Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake is a 10-minute Haunted Mansion street party at Oogie Boogie Bash, with a parade’s worth of dancers and an original song, and it stops three times along the route. I filmed the whole show on opening night, August 18, and I cried.
Watch the Full Show
My video has two of the three stops: Hollywood Land, which starts at 0:00, and the stop in front of The Little Mermaid, which starts at 10:10. The Ghost Host’s welcome, which opens the show, comes at about 3:37 at the first stop and 11:08 at the second.
About the Show
Oogie Boogie Bash is the separately ticketed Halloween party at Disney California Adventure, and the Swinging Wake is its new street show, replacing the Frightfully Fun Parade this year. Floats and dancers move along Performance Corridor at Disney California Adventure and stop to perform. Disney calls it an “eerie-sistable ghost party” hosted by Madame Leota.
At both stops in my video, the Ghost Host’s welcome from the Haunted Mansion ride opens the show, and Madame Leota starts a séance with her incantation from the ride. The Ghost Host then says the mansion’s 999 happy haunts are coming out for the party, and the performers dance to the show’s original song. It ends with the Ghost Host welcoming the crowd back to the land of the living, and the floats move on.
My Review
There is almost a full parade of performers in the Swinging Wake, and I thought they were all excellent. I found the choreography exceptional and the dance moves fun, and the performers play with the audience at every stop.
How to See It Twice in One Night
The Swinging Wake stops in three places: by Off the Page in Hollywood Land, on the San Fransokyo Square waterfront, where the Dessert Party has its reserved viewing area, and in front of The Little Mermaid. You can watch it twice in one run if you see it at the first stop and then walk fast to the last one.
On the August 20 event guide, the show ran at 8:05 p.m., starting near The Little Mermaid, and at 10:15 p.m., starting near Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark. Check the Disneyland app for your night.
Where to Hear the Song
Disney hasn’t released the show’s song, and as of October 3, searches of Spotify and Apple Music turn up no track from the show. Disney’s page for the Swinging Wake doesn’t name the song or who wrote it. The only “Swinging Wake” on Spotify is a one-minute track from the Haunted Mansion ride’s album.
I think Disney missed an opportunity by not making the music available, because the Swinging Wake could have been a TikTok dance craze, and cosplay groups would have performed it. For now, the place to hear the whole song is a video of the show.
The Meaning of “Swinging Wake”
A wake is a gathering for someone who has died, and a swinging one is a lively party. The phrase comes from the Haunted Mansion ride, where the Ghost Host says the ghosts are gathering for a “swinging wake” after Madame Leota’s séance. The show uses the same narration.
Tickets and Dates
The Swinging Wake runs only during Oogie Boogie Bash, on select nights through October 31. The party is sold out, and my Oogie Boogie Bash guide has the ways still left to get in. For everything else at the resort this season, see my Halloween Time at Disneyland guide.
