Pictures: Halloween Time 2018 Starts at Disneyland Resort

It’s the most wonderful time of year at Disneyland Resort. It’s the time of year when wearing your Jack Skellington shirt that says “Bone Daddy” is perfectly acceptable. It’s the time when being extremely pale is both expected and encouraged. It’s Halloween Time! Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have a plethora of special decorations, merchandise, character meet and greets, and food offerings. Let’s take a look at how the parks are decorated this year.

Disneyland

As you approach Disneyland you’ll see pumpkins of the “Fab 5” on top of the turnstiles.

 

Mickey-shaped pumpkins and orange and yellow decorations adorn lampposts on Main Street, U.S.A.

A giant Mickey pumpkin is located in town square. This is a popular photo-op where groups form long lines to take pictures.

Pumpkins and orange and yellow bunting can be found on buildings up and down Main Street.

 

Pumpkins with Disney characters surround the Partners statue in Disneyland’s hub. Each of Disneyland’s lands are represented.

 

Frontierland’s Halloween Tree is back for another year. The tree is inspired by Ray Bradbury’s 1972 novel “The Halloween Tree.”

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy has returned for another year. If you’ve never experienced this version of the ride, a spooky-ghostly-screeching-space-blob is projected inside the ride. Appropriately scary music is also played as you ride. It’s a lot of fun.

Over in New Orleans Square, the popular Haunted Mansion Holiday has returned for the 17th year in a row.The only change in Haunted Mansion Holiday this year is the gingerbread house. It’s always fun to see how creative they get with it.Jack and Zero.

 

Mickey and Minnie pumpkins greet guests at the entrance to Mickey’s Toontown.

As you walk through the esplanade you can see these great banners featuring spookified versions of the two parks’ attraction posters.

Oogie Boogie towers over the entrance of Disney California Adventure.

Buena Vista Street is decorated with purple banners and some creepy lighting.

Carthay Circle Restaurant’s tower features bats and some nice mood lighting.

A statue of the Headless Horseman is located on Buena Vista Street near Elias & Sons.

One of the highlights of Halloween Time at DCA is Cars Land, which is decked out for “Haul-o-Ween.”

Radiator Springs Curios features many delightfully chilling decorations.

During Halloween Time, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters is transformed into Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween, which includes some fun decorations and new seasonal music.

Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree also receives a Halloween overlay, in the form of Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree. How great is that name?

Be sure to drop by Cars Land at night when the Haul-o-Ween decorations are enhanced by special lighting and projections.

Lightning McQueen and Mater are dressed in some wonderful Halloween costumes.

Meet and Greets

Several characters are available for meet and greets throughout the day in both DCA and Disneyland. In DCA characters meet in costumes that appear to be homemade.

Characters also meet in Disneyland’s town square.

Special Halloween Food

There’s an insane amount of special Halloween food and treats to try this year. We haven’t tried everything yet, but for now here’s some of our favorites that are returning from last year. Bat Wing Raspberry Sundae from Clarabelle’s  in DCA. The sundae includes two scoops of white chocolate raspberry swirl ice cream, which is an exclusive flavor for Disneyland that is made by a local manufacturer. The taste of the ice cream alone is fantastic, but then you have all of the other parts of the sundae–the chocolate and sprinkle-dipped cone bowl, chocolate bat wing cookie, sprinkles, whipped cream, and berry sauce. It’s photogenic and tastes as good as it looks.

 

I enjoyed the Slow Burnin’ Mac & Cheese Cone from Cozy Cone Motel. The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos blends so well with the mac & cheese.

If you’re a fan of candy corn then you’ll love the Spoke-y Cone Macaron from Cozy Cone Motel, and Mini Candy Cone Pie from Flo’s V8 Cafe. But be warned that both of these items are extremely sweet.

The Sleepy Hollow Cupcake from Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical Cafe is pretty much a standard red velvet cupcake, but I have to give it proper respect due to its presentation.

Many of the treats at Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street and Candy Palace in Disneyland receive scary new look for Halloween Time.New for this year is the Halloween Hot Dog from Refreshment Corner in Disneyland. It features spicy meatballs, cheese sauce, and roasted tomatoes. I thought it was one of the best Disney hot dogs I’ve ever had.Also new for 2019 is the Churro Sundae from Golden Horseshoe. The sundae includes cookie butter gelato garnished with a cinnamon churro and topped with cajeta and whipped cream. I thought it was the best of all the new Halloween treats. Absolutely fantastic.

Halloween Merchandise

There is way too much Halloween merch to fit in to this post, but here’s a look at some of it that is available in Disneyland’s Emporium.

Those ghost Mickey mugs have “BOO TO YOU” printed on the back.

Several Halloween shirts featuring Disney characters are available.

My favorite detail about this cute Mickey plush is his candy corn fangs.

Let me know what you think about Halloween Time at Disneyland in the comments below. Also, if you’re heading to Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland this year be sure to check out our Mickey’s Halloween Party 2018 Planning Guide to learn everything you need to know.