Disneyland Halloween Time 2026 – Everything You Need to Know
Last updated on October 3, 2026
Looking for details on Halloween Time 2026 at the Disneyland Resort?
You’ve come to the right place! I’ve rounded up everything you need to know – including lots of photos and details on new features for 2026 – right here!
Let’s start with the basics.
Disneyland Halloween Time 2026 At-A-Glance
If you are just looking for a quick list of facts about the Halloween Time this year, here’s a rundown.
- Halloween Time returns to the Disneyland Resort August 21 through October 31, 2026.
- Plaza de la Familia also kicks off on August 21, but will run through November 2 at Disney California Adventure Park.
- Halloween ride overlays at Disney California Adventure include Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark, Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree, and Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween. At Disneyland Park you’ll find Haunted Mansion Holiday.
- Tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash are now on sale and will likely sell out. (But you don’t have to attend this event to thoroughly enjoy Halloween Time!)
- New Halloween food, merchandise, and experiences all around the Disneyland Resort, including Downtown Disney and the hotels.
Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort
It seems like every year Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort gets more and more popular, with Disney releasing the details sooner and adding dates to its popular Oogie Boogie Bash. It’s no wonder the fall season is almost as busy as summer at Disneyland!
Crowds aside, autumn remains our absolute favorite time of year to visit Disneyland. With seasonal attraction overlays, Halloween-themed food and décor, plus encounters with Disney villains, happy haunts seem to materialize around every corner.
If you missed your chance to purchase tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash – or if you just don’t want to spend the extra money – don’t despair. You don’t need a ticket to thoroughly enjoy Halloween Time at Disneyland.
In fact, I dare say the best things about Halloween Time are not part of the Oogie Boogie Bash anyway!
There are tons of Halloween-themed experiences to check out at the Disneyland Resort this year. From the giant Mickey Pumpkin on Main Street to the Headless Horseman at Disney California Adventure, magic is in the air for Disneyland Halloween Time 2026!
► Planning your Disneyland vacation? Start with our Disneyland Resort Vacation Planning Guide for tickets, rides, and more planning tips.
When Does Disneyland Decorate for Halloween?
Disneyland Halloween Time 2026 will run from August 21 through October 31. There are two full months of Halloween Time (expanded to meet the demand for this very popular time of year), so if you would like to visit when the Disneyland Resort is decorated for Halloween, make a reservation for sometime between those dates.
Travel Insight
Unless you have purchased a separate ticket to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash, be mindful of those event dates when you make your reservations. DCA closes early on nights when the party takes place, and you don’t want to find this out after you’ve arrived at the park!
Halloween Time takes place throughout the entire Disneyland Resort. This includes Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Resort Hotels.
You’ll find incredible decor, special Halloween-themed attractions, and seasonal entertainment inside the parks. Most importantly, all this Halloween goodness is included with your regular admission.
Halloween Time at Disneyland Park
Before you even enter the park, you’ll know it’ s Halloween Time! High above the entry turnstiles you’ll see giant pumpkins shaped like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. It really does set the tone for fall, even if you happen to be visiting in August when the event kicks off!
Once you enter, you’ll be greeted with even more amazing decor during the Main Street Pumpkin Festival. There are hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins along Main Street, which are lit up at night, and the buildings are draped in orange bunting and decorations.
You also can’t miss the giant two-sided Mickey pumpkin across from the railroad station!
Another cool area to see all the pumpkins is across from the castle where you’ll also find the statue of Walt Disney.
Let’s take a look at the special ride overlays and attractions you’ll find during Halloween Time at Disneyland.
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Each year, the Haunted Mansion transforms into Haunted Mansion Holiday – a fun ride overlay featuring Jack Skellington with frightfully festive touches inspired by “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Dedicated fans of the holiday house will look forward to spotting the gingerbread house on its precarious perch on the ballroom table, making its annual appearance for this collision of two holidays.
Halloween Screams
Don’t miss Halloween Screams, a supernatural projection and special effects show that plays select nights August 21 through October 31. This nighttime spectacular will summon projections, special effects, and music on Main Street, U.S.A., it’s a small world, and Sleeping Beauty Castle.
On select nights, there will also be fireworks in the skies above the castle.
Travel Insight
People line up on the streets and crowd in front of the castle each evening to watch Halloween Screams, but I have found that one of the best spots to watch is from near the Disneyland Train Station. This allows you to enjoy a great view of the projections on Main Street and the fireworks, plus it puts you in prime position to exit the park right afterwards if that’s your plan!
Frontierland
To commemorate the Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead, there is a colorful Día de los Muertos tribute in Frontierland. The exhibit that features a musical trio of iconic skeletons, brightly colored flowers, and other decorative items.
Frontierland is also home to the wonderful Halloween Tree, which is decorated with thousands of orange lights and glows at night. The tree is located right outside of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. It is very simple but stunning, and something I always look forward to seeing this time of year!
Halloween at Disney California Adventure Park
To be very honest, Disney California Adventure Park has a lot more going on during Halloween Time. And I am not even talking about the Oogie Boogie Bash!
Beginning with “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Oogie Boogie’s oversized silhouette marks the main entrance to DCA. Halloween décor extends along Buena Vista Street and through many areas of the park.
Buena Vista Street
Buena Vista Street is the entrance area of the park, so all the decorations here really set the mood for your visit during Halloween Time!
Decor on Buena Vista Street includes a cloud of “bats” bursting from the tower of Carthay Circle Restaurant, and a 10-foot-tall statue of the Headless Horseman holding his jack-o-lantern head to the sky.
When the sun sets, the façade of Carthay Circle Restaurant comes alive with Halloween magic as bats swarm, green energy pulses from within and projections light up the iconic tower structure with mesmerizing moments.
Cars Land During Halloween Time
Radiator Springs becomes Radiator Screams for Disneyland Halloween 2026! More than any other land at the Disneyland Resort, Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park goes all in this time of year!
All of Cars Land and its characters are transformed with a special Haul-O-Ween makeover.
You’ll find Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree swap to a happily hair-raising soundtrack to become Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree. I love that they recorded all new songs for Halloween Time to keep the mood going for the season.
The nearby Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters becomes Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween, taking guests on a wicked whirl! And for the first time, the resident “car-acter” Guido will sport a ghoulish “car-stume” as he welcomes guests to the Casa Della Tires.
Ramone’s House of Body Art also offers a whimsical nod to Dia de las Muertos with this fun display during Halloween Time.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Over in Avengers Campus, as night falls, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! transforms into Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark, an exciting and spooky adventure filled with creepy creatures and thrilling drops.
Since the ride overlay only happens “after dark” for a few hours each evening, the lines tend to get very long after 5 p.m. We waited 90 minutes on our most recent visit in September, but if you like thrill rides it is totally worth it!
Mickey’s Trick and Treat Show
Returning this year for the Halloween season, the interactive “Mickey’s Trick and Treat” show will provide family-friendly entertainment during a not-so-spooky sing and dance-along with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Kids can dance to Halloween tunes, play with bubbles, and hang out with Mickey Mouse and his pals will love “Mickey’s Trick and Treat” at the Disney Theater in Hollywood Land, beginning August 18.
The show features colorful projections and a lively host dressed as a mad scientist. We went to see this last year and it was a fun, energetic show with lots of kids cheering and dancing.
One thing you should be aware of – with the exception of a few benches along the edges, the only seating available is on the floor. Unless you physically can’t get down to the floor, I recommend saving the benches for those who really need them and watching the show from the floor!
Plaza de la Familia and Tributes to Día de los Muertos
Honoring the Mexican traditions of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the vibrant Plaza de la Familia cultural experience once again brings brilliant marigolds, live entertainment, and family-friendly crafts to Paradise Gardens at Disney California Adventure Park.
Plaza de la Familia will run from August 21 through November 2, 2026.
Throughout this immersive celebration, characters and music from Disney and Pixar’s Academy Award-winning “Coco” highlight the everlasting bonds of family. Several times per day, “A Musical Celebration of Coco” presents a talented company of Folklórico dancers, plus Mariachi singers and musicians, that recount Miguel’s adventure to the Land of the Dead.
You can also take photos with Miguel, enjoy Mariachi music, add remembrance notes to the Memory Wall, and more.
As part of the event, Paradise Garden Grill features a special menu with Mexican cuisine. On our last visit during Halloween Time, my son and I shared the Carnitas Wet Burrito – pork carnitas, rice, refried beans, cilantro, and onions – served with half salsa verde and half salsa roja, and a decent serving of tortilla chips.
Downtown Disney Halloween
Though not as robust as inside the parks, the Downtown Disney District will feature fall décor, entertainment, and special offerings from select locations.
Beginning in September, Disney character-themed pumpkins will be hidden around the Downtown Disney District for Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit.
Here’s how you can play:
- Pick up your game board and stickers for $11.99 plus tax at select merchandise locations.
- Have fun searching for hidden decorative pumpkins based on Disney characters and placing the corresponding stickers on your game board.
- Return your game board to a redemption location to receive a keepsake prize.
Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit game boards can be purchased at the following locations in Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels. They are also available at select stores throughout the parks.
This is a fun scavenger hunt activity if you’ve got little kids, or if you are a local visiting the Disneyland Resort to get a taste of Disneyland Halloween fun without a park ticket. But to be very honest, at ten bucks a pop, I would probably skip this one.
In addition to everything happening at Downtown Disney, there will also be special Halloween-themed lobby displays at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Restaurants at the three on-property Disney Resort hotels are also getting in on the action for Halloween Time with special events and menu items. (More on that below!)
Frightfully Festive Foods for Disneyland Halloween Time 2026
This year, expect Halloween-themed food to once again a big part of the fun! Dining locations across the Disneyland Resort will serve up frightfully flavorful food and beverages, such pumpkin fritters, special cookies, and Halloween-themed cake.
Disney just announced their culinary line-up for Halloween Time 2026. Here’s a “taste” of what to expect this year.
Rest in Chocolate – Chocolate ice cream buried in a chocolate-covered waffle cup topped with chocolate cookie crumbles, gummy worms, and a chocolate tombstone, available at Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor.
Heatwave Pizza – Spicy blush sauce topped with mozzarella and pepperjack, Italian sausage, pepperoni, smoked bratwurst, and sliced red Fresno chiles garnished with basil and hot honey drizzle. Grab a slice at Alien Pizza Planet in Tomorrowland.
Villainous Red Velvet Cake – Cake with raspberry jam, chocolate chips, and black ganache frosting. This decadent dessert is available at Plaza Inn.
Oktoberfest Dog – Pork cheddar sausage, sauerkraut, caraway seeds, and cheesy beer mustard sauce on a soft pretzel bun with Cuties Mandarin Oranges or fries. You can find this meal at Award Wieners in Hollywood Land.
Mickey Pumpkin Apple – Green Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears enrobed in orange-white chocolate and green, white chocolate leaf.
Pumpkin Cold Brew – Non-alcoholic beverage topped with vanilla foam and spiced sugar, at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe.
Apple Pie Dip Churros – Cream cheese frosting topped with spiced apple compote, available at various churro carts around the parks.
► You can find a Complete Guide to Disneyland Halloween Food for the full list of this year’s offerings.
Halloween Time at Disneyland Hotel Restaurants
If you love dining with favorite Disney characters, don’t miss Goofy’s Kitchen with a Halloween twist! Goofy and his pals will don their seasonal outfits for a fun buffet dining experience at the Disneyland Hotel.
At Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Storytellers Cafe will host Mickey’s Autumn Adventures for breakfast and brunch and Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner in the evenings, complete with seasonal décor and characters in costume.
The thing I love most about Storytellers Cafe is its location; Disney’s Grand Californian is adjacent to DCA so it is very easy to slip in for a meal. Storytellers Cafe is one of our favorite restaurants at the Disneyland Resort!
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Final Thoughts: Disneyland Halloween 2026
It used to be that fall was a slow time at the Disneyland Resort. And then came Halloween Time!
Disneyland Halloween Time was established as a way to fill the gap and lure crowds to the parks during what was then the off-season. But over the years it has literally grown to become one of the most popular times to visit!
The perfect fall weather. The fun and just slightly creepy Halloween decorations and ride overlays. The fantastic food that gets better every year. These are just some of the things that make Halloween Time the best time to visit the Disneyland Resort!
For more help planning your Disneyland vacation, check out these other articles:
Save This 2026 Disneyland Halloween Time Guide for Later!
Planning a visit to the Disneyland Resort during Halloween Time? Pin the image below for future reference.
