How To Experience Disneyland’s Halloween Time Without a Park Ticket
For all those Disney fans out there who are currently craving a taste of Disneyland Resort’s spooky season specials but don’t have a park ticket or reservation, it should be noted that the Halloween season celebrations are in fact not limited to that park visitors only.
The eerie magic cast over the resort extends to the Downtown Disney District and Disneyland Resort hotels. Adjacent to the park, these areas showcase their own seasonal delights, including special decor and acoustic ambiance, along with limited-time snacks, sweets, and spooky goods galore.
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A happy haunted hunt
Families will be thrilled to know that the popular Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit has returned to Downtown Disney District this year and is running through October 31st (or until stocks of game boards run out). It’s a fun, scavenger hunt-style event that the whole family can enjoy together as you explore Downtown Disney and look for special decorative pumpkins hidden throughout the district.
Start by purchasing a game card (complete with stickers) at select Disney specialty stores — like the World of Disney Store — for under $10, then go pumpkin hunting! Place a sticker on your playing card each time you find one of the 13 special hand-painted pumpkins, each inspired by a different Disney character. Regardless of whether you decide to sniff out all the pumpkins, be sure to trade your card in at the store to receive one of four mini pumpkin buckets.
Along the way, you’re sure to be impressed by Downtown Disney’s carefully manicured, sprawling flower beds transformed into their fall-themed arrangements, with more than 5,000 individual plants artfully installed in 14 planters.
Goose bumps songs!
‘The SCAREolers’, six of Haunted Mansion’s 999 Grim Grinning Ghosts, are an a cappella group who come out to socialize on select nights in Downtown Disney. This spooky glee club will be singing spooky Halloween songs, including Hocus Pocus’s “I Put a Spell on You,” and other Disney Villains homage tunes, Friday through Sunday nights from September 30 through October 31, 2022. Halloween carol singers can also be caught on the grounds of Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa on select October afternoons.
Imagine yourself in Hocus Pocus 2
If you visit the Downtown Disney District between September 20th and October 31st, 2022, you’ll find a special photo op to celebrate the upcoming release of the Disney+ film Hocus Pocus 2, which fans of the original cult-classic film have been waiting for some time longing for it. Look for its location between Splitsville and Tortilla Jo’s.
Fall in love at first bite
Of course, outside of the parks, too, you can count on encountering special seasonal foods and beverages throughout Disneyland Resort, from pumpkin-spiced treats and clever Halloween concoctions that reflect the looks of your favorite Disney characters to Dishes on the restaurant menu.
Some of the many Downtown Disney restaurants and snack shops where you can get your fall flavored treats include Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes, La Brea Bakery Cafe, Ballast Point Brewing Co., Naples Ristorante e Bar, Marceline’s Confectionery, Kayla’s Cake, Sprinkles, Jamba and Salt & Straw. At the hotels, visit the GCH Holiday Cart, Hearthstone Lounge, GCH Craftsman Grill and Coffee House for Halloween-themed dining.
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