Pixelmania West 2026

ddindy

ddindy

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@Joanie Eddis-Koch and I have been discussing a 2026 Disneyland trip. We've chosen September 21-25 as the dates for Pixelmania West 2026.

Our plans call for arriving on either Friday Sep. 18 or Saturday Sep.19. On Sunday, Sep. 20 we'll drive to Griffith Park in Hollywood to visit Walt's Barn at the Los Angeles Live Steamers park. If you're not interested in that, you can arrive on Sunday Sep. 20.

Monday through Thusday we'll be hopping back and forth between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

On Tuesday, Sep. 22 we plan to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween party in DCA.

We are recommending the Candy Cane Inn. The lowest room rate (with an AARP/AAA discount code DIS) averages $300 per night. There are many other hotels along Harbor Blvd. for you to choose from.

So there it is. Nothing on the schedule is mandatory, so you can do what you please. But with the 70th Anniversary celebration probably closing down late next year, it's a good time to go to Disneyland.
 
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We are working out the details for this trip and this is what we are thinking so far. Depending upon future developments, we might need to make changes. If you are joining us, chime in so we can include you in the planning part of the trip.

We considered our hotel choices, ran the numbers and decided that the best option was to pay the exorbitant ransom that the Candy Cane Inn is demanding. The breakfast is great, the beds don't paralyze your back and the resort is well kept and immaculately clean. A bonus is the pleasant walk to the park while a religious zealot screams at people via a megaphone and informs us that Jesus is coming so we need to look busy.

Saturday Sept. 19th we are considering going to Knotts Berry farm for some theme park adventures. We can either tour the park during the day or attend their Halloween festivities at night. This is TBD. Also under consideration is a new D23 tour that is an offering that is still on the horizon at this point in time. We shall see if this comes to fruition or if it was just a fever dream I had. To summarize, it's a tour of the places where Walt and Roy got their start in LA.

Sunday Sept. 20th Walt's barn is open so we will visit that first thing and tour the adjacent Travel Town Railroad. After that we shall run amuck, amuck, amuck elsewhere in LA.

Monday Sept. 21st will most likely be the first Disneyland theme park day. We are getting Park hopping Lightning Lane tickets because we hop like bunnies between the parks. Dining is TBD.

Tuesday Sept 22nd we are going to get tickets for the Oogie Boogie Bash. We will NOT use our Disneyland park tickets for entry to the theme parks during the day. Entry to Oogie Boogie starts at 3pm so we'll have to figure out if it's sleep in and laundry day at the resort or if we can find something to do. Perhaps we will suddenly find Jesus and join the Megaphone Prophet. I can get pretty loud from all those regattas I've been to so I won't be needing a megaphone.

Wednesday Sept. 23rd is another Disneyland day. We will hop until we drop.

Thursday September 24th is the final park day. At this point we will be stuffed with corn dogs and churros so we will be chubby, arthritic, park hopping bunnies

Friday Sept. 25th We go home. It had to happen eventually.

Do not sleep on acquiring park tickets and hotel reservations. We got our park tickets at Undercover Tourist. If you purchase park tickets from Disney they want you to immediately tell them which park you will be starting at, and we don't know that yet.

The Candy Cane Inn is best reserved as soon as possible because it is a popular resort and it fills up fast.

If you are still flying Southwest, Dec.11th is the day Southwest opens flights for this time period.
 
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Tuesday would be a nice day to have lunch either in Downtown Disney, one of the hotels or even outside the bubble. I, of course, vote for Trader Sam's.

I have my hotel room reserved and plan to purchase my park ticket later this week.
 
I've got park tickets purchased and my room reserved from Thurs Sept 17th to departure Sat. Sept. 26th. I plan on running around Los Angeles Thursday and Friday hopefully with my brother and his family.
 
Surprise! Southwest is now accepting reservations through September 30, 2026.
 
My experience is that SNA is about 15 minutes from Disneyland and Long Beach is 30 minutes (both outside of rush hour, of course). Sometimes LGB is cheaper, but right now it's more expensive (on Southwest, anyway). With the old Southwest, I just booked a flight and watched for the price to go down. Not sure about the new, money-grubbing Southwest.

I'd like to know where Airport Insight found $50 shuttles. I've been paying almost twice that since Super Shuttle folded, but I do get excellent service and a private vehicle.
 
Complements of fan favorite blogger Tom Bricker: the dates for Oogie Boogie 2026 have been confirmed.

Our dates are:
September 22, 2026 (primary)
September 24, 2026 (back up in case the 22nd is sold out)

Link to article here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/2026-oogie-boogie-bash-halloween-party-dates-details/

Link to a Bricker planning guide from the 2025 Oogie Boogie Bash: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/oogie-boogie-bash-halloween-party-info-tips/

Tickets to this would serve as a partial 4th park day (California Adventure, no hopping to Disneyland) with admission starting 3 hours before party time. The party starts at 6pm and runs until 11pm. Admission starts at 3pm.

The tickets sell out extremely quickly with Magic Key holders getting presale opportunities.

That means we are looking at September 22nd as the primary target with the 24th as a backup.

So it's essential if you are joining us to keep track of when the tickets go on sale and then jump on it immediately or risk getting shut out.
 
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Historical information from 2025:
The price for Tuesday's bash was $154; Sunday and Thursday were $169. Since it's Disney, 2026 prices will be higher.
In 2025, tickets went on sale June 26. THe 2026 Bash starts two days later than 2025 (Tuesday instead of Sunday). Regardless, it's probably safe to assume that they will go on sale some time in mid- to late June.

And for those not familiar with Disneyland terminology, Magic Key tickets are annual passes. DAP is also a common term for Disneyland APs or the holders thereof.
 
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In a few weeks we'll know if we are going to join you guys. It's just a matter of getting a DVC stay the Disneyland Hotel and so far, availability looks good even as soon as July. So fingers crossed September doesn't disappear right at the 7-month window...

What are your thoughts on how many days us noobs need to see DL properly? Is your itinerary enough or should we get more days of tickets? Maybe we get park tickets for the day of OBB for some extra time? And of course we would like to do as much as possible outside DL while we are on the West Coast...

It looks like Knotts Berry Farm has a few good coasters. Is it worth spending a day there?

As you know, I am a boat guy so I'd like to get out along the coast. Maybe a ferry to Catalina Island. Anyone have experience with that or something else water based? Fishing?

Maybe we need to arrive a couple days earlier...
 
I spent five day in the parks the first two times I visited in this century. It was nice to have plenty of time to see and do everything, mostly at least twice. After that, three days was enough. Four days is a good compromise. Just be sure to get the park hopper with Lightning Lane, because they are both much more useful at DLR.

The only boat-related thing I've done on LA is tour the Queen Mary in 1972. That's probably not what you had in mind. That was also the only time I was at Knott's, and it has changed a lot since then.
 
When I lived in L.A., we'd take the ferry over to Avalon from San Pedro a few times a year - it's a quick hour long trip. Avalon is a neat little harbor town, and much of the island has walkable trails, or you can rent golf carts to get around. Much of the island is nature preserve with no cars allowed - which is nice.

September should also be good time for blue and humpback whale migration, so you could do one of the whale watching tours...earlier September is better than later, so if wanting to do that, I'd plan on getting there before the Disney days.
 
By a strange coincidence I was listening to a podcast today where two people were discussing a Disney cruise visiting SoCal and Mexico. One of them recommended taking cash to rent a golf cart on Santa Catalina (cash being the operative word). It looks like the ferries dock at Long Beach. There are several car rental places within 1.5 miles of the Disneyland Hotel, including an Enterprise office at the Pixar Place hotel. Joanie can give you tips on driving in LA.
 
ddindy said:
Joanie can give you tips on driving in LA.
Click to expand...
Yeah... Don't.

But seriously, leave way earlier than you think you need to. Driving in LA is a time suck with unpredictable traffic delays and the unsuccessful hunt for parking.

Pro tip. Navigate in Waze with a parking lot near your site as your destination. That way if you are rerouted Waze will figure it out. You are also saving a tremendous amount of time by going directly to a parking facility rather than play find an open space.
 
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