Have you been thinking about Star Wars Nite at Disneyland but not sure if it’s worth it—or how to even plan for it? We’ve done it, we love it, and today we’re sharing everything we wish we knew before we went.

Hello and welcome to episode 36 of the Ready Set Depart Podcast. We are so glad you’re here!

As you may or may not know, we are not just a family of adventures here on our planet but also in a galaxy far, far away so we had to make this May the 4th (get it - May the 4th) a Star Wars theme. What better way to do that than to talk about Star Wars Nite at Disneyland in California! It is the perfect after dark event for us! Maybe it can be the perfect after dark event for you and your family too! 

If you’re not in the Disneyland “know”, you may be wondering what a Disney After Dark event even is. Well, it’s just like it sounds, it’s a special event that starts at 9 pm and goes until the wee hours of the morning - or as most people call it 1, sometimes even 2, am. There are quite a few different After Dark events - like Sweetheart’s Nite or 90’s Nite - but our favorite will always be Star Wars Nite. 

Definitely note that this is a separate ticket from your park ticket and you don't need a reservation for that day. And, parking is not included in the ticket price. 

Now, before we get into our tips, I do want to say that this is definitely more of a late elementary and up kind of event. It goes really late, so if your kids aren’t big night owls, it might be a little rough. That said, if you’ve got a younger Star Wars lover who can hang and stay up late, they would probably have the best time.

So here are our top 10 tips and tricks for Disney After Dark: Star Wars Nite.

Tip #1: 

You can actually enter the park at 6 pm on the day of the event. That means you can get to the park and get situated while everyone else is getting sent home. 

Tip #2:

If you are not a night owl, don't go to the parks that day. It is already a long day after dark so no need to add to it. This is especially true if you have kids. 

And note that you will need a regular ticket and reservation if you plan on arriving before 6 pm.

Tip #3:

Dress up! There will be people there in full Jedi costumes and people there in their regular attire but why not join the nerds (and since I am one, I say that in the nicest way) and dress up! 

We've dressed in full costumes and then we've dressed in what I like to call bounding plus and I like that one better. 

Our first year, Brent and Trooper were Jedi and I was Princess Leia from Endor. 

It was fun to dress up but the capes made it hard to ride any rides or do some of the things that we wanted to do. 

Our second year, we did the bounding plus. Disney bounding is where you take the colors of a character and create an outfit off of that. So say you want to bound as Ariel from Little Mermaid. You’d wear something red in your hair, a purple shirt and green pants. Make sense?

My bounding plus does that but also adds some real elements to the outfit. We dressed up as Hera, Kanan, and Jacen from the Rebels cartoon. (Which is, by the way, the best of the Star Wars cartoons!) Hera is a Twi’lek which means she's green and has two long head tails as they're called. She wears orange overalls, a brown and gray shirt and goggles on her head. 

So my bounding plus for Hera was a long green wig that I made into two ponytails, a headband, some goggles I got off of Amazon, a brown shirt, orange crops and a gray sweater. 

It’s really fun. And the best part was that none of the outfits hindered us in any way. 

In fact, it was kind of fun to ride Big Thunder Mountain with my head tails blowing in the wind!

Tip #4

Bring your lightsaber!

By now, you’ve probably figured out that we are Star Wars nerds. In fact, Star Wars is the reason Brent married me. Well, that may be going a bit far, but it was the reason he decided to go on a second date with me!

So, we have the fancy lightsabers that you can make at Disneyland. They are really cool looking, the experience when you’re making them is amazing, and they are really heavy. While Brent doesn’t agree, I would rather not carry those heavy lightsabers around all night, so I’m thinking a plastic one would be perfect for me!

But, why would you want to bring your lightsaber? For the meet up of course. A couple of times a night, there is a lightsaber meet up in Batuu, right in front of the Millennium Falcon. In recent years, it has become more of a show that you are a part of. We LOVE it! Definitely make the lightsaber meet up one of your top things to do at Star Wars Nite!

Tip #5

When you think of Southern California, people always think of hot sun! And while that is often true, it’s also a desert so the nights can get cool. Remember that as you’re thinking about what to wear. It could be warm when you get there but by the time you leave, it could be cool so layer up!

Tip #6

Use photopass. 

What is photopass? Well, at Disneyland, there are photographers who will take your picture either in a cool location, or they can add a bit of magic to the picture, or they are even roving photographers. This is normally an extra thing to pay for but with your ticket to Star Wars Nite, you can get photopass pictures for free.

Right now, I want to talk to the photographers who are listening (reading). You know who you are. You’re the one who always makes sure that what you’re doing is documented, BUT you are often not in the pictures. Photopass is a great way to be in the picture.

Tip #7

Try the food!

You can order it early with mobile order. Mobile order is just like it sounds - you order your food using the Disneyland app, then you pick it up at the time you reserved. This service opens up at 7 am every morning, so if there’s something you would like to try, order it early and pick it up when you get there.

The food offerings change every year so definitely check out the Disneyland website for this year’s offerings.

Note: I got this picture from the Disney Parks Blog for 2026. Check it out here.

Tip #8

There are some things that are just sold during the event, so if you want a pin or a new t-shirt, definitely take a look in Batuu and throughout the park. There are even Pandora charms for the night. But be warned, the lines can get LONG to get into the areas so keep that in mind.

Tip #9

Most of the rides are open and the lines are usually a lot shorter. This isn’t always true for Rise of the Resistance but if you’re feeling like riding Big Thunder Mountain, it will take you about as long to walk through the queue as it does to wait for the next train. 

Tip #10

We’ve been talking about our top things to do at Star Wars Nite, but this is not an exhaustive list of what you can do. There are character meet ups and costume parades, there’s a place where you learn a lightsaber dance - though if you know anything about karate, it’s more of a kata. There is a DJ. Sometimes there are fireworks (hopefully those will be back this year!). There is so much to do and you can’t do it all. So, our biggest tip is to choose your top 3 things you want to do and do those things, then if you have time, find something else to do as well.

We have heard from others that this is the most fun After Dark event at Disneyland. We tend to agree! So, if you have been on the fence about whether or not it’s worth it, we’d say go, do it. Dress up. Bring your lightsaber. Have some otherworldly treats. And have the best time!

Before we go, if you want to see our costumes, some of the food, and a few of the things we talked about today, head over to our website. We’ll have everything linked there so you can get a better idea of what to expect.

As always, let’s keep making traveling with your family easier, one trip at a time. See ya next time. And may the force be with you!