So you’re thinking of attending the annual Oogie Boogie Bash, a well-known Disney Halloween Party at Disney California Adventure? Not sure where to start or whether or not you should spend the money on these highly sought tickets? I’m going to share with you what our experience was like when we attended earlier this year with our three-year-old daughter. There are somethings I learned, enjoyed and would have perhaps done differently. As a parent I think we take our time in planning out fun and enjoyable family activities and I hope this post helps answer any questions you may have.
Plan your purchase early.
We researched the ticket release dates and as soon as we found out they would go on sale, we had a plan to purchase. Tickets will sell out quickly and will likely not be available after a month of release. We agreed on the date and opted for a Thursday night ticket event. My husband had to wait in a virtual queue for well over an hour and we were going in a group of 6, so he ended up being the primary purchaser for the group as the others weren’t having success in the queue.
Plan your arrival time.
We have a toddler and so planning is absolutely necessary. Although the event did not begin until 6pm, doors opened at 3pm and gave us early access to the park. We decided to have her skip on the afternoon nap so that I could get her ready and be at the park by 2:30pm to meet the group. You have to account for parking time and tram travel time. This was nice as it allowed us to squeeze in a couple of rides and an early dinner (5pm ish). While there was a long line at the entrance we moved really quickly once they opened the gates.
Dress accordingly.
We are talking Southern California weather here. We visited October 20th and the temps were at 90 degrees. Hot! While the adults didn’t dress in costume, we did find that we had to take a long afternoon break to hydrate our little one and so the early park arrival didn’t necessarily work to much in our favor. I had packed snacks, water and even an umbrella for us but except for the tot, most of us ended up buying snacks/drinks.
Remember our decision to skip her afternoon nap? In hindsight, I would have rather had her nap and just arrived to the park later. I would recommend this approach for any toddler parents whether there is rain or weather over the 87 degrees.
Plan your dinner.
We planned to have dinner at the park before the Oogie Boogie Bash event started so we had an early dinner around 5pm. We all wanted to try the popular quesabirria tacos at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill and were happy with our choice. I wouldn’t recommend getting the parade tableside dinners because tickets for this event are limited and you will find great seats wherever you stand/sit to view the parade. I definitely would not recommend spending event time on dinner, as the event is over by 11pm so you want to maximize your time at the trails, rides and shows.
Grab a map.
Okay here’s the big tip I have. I wish I would have accessed a map before arriving to the event. You see strategy is key here. You will not be able to do all the trails, shows and rides. So having a plan in place is huge and makes sure everyone gets to do something they’d like.
Preselect any shows.
We loved Mickey’s Trick or Treat Event, but I would only recommend it for kids under 3 years old (maybe 4). It takes up event time. For us the sing and dance-a-long for our kid was totally worth it! It included a bubble fest party and treats at the end. Our group did split up as the older kids were not interested in this (and with reason).
The Villains Parade is a must for all! My child is a night owl. So we opted for the 10pm show since we had already done the Mickey’s Trick or Treat Event around 6pm. Remember how we skipped her afternoon nap? Well the 10pm show did not begin until after 10pm and by the time it started it was more like 10:20ish and she dozed off right as the parade began so she missed out on seeing her very favorite characters. Sigh! But like I said earlier, we were able to snag a great spot for viewing. My other recommendation here is to study the map and grab a spot at the beginning of the parade that way you can head off to more trails/attractions as soon as it is over.
Plan attractions.
Have a list of the rides you really want to get on. Be realistic I would say aim for 3-5. The wait times were around 20 minutes tops, some were only 5 minutes but if you haven’t visited DCA in a while or tend to miss out on attractions due to long wait times this is your chance to enjoy them without a long wait.
Have your exit plan ready.
We packed a change of clothes/pajamas for our kiddo. And even made sure she brushed her teeth. We knew she would be falling asleep on the tram ride or car ride home after such a long day. So just having little things like this planned out make for a successful event.
If you have any questions, please comment or reach out. If you’d like to view highlights, please check out my Instagram highlights titled DCA for a glimpse into what this adventure looked like.
xoxo,
The Sun Queen