October is one of the best months to visit the Disneyland Resort; the weather is beautiful, the parks are covered in Halloween décor, and my favorite resort event goes on all month long: Mickey’s Halloween Party!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
I attended the Halloween party on October 9th. It definitely felt like they upped the number of tickets per night compared to last year, but it was still a blast.
Bert, Alice, Boo, and Carl pose for a picture!
As always, the Halloween party included trick or treating, villain meet-and-greets, special fireworks, and amazing costumes. Some of my favorite groups included a huge Peter Pan ensemble (complete with crocodile!), the gang from Napoleon Dynamite, and a little Aurora accompanied by her three fairy godmothers. Honestly, the best part of the Halloween party is the people watching! That, or the mysterious fog that rolls in over New Orleans Square. In true Disney fashion, it’s magical.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the spirits of deceased family members. Though Dia de los Muertos is actually celebrated on November 1st, Frontierland hosted its celebration for the whole month of October. Zocalo park, the open space next to Rancho del Zocalo, became a fairground with activities and special plaques noting Dia de los Muertos traditions.
Inside the festival, activities included face painting, an orange pumpkin flan tasting, a photo op in front of a skeleton trio, and a seating area overlooking huge floral displays. After exploring Zocalo park, guests could finish their Dia de los Muertos celebration with candy sugar skulls sold on Main Street USA or in Downtown Disney.
CHOC WALK
The Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) hosts an annual 5k fundraiser at the Disneyland Resort. Participants take a three mile walk around the resort before the park opens to the public, and participants can use their wristbands to purchase heavily discounted park tickets.
This year’s walk, held October 11th, raised over 1.7 million dollars for CHOC! You can find more information about the annual walk, CHOC’s programs and support services, and how to donate here.
OTHER UPDATES
Disney revealed on Twitter this month that the Rivers of America will have a “new route” after Star Wars Land opens, but they didn’t provide any further details. No one is sure whether this means the river will actually be moved, or if Star Wars Land will have a waterfront along the existing shoreline.
And finally, guests spotted cast members testing fast pass readers outside of Space Mountain. Could the fast pass + system used in Florida be coming to the west coast? Only time will tell!