Photo Trip Report: Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland

Last week I attended Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland for the first time. Just to give you a little bit of history on this event, it originally started in 1995 as a family-friendly response to the extremely popular Halloween Haunt at Knott’s Berry Farm and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. It ran for only 2 years until it was revived in 2005. From 2005 to 2009 the party was held in Disney’s California Adventure. In 2010 the event was moved back to Disneyland, and its current seasonal fireworks and parade were added. Please see our previous blog post for more information on Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland.

Signs in front of Disneyland warn normal day guests of the park’s early closing for the Halloween party.

Cast members at the front entrance are dressed in their special Mickey’s Halloween Party costumes. After entering the park using your party ticket you will be given a wristband. This wristband shows cast members that you have paid for the Halloween party and are allowed to be in the park.

Just beyond the turnstiles you are given a trick or treat bag. This year’s bags feature advertisements for Wreck-it Ralph and Frankenweenie.

The first thing you’ll see in Town Square is the Disney Villains. Guests are able to meet Jafar, Cruella de Vil, Doctor Facilier, Queen of Hearts, and Captain Hook. Note that each villain has his or her own meet and greet line, so plan accordingly.

Spooky cobwebs and pumpkins are projected on buildings throughout the park. Here is the Main Street Train Station.

The rest of Main Street USA is lit in red and green colors. Also, almost all of the windows are also lit with ghostly colors. Halloween music is played over the loudspeakers instead of the usual music for each themed land.

The light-up Mickey Mouse balloons receive a cobwebbed overlay for the Halloween season.

These Mickey pumpkin lamps are found throughout the park.

The Rivers of America is covered in fog during the Halloween parties. This is a great effect in person. This area of the park is extremely busy during the party as the trick or treat trails and Jack and Sally meet and greets clog up the walkways. During the party I observed wait times averaging around 30 minutes for Haunted Mansion Holiday.

The Captain Jack meet and greet was very popular during the event. I waited a little over 30 minutes to get a picture with him. Most meet and greets had reasonable lines during the Halloween party. The most popular two being Jack and Sally and Captain Jack.

Another exclusive offering during Mickey’s Halloween Party is the dance parties. This year there are two, located in Rancho Del Zocallo (Frontierland), and Tomorroland Terrace (Tomorrowland). Pictured above is the DJ at the Rancho Del Zocallo dance party known as Piratepalooza.

The Piratepalooza dance party actually has some great decorations, including this skeleton.

Jack Skellington and Sally have a special themed backdrop during Mickey’s Halloween Party.

Over in Tomorrowland there is a Storm Trooper meet and greet located near the exit of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

The other dance party is Buzz Lightyear’s Intergalactic Space Jam, located in Tomorrowland Terrace. Even though the Halloween party was sold out on the night of my visit, both of the dance parties had plenty of room to boogie. There are characters at these dance parties, but I observed multiple people stopped from trying to take pictures with them on the dance floor.

Also in Tomorrowland is the Phineas and Ferb trick or treat trail. This ended up being one of the best uses of time on the night I attended. After a short 15 minute wait we were directed along the bottom ring of Innoventions where there were five treat stations. At the end of the trail was a meet and greet with Phineas and Ferb.

My wife and I meet with Phineas and Ferb.

I hadn’t planned to wait more than 20 minutes for the Halloween Screams fireworks. But after seeing people gather in the hub 40 minutes before show time I decided we should get a spot sooner rather than later. By the time the fireworks started the hub and most of Main Street was completely filled with people trying to watch the show.

One of the most amazing features of the Halloween Screams fireworks is Zero. He flies around the castle using the same wire used for Tinker Bell during the park’s regular fireworks.

The other Mickey’s Halloween Party exclusive is Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade. Like I said in my previous overview, this is not a full blown parade. It features only three floats. Most of the characters walk the parade route. Like the fireworks, I was surprised how early people began to line up along the parade route. The fireworks start at 9:30 PM and end shortly before 10 PM. Most guests chose to get a parade viewing spot immediately after the fireworks ended. Viewing for the first parade showing at 8:30 PM also started to fill up fast. If you plan on attending a Halloween party, be sure to plan accordingly and leave some extra time to get spots for the parade and fireworks.

Goofy dressed as a super hero during Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade.

Chip and Dale during Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade.

That’s it for my trip report. Did you attend Mickey’s Halloween Party this year? What did you think about it? Was it worth the money? Leave a comment in the section below.