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Credit: Disney“When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake, spooks come out for a swinging wake. Happy haunts materialize and begin to vocalize. Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!”
As you may recognize, those are the lyrics to the iconic “Grim Grinning Ghosts” song at the Haunted Mansion. The eerie attraction has been a staple at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World for decades. It takes guests on a spooky ride through a mansion filled with 999 happy haunts, but there’s always room for a thousand.
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While Walt Disney World and Disneyland have very similar versions of the ride, there are notable differences. One of the biggest differences is that Disneyland’s version of the ride gets a fun overlay every year.
Every August, the New Orleans Square attraction closes for a few weeks, and right before the Halloween season begins, it reopens as a Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Jack Skellington and his friends from Halloweentown give the ride a Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) makeover and guests see what happens when two holidays collide.
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In January 2024, the Haunted Mansion closed for an extensive refurbishment of the ride’s queue, as well as the construction of a new shop outside the ride’s exit. Much to guests’ disappointment, the attraction was closed for seven months, and when it reopened in July, it did so as Haunted Mansion Holiday once again.
Over the years, the transformation of the Haunted Mansion into Haunted Mansion Holiday has become a big point of contention. It is a battle between guests who love to get into the holiday spirit versus those who love the original attraction and think the overlay happens too early.
It’s been more than a year since Disneyland Resort guests were able to ride the Haunted Mansion in its original form, but that will finally happen when the ride reopens on January 18.
Fans of the traditional ride were even more thrilled when it appeared that the ride would stay true to its original state even later this year. The Disneyland Resort website revealed that Haunted Mansion Holiday would not return until November 14, 2025, completely skipping the Halloween season.
However, that appeared to be a big mistake.
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The Disneyland Resort website has been updated, and the ride will close around the beginning of August for its annual overlay. Then, on August 22, the attraction will reopen as Haunted Mansion Holiday.
The news was a big disappointment to guests who were hoping to have more time to ride the original attraction. They have also argued that the Haunted Mansion theme works perfectly for Halloween, since it’s a house full of ghosts.
Not attacking the messenger but. The original Haunted is WAY better for halloween than NBC overlay 😑
Not attacking the messenger but. The original Haunted is WAY better for halloween than NBC overlay 😑 pic.twitter.com/XjhXZ7LJWn
— Scuba Steve (@ScubaStark_) January 7, 2025
According to Disney, Haunted Mansion Holiday will be open from August 22 through January 7, 2026. That means that guests visiting for both Halloween and Christmas will be able to ride the attraction.
Are you excited about Haunted Mansion Holiday returning for the Halloween season? Or would you rather ride the original version? Share your thoughts in the comments!