Halloween at Disneyland Part 2: California Adventure

Welcome back to my tour of Disneyland, Halloween 2021! I'm sure you're dying to see what California Adventure does to celebrate the spooky festivities.

California Adventure

The California Adventure archway is extra-spooky thanks to Oogie Boogie. There are some special night events with photo ops like this one set up.

You can spot the Headless Horseman when you enter the park.

The first place I always head is Cars Land – you're sure to have a happy "Haul-O-ween" with Lightning McQueen, Mater, and friends!

Halloween at Disneyland USA

Halloween time at Disneyland Park

Disney fans will never forget March 14, 2021: the day Disneyland and California Adventure parks in Anaheim, California closed for a record 412 days due to the COVID pandemic.

Over a year later, Disney reopened both its California parks to a very different experience that involved mandatory masking, mobile ordering, and the loss of several staples including parades, fireworks, and the beloved FastPass and single rider programs.

Fast forward to my birthday this year when I got the best gift of all: an annual pass to Disneyland, USA! Luckily my birthday is in the fall, and I was just in time to check out the Halloween season at the resorts. Some things were improved since the last time I visited in June 2021, and I had an amazing experience I can’t wait to share with you, including Halloween décor, food, characters, and shopping; Avengers Campus; Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge; and the brand new Main Street holiday store Plaza Point!

Inside Look: Downtown Disneyland Under Quarantine

COVID precautions in full-swing at Downtown Disney

While Disneyland California remains closed for the seventh month in a row (the kiss of death for all us Disney fans), the one godsend is that Downtown Disney is open. I headed there this October for an update on merchandise, COVID practices, and more.

COVID-19 Compliance Measures

Disneyland is following all safety measures related to COVID-19, which you will have to follow in order to enter the premises (a small price to pay for a few hours of happiness). This includes temperature screening, mask wearing, hand-washing, and physical distancing.

Veggie Pops at Mister Donut Japan, and Frighteningly Delicious Halloween Donuts

Mister Donut's "veggie pops" blend strawberries, apples, and pineapple with carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, and spinach for a healthy treat.

The Japanese people are generally known as being very healthy, given their diet, level of activity, and impressive concentration of centenarians. However they still love to indulge in karaage (fried chicken), ramen, and tempura, too. In this day and age we are faced with a plethora of both healthy and "comfort food" options at stores and restaurants, but why not put two and two together? Mister Donut did just that, creating "veggie pops", petite-sized, brightly colored donuts with tofu cream filling. It's an effort to feel "healthy" while snacking on fried balls of dough, because if you think you're eating carrots and spinach, it must be healthy no matter how much oil and sugar is in it, right? They're also tiny (hence the name "pops"), which also makes you feel healthier, so win-win!

Three pops available in red, orange, and green.