Throughout early fall, Disneyland Resort turns into a Halloween wonderland. Halloween events—some scary, some not—include holiday decorations and elaborate reimaginings of attractions at both Anaheim theme parks. In Disneyland Park’s New Orleans Square, ghoulish holiday spirits amp up the adrenaline factor at the iconic Haunted Mansion that gets decked out for the season’s Haunted Mansion Holiday, hosted by Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s classic film, A Nightmare Before Christmas. As if that weren’t enough, Jack—along with his phantom dog Zero—also kicks things off for the nightly Halloween Screams, an extravaganza of sounds and images projected across the night sky and Sleeping Beauty Castle. Sing along to Halloween-inspired songs as creepy critters and Disney villains such as Maleficent and Ursula the Sea Witch meld with explosions of color and, on select nights, a shimmering fireworks display.
Disney California Adventure Park has gotten its own Halloween makeover, too: Guardians of the Galaxy takes on a Monsters After Dark theme, while Cars Land’s “Haul-O-Ween” zone features costumed characters and the morphing of Radiator Springs into Radiator Screams. For some seasonal music, go by Mater’s Junkyard, rendered into Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree, and the Plaza de la Familia celebration, where songs from the film Coco are brought to life by the Plaza de la Familia Storytellers in an immersive affirmation of the spirit of family.
Fright-free (or just lightly frightening) options are plentiful, too—at Disneyland Park, see elaborate orange works of art at a massive hand-carved Pumpkin Festival on Main Street U.S.A. And don’t forget to put the Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party, hosted by Disney California Adventure Park, on your list: You can see your favorite Disney characters decked out in their Halloween costumes, pose for photo ops with them, see Mickey’s Trick & Treat interactive live show, collect Halloween candy along Disney villain–visited Treat Trails, and more. In Frontierland starting in early September, take in food, art, and cultural displays featuring those famous colorful mariachi skeletons at the Dia de los Muertos event.
