Hiya, Christy! Welcome to planDisney. I'm so glad you've stopped by.
In my experience, MagicBand+ comes with a partial charge, which allows for basic functionality like scanning at the Disneyland theme park main entrance gates (with a valid theme park ticket and park reservation) and linking photos at a PhotoPass photographer. However, without a full charge, you may find that a brand-new MagicBand+ may not
fully interact with its surroundings. So those moments at World of Color Happiness! or other nighttime spectaculars may not illuminate the band. So if that is a priority for you, you may want to purchase one ahead of time!
Christy, if you're planning to use the band during
Oogie Boogie Bash (OBB), you will need to pair your new MagicBand+ to the OBB event ticket using the Disneyland Mobile App. To pair the MagicBand+, log into your My Disney Account in the Disneyland Mobile App. Once you are logged into the app, click the “hamburger” icon (☰) on the bottom right of the app home screen. From there, select MagicBand+ under the "Account" section and click on the blue plus sign at the top right of the next screen. Follow the instructions for linking your MagicBand+ and then assign your OBB Event Ticket to the
MagicBand+, and you will be set to go.
In past years, upon scanning your Ooogie Boogie Bash event ticket, a Cast Member would also give you an event wristband with a QR code (to link PhotoPass photos from the event). This band is a visual that allows Cast Members to know you are there for the spooktacular fun at OBB, and would need to be kept on at all times during the event.
I hope this helps, Christy. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy scaring,
Melissa