Disneyland is Unquestionably Best During These Two Times of the Year. 7 Considerations For Which is Best For You.

Disneyland is a magical place no matter what time of year it is, but there is no doubt that the seasonal celebrations at the resort can make a visit feel even more special. There are some key differences in atmosphere, entertainment offerings, celebration length, crowd patterns, and weather between the two celebrations. There are also certain unique aspects that make each celebration stand out.

There are so many wonderful offerings included with admission during the two major seasonal celebrations that take place at Disneyland for Halloween and the holidays. These are undoubtedly the two best times of year to visit! We would absolutely recommend visiting during both celebrations if you are able, but if you have to choose, here is everything you'll want to take into account when deciding between a Disneyland Halloween visit vs. Disneyland Christmas visit.

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Disneyland Christmas vs. Halloween Atmospheres

Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland have several commonalities when it comes to their special offerings. Both have special entertainment, decor across the resort, seasonal character dining themes, themed food and merch, and ride overlays that are available for a limited time. You'll also find the classic characters at the parks wearing cute seasonal attire, adding to the ambiance of these celebrations! However, for all the similarities between these two celebrations, there are some key differences as well. The overall atmosphere, scale of offerings, and crowd patterns are all slightly different, and the celebrations have certain unique offerings.

The Halloween and Christmas celebrations each bring a unique atmosphere to the park with special decor, music, themed foods and merch, ride overlays, and more. The question of which atmosphere is “better” is quite subjective when comparing Disneyland at Halloween vs. Christmas.

The Halloween celebrations at the Disney parks are “not-so-scary,” as Disney likes to market it, with a sense of light-hearted spookiness rather than anything genuinely scary. As a matter of fact, there is actually only one Halloween overlay at Disneyland that may be too frightening for kids, while the other three have a much more playful tone. Halloween at Disneyland is a far cry from the (actually quite terrifying) Knott's Scary Farm and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Hollywood. The atmosphere of the celebration is quite fun, with the Main Street Pumpkin Festival featuring the iconic giant Mickey pumpkin photo op, and Cars Land at Disney California Adventure impressively decorated. You'll find over a hundred seasonal Disneyland Halloween foods around the parks, fun Halloween popcorn buckets and other novelties, and themed merchandise in the stores! The ambiance of Halloween at Disneyland is simple but beloved for very good reason.

Christmas has an equally charming but quite different atmosphere that is very festive and warm. Disneyland Park is elaborately decorated with a giant Christmas tree in Town Square, icicles and shimmering winter lights on the castle, and festive wreaths and garlands adorning Main Street. Like Halloween, you'll find a huge number of limited-time Disneyland Christmas foods and seasonal merchandise. “it's a small world” has its charming holiday overlay, along with the very popular Haunted Mansion Holiday (offered during both the Halloween and Christmas celebrations) and the two Cars Land overlays.

Christmas Has More Special Entertainment

While both celebrations have special entertainment, it's worth noting that there are significantly more offerings in this area during Christmas than there are during Halloween. Major entertainment offerings at Christmas include the “A Christmas Fantasy” parade and the “Believe In Holiday Magic” fireworks at Disneyland Park, as well as the “World of Color Season of Light” show and the Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party at Disney California Adventure. There have been some smaller entertainment offerings added recently to Disney California Adventure as well, including “A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel!” and “Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season.”

At Halloween, the main seasonal entertainment offering is the “Halloween Screams” fireworks show and outdoor show “The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate the Musical World of Coco!” at Disney California Adventure. Halloween Screams is my favorite fireworks show at Disneyland and should absolutely not be overlooked, but it is worth acknowledging that Halloween has a little less going on in this department compared to the myriad entertainment offerings during the holidays. There is the “Frightfully Fun Parade” at Disney California Adventure during the after-hours Oogie Boogie Bash nights, but you need an event ticket in order to see this. 

Christmas Has Smaller Magical Moments

In addition to the great entertainment offerings of the Christmas celebration that we discussed above, there are also some smaller, magical moments that really add to the atmosphere in the evenings.

You can enjoy moments of snowfall on Main Street, a special lighting of the 60-foot-tall Christmas tree in Town Square, and the lighting of the facade of “it's a small world” at dusk. At Disney California Adventure, the Cars Land lighting each evening gets a fun holiday theme as “Winter Wonderland” plays, and the land lights up in all its holiday-decorated glory. All of these moments are wonderful, but especially so if you are visiting with young kids. They really epitomize the special magic of Disneyland during this time of year.

And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that you can meet Santa during Christmas! Santa appears at the Disneyland Resort hotels, both parks, and a special character dining breakfast in Downtown Disney.

Halloween Is A Longer Celebration

One very big difference when comparing Halloween vs. Christmas at Disneyland is that the Halloween celebration is much longer! The Christmas celebration typically runs from the third week of November through the first week of January, while the Halloween celebration has recently been running from late August through October 31.

The Halloween celebration lasts about 10 weeks, vs. the Christmas celebration, which lasts approximately 7 weeks. You have a little more flexibility in planning your visit during the Halloween celebration if you want to plan your trip during the times with the lowest crowds, like the end of August and the month of September, which are some of the best times to visit Disneyland. You'll want to avoid October if you can, as this is one of the busiest months of the year.

You still have a pretty good window of time to visit during Christmas, but it is a shorter celebration and includes the week of Thanksgiving at Disneyland and the last stretch of December with Christmas/New Year's Eve at Disneyland that have peak crowds. If you are trying to avoid these extremely crowded weeks, this leaves you with a narrower window to schedule a visit. There are still some good times to visit in parts of November and early December, which you can see in our Mickey Visit Disneyland crowd calendar.

Halloween Has Oogie Boogie Bash

While Disneyland held an after-hours “Disney Merriest Nights” Christmas party in 2021, it did not return after its one-year run. This is significant to note, especially for Walt Disney World regulars who may assume Disneyland has after-hours parties during both of these seasons, like Magic Kingdom does.

The Halloween Oogie Boogie Bash parties at Disney California Adventure are hugely popular, and Disneyland has extended its party dates to meet the demand. These parties offer access to special entertainment, trick-or-treating, and rare character meet-and-greets. Adding to the appeal, guests get to wear costumes to attend the event!

While it's possible that Disneyland may bring back a version of an after-hours Christmas party in the future, there are currently no plans to. So, if this is an appealing concept for your trip, then you'll want to plan a visit during the Halloween season and be ready to immediately jump on Oogie Boogie Bash tickets when they go on sale!

Disney California Adventure Has a Larger-Scale Festival During Christmas

One of the best parts about Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland is that Disney California Adventure celebrates with a greater emphasis on cultural experiences, with Plaza de la Familia during the fall, and the Disney Festival of Holidays during the winter.

The Disney Festival of Holidays has several wonderful offerings, from food marketplaces celebrating traditions around the world to special entertainment like the amazing Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party, A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel!, and “Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season.” You'll also find some fun, smaller entertainment offerings like Mickey's Happy Holidays cavalcade/dance party, the Holiday Toy Drummers, and multicultural performances during this time.

Plaza de la Familia has some great offerings, but on a slightly smaller scale. Paradise Gardens is the center of this celebration, featuring special seasonal foods, a Memory Wall and the Mexican Árbol de la Vida (Tree of Life), decor and crafts, and the show “The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate the Musical World of Coco!”

Comparing the offerings at Disney California Adventure during Halloween vs. Christmas, there is a greater number of cultural experiences to enjoy during the holiday celebration, which is something to consider if you are thinking of enjoying a longer 3-day or more trip.

The Weather Is Different

Another key difference between these celebrations is the type of weather you can expect during your visit. In general, the majority of the Halloween celebration will have much more summerlike weather with high temperatures, while the Christmas celebration will have warm afternoons and chillier mornings/evenings.

If you're visiting during late August or the first half of September during the Halloween celebration, you can expect the weather to be pretty hot and dry, with average temperatures climbing into the mid-80s. This is definitely something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to hot weather or visiting Disneyland while pregnant. 

The good news is that you probably don't need to worry as much about layers in the mornings and evenings when the average lows are in the mid-60s, but you will definitely feel the heat during the day. You'll want to wear breathable clothes, rope drop attractions in the early morning, and have a plan to escape the afternoon heat with water rides, a mid-day break, or dining reservations. Temperatures are still warm but start to cool down a little throughout the second part of September into October. 

In November and December, you shouldn't expect any kind of extreme cold like you would in other parts of the country, but you should still be prepared for the temperature to shift during the day. In November, you can expect the weather to be quite warm during the day (with average highs in the mid-70s), but don't underestimate the chillier mornings and evenings (with average lows of 52 degrees). December is just slightly colder than this, and you should bring layers for the mornings and evenings. While the colder temperatures at the beginning and end of the day can be a little bit of a shock to the system, know that the afternoons in December are some of the loveliest I've ever seen at Disneyland. The weather is pretty manageable during these months, but you should be prepared to put on and take off layers throughout the day as needed.

Disneyland Halloween vs. Christmas? Final Choice

As we said at the start of this article, we recommend visiting during both celebrations at some point if you can. However, if two Disneyland trips so close together are not in the cards, it ultimately comes down to your personal preference. Some have very strong positive feelings about the vibes of one celebration or the other—if you're a huge fan of spooky season or adore the sentimental atmosphere of the holidays, then your answer is pretty easy!

If you don't have strong feelings one way or another, I'd recommend looking at the pros and cons in the list above and seeing which one wins out for you personally. If you're looking to really squeeze in as many experiences as possible during your visit, then I would recommend going during Christmas and considering a 3-day or longer trip to hit all of the highlights. Or, if your priority is going during a slow time with lots of flexibility in scheduling, the Halloween celebration would be a better fit. If you are trying to avoid the heat and don't mind the chillier mornings and evenings, then visiting during Christmas may be the right move.

There really is no wrong answer here, as both celebrations are magical in their own unique way! Make sure to check out our full guides to Halloween at Disneyland and Christmas at Disneyland for a full breakdown of all the offerings available during these celebrations.

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