I was lucky enough to attend the DVC Candy, Craft & Characters on 10/17/23 at the Disneyland Resort in California!
Join us for Halloween fun at the Community Hall inside The Villas at Disneyland Hotel. During this complimentary Disney Vacation Club event—presented as part of Membership Magic—you’ll enjoy a festive night of treat stops (located at all Disney Vacation Club Welcome Home Centers at the Disneyland Resort), crafts, and photos with Disney Characters dressed in their Halloween best.
Disney Vacation Club
Similar to other DVC events, this event is part of Membership Magic and requires that you qualify for DVC Membership Extras (DVC-Y in your WDW Magic Mobile, formerly DVC Blue Card holders). It also requires that you be staying at a Disney-owned and operated resort at Disneyland or have a ticket to Oogie Boogie Bash for that night. Registration is not required for the event, just show up! Members can bring up to 4 guests as well, and costumes are welcome.
Unlike the DVC Meet & Treat at Walt Disney World, Candy, Craft & Characters is spread out throughout the Disneyland resort at all 3 hotel locations. The main location is in the Mark Twain conference room in the Frontier Tower at Disneyland Hotel. Additionally, you’ll find treat locations at 2 locations in Disneyland Hotel, 2 locations at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and 1 at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.
Check-in
We arrived at the Frontier Tower around 2:30 pm for the event and were surprised that nobody was there. Since there was nobody there, we were able to sit down and wait in the lobby. It was a much more relaxed environment than baking in the sun outside of Atlantic Dance Hall! CMs were still busy setting things up, and they told us we could check in at 2:45 pm to get our wristband. A hotel key card (or an Oogie Boogie Bash ticket for that night) and proof that you qualify for DVC Membership Extras were required. (Sidenote – I find it interesting that the Disney World app and MagicMobile are required to show proof of your DVC Membership as the Disneyland app doesn’t have this capability.)
Along with our wristband, we also received a trick-or-treat bag which is the same one you get at this year’s DVC Meet & Treat in Walt Disney World. The bag is a reusable type of bag and even comes with a place to put a luggage tag.
After receiving our wristbands, we were allowed to go into the Mark Twain room at 3pm.
Candy
In the Mark Twain room, we found a small bowl of candy with Skittles, Starbursts, M&Ms, Milky Way, and more. We didn’t visit all of the locations, but in Discovery Tower we found CMs distributing wristbands and another small bowl of candy. At Fantasy Tower in the DVC Welcome Center, we found another small bowl of candy with guides there to greet you. This seems like a fun way to do trick-or-treating with your children if you’re willing to walk to all of the locations.
Craft
There were 2 tables set up with stickers and a table with colored paper bags to make your own treat bag. Some examples were also shown off.
Character(s)
Inside the Mark Twain conference room, we found 1 character meet & greet with Mickey Mouse in a vampire costume that differs from this season’s costume. There was not a photo pass photographer, but a CM was there to take pictures on your phone or camera.
Extras
There were also free drinks (water, iced tea, and fruit punch) and a picture opportunity with Villas at Disneyland Hotel signs.
Conclusion
There is still one more date available for Candy, Craft, and Characters on 10/24/23. So, should you attend?
To be honest, I was kind of underwhelmed by the event compared to the one at Atlantic Dance Hall. I was expecting more than one character and hopefully some rare characters. Despite it being called Candy, Craft and Characters there was only one character meet and greet. Perhaps they had a different character switch out later? However, there was no line, something that can’t be said of the event at WDW or most things at a Disney park! Considering it is also a “free” event for DVC Members, it is tough to complain. I think it could be a lot of fun for children to build their own treat bags and walk to each treat location.
Did you or will you be attending the DVC Candy Craft and Characters event at Disneyland Resort? Let us know in the comments!
