Halloween Time runs at Disneyland Resort from August 21 through October 31, 2026, across Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, and all of it is included with regular park admission. Plaza de la Familia at Disney California Adventure runs through November 2, and Haunted Mansion Holiday stays up through the holiday season, into early January 2027.
This year’s Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house is a music box with a skeleton ballerina, the Grand Californian lobby has a Nightmare Before Christmas display built from 140 pounds of fondant, and Mickey and his friends are greeting guests in new harlequin Halloween outfits. The separately ticketed Oogie Boogie Bash is sold out for general admission. I walked both parks on August 19 and September 7.
What is new for 2026
- A new gingerbread house in Haunted Mansion Holiday. This year’s house on the ballroom table is a music box whose lid opens as a skeleton ballerina rises and spins.
- Spiral Hill Confectionery, a Nightmare Before Christmas display in the Grand Californian lobby, plus a separate confection display at the Disneyland Hotel.
- New character outfits. Mickey, Minnie, and their pals wear harlequin motifs, frilled collars and cuffs, and confection details in orange, yellow, and black.
- Star Wars pumpkins join the ring of pumpkins around the Partners Statue, with carvings of Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon.
- Oogie Boogie Bash changes. Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake, a Haunted Mansion street party, replaced the Frightfully Fun Parade, Yzma joined the villain treat trails, and a party-only Headless Horseman Bucket is new. My Oogie Boogie Bash guide has the details.
- World of Color, ONE returned to Disney California Adventure on August 10 and runs through the Halloween season.
- New hotel decor: Monsters, Inc. at Pixar Place Hotel and Haunted Mansion touches at the Disneyland Hotel.
- The Cutie Ghost merchandise collection launched alongside the returning Mickey Mouse Family Halloween Collection.
The Frightfully Fun Parade is not running in 2026
The Frightfully Fun Parade is not running in 2026. The parade debuted at Disneyland’s Mickey’s Halloween Party in 2016, moved to Disney California Adventure in 2019 for the inaugural Oogie Boogie Bash, and ran at the Bash every year since, except 2020, when the parks were closed. The 2026 cut is tied to the Avengers Campus-adjacent Coco attraction construction, which blocks the Disney California Adventure parade gate and backstage route. Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake is its replacement.
At Disneyland Park
Haunted Mansion Holiday and the 2026 gingerbread house
Haunted Mansion Holiday returns for its 25th year. The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay has run since 2001 and stays up through the holiday season, with Sally, Zero, and Oogie Boogie among the familiar faces.
The one piece that changes every year is the gingerbread house on the ballroom table. The 2026 house is a music box more than 10 feet tall: its red lid opens as a skeleton ballerina rises out of the top and spins. My Haunted Mansion Holiday 2026 guide has the full story of the music box and the recent gingerbread houses.
Photos by Philip Hernandez, September 7.
HAN’s short from a past season shows the overlay from the ride.
Halloween Screams
Halloween Screams returns as the nightly projection and effects show on Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street, U.S.A., “it’s a small world,” and the Rivers of America, with fireworks on select nights. Maleficent, Ursula, and other Disney villains take over the sky to a medley of Halloween music.
The Halloween Tree
The Halloween Tree stands in Frontierland near the Golden Horseshoe, an oak hung with jack-o’-lanterns and, after dark, strings of lights. Its plaque says the oak officially became the Halloween Tree on Halloween night 2007, realizing “famed author Ray Bradbury’s dream” of having his symbol for the holiday become part of Disneyland. It is one of my favorite spots in the park, and it is worth a stop for a photo both in daylight and at night.
Photos by Philip Hernandez, September 7.
Main Street pumpkins and decor
The Main Street Pumpkin Festival lines Main Street, U.S.A. with Disney-carved gourds around the giant Mickey Mouse pumpkin, and character pumpkins sit above the park entrance. New this year, the ring of pumpkins around the Partners Statue adds Star Wars carvings of Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon.
Photos by Philip Hernandez, August 19 and September 7.
Frontierland Día de los Muertos installation returns near Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante, decorated with catrinas, calacas, and marigolds in the traditional Mexican ofrenda style.
Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit returns as a scavenger hunt for Disney-themed pumpkins hidden across both parks and the Downtown Disney District. Maps are sold separately and include a keepsake.
Disney’s Happiest Haunts Guided Tour returns as an additional-cost walking tour of Halloween Time offerings across both parks.
Characters in Halloween outfits
Mickey, Minnie, and their pals wear new Halloween outfits this year, with harlequin motifs, frilled collars and cuffs, and confection details in orange, yellow, and black. I met Mickey at the Disneyland entrance and Pluto on Main Street, U.S.A. Characters greet guests at select spots on Main Street and at the entrance, so check the Disneyland app for times.
Photos by Philip Hernandez, September 7.
At Disney California Adventure
Buena Vista Street’s decor includes Oogie Boogie silhouetted by a full moon, a cloud of bats bursting from the Carthay Circle tower, and a Headless Horseman statue welcoming guests.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Monsters After Dark returns each evening at the Collector’s Fortress in Avengers Campus, transforming the daytime Mission: BREAKOUT drop tower into its Halloween-themed nighttime version.
Cars Land Haul-O-Ween returns with Radiator Springs transforming into Radiator Screams each evening, with a nightly neon “Sha-BOO” moment. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree becomes Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters becomes Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween for the season.
Mickey’s Trick and Treat runs at the Disney Theater in Hollywood Land, a daytime sing-along with Mickey and his pals.
World of Color, ONE runs at Paradise Bay through the Halloween season. There is no Halloween-specific World of Color for 2026.
Plaza de la Familia at Disney California Adventure
Plaza de la Familia runs August 21 through November 2, 2026, at Disney California Adventure’s Paradise Gardens Park, celebrating Día de los Muertos and the everlasting bonds of family through decor and entertainment inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Coco.
Returning highlights include “The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate the Musical World of Coco!” street show, live mariachi at the Paradise Garden Bandstand, and the memory wall where guests can add notes of remembrance for loved ones. The Chilaquiles Carnitas Torta returns to Paradise Garden Grill among the Mexican-inspired menu items, and the Coco merchandise collection includes a hoodie, t-shirt, and mug.
Halloween food: what I tried
Disney’s full Halloween menu, with every item and location, is in my Disneyland Halloween foodie guide. Of what I tried, my pick is the simplest thing on the list: the pumpkin cookies at Harbour Galley in New Orleans Square, baked there and served warm, at $8.49 for six or $14.49 for 13. The BooGogi Beef Toasted with Corn Cheese Soup at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe was a disappointment. For a sit-down Halloween meal, my review of Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner at Storytellers Cafe covers the character buffet at the Grand Californian, at about $100 a person.
Photos by Philip Hernandez, August 19 and September 7.
Oogie Boogie Bash
Oogie Boogie Bash, the separately ticketed after-hours party at Disney California Adventure, runs on 33 select nights from August 18 through October 31, and general admission is sold out, according to Disneyland. The Oogie Boogie Bash VIP Tour, which includes event tickets, is the way in that Disney still sells. My Oogie Boogie Bash 2026 guide has the event map, all 11 treat trails, the showtimes, the food, and the merch.
HAN filmed the complete Swinging Wake on opening night, August 18.
At the hotels
Spiral Hill Confectionery at the Grand Californian
The Grand Californian’s lobby display this year is Spiral Hill Confectionery, a Nightmare Before Christmas scene made to be walked around. On the front, Jack Skellington in his Sandy Claws suit and Sally stand atop a snowy Spiral Hill dotted with jack-o’-lanterns, next to Zero’s doghouse. On the back are Oogie Boogie and the Mayor of Halloween Town. The hotel’s sign says the pastry team spent 800 hours on it, using 140 pounds of fondant, 175 pounds of chocolate, 150 pounds of powdered sugar, 105 pounds of rice cereal, and 38 pounds of marshmallows.
The lobby also sells Halloween treats, including a Halloween version of the gingerbread man and a Jack Skellington face cookie. The Disneyland Hotel also has a Halloween confection display.
Photos by Philip Hernandez, September 7.
Hotel decor and dining
Pixar Place Hotel: Disney and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.-themed decor is new for 2026.
Disneyland Hotel: Haunted Mansion-inspired decor is new for 2026. The Broken Spell Lounge serves a Halloween-themed cocktail menu for guests 21 and older, and Goofy’s Kitchen runs Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates Halloween character dining from August 21 through October 31, 2026.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa: Storytellers Cafe hosts Mickey’s Autumn Adventures for breakfast and brunch and Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner in the evenings. The Great Hall Cart in the lobby offers seasonal bites, and Tenaya Stone Spa offers Halloween-themed hair, makeup, and nail services.
All three hotels are running trick-or-treat trails for overnight guests on select afternoons.
Downtown Disney District
Downtown Disney gets autumnal decor, seasonal food and beverage at select locations, and movie nights and live music on the Downtown Disney LIVE! stage and lawn on select evenings. Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit extends into Downtown Disney with a keepsake redemption option.
Dates and tickets summary
- Halloween Time: August 21 through October 31, 2026 (both parks, included with regular admission)
- Plaza de la Familia: August 21 through November 2, 2026 (Disney California Adventure, included with regular admission)
- Haunted Mansion Holiday: from August 21, 2026, into early January 2027 (Disneyland Park, included with regular admission)
- Oogie Boogie Bash: 33 select nights, August 18 through October 31, 2026 (separately ticketed, general admission sold out)
Entering a park takes both a ticket and a park reservation for the same park on the same date. Full event details are on Disneyland.com, and my Disney Halloween hub compares Disneyland with every other Disney resort.
This event is part of my Haunted Houses in California 2026 guide.
