It’s almost time to start thinking about Halloween Time in Disneyland. Now, Halloween Time is the BEST time to visit Disneyland (no, we are not taking any other opinions on that) because Disneyland goes ALL out for the spooky season. Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure get Halloween decorations (pay attention, Disney World). There are also a TON of spooky snacks released in both parks and in Downtown Disney. Haunted Mansion even gets a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.

And then you’ve got Oogie Boogie Bash, Disneyland Resort’s special Halloween party. Well, before you buy tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash, we want to give you a heads up about this event.

Oogie Boogie Bash will take place on select nights at Disney California Adventure from August 17th through October 31st. This special ticketed event will cost you anywhere from $139 to $199 per person, depending on the date, so you’ll want to know what you’re in for before you commit to buying tickets.

It’s hard to get tickets

The first thing you need to know is if you REALLY want to go to Oogie Boogie Bash, tickets are hard to come by. That’s because the event is limited, meaning only a certain number of tickets are available each night. Now, this event is VERY popular (for good reason), so if you plan on getting tickets, you need to be online and ready to buy as soon as they’re available because they sell out fast.

Inspire Magic Key Holders can buy tickets as early as June 24th, while all other Magic Key Holders can buy tickets on June 25th. The general public will have to wait until June 26th to grab tickets. Buying tickets can be stressful (we’re talking Eras Tour tickets kind of stress), and there’s a chance you may not be able to get tickets.

7 Tricks That Will Make Buying Oogie Boogie Bash Tickets 10X EASIER

Everything confirmed this year

If YOU do get tickets, you’re in for a real treat because there is a lot to see and do at the party. Disney has already confirmed this year’s entertainment, including the return of the Frightfully Fun Parade and the Treat Trails, where you can see Disney villains. The walkthrough attraction, Villains Grove, will also return this year.

You’ll also get to take advantage of Halloween ride overlays during the party, including Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree, Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween, and Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark. You’ll even find a few special offerings like the Oogie Boogie Bash dessert party and the Oogie Boogie VIP Tour. Plus, PhotoPass photographers will be on hand to capture every moment at special photo ops around California Adventure.

You can’t possibly do everything

Another thing to be aware of is the need to plan your evening. We’ll be covering the party to give you an idea of what to expect, so you can start making a list of your Oogie Boogie Bash priorities. You’ll want to make sure to hit those things before you do other things at the party.

We also don’t recommend using valuable party time to ride attractions, although lines will be short. The party offers so much exclusive stuff to do that you don’t want to waste time on rides you can ride with a regular park ticket.

Use that early entry time wisely

You can actually get into California Adventure at 3 PM, although the party doesn’t start until 6 PM. You can use that time to meet a lot of characters that meet during the day (if you’re a Marvel fan, you can see a TON of characters in Avengers Campus during this time). You can also use that time to hop on rides. This is also a good time to check out merchandise because a lot of Oogie Boogie Bash merchandise is available during the day.

If one of your priorities is something that will inevitably have long lines throughout the evening, you can also use that time to get over to that area early and stake out a spot to do that thing as soon as the party officially starts.

This is the only time you can wear a costume

Disney has VERY specific rules about wearing costumes in the parks: you can’t — EXCEPT during Oogie Boogie Bash. You’re encouraged to wear costumes to the party, as long as they meet specific rules (they don’t drag on the ground, your face isn’t covered with a mask, etc. — you can read the rules on the Disneyland website).

So if you want to dress up and go trick or treating like you did when you were a kid (because yes, there IS trick or treating), here’s your chance.

The most popular treat trails have shorter lines later

The first thing people do when they get to the party is start hitting up those popular treat trails, and some of those are VERY popular. For example, you’ll see long lines for those who want to go through Oogie Boogie’s treat trail (it is his party, after all). However, if you want to meet Oogie Boogie and don’t want to waste time in a long line, wait until later. Those treat trail lines get shorter as the evening progresses.

That’s because everyone is heading towards those first, so by the end of the evening, a lot of folks (especially those with kids) have already left the party early. So wait it out and you’ll save a lot of time.

Prioritize Characters

You are going to see a lot of rare characters at Oogie Boogie Bash, and if you have some that are absolute musts, you’ll need to prioritize those over other characters. Some characters might have long lines throughout the night, so you’ll want to hit up those characters early.

You’ll also see random villains pop up from time to time, so keep an eye out because you never know who might turn up.

Make time for the parade

The Frightfully Fun Parade is a MUST, and you’ll want to make sure to squeeze it into your evening. The good news is that you won’t have to stake out a spot too early, as this is a limited-ticket event. However, you’ll want to have an idea of where you’ll be watching it about 20-30 minutes before it starts.

You’ll also have two opportunities to see the parade. Pro tip: the second parade is generally less crowded, so you should have a wide choice of spots to watch it from.

If you want to just celebrate Halloween, you don’t need a ticket

If you just want to celebrate the spirit of Halloween in a general way, you may not want an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket. That’s because Disneyland has a lot of Halloween things going on during the day at the parks outside of the party. You’ve got decorations in both parks, you’ve got those ride overlays, you’ve got Jack and Sally meeting all day long in Disneyland, and more.

So you might want to ask yourself if the cost of a party ticket is worth it if you just want to have some general Halloween fun. You can have a spooky good time in Disneyland without an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket.

BUT this is one of Disney’s best After Hours events

With that said, though, if you can swing the price of a ticket and manage to get a ticket to Oogie Boogie Bash, you are in for a fun time. This is one of the best-themed After Hours events of the year, which is why tickets sell out so quickly for it. We hate to say it, but Oogie Boogie Bash is the superior party when compared to Disney World’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

So we think the cost of the ticket to Oogie Boogie Bash is well worth it. You’ll have a great time.

We’ll be at the first Oogie Boogie Bash of the season, so stay tuned to DFB for more.