Laura's Disney Lines

Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party
I've Got Punky Power!
by Lisa K. Berton

I love Halloween almost as much as I love Disneyland Resort. When the two merge it makes me jump up and down with glee. The icing on the devil's food cake is Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party at Disney's California Adventure. For a period of four hours on select nights, the park transforms into a whirlwind of candy, characters, candy, Halloween-themed music, candy, spooky projections, and more candy.

Friday, October 16th was the night I ran around the park. The festivities were scheduled for 7:30pm-11:30pm and by 7 o'clock a massive crowd was waiting outside the gates ready to embark on a sugar high. Prior to renting a locker and turning myself into fashion icon Punky Brewster, I grabbed a pumpkin muffin and a bottle of water from Blue Ribbon Bakery. It's not the most nutritious dinner but it gave me enough energy to make it through most of the night.

I had purchased my ticket online and printed it out at home before flying to California. When I got to the turnstile, the Cast Member scanned my paper ticket and kept it. Special park maps listing what dining options were available as well as running attractions, character locations, candy spots, and "Mickey's Trick-or-Treat on the Street" Cavalcade times and route were readily available. Inside the park, Cast Members handed out plastic treat bags. They're big enough to hold all of the candy collected from every treat station. One side of the bag advertises the movie "Up" coming out on DVD and Blu-Ray while the other is "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Most folks head towards Hollywood Pictures Backlot first because it's the closest land to the entrance. I went to Pirate Wharf which took over Pacific Wharf. Here you'll find pirate treasure and skeletal remains of those who tried to carry it off. There's a DJ spinning pop songs and pirate Cast Members dancing. Coloring is available at craft tables and characters like Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, and Jack Sparrow pose for photos. Three counter service eateries are open at Pirate Wharf: Pacific Wharf Cafe offers soups and salads, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill serves tacos and burritos, and Lucky Fortune Cookery has rice bowls.

Backtracking towards a bug's land I came across two scarecrows hanging around. One was loafing about and snoozing until I approached him. Awake, both he and the other scarecrow made conversation with guests. The funniest thing I heard all night was a little girl who pointed behind a scarecrow and yelled "CROW!" She had him going for a minute there. The first of two Mickey's Trick-or-Treat on the Street cavalcades started out between Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! and Candy Corn Acres at 8:30pm. I asked three Disney managers who were talking together for a prime location to take photos. They directed me to the area between a post and the waterfall. I would say for a great spot, stand so the entrance to a bug's land is across the street from you and a bit to the left. That's where the float with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald stops.

In front of them will be Jessie and Woody dancing in the street, and bustin' a move behind the float are Gepetto, Alice, and Mad Hatter. Kids who dance and wiggle about in the street are given special event pins. Other characters in the cavalcade include White Rabbit, little green men, and Pinocchio. Dancing witches and warlocks take to the streets, walking alongside floats while giant Mickey pumpkins filled with huge candy corn roll along. Having the Cavalcade twice during the night means the crowds are very manageable. I found it very easy to switch spots with moms and dads who were also taking photos. The 8:30 pm performance brought out lots of little kids, 10 and younger, while the older kids and child-free adults attended the 10:30 pm showing.

My next stop was Paradise Pier. At the top of the pier I found the humanized Ariel and Belle each with their own backdrop. The line to see them was very long so I took photos from outside the roped off area and continued walking down the ramp. Across from the entrance to California Screamin' were little green men and Jessie. Three out of four Boardwalk Games were open and free to play. Every player walked away with two pieces of candy while the winner received a handful. The newly themed games are very cute. The former Sun Wheel ferris wheel has been redecorated with Mickey's face in the center and his buddies painted on the swinging and stationary cars. I went for a ride in a non-moving car and was joined by two dads and their little girls.

If you continue through the area as I did, heading towards Mulholland Madness, you'll come across three treat stations in a row. Go get your candy. I only stopped at one of them. Now, there was a Mickey's Hide and Go Treat Trail in Golden State over by Grizzly River Run but I never made it over there so I can't tell you what I missed. Rumor had it there was a Ghirardelli stand next to Soarin' Over California. Ghirardelli dark chocolate and milk chocolate with caramel squares were also being handed out on the other side of Golden State across from the wharf. That I'm sure of because I went there twice.

Candy Corn Acres was hosting a dance party complete with Goofy and Donald Duck dressed as farmers. Lots of colored lights and strobes filled the area as kids shook their tail feathers. I never knew Donald was such a fan of rock 'n roll until that night. He even played air guitar. Cast Members were dressed in pink and orange bubble dresses. The outfits made me think of Willy Wonka and other tripped out images that frighten me.

Baker's Field Bakery in Sunshine Plaza was open and selling their yummy baked goods. Both Greetings from California and Engine Ears Toys were open and selling their regular merchandise with Greetings also carrying event merchandise like sweatshirts, T-shirts, and cloth tote bags that could double as trick-or-trick bags.

My last area to conquer was Hollywood Pictures Backlot, the place where most folks began their partying. What a great place to load up on characters and candy. In front of Disney Animation stood a scaled down version of The Seven Dwarfs' house and out front you could find the Evil Queen or Snow White and Dopey. Over by the Hyperion Theater in the queue area, Mickey and Minnie hung out in front of a haunted house backdrop. In front of the Hyperion Theater were Handy Manny, JoJo & Goliath (JoJo's Circus), and Annie & June (Little Einsteins). Meanwhile at Hollywood "Bat-lot" Bash, the music was pumping and The Incredibles and Frozone were dancing the night away. Inside the Animation Building was the other Mickey's Hide and Go Treat Trail. Going through the various rooms with all the lights on was cool because you could actually see everything and just how detailed the rooms are. Dining options in Hollywood Pictures Backlot were Award Wieners and Fairfax Fruit Market.

There are 13 treat stations in addition to the trails. I only got to about half of them so there may be a few types of candy that I never got but here's the complete list of everything I collected: Twix, M&Ms, Skittles, Now & Laters, Sixlets, Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, Lemonheads, Jaw Busters, Ghirardelli squares, Craisins, carrots, apple slices, Nerds, Laffy Taffy, A&W root beer hard candy, Sassy Taffy, and Sassy Sours.

Costumes are welcome and encouraged for everyone. Most kids dress up and less than half of the adults don an outfit. I saw pirates, Davy Jones (not the Monkee), super heroes, Disney characters, Shrek, witches, and video game characters particularly from Mario. The coolest of all costumes was a group of adults that dressed up as the portraits in the Stretching Room in Haunted Mansion.

It's a fun night and if you've been thinking about going, go! Put on a costume, get in the Halloween mood and have a good time. If you want to trade your Twix mini-bars for my Sassy Sours let me know.

You can see more of Lisa Berton's photos of the Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party in our 2009 photo galleries:

General Party Photos

Parade and Character Photos

General information on the party, including ticket info and a schedule of events, is available HERE.

Read more of Lisa's blogs:

54 years young!

This year we've already seen the opening of the updated "it's a small world" attraction, the new Celebrate! A Street Party, the Celebration Round-up and BBQ dining experience, and the new Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Over at DCA, the Food and Wine Festival returned for a 4th year, Cocina Cucamonga moved to a new location with an expanded menu, Mickey's Fun Wheel opened, and the Blue Sky Cellar preview center just re-opened with updated exhibits on what we can expect in DCA's continuing expansion.

I think Disneyland received some of its birthday presents early this year with the premiere of the new Summer Nightastic! event, featuring the return of revamped favorites like Disney's Electrical Parade and Fantasmic!, and the new TLT Dance Club, Pixie Hollow Enchantment, and the all new fireworks show, Magical, where Dumbo flies around the castle.

The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend returns Labor Day weekend, with events Friday-Sunday - Lee and I will be running the half marathon on Sunday. And the very first D23 Expo takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center September 10-13.

Disney's HalloweenTime returns on September 25, including the popular Haunted Mansion Holiday and the return of Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at DCA on selected nights in October.

Also this fall, the very first DVC resort in California, The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Resort & Spa opens its doors.

The holidays return to Disneyland in November as Disneyland is transformed into the "Merriest Place on Earth", with all of the special decorations, parade and fireworks that go with it.

Next spring the new Disney's World of Color nighttime spectacular opens in DCA and who knows what else Disney might have planned?

Happy Birthday, Disneyland!

AllEars pages on some of the events and attractions mentioned above:
"it's a small world"
Celebrate! A Street Party
Celebration Roundup and BBQ
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Disney's California Food and Wine Festival
Mickey's Fun Wheel
Summer Nightastic!
Disney's Electrical Parade
Fantasmic!
Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend
Mickey's Trick or Treat Party

The special after-hours Halloween party at DCA has returned this year with a new name - Mickey's Trick or Treat Party. It's being held on 11 nights in October, with the final night on Halloween itself. We attended on the first night, Friday October 3.

We had a good time, but as far as I could tell the party itself is pretty much the same as last year - the biggest difference I saw was new signs with the new name.

The October 3 party was supposedly sold out as of several weeks ago, but Disney was still selling tickets at the ticket booths that evening. I'd have to say that this party seemed a bit more crowded than others I'd attended in the past - though the crowds were NOTHING like Disneyland, where we went for dinner before the party, which had its typical busy Friday night activity.

For any of you who aren't familiar with the party...activities include trick-or-treating at treat stations all around the park, pirate games and crafts for the kids at Pirate Wharf, DJ-led dance parties at Candy Corn Acres, Pirate Wharf, and the Bat-Lot Bash, character meet and greet areas throughout the park, and the Mickey's Trick or Treat on the Street character cavalcade (because it's too short to call it a parade) at the end of the evening. One of the big draws is that *anyone* can dress in costume - even those of us who are grown-up kids! Normally you can only go to park in costume if you are age 9 or under (chronologically - your mental age doesn't count! ;-) )

Most attractions in the park are open, including Toy Story Mania. I was hoping smaller crowds might mean shorter lines for that...while the line was ~15 minutes about 45 minutes after the party started, it was 40 minutes at 10:40 p.m., and the party ended at 11:30. We rode it twice - and we both keep getting better at it. (Attractions that are NOT open: Grizzly River Run, Maliboomer and all of the shows.)

It's always fun to see the characters themselves having fun at the dance parties - we saw Goofy and Pluto at Candy Corn Acres, Chip & Dale (in pirate attire!) at Pirate Wharf, and Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone at the Bat-lot Bash. In fact, one of my favorite moments of the party was watching the Incredibles dance with each other.

It's also a lot of fun to see all of the costumed Cast Members dancing, interacting with guests, and just looking like they are having a blast. I would hope that the parties are fun for them, too - they sure make it look like they are enjoying themselves as well!

The wisecracking scarecrows are back at the entrance to "a bug's land" - they were having a good time just "hanging" around...You might think they'd be down to their last straw, but even if their job is for the birds they were still very down-to-earth - no stuffed shirts here! You could even say that they are outstanding in their field! :-)

They had MUCH better candy this year - last year it was mostly what I consider "junk" candy - Laffy Taffy, Lemonheads, Starburst - and hardly any chocolate. There was a lot more chocolate this year - Butterfingers, Baby Ruth, Clark Bars, Nestle Crunch, Kisses, etc. Early in the evening they were giving out candy by the handful, though around 10:00 they decided they were running low and held it to 2-3 pieces/person after that. (And there were a few stations that ran out of candy before the end of the party.) I found one treat station that had Ghirardelli chocolate squares - unfortunately I didn't find it when they were giving it out by the handful! :-) The lines at the treat stations were never too bad (and they got shorter), but the lines at the treat trails, particularly the one in the Animation Building, got very long, though that one improved by 10:00. (On the other treat trails, if you just walked past a long line and went to the next treat station it wasn't too bad.)

We thought there were more adults in costume this year, though I'd still say that more people don't wear costumes. We went in our Belle and Jedi costumes again this year. The CMs actually got my costume this year - last year several called me "Alice" or "Dorothy", but this year those who commented on my costume got it right. :-) Lee's costume again got rave reviews, though a few kids were disappointed that his light saber didn't *really* work. :-)

I always enjoy the decorations at the Trick-or-Treat party. They do it more with lighting than anything else, except at Pirate Wharf, which has more elaborate decorations. But considering they only have 1.5 hours from when DCA closes until the party starts, I think they do a good job!

It always looks like huge spiders have been at work around the park - Grizzly Peak is covered with a huge spider web, as is the Orange Stinger, the side of the building on Pacific Wharf, and the Tower of Terror, among others.

And there are projections all over the sidewalks - they whirl and spin and get bigger or smaller - there are pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, or phrases like "BOO!", as well as the party logo. I've noticed that the kids enjoy running along with them. :-)

A few projections that I had not noticed before:

The skull and crossbones on the side of the Pacific Wharf:

Bat eyes in the "Bat-lot" area:

And these flying ghosts on the water wheel at Grizzly River Run:

The Mickey ghost and pumpkin lights are always fun:

And they also decorate with those blowy air-filled things. (Though they had one set up in the villains meet-and-greet area that was out of control and kept "attacking" the CMs standing near it. :-) )

The lighting around Paradise Bay is always beautiful - but its normal colors are oranges and yellows so it's already "Halloweenish" to start with. I was happy to see the smiling jack-o-lantern back on California Screamin' this year - it was absent last year because of the Toy Story Mania construction.

They have a lot of backdrops set up for the various character meet and greets - at the end of the party after the characters have gone these are nice places to pose your own photos! This smiling Mickey pumpkin is in front of Playhouse Disney:

I wish they would do more with the parade...it takes maybe 5 minutes to pass by, so if you blink, you miss it. (It does have three longer performance stops, though.) At least it has its own catchy "Trick-or-Treat on the Street" theme song, though. I don't suppose it will ever be as elaborate as Mickey's Boo to You parade at Magic Kingdom's Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party - but on the other hand, Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party is about half the price of that one!

I have posted more party photos in two photo galleries on AllEars:

General Photos

Parade, Party Activities, Characters

And you can find more information on the party, including dates, times, and ticket prices on the Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party page.

If you'd like to share your comments on the party with others, please visit our Rate and Review section.