What’s New at Disneyland Resort This Halloween Season

Fall is in full swing at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. 

The theme park kicked off its autumn offerings in late August with the return of two major events: Halloween Time, which runs through Oct. 31, and Plaza de la Familia, running through Nov. 2.  

Travel Market Report visited Disneyland to check out the new festive attractions, food items, and merchandise for kids and adults who want to get in the Halloween spirit.  

Plaza de la Familia returns to Disneyland California Adventure with a beautiful celebration of El Día De Muertos, featuring amazing musicians and singers performing songs from Disney and Pixar’s “Coco.”  

The cast members wore gorgeous costumes, and a talented puppeteer performed as the animated film’s main character, Miguel Rivera, singing and playing guitar. The show wove together impressive choreography and a spellbinding storytelling that excited the audience gathered to watch.  

Disneyland honors the traditional Mexican holiday, which falls on Nov. 1 and 2, in other parts of the park, as well. 

“If you are in Disneyland Park, you can go to Frontierland and we have decor that is honoring Día de los Muertos,” Stephanie Graves, Disneyland Resort Project Manager, told TMR. 

Another fantastic sight to see is Haunted Mansion Holiday, an attraction overlay on The Haunted Mansion. 

“Haunted Mansion Holiday is back, kicking off the Halloween Time season,” Juan Aldava, Disneyland Resort sales coordinator, told TMR. 

Haunted Mansion Holiday features all the thrills of the usual attraction, updated with characters from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” including Jack Skellington and Sally. There is a spectacular part of the ride featuring Oogie Boogie’s Holiday Tricks & Treats, a festive gambling wheel.  

New merchandise celebrates Haunted Mansion Holiday’s 25^th anniversary, including an incredible Oogie Boogie hoodie. 

“You flip the hoodie over and instantly transform into Oogie Boogie,” Aldava said, showing off the details on the sweatshirt, including embroidered dice coming out of Oogie Boogie’s pocket. 

Another merch item for Haunted Mansion is a gingerbread house T-shirt, which Disneyland has released for the past 25 years to commemorate the new addition to the attraction. 

“Every year there’s a new gingerbread house in the ballroom of the attraction,” Aldava explained.  

Other popular holiday overlays returning to Disneyland this fall include “Cars” attractions featuring Luigi and Mater singing and dancing. In Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween, the Italian Fiat 500 Luigi cuts a rug on the dance floor, and Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree features Mater singing Halloween-themed country songs like “Welcome to Radiator Screams” and “Monster Truck Smash.” 

One of Disneyland’s most popular rides, “Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!,” also gets a spooky update as Rocket races to rescue Groot in a Halloween adventure. In this sequel to the first ride, there’s a new intro by Rocket Raccoon and a fun Stan Lee cameo. Most of the ride takes place in the dark, and there’s a warning sign at the beginning that it may scare kids.   

New entertainment for kids includes Mickey’s Trick or Treat, which features a perfect mix of classic Disney characters – Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy – dressed up in all-new Halloween outfits featuring festive colors and harlequin-inspired motifs. Spooky fun and songs had all of the kids in the audience dancing.  

Fall merchandise offerings at Disneyland include a Disney Spirit Jersey, featuring Mickey Mouse in the shape of a pumpkin, as well as a bubble wand with Vampire Mickey on top. The Vampire Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket and Coco Lantern sipper are other collectibles that are available to purchase. 

Guests should also be sure to check out new holiday décor at the Pixar Place Hotel, inspired by “Monsters, Inc.,” and the Spiral Hill “The Nightmare Before Christmas” confectionery display at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa throughout the Halloween season. 

Disney Chef Martha Sigala spoke with TMR about the new food offerings at Disneyland Resort this Halloween season. She recommends using mobile order on the Disneyland app to make sure you get all your favorite foods.  

“Everybody is going to find new items that are going to delight,” Sigala said. “Something you can find at Disney California Adventure is the barbeque habanero chicken strips.” 

Sigala also mentioned an experiment from Pym’s Kitchen, the new BBQ Pork Muenster Grilled Cheese. “The buffalo chicken ranch pull-apart bread is very popular right now; it’s just for the season,” she said.  

Fall treats on the food and drink menu include the pumpkin cream sweet tea, which is the perfect drink to put you in the Halloween spirit. Other offerings include the BooGogi Beef Toasted with Corn Cheese Soup, the Villainous wings at Smokejumpers Grill at Disney California Adventure, and the Spicy Oogie Boogie Burrito.  

The grand finale to any fall visit to Disneyland Resort is the “Halloween Screams” nighttime spectacular, complete with fireworks on select nights. The event is hosted by Jack Skellington and his dog Zero. It features several amazing Halloween-inspired songs, as well as appearances by Disney villains like Maleficent and Ursula the Sea Witch.  

Some other characters to look out for at Disneyland Resort this fall include Clarabelle Cow, Gaston, Cruella de Vil, and the Queen of Hearts, among many others.