Visiting Disneyland in October

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October is an immensely popular time of year to visit the Disneyland Resort. With the Halloween season and celebrations at their peak, October offers guests the chance to try unique foods and experience attractions exclusive to the season, including the annual Oogie Boogie Bash event at DCA, spooky decor, and more.

When researching a potential month or time of year to visit the resort, many wonder if October is a good time to visit or if Disneyland is crowded in October. In this post, I aim to answer those questions, while providing context as to why. Additionally, I’ll explain what’s offered at the parks during October that you couldn’t experience otherwise. Let’s get into it.

Is Disneyland Crowded in October?

Disneyland in October is notoriously busy. In terms of attendance, October (and the Halloween season, overall) often rivals the summer months, largely driven by the included Halloween-themed attractions and decor, as well as the uber popular Ooogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party, at Disney California Adventure.

Another draw that’s been growing in popularity in recent years is the Plaza de la Familia celebration, also held in DCA, which adds additional interest and draws more guests. Additionally, DCA has become known as the “Halloween Park”, so-to-speak, with multiple attractions receiving holiday overlays and the wonderfully decorated Cars Land.

The aforementioned Oogie Boogie Bash is the seasonal wildcard as it pertains to crowds, as it’s a hard-ticketed event that causes Disney California Adventure to close early to normal guests, which often results in a massive guest migration across the esplanade into Disneyland park, spiking night-time attendance.

However, since DCA has become increasingly popular during the Halloween season, crowd levels between the two parks have somewhat leveled. My wife and I visit the resort during every Halloween season and have noticed this (especially in the last couple years). In general, no one park appears to be any busier than the other.

That’s in stark contrast to prior years, especially back when Disneyland hosted Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween, the former Disneyland Halloween party, as Disneyland park often received the overwhelming majority of guests, while attendance at DCA lagged.

The downside to this is those who purchase the park hopper option on their tickets, or Magic Key holders, no longer have the “safe haven” park to head to when crowds get dense, as it’ll likely be the same. Even worse on Oogie Boogie nights, as there will be a noticeable spike in crowds Disneyland after 6pm and there is no option but to stay or leave the resort altogether.

If you’re not purchasing the park hopper option and your dates coincide with Oogie Boogie Bash nights (and they likely will), I recommend not making a reservation for DCA on those days, as you’ll be forced to leave the park early (6pm) and you’ll have nowhere to go.

To get the most bang for your buck, spend that day at Disneyland. Remember, the price of your ticket is the same regardless if DCA closes at 10pm or 6pm. Disneyland park remains open until midnight throughout October, so don’t waste a day of your ticket at DCA on an Oogie Boogie night.

However, if you do have the park hopper, I recommend starting your day at DCA and later head to Disneyland. One caveat to this is to make sure you do so before 3pm. I say this because at 3pm, those with Oogie Boogie tickets are let in, and those three hours where Oogie Boogie guests and normal day guests mix are notoriously dense.

Get out of DCA before 3pm and you’ll avoid the rush. If you decide to leave before 3pm, but head back to your hotel for a mid-day break instead (great choice, by the way), I suggest waiting until 6:45pm or later to return to Disneyland. At 6pm, there will be mass exodus from DCA and as a result, the lines to get into Disneyland are often chaotic. Give it 45-minutes or so and you’ll likely walk right in.

Weather at Disneyland in October

October is generally a good month, weather-wise, in Anaheim. Daytime temperatures rarely exceed 80 degrees and humidity remains low, on average. October is a transitional month of sorts, offering a break from the prior month’s high heat, but still not getting too chilly when the sun goes down.

People who aren’t familiar with the weather in Southern California often assume it’s nothing but warm weather all the time and while the area does see great weather, that cool ocean breeze at night catches many off guard. Due to this, I recommend packing a light jacket or hoodie.

As far as precipitation is concerned, you won’t have much to worry about there as October doesn’t see much rain. Anaheim’s infamous marine layer will be ever-present in the early mornings, especially for those partaking in the rope-drop hours. Its density will depend on temperatures on any given day and usually dissipates by noon, at the latest.

Disneyland Offerings in October

Of course, the dig draw at Disneyland in October are the various Halloween-themed offerings, which include attraction overlays. The only holiday overlay in Disneyland proper is the Haunted Mansion’s annual conversion to Haunted Mansion Holiday, which features characters from the stop-motion film, Nightmare Before Christmas, and generally lasts throughout the holidays.

Across the esplanade at Disney California Adventure, there are three attractions with holiday overlays. The biggest draw being Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark. It’s the same ride, just with a unique storyline and heavier music. Instead of being tasked with helping the Guardians escape, Rocket recruits unwitting riders into being the distraction for free-roaming monsters while he gets Baby Groot to safety.

The transition from “Mission Breakout” to “Monsters” occurs at 3pm daily. If you’re planning to purchase Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, both versions of the attraction will be available and you’ll be able to use it on each version of the attraction once. Do keep in mind that on Oogie Boogie Bash nights, “Monsters” is only available to the general public until 6pm. After that, guests without event wristbands will be directed to leave the park.

The other two attractions with overlays are “Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree” and “Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween”, both of which are in Cars Land. All other attractions in the parks operate (unless they’re closed for refurbishment) as they normally would throughout the year.

Additionally, you can expect Halloween decor scattered throughout both parks. In Disneyland proper, the majority of decor is relegated to Town Square, Main Street U.S.A, and the hub, including the Mickey-shaped pumpkin. Beyond that, the only “Halloween” you’ll see is the Halloween Tree in Frontierland.

In Disney California Adventure, Buena Vista Street is heavily adorned in bat-themed decor and at night, is lit up in purple and green lighting. However, Cars Land is the real winner, as just about every square inch of the land, including the attractions, are decorated.

The Halloween decor continues outside of the parks and into the Downtown Disney District. Throughout the district, starting at the fountain adjacent to the tram loading area and extending out to the west end, you’ll find several figures of Mickey and Friends dressed in their Halloween bests, in addition to the Lonesome Ghosts.

The first one you’ll encounter (if you’re coming from the parks) is the one of Prince Mickey and Princess Minnie, surrounded by pumpkins, bat topiaries, and an autumnal archway. This has proven to be the most popular, especially at night when it’s all lit up. You can find it across from the World of Disney store, next to the water fountain in the flower bed.

From there, you’ll see a figure of Pluto with several pumpkins, each carved with a letter, spelling out Halloween. This will be in one of the water fountains adjacent to the tram loading area. Beginning past Centrico, you’ll spot the Donald Duck and Lonesome Ghosts figures in the flower beds in the middle of the walkway.

A little known activity offered only during the Halloween season is Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit. Hidden throughout both parks and in Downtown Disney are several pumpkins, each themed after a Disney character, and it’s up to you to locate them from the hints given to you on the provided checklist. It’s a fun activity to do when the queues are too long.

A favorite pastime among Disneyland guests, particularly locals and Magic Key holders, is to eat and drink their way through the dozens of offerings from the Halloween foodie guide. With few exceptions, these items are only available during Halloween. In 2024, there were a few duds, but many winners overall. You can see the 15 Halloween foodie guide offerings we tried here.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party. It’s a hard-ticketed event held in Disney California Adventure on select nights through August, September, and October. If you’re reading this in August or later, chances are the event has already sold out for the season.

Oogie Boogie Bash hosts a variety of exclusive offerings, including trick or treat trails featuring rare Disney villains, additional character meet and greets, the Frightfully Fun Parade, Villains Grove, special food and drink offerings, and more.

In 2024, Oogie Boogie Bash ticket prices ranged from $134 at the low end and maxed out at $189. Additionally, it was the first year that hosted event nights in August, as the Disneyland Resort decided to match Walt Disney World and start their Halloween season in that month. This was a way for Disney to increase profits without having to substantially raise prices (the max out price in 2023 was also $189).

If you’ve never heard of Oogie Boogie Bash, or you’re planning to go for the first time this year, give my Oogie Boogie Bash guide a read. Additionally, you can see my 12 tips for Oogie Boogie Bash first timers here. There’s a lot to do during the five hour event, so knowing these tips and tricks can save you time (and grief) to ensure a smooth visit.

If you’re considering a Disneyland vacation in October (or any other month for that matter) see one of my top recommendations for a hotel by Disneyland. This property offers one of the most comfortable hotel mattresses I’ve ever slept on and best yet, it’s close to the east entrance of the resort. As always, you can visit my partners at Get Away Today, who are the best in the business as it pertains to Disney-related vacations.