When Goth & Disneyland Collide : 15 Sights From Bats Day 2013

A tradition since 1999, Bats Day in the Fun Park has grown a lot in popularity over the years. To some, it's the day the "Goths" take over Disneyland. To others, it is a day to celebrate cosplay and the Haunted Mansion. Here are some of my favorite sights from Bats Day in the Fun Park 2013 which was held May 5th as part of the Bats Day Weekend at Disneyland. We met a lot of awesome people at Bats Day in the Fun Park who were happy to pose for our cameras and for this blog post.

Bat Day festivities draw people from all over the world and from throughout the Gothic culture. Bats Day in the Fun Park activities this year included group photo opportunities at both the Haunted Mansion and Sleeping Beauty Castle as well as exclusive group visits through the Haunted Mansion that evening. The scheduled events for Bats Day Weekend included unique shopping opportunities from the vendors at the Bats Day Black Market, live music and entertainment and the recently added Bats Day Happy Haunts Swing Wake : A Costumed Celebration where guests are required to dress "as the deceased" in order to attend. Bats Day Weekend can also be a family affair and there is even a "Baby Bats" group photo taken by Fantasyland's Sword in the Stone for attendees under the age of thirteen.

This year the Bats Day Happy Haunts Swinging Wake: A Costumed Celebration was held on May 3rd at the Doubletree Guest Suites Anaheim Resort / Convention Center. According to the official Bats Day website, "To ensure your smooth entry into the Bats Day Happy Haunts Swinging Wake, a disguise is REQUIRED. All manner of spirit forms are encouraged to attend, from those seen in Disney's Haunted Mansion attraction or film, to a ghost pirate right out of the Spanish Main, a steam-driven deceased inventor to those in monster form or even those who have freshly departed. The only limit is your imagination... Just remember: Tonight the veil is thin, and the ghosts expect to see everyone dressed to kill! No costume, no entry! Mortals wishing to enter the party, but arriving without a disguise may purchase one of a limited number of 'Emergency Wraith Disguise Kits'. However, guests are strongly urged to come prepared." Depending on when tickets were purchased, the price ranged from $30 to $50 per person. This all-ages event included live music, raffles, DJs, "horror d'oeuvres", interactions with happy haunts throughout the evening and, of course, many great photo opportunities. 

After experiencing some of the Bats Day Weekend festivities this year, I can recommend visiting Disneyland for Bats Day if you have the chance. It's a unique Disneyland experience and the participants we met were all quite charming and fun. It was all an especially perfect fit for me as someone who has always really loved "darker" things such as A Nightmare Before Christmas and the Haunted Mansion, my very favorite Disneyland attraction. In fact, my husband and I are already brainstorming on what we want to wear for the next Bats Day Weekend...

For additional information or to see photos from previous Bats Day Weekends, please visit the official Bats Day in the Fun Park website at www.batsday.net.