were near Avengers Campus, we made our way to Agatha's treat trail next. I am a big Wandavision fan, and it was so awesome to see Agatha in the flesh, heckling guests.
On our way to find a parade spot near Carthay Circle, we noticed the line for Ernesto was pretty much non-existent, so we got in line again. Even though we had already seen him, this time we got to see him with all of the dramatic lighting, and we even caught his spooky rendition of Remember Me.
The first parade of the night was at 7:45PM, and we absolutely did not want to miss it. I’d read countless reviews praising the Frightfully Fun Parade as one of the best Disney parades offered. Initially, our plan was to try to catch both parades.
We secured a spot in front of Carthay Circle and had a pretty great view of the parade. I adored the beginning of the parade - the Headless Horseman himself!
In my opinion, the parade is one of the best parts of the entire event. It's the perfect combination of spooky and whimsical, featuring rare characters, fun music and great craftsmanship.
Once it was done, we headed to other parts of the park for the other treat trails we wanted to see. On the way, we took a quick detour and ended up going through the Mother Gothel treat trail even though it wasn’t a part of our original plan.
There was absolutely no one going through the trail, so we went in, got a lot of candy and stopped to admire Mother Gothel.
Continuing to make our way around the park, we headed for Dr. Facilier, more candy, and our Magic Key bags with photo op. If you are a Magic Keyholder and are attending Oogie Boogie Bash, make sure you drop by underneath the Silly Symphony Swings for a special Magic Keyholder reusable bag, full size Snickers and a fun Nightmare Before Christmas photo op.
Our photographer was wonderful. I wish I had gotten his name to send a compliment in the app – he was taking his time with each person and really giving them some fun poses. I absolutely adore how my photos came out
Soon after, we visited Sid’s treat trail, which was honestly so much fun. He was so interactive with the crowd and with the cast member who was managing his treat trail. He kept calling her out and it was hilarious
By this point in the night, we realized time was fading faster than Cinderella's ball. Even though we wanted to see the parade again, we decided to head to Villain's Grove, one of the event offerings I wanted to prioritize. Thankfully, our plan worked out insanely well because most people were lining up for the parade.
Villain's Grove is a spooky transformation of the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, a part of DCA that is often overlooked by guests without young children. Instead of the lush forest we are used to, Villain's Grove surrounds guests with illusions of light and fantastical scenery inspired by some of Disney's most notorious villains.
From Frolo to the Queen of Hearts, we were completely mesmerized. Colorful lights imitated light shining through stained glass, the queen's garden literally smelled of roses, and any photos I show you will simply not do this place justice.
With one hour left of the event, we decided to revisit Madam Mim and Oogie Boogie himself, since earlier we hadn't been able to see them at their treat trails.
Madame Mim was entirely hysterical. I asked her something that I knew would set her off, and we had the funniest interaction over it! If you are going to see her, make sure you ask about Merlin.
And of course, we saw the man himself at his own party! By this point in the night, our arms were heavy from all of the candy and snacks we had acquired, and we were ready to call it a night.
I can now say I fully understand the hype of Oogie Boogie Bash. Even if you don't dress up, you can have a lot of spooky fun at this event! The ticket price is steep, but if you are looking for a fun, safe, Halloween activity where you can dress up, this could fit the bill.
I'm already looking forward to next year!
Until next time,
Happy wandering!
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