Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure Park have officially kicked off their Halloween celebrations. With both parks celebrating the spooky season, it means double the fun for guests. The resort-wide celebrations have plenty to offer, including the much-anticipated return of the Haunted Mansion Holiday with its all-new eerily delightful gingerbread house and the “Halloween Screams” nighttime spectacular at Disneyland Resort.
Over at the Disney California Adventure Park, guests can experience the Plaza de la Familia and Mickey’s Trick and Treat. And we can’t forget about the food they’ve conjured up and spooky merchandise they’ve manifested for the holiday. Certainly, there won’t be a shortage of fun, frightful enhancements this Halloween season.
This year, Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort starts earlier than ever with the festivities kicking off from August 23, 2024 until October 31, 2024. Over at Disney California Adventure, guests can The Plaza de la Familia and A Musical Celebration of Coco from August 23, 2024 until November 2, 2024 for Día de los Muertos.
This year, Wendy Lee and I had a chance to visit both parks, which have their own respective takes on everyone’s favorite trick-or-treat holiday, including Mickey and friends, who are dressing up in colorful and playful Halloween costumes.
Over at Disneyland Resort, guests can see Goofy as a scarecrow and Pluto as a pumpkin, Donald and Daisy Duck as witches, Chip’ n’ Dale respectively as angel and devil, and Mickey as a skeleton and Minnie wearing a patchwork costume with Fall and Halloween colors. And it wouldn’t be much of a Halloween if Jack Skellington and Sally didn’t pay guests a visit at a meet-and-greet. Guests can also experience the much anticipated return of Haunted Mansion Holiday with its all-new gingerbread house that will make you scream with joy.an
Foolish Mortals who dare step foot into the Haunted Mansion Holiday need to know that the attraction is via “a virtual queue” as the standard queue has not yet materialized. So plan ahead if you intend to see grim-grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, and other beasties pay an annual Halloween visit to give the haunted mansion a makeover that blends Halloween and Christmas for a must-see attraction. The frightfully festive touches are inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The attraction itself is the same, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun. In fact, think of it as a ghoulish enhancement that will tickle your funny bone or quiver in fear (but in a fun way).
Later on at night, Jack Skellington and Zero take over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and invite guests to watch villainous visions and listen to a medley of tricky tunes during Halloween Screams. Classic Disney villains make appearances, from The Little Mermaid‘s Ursula and Peter Pan‘s Captain Hook to Sleeping Beauty‘s Maleficent. Colorful projections reflect each of the villain’s personalities. So with Ursula, you’ll see deep ocean bubbles and her terrifying tentacles slithering up the castle, while Captain Hook’s portion has ominous tick-tocks hinting at a crocodile ominously moving through the water. Pirates of the Caribbean and some familiar Grim Grinning Ghosts also haunt Halloween Screams.
Guests are encouraged to use their Magic Bandsto make the nighttime spectacular even more spooktacular. Halloween Screams has a ten-minute runtime and is subject to cancellation without notice due to weather or other circumstances. Be sure to check the Entertainment Schedule or the Disneyland app to stay current.
The silly screams don’t stop at Disneyland Resort. In fact, guests can find them over at Disney California Adventure Park. Once again, Radiator Springs and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! great their respective transformations to fit the Halloween season.
Buena Vista Street has also been transformed. Guests can find the usual bats haunting the area, while the Headless Horseman statue makes its annual appearance. If they have a Magic Band, they can interact with the iconic Disney character. You may hear some ominous klomping or even see the spooky jack-o-lantern light up the night. So cross its path if you dare.
Radiator Springs turns into Radiator Screams, with Tow-Mater and Lightning McQueen getting new decals and a paint job just in time for the Halloween season. To add to the haul-o-ween fun, the cones outside of the Cozy Cone Motel have ghoulish faces, horror movies from the world of Cars are plastered on walls, zombie cars are scattered like easter eggs, and Luigi’s tires gets a touch of orange.
At Hollywood Land, younger guests can have so much fun experiencing Mickey’s Trick and Treat. singing and dancing with Mickey and Friends at the Disney Theater. Originally a Oogie Boogie exclusive, the show has since transformed itself into daily offering, features two original Halloween songs, colorful video projections, frightful special effects, bubbles, and special appearances from Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy who are trying to tell a “not-so-scary-story.” To be honest, it’s a bit of a nice reprieve for those who have been standing out on their feet all day. Plus Parker, dressed as a mad scientist, encourages the younger guests to be a part of the show.
Over at the Paradise Gardens, guests can experience Plaza de la Familia, a vibrant cultural celebration exclusive to the Disney California Adventure Park. Families can enjoy Mexican cuisine and heartwarming live entertainment inspired by the traditions of Día de los Muertos. The celebration includes family crafts, the iconic Arbol de la Vida photo location and Memory Wall. Additionally, “The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate The Musical World of Coco!,” guests can enjoy the music of Coco, which includes songs like “Remember Me,” “The World Es Mi Familia,” and the iconic Mexican folk song “La Llorona.”
There will also be some twistedly good eats and treats at Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure Park. One of our favorite dishes is the Asian-inspired Spicy Pork Tacos: Kimchi, cucumber, carrots and pickled onions with sriracha aïoli in a flour tortilla at Hollywood Lounge and the Matcha Chai Madness Churro: Matcha and pistachio sugar-coated churro drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with almonds at Hollywood Land churro cart in Disney California Adventure Park.
There will also be some twistedly good eats and treats at Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure Park. One of our favorite dishes are the Asian-inspired Spicy Pork Tacos and Matcha Chai Madness Churro. The Asian-inspired Spicy Pork Tacos can be found at the Hollywood Lounge next to the Hyperion Theater. One order, priced at $11.45, has two tacos that are filled juicy pork, kimchi, cucumber, carrots and pickled onions with sriracha aioli in a flour tortilla. The dish itself is very delicious that is mult-itextured because of the crunchy kimchi, carrots and pickled onions, while the pork provides a nice chew, and the tortilla gives its a nice pillowy bite. The tacos are also multi-flavored considering the pork, sriracha aioli, and kimchi provide a nice heat while the onions and carrots gives it a sweetness.
As for the Matcha Chai Madness Churro, it has a nice fried doughy texture minus the cinnamon dusting. The matcha is balanced out with the chocolate drizzle, and pistachio pieces gives it a nice crunch. Although, the whipped cream feels a little out of place. Suppose you’re looking for a different kind of churro that isn’t the standard one and want something a bit more adventurous than the usual chocolate covered or fruity flavored one. In that case, this is something you should get.
At Disneyland Resort, we tried two new items for Halloween Time: the Philly Potato Dog at the Refreshment Corner. This refreshingly twisted take on a Philly Cheesesteak and Baked Potato substitutes the typical hoagie bun with a baked potato split down the middle and topped with an all-beef hot dog, thinly sliced beef, peppers, pepperoncini, provolone, and cherry spread. Though the presentation is messy, it’s a dish that I would gladly dive into again.
Finally, I took a short trip to the Holly Jolly Bakery to try out their Pear Blackberry Cheesecake Crostata. Unfortunately, of the four items I had, this dessert fell below my expectations. Though the fresh pears with New York cheesecake and blackberry jam in pie crust topped with caramel sounded interesting initially, it was not to my liking. The fillings were overly sweet, and with no milk or coffee to cut down on the abundance of sugar, the cheesecake, fruit fillings, and caramel stick to the roof of your mouth. The crostata lacked that flaky and golden crush texture you’d expect from the Italian dessert. In fact, the pastry itself tasted stale.
I’ll update the post on the other foods and drinks I didn’t get a chance to try when I get the chance.
What’s fun about this year’s Halloween is that not only are Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure Park celebrating the annual spooktacular event, they have something for everyone of any age. This all inclusive party insures that everyone has a good time and can play or even pose for photos with their favorite characters. The dishes are a combination of classic and innovative, and most are not short on deliciousness.
Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort starts earlier than ever with the festivities kicking off from August 23, 2024 until October 31, 2024. Over at Disney California Adventure, guests can The Plaza de la Familia and A Musical Celebration of Coco from August 23, 2024 until November 2, 2024 for Día de los Muertos.
