Then, on August 21, the pumpkins officially take over.
Disneyland Park Gets the Classic Halloween Treatment
Disneyland Park remains the heart of the resort’s fall atmosphere. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and friends will appear in Town Square with new Halloween outfits featuring harlequin patterns, frilled collars, and orange, yellow, and black details.
Main Street, U.S.A. brings back the giant Mickey pumpkin and the Main Street Pumpkin Festival. Frontierland adds another classic photo stop with the Halloween Tree.
Disney is also adding a Star Wars touch near the Partners Statue. The surrounding pumpkin display will include designs inspired by Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Returns
Jack Skellington is back. Haunted Mansion Holiday returns with Sally, Zero, Oogie Boogie, and the familiar mix of Haunted Mansion and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The ballroom will also feature an all-new gingerbread house design. That detail has become one of the best reasons to ride every year, even if you already know the overlay well.
Halloween Screams Lights Up the Resort
Halloween Screams returns each night during Halloween Time. The show uses projections on Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street, U.S.A., “it’s a small world,” and the Rivers of America, with Disney villains taking over the night.
On select nights, fireworks join the show.
That makes Halloween Screams one of the easiest seasonal wins of the trip, especially for guests not attending a separate-ticket party.
Disney California Adventure Goes All In
Disney California Adventure brings a different kind of Halloween energy. Buena Vista Street welcomes guests with Oogie Boogie décor, bats near Carthay Circle Restaurant, and the Headless Horseman statue.
Cars Land becomes Radiator Screams, complete with Halloween décor, residents in “car-stumes,” and two attraction overlays: Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween.
Each night, the land adds its “Sha-BOO” moment as the neon lights flicker on.
Over in Avengers Campus, Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark returns in the late afternoon. Rocket is back inside the Collector’s Fortress, monsters are loose, and Groot needs saving.
For younger guests, Mickey’s Trick and Treat begins August 18 at the Disney Theater in Hollywood Land, with Halloween music, bubbles, and Mickey Mouse and friends.
Plaza de la Familia Returns
Plaza de la Familia returns to Disney California Adventure from August 21 through November 2, 2026.
Inspired by Pixar’s Coco, the celebration honors Día de los Muertos with entertainment, décor, food, and merchandise in Paradise Gardens Park.
Guests can walk through the marigold arch, see calaca figures, and add a remembrance note to the memory wall.
Paradise Garden Grill will feature seasonal menu items, including the returning Chilaquiles Carnitas Torta. Disneyland Park will also feature Día de los Muertos décor near Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante.
Oogie Boogie Bash Adds a New Street Party
Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party returns to Disney California Adventure for 33 nights in August, September, and October.
The after-hours party runs from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., with admission including entry to Disney California Adventure three hours before the event begins.
The party includes trick-or-treat trails, rare characters, villains, themed food, select attractions, Villains Grove, and unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital downloads during the event. The big 2026 addition is Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake – A Haunted Mansion Street Party.
The new street party brings Haunted Mansion-inspired moments into Disney California Adventure, with Madame Leota hosting a spirited séance filled with happy haunts, ghostly dancing, and 999 reasons to pay attention.
Hotels and Downtown Disney Join the Season
Halloween Time also reaches beyond the parks. Pixar Place Hotel will feature new décor inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., while Disneyland Hotel adds Haunted Mansion-inspired touches.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disneyland Hotel will also feature seasonal confection displays.
Character dining joins the lineup too. Storytellers Cafe will host Mickey’s Autumn Adventures for breakfast and brunch, plus Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner in the evening. Disneyland Hotel will offer Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates Halloween throughout the day.
Downtown Disney will add fall décor, themed eats, seasonal shopping, movie nights, live music, and Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, the returning pumpkin hunt with a keepsake prize.
Sam’s Disney Diary Take
Disneyland Halloween Time has become a full resort-wide season. Disneyland Park has the classics: Main Street pumpkins, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Halloween Screams, and those perfect fall photo spots.
Disney California Adventure brings the party energy with Cars Land, Monsters After Dark, Plaza de la Familia, and Oogie Boogie Bash.
The hotels and Downtown Disney stretch the season even further. For 2026, the biggest planning note is Oogie Boogie Bash. The new Madame Leota street party gives fans another reason to watch ticket dates closely, and those June sale dates will matter.
But even without the party, there is plenty here. Haunted Mansion Holiday, Plaza de la Familia, Cars Land at night, seasonal food, hotel displays, and Main Street under the pumpkins are enough to build a full fall trip around.
Halloween Time begins August 21. The pumpkins are coming.
