Ghoulish greetings and welcome to planDisney, Nicole. We're so glad you're here to share this question with us. There's nothing quite like
Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, but throw in a runDisney weekend at the same time and you can count me in!
I love this plan to tackle so many wonderful events at the Disneyland Resort in one weekend. Halloween Time at the resort generally tends to draw in more crowds and when you add in
Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend participants, you've got a weekend that's likely to be a bit busier than usual. The great news is that
Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party is limited in capacity and you will enjoy lighter crowds during this spooktacular event.
We don't know the party dates for the bash quite yet, but if they follow the same patterns from the past couple of years, we should expect to see party nights on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The
Disneyland Halloween 5K takes place on Friday, September 6th, so you most likely will have the choice of attending Oogie Boogie Bash the Thursday before or the Sunday after your race.
I recently participated in the 5K during the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend and can tell you that it will be an extra early start. We left our hotel room at 4:00 a.m. to arrive in time for the 5:00 a.m. race start time. The Oogie Boogie Bash typically goes until 11:00 p.m. which may not leave you much time for sleep if you attend the night before your race and plan to stay for the entire party. There are so many frightfully fun things to do during the bash, you will definitely want to stay as long as you can. In the past, party-goers have been allowed to enter Disney California Adventure Park for up to 3 hours before the party begins, however, the bash and all the festivities won't start until the official party start time.
It will be entirely up to you and how much sleep you need and want. I will say that the 5K was not a timed race and it had more of a "fun run" feel to me. My sister, friend and I had a blast walking through the parks before they were open and taking photos with some really fun characters. If you're "Team No Sleep," I say go for it. I often live by the mantra, "You only live once" (YOLO)!
Be sure to keep an eye on
Disney Parks Blog and follow
@disneyparks on Instagram for the latest announcements and details on when tickets for Oogie Boogie Bash go on sale. It's an extremely popular event and tends to sell out shortly after tickets go on sale.
Nicole, I hope this helps as you are scheming your Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend plans. It's going to be a wickedly fun time. I'll be sending all the pixie dust your way when race registration opens and bash tickets go on sale.
Happy haunting!
Michelle