PEAK SEASON
Halloween and Christmas eclipse summer at Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm
It used to be that you could toss a bowling ball down Main Street USA without hitting a soul on Halloween night or Christmas morning because kids and their families had something better to do on those classic holidays.
Now Disneyland is the thing to do during the Halloween and Christmas seasons that stretch from Labor Day until the New Year.
Summer is no longer peak season at Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm. Halloween and Christmas are king at Southern California theme parks.
Disneyland was nearly giving tickets away in parts of June, August and September when you could get into a park for $104 — the lowest price of the year in its ticketing system. But prices range from $159 to $179 during the entire month of October, throughout Thanksgiving week and the two weeks around Christmas. And Halloween decorations went up in August, before some kids were even back in school after summer vacation.
Disneyland started touting Halloween Time, Oogie Boogie Bash and Plaza de la Familia specialty food and beverage items that add a spooky twist to the menu so early, the annual Oogie Boogie Bash sold out in less than 12 hours — in July.
Universal officials refer to Halloween Horror Nights as the “13th month” of the year thanks to all the additional ticket sales and revenue the Halloween season generates — then keeps the holiday money train rolling until
the end of the year with Grinchmas and Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
It was 50 years ago that Knott's Berry Farm invented the Halloween season that theme parks around the world have now copied and cashed in on. Knott's owner Cedar Fair has exported the Buena Park theme park's Halloween Haunt seasonal event to its other locations across the United States — and virtually every theme park around the globe now has some sort of monthlong Halloween event.
Knott's only takes a few weeks off between Scary Farm and Merry Farm when the ghouls and goblins are swapped out for garland and gingerbread. The park's “Snow and Glow” show covers the Calico Ghost Town in sparkling lights and a thick
layer of faux snow — the bubbly “snoap” that passes for snowflakes in temperate Southern California.
If you're headed south this fall, here's a sampling of what lies in store at Southern California theme parks. (Note that some holiday events are held on select nights only. Halloween events run through Oct. 31 unless noted otherwise. )
• Halloween Time at the Disneyland resort
• Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure (sold out)
• Plaza de la Familia at Disney California Adventure — through Nov. 2
• Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood
• Knott's Scary Farm Knott's Berry Farm
• Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain
at
• Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego
• Brick-Or-Treat at Legoland California — through Oct. 29
• Holidays at the Disneyland resort — Nov. 10-Jan. 7
• Disney Festival of the Holidays at Disney California Adventure — Nov. 10-Jan. 7
• Disney Viva Navidad at Disney California Adventure — Nov. 10-Jan. 7
• Holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood — Nov. 24-Jan. 1
• Knott's Merry Farm at Knott's Berry Farm — Nov. 17-Jan. 7
• Holidays in the Park at Six Flags Magic Mountain — Nov. 24-Jan. 1
• SeaWorld Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld San Diego — Nov. 13-Jan. 7
• Holidays at Legoland at Legoland California — Nov. 18-Dec. 30