I paid $179 to go to Disney's Oogie Boogie Bash, and the Halloween event is totally worth it for adults

The family-friendly event is themed after the popular character Oogie Boogie from "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Tickets are separate from standard theme-park admission, and the event is held on select evenings in September and October. It operates on a dynamic pricing system that changes depending on the date — on my visit, an adult ticket cost $179.

The event features immersive treat-or-treat trails, specialty foods, photo opportunities, and an exclusive parade.

We began our evening with drinks at Hearthstone Lounge in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which is located next to the theme park.

Before entering the Halloween party, we were able to visit a stunning Oogie Boogie display at the hotel. It was the perfect place to get in the spirit of the party and avoid the crowds.

Plus, because we were coming from the resort, we used a side entrance to the park that's typically not as busy as the main gates.

Entry into the park began at 3:00 p.m. and the ticketed event ran from 6:00 p.m. to 11: 00 p.m.

The system is nice because we were able to get into the park before the party started (without a general-admission ticket) and get a few things done.

For the five hours of the party, the entire park was transformed with unique decor, music, and spooky lighting.

There was Halloween-themed entertainment, attractions, trick-or-treating, character experiences, and a parade.

Costumes are encouraged at Oogie Boogie Bash as long as they follow Disney's guidelines (no weapons, no full masks, nothing offensive, etc.).

Usually, only children under 14 are allowed to wear full costumes in the parks, so the ticketed event is a great opportunity for fans to get into the Halloween spirit.

Many guests, including my friends and I, wore costumes on my visit. I loved seeing people all dressed up — the Sanderson sisters from "Hocus Pocus" were a very popular choice this year.

As a member of D23, Disney's official fan club, I planned my visit on an exclusive evening.

This included special extras, like a photo opportunity at Carthay Circle and exclusive gifts.

Most popular attractions, including Toy Story Midway Mania and Radiator Springs Racers, were open during the party.

Because many people at the event are there for the exclusive opportunities, the wait times were minimal throughout the evening.

I also loved experiencing the seasonal ride overlays, including Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween and Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark.

There were new and returning immersive treat trails throughout the park featuring different characters.

Each trail also had several trick-or-treating stations with plenty of candy.

Newer characters, like Ernesto de la Cruz from "Coco," tended to consistently have the longest lines. But since they're continually moving, it's pretty quick, and I think they're worthwhile since these characters are exclusive to the event.

The interactions were really fun and personalized. Characters were allowed to chat with guests and pose for photos.

I had a few favorites when it came to the treat trails around the park, including one featuring Sid from "Toy Story."

His interactions with guests were hilarious, and he expertly stayed in character as everyone passed by.

I loved getting to meet the headlining character of the event: Oogie Boogie.

His costume was incredibly well done, and he had some of the funniest reactions to guests.

A very popular element of Oogie Boogie Bash is the opportunity to see rare Disney characters that can't be found during normal park hours.

When I went, this included Bruno from "Encanto" and Agatha Harkness from "WandaVision." I also got to see a zombie version of Captain America.

Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Clarabelle were dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from "Hocus Pocus," but the line was two hours long throughout most of the event. I didn't want to take up that much time out of my already limited window.

Villains Grove was an immersive walk-through experience that used special effects in the park's Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

The art installation takes you through the worlds of several Disney villains and utilizes color, light, and music to illuminate the stories in a lush, forest-like setting.

One of the most visually stunning parts of Villains Grove was a rose garden scene inspired by the Queen of Hearts from "Alice in Wonderland."

With lighting effects, it appeared that the plants were coming to life with color before my eyes.

The Frightfully Fun Parade only runs during the party, and it happens twice a night. I preferred visiting the second showing of the parade as the sun had completely set by then.

It kicked off with the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, who led the procession with a flickering jack-o'-lantern to set the mood.

The parade also featured Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween costumes and unique floats featuring iconic Disney villains, like Dr. Facilier from "The Princess and the Frog."

All the parade floats impressed me, but I loved the ones themed after Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

One float featured Jack Skellington and Sally.

The already impressive landscape of Cars Land got a Halloween makeover (dubbed Haul-O-Ween).

The area, which was gorgeous when it was lit up at night, featured tire garlands and ghostly giant orange cones.

Favorite characters from the "Cars" franchise appear in their special Halloween costumes — or "car-stumes."

Inspired by Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Paradise Gardens was transformed into the Plaza de la Familia, inspired by "Coco."

The gorgeous area is open during normal park hours but shines during the party in the evening with its wonderful vivid colors and murals.

It felt like the entire park had spooky elements added.

My favorite was the light projection effects used to transform the outside of Carthay Circle Bell Tower.

They were synchronized to music to depict swarming bats and other Halloween imagery.

The event featured several exclusive food items.

My party planned our mobile orders early in the evening and reserved pick-up times for food throughout the event. A favorite was the loaded buffalo-chicken fries from Flo's V8 Café.

The steak fries were generously piled with chicken tenders and tossed in buffalo sauce before being topped with blue cheese, celery, and ranch.

This was delicious and a perfect item to share.

The seasonal item took a classic churro and topped it with strawberry-flavored sugar and hints of ghost-pepper seasoning.

It was a unique take on the classic theme-park snack, with a welcome level of heat.

We also tried some seasonal food that's available at both the party and during normal park hours.

At Corn Dog Castle, we enjoyed a hot-link corn dog that was given a spooky seasonal makeover as the batter was dyed black.

The Oogie Boogie funnel fries are a returning favorite.

The treat featured crushed chocolate crème-filled cookies, vivid green whipped cream, cookie pieces, gummy candies, and chocolate candies.

Overall, the special event felt very adult-friendly, especially compared to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World.

Since the California park serves alcohol, the party caters more to adults, and I didn't see as many children as I usually do at after-hour events.

With so much entertainment, décor, and music, the entire park was one big lively Halloween party. It was a treat to be able to dress up with friends and celebrate the holiday.

Since we got eight hours in the park (three before the party and five during), $179 felt fair when compared to the cost of standard park admission. A single-day, one-park ticket to California Adventure costs between $100 and $170 depending on the day.

There were so many exclusive opportunities that were unique to the event, which made the evening feel special and memorable.