Oogie Boogie Bash is a separate ticketed event at Disneyland Resort’s California Adventure. The party has become a hallmark of the Halloween season in Southern California, consistently selling out the dates that are offered. Oogie Boogie Bash typically runs from 6-11 PM and offers specialty entertainment, treat trails, character meet & greets and more. We attended the first party of the 2025 season and this post will review that experience as well as share the dates for 2026!

Before we get to the review, Disneyland Resort has announced the dates for Oogie Boogie Bash in 2026 very early this year. That’s great news for the planners out there! Tickets won’t be on sale for at least a few more months but you might be able to at least pick out a date or two that would work, especially for those that aren’t local. Here are the 33 dates.

August 2026 Oogie Boogie Bash Dates

• Tuesday, August 18
• Thursday, August 20
• Sunday, August 23
• Tuesday, August 25
• Thursday, August 27
• Sunday, August 30
• Tuesday, September 1
• Thursday, September 3
• Sunday, September 6
• Tuesday, September 8
• Thursday, September 10
• Sunday, September 13
• Tuesday, September 15
• Thursday, September 17
• Sunday, September 20
• Tuesday, September 22
• Thursday, September 24
• Sunday, September 27
• Tuesday, September 29
• Thursday, October 1
• Sunday, October 4
• Tuesday, October 6
• Thursday, October 8
• Sunday, October 11
• Tuesday, October 13
• Thursday, October 15
• Sunday, October 18
• Tuesday, October 20
• Thursday, October 22
• Sunday, October 25
• Tuesday, October 27
• Thursday, October 29
• Saturday, October 31

The rest of this post is our review of the 2025 experience at Oogie Boogie Bash. We expect the party to stay largely the same but more details will be released at a later date.

Oogie Boogie Bash had been a blind spot for Melissa and me despite constantly hearing people rave about it. The fall is especially busy and neither of us are super character inclined, so the appeal wasn’t as great as it might be for some. Not to mention, there’s also the premium cost of the tickets (more on that later). But sooner or later, you have to give into the hype which led us to getting opening night tickets to the party.

Within a few minutes of Oogie Boogie Bash starting, it was easy to tell that the party was a blast. We’ve experienced Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Walt Disney World several times but were struck by how different the two parties were. True to form, the California Adventure version was more relaxed and atmospheric – more west coast, if you will. Add on that you get to see everybody’s delightful costumes and the good vibes from Oogie Boogie Bash are contagious.

That’s not to say the party is perfect. In fact, I think we prefer Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. But it’s easy to see why people swear by the California Adventure event. Most of what is offered is done exceptionally well.

Frightfully Fun Parade is one of those offerings. Running twice per night (generally at 7:45 and 10), the parade relies on outstanding choreography and character. After spending so much time thinking and writing about Magic Kingdom’s Starlight in the last month, Frightfully Fun Parade is an opposite in many ways. The floats in this parade aren’t anything to write home about but the characters in between these floats are fantastic. I was particularly impressed with the dancing in between, as it felt more elaborate than most other parades. Characters range from cartoony to slightly intimidating, I thought there was a great mix. This is a must-do!

Starting off the parade with the Headless Horseman is fantastic. This is one of the most memorable parts of the bash.

Villains Grove is another standout at Oogie Boogie Bash. The repurposed Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is lit up and transforms into an immersive, dreamlike environment conjured up by different villains. This walkthrough is less sinister and more mystical. I won’t spoil anything (outside of a photo or two) but the lighting towards the end may have been my favorite moment of the whole party. The whole experience was surprisingly beautiful and less IP filled than I expected, although there are plenty of references. Villains Grove runs from sunset on and shouldn’t be missed.

The rest of Oogie Boogie Bash is centered around Treat Trails and Character Experience. Many of the treat trails are focused around a character, with Cast Members handing out sweets before and after seeing that character. Getting candy is not a problem at this party! We weren’t trying especially hard to get as much candy as possible but there’s enough to last us until next year’s party starts.

Treat Trails were a highlight of the party, specifically the trails that featured characters that talked as you passed by. Those characters include Oogie Boogie, Ernesto de la Cruz, Syndrome, Maleficent, Agatha, Judge Doom, Hades, Yokai and Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. All of these are great and worth doing, as the characters talk to passersby and have fun interactions. The trails without characters are just a way to get more candy, which no one should say no to, but aren’t anything special.

As for the meet & greets, we weren’t overly impressed with a few exceptions. Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle dressed as the Sanderson Sisters (from Hocus Pocus) is the best encounter. Those three ham it up in their roles and look great in those costumes. That meet & greet is held in the World of Color (which does not run during Oogie Boogie Bash) viewing area.

Three other character highlights are Mickey and friends meeting in Kingdom Hearts outfits, Pain and Panic from Hercules, and Red (Cars) dressed as a clown. These are all worth doing but will be the longest lines you encounter at Oogie Boogie Bash aside from Red. Alice in Wonderland characters meet guests by Carthay Circle, a few Pixar friends are around Pixar Pier and some superheroes meet in Avengers Campus.

I thought the party could have used more characters to meet. The trails are executed well and provide great interactions and the few meet & greets are all done well. But there’s also some open spaces that could have used an addition or two, specifically throughout Grizzly Peak. Most guests go to Oogie Boogie Bash for specialty characters and I’d have liked to see just a few more out.

My other knock on Oogie Boogie Bash is that it’s missing a big show of some kind. That could be in the form of World of Color (or some nighttime spectacular) or a stage show. I thought this was the missing piece in the party. All of the offerings are very experiential and I do enjoy that, but having a classic show to watch would go a long ways in diversifying the options.

All in all, that’s a minor complaint for an extremely fun party. Oogie Boogie Bash knows what it’s good at and sticks to those experiences, executing them very well. Frequent party goers say that the party stays the same year after year and I can see why that may get a little stale. Here’s hoping for new offerings in 2026 that include a show of some kind!

The question of whether Oogie Boogie Bash is worth the price is an interesting one. Prices range from $139-$199 depending on the date. Wait times for attractions were pretty low throughout the party (especially later in the night), although we don’t recommend devoting much time to rides. Guests can get into California Adventure 3 hours before the 5 hour party, giving a total of 8 hours in the park. In that way, the price is similar to a park ticket and offers specialty offerings.

Whether or not you think it’s worth the investment will likely depend on how much you like characters or special experiences. If those are your thing, then you’ll love Oogie Boogie Bash. If you’re more ride oriented then it’s probably better to save the money. With all that said, most nights are sold out at Oogie Boogie Bash so the decision might have already been made for you.

We thought Oogie Boogie Bash was incredibly fun while having a few flaws. I’ll admit that we aren’t typically the target audience for these parties, as meeting characters isn’t something we generally go out of the way to do. But everything was executed so well and the atmosphere was so enjoyable that we found the party very fun. Oogie Boogie Bash is worthy of the hype and it’s easy to see why the party is so beloved!

What do you think of Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure? Let us know, along with any questions you have, in the comments below. If you are planning a trip to Disneyland Resort then check out our planning guide. Looking for discount Disneyland tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. You can do all of that on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!