Latest news with #Minney
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Time to start planning if you want to spend Halloween at Disney
It's time to start planning for Halloween, Disney fans. Yes, already. Tickets to Disneyland's Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party go on sale Thursday to the general public and quickly sell out. Tickets to Walt Disney World's Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are currently on sale, and Halloween night is already sold out. Both specially ticketed, after-hours events are beloved for their event-exclusive entertainment, special character meet-and-greets, in-park trick-or-treating, and chance to dress in costume, which adult guests don't usually get to do in the parks. However, they're not the only way to celebrate Halloween, particularly at Disneyland. Here's what guests should know. Does Disneyland do anything special for Halloween? Disneyland goes all out for Halloween with fall festival vibes along Main Street, U.S.A., a 'Nightmare Before Christmas' overlay on Haunted Mansion, a Monsters After Dark takeover of Guardians of the Galaxy, Haul-O-Ween theming throughout Cars Land, Mickey's Trick and Treat show at Disney California Adventure and the Halloween Screams nighttime spectacular on select nights at Disneyland Park. All that is included with standard park admission, just like Disney California Adventure's Plaza de la Familia celebration, which honors Dia de los Muertos. Disneyland's ongoing 70th anniversary festivities are also included, though 'Wondrous Journeys" and 'Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!' will temporarily pause for Halloween Time offerings. What are the Halloween dates at Disneyland? Halloween Time runs Aug. 22 through Oct. 31 at Disneyland Resort. Plaza de la Familia starts on the same day but continues through Nov. 2 at Disney California Adventure. Oogie Boogie Bash will be held at Disney California Adventure: On Oogie Boogie nights, the park closes early to regular guests. The bash begins at 6 p.m., but attendees can enter as early as 3 p.m. How expensive is Oogie Boogie Bash? Oogie Boogie Bash tickets start at $139 for guests ages 3 and older. They top out at $199, for Halloween night. Last year's tickets ranged from $134 to $189. Does Disney World do anything for Halloween? Most of Disney World's Halloween activities are tied to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which is not included with standard admission. However, everyday guests can enjoy Halloween decorations along Magic Kingdom's Main Street U.S.A. and elsewhere around the resort. Beginning Aug. 16, Hollywood and Vine will offer Minney's Halloween Dine, a buffet with Minnie and her friends in Halloween attire at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Additional offerings may be available at the Disney Springs shopping, dining and entertainment complex and at Disney resorts for guests staying there. What are the dates for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2025? Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will be held at Magic Kingdom: Halloween night is already sold out. On party nights, Magic Kingdom closes early to regular guests. The event begins at 7 p.m., but attendees can enter the park as early as 4 p.m. How much is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Event tickets start at $119 for guests age 10 and older, just like last year. However, the highest priced tickets now cost more. Last year's tickets peaked at $199. This year's tickets go up to $229. Can you go on rides during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party? Yes, most rides remain open for the party and often have shorter waits than during the day, due to the event's limited capacity. The same is true for Oogie Boogie Bash.
Sydney Morning Herald
31-05-2025
- Climate
- Sydney Morning Herald
What winter has in store for Sydney and NSW
Winter follows an autumn that was book-ended by a cyclone in the Brisbane region and floods in the Mid North Coast of NSW, while inland areas suffered record-breaking drought because of the position of the Southern Annular Mode. Minney said it was unclear when the drought would break. All the while, the continent was ringed by a marine heatwave that had killed coral in both Queensland and Western Australia and millions of fish in salmon farms in Tasmania. In South Australia, a bloom of Karenia mikimotoi algae has blanketed thousands of square kilometres of the ocean with discoloured water and foam for weeks, killing fish, sharks, rays, seahorses and other species with gills. The South Australian government said experts believed the marine heatwave – 2.5 degrees warmer than usual – combined with calm conditions, light winds and small swells had led to the bloom off the coast of Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and the southern coast of Yorke Peninsula. In an update on Thursday, the SA government said it hoped recent strong winds and ocean swells would break up the algal bloom. Internationally, King said the northern spring had brought wildfires in Scotland, while Spain was unusually wet. In Switzerland last week, a thawing glacier collapsed onto the village below and razed the forest. King said the link between climate change and heatwaves, both on land and in the ocean, was clear. It was more difficult to attribute specific rainfall events to global warming, though a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. Winter is here The weather bureau published its latest seasonal outlook for winter on Thursday. For June-August, the bureau sees a greater than 80 per cent chance of above-average maximum and minimum temperatures across most of Australia. In south-western and south-eastern Australia, and parts of the tropical north, the chances of unusually high maximum temperatures are above 70 per cent. In southern, eastern and northern parts of Australia, the chances of unusually high minimum temperatures exceed 70 per cent. The bureau also found a 60 to 80 per cent chance of above-average rainfall for much of mainland Australia, but even odds on whether it was wetter, drier or the same as usual for much of south-west Western Australia and south-eastern Australia, and parts of the tropical north. This was driven in part by an expectation that the Indian Ocean Dipole would switch to a negative phase by the end of winter. Bushfires and mould The Australian and New Zealand Council for fire and emergency services warns of an extra bushfire risk, especially in Victoria and South Australia. Mould is another risk for those in regions expecting heat and rain. Goran Surbevski at air-conditioning company Alliance Climate Control recommended running air-conditioning in 'dry mode', which sucks moisture out of the air. 'It's especially useful during those mild, rainy days when full heating isn't needed, but the air still feels damp,' Surbevski said. Standalone dehumidifiers can do the same thing, and insulation can prevent water entering. Patchy snow In the Australian Alps, businesses dependent on snow tourism fear they are in for another bad year. Loading Jindabyne business owner Olivier Kapetanakos said the past few years were like living through 'a climate change battle' from bushfires to floods as well as COVID-19. 'Now we've got what looks like to be the third bad winter snow season coming through,' he said. 'Businesses relying on tourism have had a pretty hard trot.' Kapetanakos, president of the Jindabyne Chamber of Commerce, part owner of a tourism real estate business and operator of farmstay provider Avonside Alpine Estate, said the snow season had shrunk from a 14-16 week season to a 12-week season in the past decade, and he expected that in future it could last just eight weeks. Snowy Monaro Regional Council had a gross regional product of $1.96 billion in 2024-25. Of that, $798.8 million was attributable to tourism. Kapetanakos said there were efforts to make tourism a year-round industry for the Snowy Mountains, by attracting hikers to a new multi-day walk and mountain bikers in the warmer months. Yet the most concentrated economic activity was the snow season because it was such an expensive time of year. King said climate change was a big threat to the ski industry in Australia in the long term, but the seasonal outlook could not accurately predict snow conditions in such a small area. Also, temperature would affect whether precipitation fell as snow or rain. 'In any given winter you might get lucky and just happen to have a good dump of snow at a good time,' King said.
The Age
31-05-2025
- Climate
- The Age
What winter has in store for Sydney and NSW
Winter follows an autumn that was book-ended by a cyclone in the Brisbane region and floods in the Mid North Coast of NSW, while inland areas suffered record-breaking drought because of the position of the Southern Annular Mode. Minney said it was unclear when the drought would break. All the while, the continent was ringed by a marine heatwave that had killed coral in both Queensland and Western Australia and millions of fish in salmon farms in Tasmania. In South Australia, a bloom of Karenia mikimotoi algae has blanketed thousands of square kilometres of the ocean with discoloured water and foam for weeks, killing fish, sharks, rays, seahorses and other species with gills. The South Australian government said experts believed the marine heatwave – 2.5 degrees warmer than usual – combined with calm conditions, light winds and small swells had led to the bloom off the coast of Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and the southern coast of Yorke Peninsula. In an update on Thursday, the SA government said it hoped recent strong winds and ocean swells would break up the algal bloom. Internationally, King said the northern spring had brought wildfires in Scotland, while Spain was unusually wet. In Switzerland last week, a thawing glacier collapsed onto the village below and razed the forest. King said the link between climate change and heatwaves, both on land and in the ocean, was clear. It was more difficult to attribute specific rainfall events to global warming, though a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. Winter is here The weather bureau published its latest seasonal outlook for winter on Thursday. For June-August, the bureau sees a greater than 80 per cent chance of above-average maximum and minimum temperatures across most of Australia. In south-western and south-eastern Australia, and parts of the tropical north, the chances of unusually high maximum temperatures are above 70 per cent. In southern, eastern and northern parts of Australia, the chances of unusually high minimum temperatures exceed 70 per cent. The bureau also found a 60 to 80 per cent chance of above-average rainfall for much of mainland Australia, but even odds on whether it was wetter, drier or the same as usual for much of south-west Western Australia and south-eastern Australia, and parts of the tropical north. This was driven in part by an expectation that the Indian Ocean Dipole would switch to a negative phase by the end of winter. Bushfires and mould The Australian and New Zealand Council for fire and emergency services warns of an extra bushfire risk, especially in Victoria and South Australia. Mould is another risk for those in regions expecting heat and rain. Goran Surbevski at air-conditioning company Alliance Climate Control recommended running air-conditioning in 'dry mode', which sucks moisture out of the air. 'It's especially useful during those mild, rainy days when full heating isn't needed, but the air still feels damp,' Surbevski said. Standalone dehumidifiers can do the same thing, and insulation can prevent water entering. Patchy snow In the Australian Alps, businesses dependent on snow tourism fear they are in for another bad year. Loading Jindabyne business owner Olivier Kapetanakos said the past few years were like living through 'a climate change battle' from bushfires to floods as well as COVID-19. 'Now we've got what looks like to be the third bad winter snow season coming through,' he said. 'Businesses relying on tourism have had a pretty hard trot.' Kapetanakos, president of the Jindabyne Chamber of Commerce, part owner of a tourism real estate business and operator of farmstay provider Avonside Alpine Estate, said the snow season had shrunk from a 14-16 week season to a 12-week season in the past decade, and he expected that in future it could last just eight weeks. Snowy Monaro Regional Council had a gross regional product of $1.96 billion in 2024-25. Of that, $798.8 million was attributable to tourism. Kapetanakos said there were efforts to make tourism a year-round industry for the Snowy Mountains, by attracting hikers to a new multi-day walk and mountain bikers in the warmer months. Yet the most concentrated economic activity was the snow season because it was such an expensive time of year. King said climate change was a big threat to the ski industry in Australia in the long term, but the seasonal outlook could not accurately predict snow conditions in such a small area. Also, temperature would affect whether precipitation fell as snow or rain. 'In any given winter you might get lucky and just happen to have a good dump of snow at a good time,' King said.
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Dry winter forecast for Queensland after record-breaking April rains
Queensland can expect a drier-than-average winter after a sodden start to 2025, with parts of the state recording their wettest April on record. The wet conditions are forecast to ease this month, with below-average rainfall expected for June, Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) climatologist Caitlin Minney said. "For all of Australia, including Queensland, it's likely — or very likely — to be drier than average in May," Ms Minney said. Decades-long trend The record-breaking rainfall that preceded the dry is part of a broader trend in northern Australia over the past 30 years, she said. April rainfall was above average for most of the state, and the highest on record in some parts. "Particularly across northern Queensland, rainfall during the wet season has increased by around 20 per cent," Ms Minney said. "This is usually due to changes in overall synoptic systems and the impacts of a warming climate." Rainfall totals were above average across Queensland in April. ( ABC News: Liz Pickering ) Brisbane recorded 156.8 millimetres of rain in April, more than 2.5 times its monthly average. Just north of Brisbane, Redcliffe recorded 260.6mm, its highest April total ever and more than triple the average. Redcliffe also recorded its highest daily rainfall total for April, with nearly 100mm falling on April 13. Meanwhile the Carpentaria region received four times its monthly average rainfall. Parts of western Queensland were drenched by rain in March leading to flooding. ( Supplied: Eric Beresford ) The above-average rainfall in April followed devastating floods in parts of western Queensland, contributing to the wettest March across the state since 2011 — the third wettest on record. Many areas across Queensland also recorded their highest daily rainfall totals on record in March as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approached the coast. Brisbane recorded 275.2mm on March 10, doubling the previous record set in 2001.
