All About Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!
Today we are talking all about the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World! This is a seperately ticketed event that takes place after hours. The party begins at 7:00 PM and guests who don’t have a party ticket attached to their Magic Band they will be asked to leave so that only those who have paid for their party ticket can enjoy the event.
This year it runs from August 11th through November 1st so it’s already been going on for a month or so! You can enter the park as early as 4:00 PM and you do not need a park reservation for this day.
Welcome to Main Street USA!
One of our favorite things about this is that people often come in costume! We’ve only dressed up once though and it was when we went last year! We did a group costume with our girls, Tyler’s brother and Tyler’s mom as characters from Cinderella. Gigi was Cinderella, Felicity was the pumpkin, Tyler was Prince Charming, Tyler’s mother was The Fairy Godmother and Jessica and Tyler’s brother were Anastasia and Drizella! We will say that the times we haven’t dressed up, we were in the minority! So if you are debating doing a costume, this is your sign to do it!
Now a lot of people kind of wonder “Okay so what is this thing exactly?” We’re so glad you asked! First of all, as you walk in you’ll see all the regular Halloween decor that you would see during the day but Disney elevates it a bit more with extra lighting and music to get you into the spooky Halloween mood! There are trick or treat stations throughout the park (and the cast members do give you trick or treat bags!), special character meet and greets, special food offerings and of course nighttime spectaculars that are Halloween themed! Plus of course you get to go on rides and attractions just as you would any other time in the park but with shortened wait times and quicker lines due to limited capacity for the after hours event which is awesome! Nearly everything is a walk on or a very short wait so it’s a great time to ride some of those higher ticket attractions that have long wait times during the day.
The cutest pumpkin!
Trick or treat stations are always a hit and Disney is not stingy with the candy! We’ve gone home with plenty extra that we’ve been eating for weeks after! They are always pretty clearly marked with a big inflatable but if you’re unsure they are also marked on the event map that a cast member will give you when you enter. You can also find allergy friendly options, be sure to let your cast member know at the beginning and they’ll give you a specific bag that alerts other cast members of your allergy and they give you a token to turn in at specific allergy friendly stations.
There are specific character meet and greet stations that you’ll also find on your event map throughout Magic Kingdom. There are plenty of characters that you may not often see, specifically villains which is very fun! The lines can get long but if you’re really dying to see a particular character it might be worth it. Sometimes you can find that some of the more popular ones, like Jack and Sally, might actually come out and start earlier because they are so long so be sure to ask when you enter the park. But also you’ll see plenty of other characters out and about that only come out once in a while so it is fun to spot the rare ones!
In quite a few of the attractions you’ll find that they might be “Halloween-ified” as well. For example on Space Mountain they turn off all the lights and change the music and in Pirates of the Caribbean last year they had live actors in the attraction as some of the pirates! It’s so cool and just a fun way to plus the experience for guests!
The castle show is a must see!
The entertainment is SO good, it totally makes the whole event worth it in our opinion. There’s a castle show, a parade AND fireworks! The castle show features the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus and they are amazing! There are also plenty of other characters including Dr Facilier from Princess and the Frog; Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (he is CREEPY!) and so many more. There’s music, lights, projections, dancing…it’s SO worth watching!
The Boo To You Parade is one of our all time favorite parades, period! The music is so good, and again you see so many characters that you don’t often see! There’s a part of the parade with the grave diggers from The Haunted Mansion and they do a dance using shovels that spark off the ground and it’s such a cool thing to see! Another part of the parade that is so cute is Clarabelle Cow, Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck dressed as the Sanderson Sisters, it’s one of our favorite character sightings! You’ll also see plenty of kid friendly things like Vanellope from Wreck It Ralph, the charcters from Winnie the Pooh and more. There are two parade times, one earlier and one later, so if you miss part of it the first time there is a second chance to see it again and ther are usually lighter crowds by the later performance.
These guys are some of our favorite characters to see!
You’ll also find streetmosphere style entertainment throughout the park. The Dapper Dans become The Cadaver Dans and perform over in Frontierland; and a new addition over near Pirates of the Caribbean is a band called The Rusty Cutlass!
There is a Disney Jr Dance Party that also happens that is so fun for kids (and also the grown ups!) where you can find tons of Disney Jr characters like Doc McStuffins, Fancy Nancy, Vampirina and more. They’ve got lights, music and it’s a perfect spot to burn off some energy and have a good time with some of your kids favorite characters!
You’ll also find some special photo locations and photo pass Magic Shots that are themed and special for the party which is a fun souvenir!
You’ll find party specific merchandise and food as well throughout the event! This year there is the Sally Cake Pop; Zombie Fingers; Buffalo Chicken Hand Pie and more. Everything is decorated and themed to be a little bit spooky!
Best Tips:
Arrive as early as you can. If doors open at 4:00 for party guests, get there even a little earlier and wait in line to ensure you are maximizing your ticket.
Eat dinner between 4:00 - 7:00 PM. Once 7:00 PM hits and party events start happening you’re not going to want to use up 45 minutes of your night getting a full meal and missing out on the other fun stuff that’s going on!
If you don’t have a stroller to keep your candy bag(s) in as you move through the park, wait until a little later in the evening to hit the trick or treat stations. You wouldn’t want to bring a bag of candy onto a ride and have it spill everywhere!
Questions from the Citizens of Disneyville
Q: Is it worth it for little kids? Eg. ages five and one?
A: We have done almost exactly that! And yes! For the five year old, 100%! And your one year old would be free anyways.
Q: Is the party really worth the money?
A: This is a hard thing to answer because where people choose to put their money is so personal and subjective to them. But we will say even though these tickets are expensive, it is such a memorable experience and gives us so many memories that are different and special! We also think that if you are able to arrive right at 4:00 and stay as long as possible to see all the shows, visit all the stations, meet the characters etc and take advantage of the cool things being offered you will find it more worth your money.
Q: What’s your ideal itinerary for the Halloween party?
A: Okay so we would arrive at 3:30 PM to get in line for 4:00 PM entry. If you’re wanting to meet Jack and Sally get in that line right away when it’s shortest. Then eat a full meal after that. Grab an iced coffee (or beverage of choice!) and walk around to look at everything, hop in line for any other characters that might be out before 7:00 PM. Use this time before the party officially gets going to look at any merchandise you may want to purchase and get it before it gets too busy at the end of the night. Ride some of the attractions as the lines are getting shorter and regular park guests are leaving. This is a good time to also do some trick or treating and spot characters or photo pass locations. Be sure to watch the castle show and then go back to hit some more trick or treating, ride some more rides. Then watch the fireworks and the late showing of the parade. Of course as you’re going through and exploring the park you’ll also see some of the streetmosphere entertainment, the dance party etc.
Want to listen to the podcast version of this blog post? Or maybe watch the video? Click one of the options below!
Did you know that the amazing travel agents over at our partner agency People Mover Travel can help you plan your next Disney vacation completely free? That’s right, planning services are totally complimentary! Visit the People Mover Travel website for more information!