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Credit: DisneyAfter years of complaints from the Disney community, Disneyland Park has finally buckled and axed Haunted Mansion Holiday from its Halloween lineup.
With versions found at multiple Disney parks worldwide, Haunted Mansion is arguably one of Disney’s most iconic rides. The OG—located at Disneyland Park in Anaheim—takes guests on a spooky journey via Doom Buggy through a “house of happy haunts,” welcomed by the disembodied voice of your Ghost Host.
Having opened in New Orleans Square in 1969, the Haunted Mansion is among the oldest attractions at Disneyland but remains one of the most popular. The ride is truly timeless, which is why so many guests feel frustrated that Disney only lets it operate in its OG form for roughly two-thirds of the year.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Sparks Controversy
Since 2001, the Anaheim theme park has applied an overlay inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) for Halloween and Christmas, known as Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Not only does transforming Haunted Mansion into Haunted Mansion Holiday take roughly two and a half weeks, but its start date seems to have come earlier and earlier in recent years.
In 2024, Haunted Mansion Holiday opened earlier than ever, debuting in July due to the timeline of its refurbishment that began in January. In the years prior, Haunted Mansion Holiday ran from approximately the start of September to the middle of January.
Diehard parkgoers have been pretty vocal on their thoughts about Jack Skellington and company taking over the attraction for such a significant chunk of time.
As one Reddit user put it, “I sort of like it, but I think they let it go on for too long. I think Haunted Mansion should be the traditional (more creepy) version for Halloween, and then they could do the nightmare overlay for Xmas. That would never work because of the lead time they need to decorate for the overlay, though.”
Disney Switches Up Haunted Mansion Holiday Start Date
Surprisingly, it seems like fans are getting their wish for 2025.
After an extra long run for Haunted Mansion Holiday in 2024, Disney has dramatically slimmed down its operations for 2025. This year, the standard Haunted Mansion will be open for Halloween, while Haunted Mansion Holiday will debut in the middle of November, just in time for the holidays.
NEW: Haunted Mansion Holiday will return to Disneyland Park Nov. 14 through Jan. 7, 2026. The November opening date is later than normal – but it means we get traditional Haunted Mansion for Halloween this year. 👏
NEW: Haunted Mansion Holiday will return to Disneyland Park Nov. 14 through Jan. 7, 2026. The November opening date is later than normal – but it means we get traditional Haunted Mansion for Halloween this year. 👏 pic.twitter.com/iVVoKYhn9w
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) January 7, 2025
It’s a big win for Haunted Mansion Holiday haters but not-so-great news for The Nightmare Before Christmas fans. However, it seems like the former definitely outweighs the latter, judging by responses to the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Thank the maker!” wrote @xwingxing. “I never liked the logic of taking the most Halloween ride in the entire park and making it overtly Christmas themed before Halloween is over.”
Meanwhile, @JCole_08 wrote, “Awesome change and hopefully stays moving forward.”
Walt Disney World Resort doesn’t feature a Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay on its own version of the ride, but Tokyo Disneyland does. For now, the park is yet to announce the overlay’s start date for 2025. However, it typically runs from mid-September to mid-January.
How do you feel about Haunted Mansion Holiday skipping Halloween in 2025?