Disneyland This Week—Popular Ride Closing, Halloween Launch Causes Huge Crowds, Celebrity Spotting, Avengers Campus Construction, and More

Welcome back to Mickey Visit Disneyland This Week! Each week at Mickey Visit, we unearth Disneyland news and tips you could easily miss completely. We have all of the essential dates for your visit. This week, we have news about a popular ride closing for refurbishment, a special Disney Junior celebration at the resort, crowds impact looking ahead, and more.

These news and date updates provide the most important information for your visit every single week, whether you are a frequent visitor or visiting for the first time in years. We cut through the noise to hone in on what dates and news matter for this week. Click here to see our most recent Disneyland This Week update from last week for all the things you missed at Disneyland and our first Disneyland This Week update for all my thoughts on what we are hoping to achieve with these weekly updates.

My name is Gavin Doyle. Each week, I and members of my team, including Lindsay Brookshier, Emily Midgley, and Bridget Waldman from @CaliforniaDisneyBliss, will work together to bring you the most essential Disneyland information. This is your one-stop resource for everything happening at Disneyland the week of August 4, 2025.

One Big Thing in Disneyland News – Disneyland Halloween Merch Drops!

Ahead of the kickoff of the Halloween celebration in a few weeks, Disneyland dropped Halloween merchandise in the parks, World of Disney, and the Disney Home store today. There was a very long line around 7:45 am this morning at World of Disney.

When we got there at 9 am, we could feel the impact of the rush for this new Halloween merch. The parking structures were backed up, similar to how they were on the opening day of the 70th anniversary! Out of the new Halloween merchandise, the pink ghost collection is going the fastest, especially the Ghost Ears and Ghost Tote. Cast Members were restocking quickly as visitors crowded them to get the new merchandise. Having witnessed the drop day for Halloween and holidays over the past four years, we've never seen it quite like this! We think part of the reason is that this drop was announced, and people figured out the drop last Friday at Storyland Boutique because the shop closed for refurbishment the day before to transform its theming.

The new Disneyland Halloween merch includes some super cute new items! The new Winnie the Pooh collection featuring Pooh and friends in Halloween costumes was also popular. There are lots of cute items, from Mickey pumpkin-inspired Lug bags to a cute spiderweb Minnie headband and much more. The new Halloween merch includes apparel, home decor, accessories, and more. You can see photos of all of it in our separate article on the new Halloween merchandise at World of Disney.

Great Walking Distance Hotel Near Disneyland For Families

As you're planning your Disneyland trip, one of the most important decisions you'll make is where you will book your hotel stay. We wanted to take a moment to talk about one of our top hotels within walking distance of Disneyland that offers great amenities, spacious suites, clean spaces, and friendly staff, and plus perks like free hot breakfast.

The Element by Westin Anaheim is just over a 10-minute walk to Disneyland! Its close proximity to the parks makes it an ideal choice if you want to pop back to the hotel in the afternoon for naps, pool breaks, or cooking a quick meal in your in-room kitchen. The Element offers great value for your stay without compromising quality. This is a brand new hotel that opened only a couple of years ago.

The Element offers spacious suites that are perfect for multi-generational families or anyone who needs extra room. There are a variety of different suite configurations available, including bunk bed suites. Each room includes a kitchen. The Element suites sleep up to 6, with one room type sleeping 8 in a single room. There are also connecting rooms available that can comfortably sleep up to 12.

The Element's complimentary hot breakfast includes gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian-friendly choices, and classics like waffles and pancakes for kids. This is one of the top hotels near Disneyland with free breakfast.

You can book the lowest prices on The Element by Westin through our trusted travel partner, Get Away Today. Right now, you can enjoy great savings with the adults at kids' prices flash sale that ends soon (more details on this below). Book the lowest prices on this hotel NOW >

The Element by Westin Anaheim is the sponsor of this edition of Mickey Visit Disneyland This Week.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

• The Haunted Mansion is closing to transform into its “Haunted Mansion Holiday” overlay starting Saturday, August 9. The ride will be closed until the start of the Halloween celebration on August 22. You can see other current closures in the “New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week” section below.
• The Disney Jr. Let's Play celebration will take place at the resort this week from August 8-10. The celebration kicks off at Disney California Adventure with special entertainment like the “Disney Jr. Let’s Play! Block Party” and “a special “Disney Jr. Let’s Play! Live” stage show at the Hollywood Backlot stage, activities like “Confection Purrfection with the SuperKitties” cupcake decorating and “Learn to Draw Disney Jr. Characters” at Animation Academy, photo ops, and more. From August 9-10, the celebration moves to Downtown Disney, where you can enjoy offerings like photo opportunities, Disney Jr. Let’s Play-themed merchandise available at World of Disney, and The Let’s Play! Bubbles Experience at the Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage and lawn. You can see all details on the Disney Jr. Let's Play celebration in our separate article here. The Disney Jr. Bubbles Experience in Downtown Disney, which has featured a daily DJ and bubble moments over the past month, ends this week on August 10.
• Heads up for next week! There are some factors that will impact crowd levels at the parks. On August 11, Imagine Key holders will be let back into the parks after the months-long summer blockout, which will increase crowds on this day. August 14 is the final day of the validity window for the 70th anniversary ticket offer, so you can expect an uptick in crowds in the days leading up to this as people get their last visit in. Overall, you can expect that next week will be a little more crowded until the weekend, when we will likely hit a lull before the kickoff of the Halloween celebration.
• Disneyland recently put up more construction walls for construction in Avengers Campus. On the walls, you can see the concept art for the expansion that will double the size of the land with two new rides. Construction has been underway since early this year to introduce a major new “e-ticket” Avengers Multiverse ride and another unique ride inspired by Tony Stark. You can see details about those new rides in our guide to the Avengers Campus expansion here.

• Jon Favreau has been spotted at Disneyland this past week, along with Kathryn Hahn, filming the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit TV series in development for Disney+. You can see more footage of this in the “Other Disney Content We're Watching” section below.
• There are some refurbishments happening right now in Downtown Disney. The LEGO Store in Downtown Disney is currently under some refurbishment, possibly due to new LEGO models for the outside. The store remains open during the construction. Sunglass Hut and Sephora are both currently closed in Downtown Disney.

• Wetzel’s Pretzels now serves breakfast until 10:30 am daily. Menu includes a Sausage, Egg & Cheese Pretzel Sandwich, Maple Sausage Bites, French Toast Stickz, Everything Bitz, or Cinnamon Raisin Pretzels. This is the only Wetzel’s Pretzels location that serves breakfast eats!
• Oogie Boogie Bash tickets are selling out! There are only a handful of party dates left now. This popular after-hours Halloween party in Disney California Adventure features rare characters, trick-or-treating, the Frightfully Fun Parade, the Villains Grove scenescape, and the opportunity to dress up in a costume. See all information on 2025 Oogie Boogie Bash dates and tickets here, including dates and prices for the parties. You can also see the dates that have already sold out for Oogie Boogie Bash here.
• Speaking of Oogie Boogie Bash, the first signs of the party have popped up in Disney California Adventure! The first parties kick off in just a couple of weeks from now.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

•  For a limited time this summer, there will be a Disney Lorcana Collection Quest activation in Sorcerer’s Workshop inside the Animation Building. You can see details on what's coming in our separate article here.
• Some Disneyland 70th anniversary summer entertainment is temporarily ending to make way for the Halloween celebration. The Pixar Pals parade just ended its run at Disney California Adventure, and some more 70th anniversary experiences will be ending as well, which you can read about in our separate article here.
• CHOC Walk took place at Disneyland on Sunday! You can see a photo from the event above, where they had the Disneyland hot air balloon from the national tour.  Disneyland CHOC Walk is an annual fundraiser walk at Disneyland to raise money for the Children's Hospital of Orange County that takes place in the parks before they open. The proceeds of the event go towards funds for CHOC's programs, education, and research.
• A large trip planning platform recently released a “study” looking at the best theme parks in the U.S., and Disney was beaten out on the list (but not by Universal). We took a closer look at the rankings and how this study was set up, and you can see our full thoughts here.
• There is a change this year to a major perk of Disneyland's popular “Disney's Happiest Haunts” Halloween tour with reserved fireworks viewing. See what's different this year in our separate article here.
• The end date is now on the calendar for a major Disney California Adventure thrill ride and another closed attraction. See that refurbishment end date revealed in our separate article here.
• Disneyland recently announced all of the Halloween foods that will be available across the resort! You can check out all of the 2025 Disneyland Halloween foods, including a free PDF printable of where to find them, as well as the Disneyland Halloween popcorn buckets and novelties!
• The validity window has started for the Anaheim resident special ticket offer. Anaheim residents can take advantage of an extremely low-priced 1-day 1-park ticket, with the option to add Lightning Lane Multi Pass and park hopping for additional fees. You can see details about this special ticket offer in our separate article here.
• Nectar Life is officially open in Downtown Disney! This new store has special bath bombs, whipped soaps, and more! At this location, you can blend your own fragrance, customize your own bath soaks or soaps, and create your own mixture of soaps from their Soap Mini Bar!

Best Disney and Universal Ticket Deals

Get Away Today is one of Disney's long-standing partners- they have worked with Disneyland for 33+ years! Their customer service is superb and they offer extreme discounts on tickets — the Get Away Today reviews are consistently extremely positive.

You can get adult tickets at kids prices for a limited time!! Don't miss out on these savings. We have been working with Get Away Today for over 7 years and are our top choice for the best discount Disney and Universal tickets. They always offer the lowest prices on Disneyland tickets and offer price match if you find lower prices anywhere else. Get discounts on tickets NOW >

Magic Key Benefits Continue in August

Special perks for Magic Key Annual Passholders are available this month. See details below.

• Looking ahead a few weeks, there will be a special Magic Key-branded tote giveaway from August 13 to August 18. A virtual queue will be in place for the giveaway. You can see all the details in our separate article here.
• Magic Key holders can find a 70th Celebration Postcard collection with a special Magic Key design from Disney Vacation Club, available at any Disney Vacation Club Discovery Desk. These are available while supplies last.
• During the 70th anniversary celebration, there is special Magic Key 70th-themed merchandise available! New Magic Key items will be released periodically. Right now, offerings include a 70th Magic Key T-shirt, 70th Magic Key Pin, and 70th Magic Key Lug Bag.
• Magic Key holders can enjoy special food offerings, including the Box O' Sliders at Galactic Grill and the new Neapolitan Sampler at The Golden Horseshoe, available for purchase on the Disneyland app. The Neapolitan Sampler offering features three sample-size ice cream floats, one of each of the following: Coca-Cola Cherry Float, Sprite Float, and Barq’s Root Beer Float.
• For the Pixar Putt mini golf course, Magic Key holders get a special discounted rate of $25 per Magic Key Holder.

Disneyland Operational Updates

• Disneyland has longer hours of operation this week, with Disneyland Park open until 12 AM every day and Disney California Adventure open until 10 PM.
• The Disneyland 70th anniversary show, World of Color: Happiness!, runs twice every night at Disney California Adventure.
• At Disneyland Park, Wondrous Journeys shows with fireworks every night of the week, along with Fantasmic!. Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga will have two showtimes a night. Paint the Night runs twice a night, and The Celebrate Happy Calvacade runs twice during the day.

What We're Thinking About This Week

• Emily is excited about all of the new Halloween merch, especially the cute Minnie spiderweb headband. They did an especially great job with the merch this year!
• Gavin is excited that the Avengers Campus construction is making visible progress and can't wait to see when these new attractions will open.
• Lindsay loves the new Halloween merch that dropped! It's so fun to see a different style from prior ears which likely contributed to the popularity.

Where In Disneyland Is This?

Do you know where this is? Share your guess in the comments below!

Answer to last week's “Where In Disneyland Is This?” Click here to see that image so you can guess first.

Palm Breeze Bar at the Disneyland Hotel!

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

After the busier summer season at Disneyland, we anticipate a mix of normal and below normal crowds this week as many kids are returning to school from summer break. Make sure you read our commentary on what you can expect next week in our “Important Disneyland Dates This Week” section above, as there are some factors that will lead to higher crowd levels looking ahead to next week.

You can see our rating of all upcoming dates in our Mickey Visit Disneyland Crowd Calendar.

New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week

The Haunted Mansion closes for refurbishment this week on Saturday, August 9.

Here are some of the other current ride closures that are continuing into this week:

• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is closed for refurbishment (reopening date announced)
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is closed for refurbishment (reopening date announced)
• Casey Jr. Circus Train is closed for refurbishment
• Storybook Land Canal Boats is closed for refurbishment
• Incredicoaster is closed for refurbishment (reopening date announced)

You can see reopening dates for some of the above attractions and other upcoming closures in our Disneyland ride refurbishment guide.

Other Disney Content We're Watching

Each week, we'll share some of our favorite information and fun content from across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in an effort to spotlight some of the great creators who work so hard to share details from Disneyland.

First up, we have this video from Bridget (@californiadisneybliss on Instagram) detailing the highlights of CHOC Walk in the Park yesterday.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bridget – Disneyland Guru, Disney Family, Disney Creator (@californiadisneybliss)

Next up, we have this video from Ella (@ella_enchanted_adventures on Instagram) showing the products of the recently opened Nectar Life store in Downtown Disney!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ella | Disney, Universal & Fandoms (@ella_enchanted_adventures)

We also wanted to include this post from @foodatdisneyland on Instagram showing Jon Favreau filming at Disneyland!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Foodatdisneyland (@foodatdisneyland)

Heads up! Reservations Open for Disneyland Dining / Park Reservations

For any trips before the below dates, you should consider booking park reservations and dining reservations.

• Today is the 60-day window for Disneyland dining reservations for October 3, 2025. 
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for January 31, 2026. This applies to most non-Annual Pass tickets.
• For Magic Key Annual Pass Holders, the 90-day window from today to make theme park reservations is November 2, 2025.

See our top tips for getting Disneyland dining reservations and the best Disneyland restaurants we would recommend.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Cost This Week

• Today, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service costs $36 if you purchase it when you arrive.
• For the two Lightning Lane Single Pass rides, the cost is $28 for Rise of the Resistance and $22 for Radiator Springs Racers.

You can see our guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland for our expert tips on making the most of the service.

Read More Disney Planning Advice

For the best resource and helpful information for planning your Disney trip, make sure to subscribe to our FREE Deals newsletter​. We’ll provide you with helpful planning information, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest-priced Disney tickets anywhere.