Visiting Disneyland in October 2023
Cooler temperatures, Halloween festivities, and fall breaks make Disneyland in October a very popular time to visit for vacationers and locals alike. In fact, this month often rivals December in terms of popularity and crowds. That being said, the Disneyland Resort goes all out for Halloween with attraction overlays, festive decor, themed dining, ticketed events, and more. So if you’re a fan of Disney and Halloween, October can be a great time to visit the parks!
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Planning a Disneyland vacation in 2023? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Disneyland Resort has to offer this year including the reopening of Mickey’s Toontown, the Disney100 Celebration, and more!
October At-a-Glance
- Halloween begins in early September at the Disneyland Resort and will continue through October 31st. The Disneyland Resort goes all out for this holiday making the parks quite busy. But if you love Halloween, you will love all that Disney has to offer parkgoers during this season.
- October will bring with it cooler fall temperatures. It will still be warm, but it definitely won’t feel as hot as in the summer months. Layers will be important as you plan your days in the parks, especially if staying in the evening for Halloween events and festivities.
- Halloween crowds often rival Christmas crowds. Disney is known for being busy during the holiday season in December, so many are surprised to find that October can be similarly busy. Halloween is very popular, and week-long fall breaks from school make it a great time for many to visit the parks.
October Events
Halloween typically arrives in September throughout the Disneyland Resort. In 2022, it began on September 2nd and lasted through October 31st. The entire Disneyland Resort was transformed as Disney provided families with a “not-so-scary” Halloween season to enjoy together. Complete with special attraction overlays, Halloween decor, specialty dining, and more… the popular festivities will likely be back in 2023!
While we don’t have all the details yet for 2023, last year gave us the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney’s California Adventure Park. This ticketed event for families was quite popular and ran on select nights from September 6 – October 31.
October Refurbishments & Closures
*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for October 2023. (Please note that this list could change at a moment’s notice.)
Disneyland Park
- Tarzan’s Treehouse is currently closed and will be receiving new theming as Adventureland Treehouse (likely to open in 2023)
- Splash Mountain closed on March 31, 2023, for retheming. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is likely to open in late 2024.
- Sailing Ship Columbia will close from September 11-14, 2023.
- Mark Twain Riverboat will close on September 17, 2023. An opening date is yet to be announced.
- Space Mountain will close on September 18, 2023. An opening date is yet to be announced.
- Fantasmic! will be suspended until Spring 2024.
California Adventure Park
- Golden Zephyr will close on August 28, 2023. An opening date has yet to be announced.
- Rogers: The Musical completed its seasonal run on August 31, 2023.
- San Fransokyo Square officially opened on August 31, 2023.
October Weather
Overall, Disneyland in October will see cooler temperatures. The average high is 76 degrees and the low is typically around 63 degrees. Layers will be important as you plan your days in the parks, especially if staying in the evening for Halloween events and festivities.
October Disneyland Crowds
Crowd calendars are very popular, but they can also be a bit unpredictable. That being said, the pandemic has made predicting crowds even more difficult than normal.
While crowd calendars can be a big help in planning your trip, keep in mind, that they are predictions at best. When designing our calendars, we take a look at events, school calendars, ticket prices, park hours, holidays, and typical monthly patterns. Unfortunately, our crowd calendars cannot predict other things such as weather, travel advisories, pandemics, or last-minute openings or closings of shows and attractions.
Many are surprised to discover that October can be very busy. Halloween in Disneyland is very popular. Also, many schools in California, Utah, and Nevada have week-long fall breaks spread out throughout the month. That being said, prepare for holiday crowds as you enjoy the Halloween festivities!
Ready to Start Planning Your Visit to Disneyland in October?
Here are some resources to help you get started!
Disneyland Dining Guides:
Disneyland Attraction Guides:
Planning your first Disneyland vacation? Be sure to visit my step-by-step guide to get started!
