Are Disneyland's Star Wars Nites Worth It? I Went So Here's Everything You Want To Know

Are Disneyland’s Star Wars-themed night events actually worth it? An annual late-night event held multiple evenings between April and May each year, Disneyland’s Star Wars Nites are one of the California park’s biggest promotions this time of year during their overarching Season of the Force event. As such, it’s a separately ticketed event set apart from the tickets Disneyland typically sells (between $169-179 depending on the date), leading many Star Wars fans to wonder if the late-night experience is actually worthwhile.

In 2025, Disneyland has been actively promoting some exciting new features during Season of the Force. This includes new lightsaber building experiences, food, merch, characters like Luke Skywalker, and even a new night show taking place right behind The Millennium Falcon at Galaxy’s Edge. As a result, I felt motivated to finally attend one of this year’s Star Wars Nites during its first week, so here’s what I discovered and the conclusion I ultimately made about whether the event is actually worth the cost.

Disneyland Gets A Major Galactic Makeover For Star Wars Nites

Not Just Galaxy’s Edge

The first important thing to note is that Disneyland’s Star Wars Nites are not regulated to Galaxy’s Edge or Tomorrowland alone. The entire park gets in on the fun with John Williams’ iconic Star Wars music playing all over the park, as well as some impressive decorations and installations in every land. The Mattherhorn had Star Wars Nite decor projected on the moutainside, and both Main Street and the iconic Disney castle were split between the light and dark sides of the Force, encouraging guests to choose their side.

There was also a great DJ right at the park’s central hub, and you could also go down to The Rivers of America where Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes were playing on the water. Likewise, I also really enjoyed the giant postcards from various Star Wars planets that had been set up all over the park, making for some really fun pH๏τo opportunities, and the same goes for the giant Mythosaur skull, as well as Emperor Palpatine, Boba Fett, and Bo-Katan Kryze’s thrones in Tomorrowland.

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You Can Experience Rides Multiple Times With Shorter Wait Times

One of the best benefits of Star Wars Nites is the shorter wait times for rides due to the smaller population. While the party itself starts at 9pm until 1am, those who only purchased tickets for the night event are allowed to enter the park as early as 6pm. Likewise, certain rides became exclusive for Star Wars Nite guests only, such as the ever-popular and always busy Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge. While it’s common to see Rise with the longest wait times in the entire park, it remarkably became a walk-on with barely any time in line at all.

Likewise, Space Mountain becomes Hyperspace Mountain with its Star Wars re-theming for Season of the Force, and Star Tours now has all kinds of different variations every time you go on the ride, including new Star Tours sequences from recent shows such as The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka, and Andor. Personally, I was able to go on each of Disneyland’s Star Wars rides twice. I was thrilled when my first Star Tours ride featured Ahsoka’s space whales aka purrgils and Ahsoka Tano herself, and my second feature Revenge of the Sith’s Battle of Coruscant.

I was able to be a pilot on The Millennium Falcon my first time on Smuggler’s Run, and a gunner on my second go round later in the evening. Additionally, several other classic Disneyland rides like Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion are still open during Star Wars Nites as well.

New & Rare Star Wars Characters Make Appearances

Luke Skywalker, Sabine Wren, Jabba The Hutt, and More

Several different new and rare characters were featured across Disneyland during my visit to Star Wars Nite. Ahsoka Tano, The Mandalorian, Fennec Shand, and Kylo Ren were all in Galaxy’s Edge, while Jawas could be found in Adventureland before encountering Ewoks in Bayou Country. Anakin Sywalker and Queen Padmé Amidala were in Fantasyland, though my personal favorite was Jabba the Hutt just before Toon Town.

That said, the bulk of characters were located can be found in Tomorrowland. This includes Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Boba Fett, Palpatine, Sabine Wren, Hera, and even Chopper. While Luke Skywalker was the newest addition to Season of the Force this year, he was only around during the daytime before the night event, walking around and interacting with guests in Galaxy’s Edge.

Exclusive Star Wars Food and Merchandise Is A Big Plus

Lots To Spend Your Galactic Credits On

Another big draw was the mᴀssive amount of exclusive Star Wars-themed food all over the park. This includes dishes such as Taste of Daiyu City (burnt ends on mac and cheese), Porg Belly Burgers, all different kinds of lightsaber-inspired churros, Yoda-shaped Dagobah beignets, and more. My personal favorite was The Mandalorian-inspired Nevarro Lava Canyon Bread with Coleslaw, featuring steak bites on cheesy garlic bread. Needless to say, the food options were most impressive, as well as the drink at Oga’s Cantina.

Additionally, Tomorrowland featured several new merch opportunities exclusive to Star Wars Nite. This included new hoodies and shirts, pins, and more. Beyond the vast collection of Legacy Lightsabers at Galaxy’s Edge, Disney has confirmed that May will bring an all-new fifth lightsaber style to Savi’s Workshop in Galaxy’s Edge known as Reclaimed and Reforged, along with new droid models, including a full-size remote control Imperial Mouse Droid, and more. An exclusive I was very excited to get my hands on was The Helmet of the Ren, the mask belonging to the original leader of the Knights of Ren (before Ben Solo killed him and took over).

Shadows of Memory: A Brand-New Star Wars Show

Rivaling World of Color

One of the best new things I and many other Star Wars fans enjoyed was Disney’s brand-new projection show, Shadows of Memory. Narrated by a new Galaxy’s Edge character known as the Lore-Weaver, the first six Star Wars movies are told via a collection of impressive animated projections on the rock faces of Baatuu. Taking place right behind The Millennium Falcon, the entire production comes to be about a 15-minute show in total.

Not unlike California Adventure’s World of Color show on the water, Shadows of Memory is stunning. That said, one of the best parts is the conclusion, which calls on the entire crowd to lift their lightsabers into the air in remembrance of the Skywalker legend. With any luck, Shadows will become an ongoing staple of Galaxy’s Edge going forward.

The Verdict: Are Star Wars Nites Actually Worth It?

Definitely, But You Have To Be Strategic

When all is said and done, I do believe that Star Wars Nites at Disneyland is very much worth it for fans. Disney really does go all-out with these events, and it’s really special to be surrounded by lightsaber-wielding fans who love Star Wars just as much as you do. However, I will say that it does require some strategy and the understanding that you likely won’t be able to do and experience everything the night has to offer (which is more than likely by design to encourage return visits). For as much as I was able to do and experience, there was plenty I missed as there simply wasn’t enough time for everything.

While not required, I would recommend getting a ticket for the full day before your Star Wars Nite begins, allowing you to get all the classic rides and experiences taken care of before the night festivities get rolling. This will give you more time to check out all the exclusive offerings and character meet-ups. That being said, it’s not the worst problem to have that there’s too much to do during Disneyland’s Star Wars Nites, rather than the other way around. To conclude, Star Wars Nites are absolutely worth the price, a truly special event the biggest Star Wars fans should attend at least once in their lifetime.

Tickets for Disneyland’s Star Wars Nites 2025 are still being sold on April 22nd, 24th, 29th, May 1st, & May 6th (May the Fourth is currently sold out).

Click Here To View/Order Star Wars Nites Tickets From Disneyland

Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just тιтled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Disneyland

Disneyland is the Walt Disney Company’s first theme park that opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. Several attractions have filtered out of the park over the years, with Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean being some of the most popular rides. Dubbed “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland sees millions of fans from all over the world come to visit every year to experience the iconic park’s magic.