Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

There are many things I love in life. Travel would be at the top of the list and as much as I love exploring new countries, cities and towns, my all-time favorite vacation spot has always been Walt Disney World. And when it comes to holidays, while most people would pick Christmas as their favorite, I have always picked Halloween. So, as you can imagine, celebrating Halloween at Walt Disney World is like a dream come true. Luckily the Halloween season at Walt Disney World starts fairly early giving you plenty of time to enjoy this special time in the parks.

Still in the midst of summer, as August rolls around the Halloween decorations start showing up at the Magic Kingdom. The highlight of the Halloween season at Walt Disney World is definitely Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Running on select nights from mid-August thru Halloween, this separately ticketed event is not to be missed! In 2023, the party runs on select nights from August 11th thru November 1, 2023. I’ve attended this event on three separate years, including most recently in 2023 over Labor Day Weekend.

Party Specifics

The tickets to the party normally go on sale in late April, coinciding with the halfway to Halloween point of the year. Certain dates like Halloween itself sell out fairly quickly so it’s best to get your tickets as soon as they go on sale if possible. The 2023 prices ranged from a low of $99 for some of the earlier dates to $199 the closer you get to Halloween. While, like most things Disney, the price seems a bit steep, it is worth it in my opinion based on the following reasons:

• Tickets are limited, so its much less crowded than a normal park day this means lower lines for rides and less crowds for parades and fireworks.
• The party runs from 7pm-midnight but they allow you into the park starting at 4pm, so you can get a full 8 hours in the park.
• Halloween themed fireworks, shows, entertainment and parade (more detail on these later).
• Rare character meet and greets.
• Halloween themed photo ops and magic shots.
• The opportunity to wear your favorite Halloween costume in the park, no matter the age, it’s always so much fun to dress in costume for halloween.
• Free candy, like A LOT of candy!

Now lets get into the specific fun Halloween themed things to enjoy at the party:

Trick or Treating Throughout the Magic Kingdom

Most people dress up in costume for the party and if you are going to be in costume, you might as well go trick or treating for some free candy! Who doesn’t love free candy? Growing up my friend and I went trick or treating throughout our entire childhood even all thru high school, we were masters at it, I would end up with so much candy I would more times than not get it to last until Christmas. Being able to trick or treat in Disney World is something I always dreamed of as a child and even as an adult, I still loved it.

As you enter the park, head to the right side of Main Street USA, this is where you will go to get your trick or treating bag. You will be led behind Main Street USA where they have some fun bronze statues of Disney characters in their Halloween costumes. After you walk thru this area, you will receive your trick or treat bag and your first pieces of candy.

There are over a dozen trick or treat locations scattered throughout the park for you to go trick or treating at. And being Disney, they have thought of everything, if someone has a food allergy they will be provided with a teal trick or treat bag. When they go to the trick or treat locations in the park with the teal bag, they will be given tokens to exchange at one of the two allergy friendly locations in the park for their own special treats. Disney is always so great when it comes to accommodating food allergies!

At the end of the night, you will end up with quite the haul of candy that will make for great snacks during the rest of your trip!

Character Meet & Greets

One of the more popular things about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party are the rare character meet & greets. Some people will wait in lines for hours to take a photo with their favorite Disney characters in their Halloween costumes and some rare characters not normally seen in the parks.

As I mentioned above, they allow guests with party tickets into the park starting at 4pm. The lines for some of the more popular meet and greets, specifically Jack Skellington and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas start right at 4pm and these two characters have been known to start seeing guests prior to 7pm, I’ve even heard it start as early as 4:30pm. Other popular characters that you can see during the party include many of your favorite Disney characters in their Halloween costumes, such as Stitch dressed as Elvis. The lines do get very long, so I would definitely prioritize which character is most important for you to see so you don’t spend all evening in character lines, unless that’s how you want to spend your night.

Halloween Themed Photo Ops and Magic Shots

Everyone loves taking photos these days, especially if you are on a family vacation to Walt Disney World. During Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, there are many different Halloween themed photo ops throughout the park.

And if you have purchased the Memory Maker for your Walt Disney World vacation, there are quite a few fun Halloween magic shots such as, the Headless Horseman and the Hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion.

Haunted Mansion

Speaking of the Hitchhiking Ghosts, a ride on the Haunted Mansion is a must during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! Even the ride queue gets into the Halloween spirit. They had two “ghosts” entertaining guests in line. They were definitely a good laugh while in line.

The line will be long as this is the most popular ride during the party. I recommend going on the ride during one of the parades (more on these later) when the line tends to be shorter. If you’ve been on this ride in the past couple of years, you know that they now have an on-ride photo (not specific to the party) which is fun. Do you know where it’s located in the ride? It took me a bit but I now know exactly where it is so I can prepare for a fun photo.

The atmosphere around the ride is very much haunted Halloween style, with fog and lights that definitely create a creepy atmosphere. They also have a photo op in front of the ride that is worth checking out.

Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular

There is so much entertainment during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular is not to be missed. Taking place on the stage in front of Cinderella’s Castle, this show features the Sanderson Sisters from Disney’s hit Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus. Playing a few times a night, the Sanderson Sisters bring together many of the other Disney villains in this fun show featuring great hit songs from the movie such as “I Put a Spell on You”.

Boo To You Halloween Parade

My personal favorite part of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is definitely the Boo To You Halloween Parade. I have always been a big parade lover at Disney World, but this one is by far their best parade in my opinion.

There are two showings of the parade during the party. The earlier parade tends to be the most crowded as families with younger children prefer that parade. If you are not with kids or your kids are older, I recommend the later parade. Not only is it a lot easier to get a great spot to view the parade, but as mentioned above you can use the time during the earlier parade to get on a popular ride like Haunted Mansion or maybe even get into one of the lines to meet one of the characters.

Prior to the parades, the headless horseman takes a ride down the parade route. He does this fairly early; about 15 -20 minutes before the parade starts. I would plan on being there a bit more than 20 minutes prior to parade time if you want to see him. I got there about 15 minutes before this past visit and had already missed him. The parade is full of characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes, fall floats, plenty of Disney villains and of course a whole section of the parade is dedicated to the Haunted Mansion. And the music in the parade is catchy enough that it will stick in your head for the rest of the night.

Below is a small preview of the Boo To You Halloween Parade:

Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular

A night in the Magic Kingdom just isn’t complete without viewing fireworks. In between the two showings of the Boo To You Halloween Parade, Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular fireworks show takes place over Cinderella’s Castle.

One of the great things about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the limited attendance. This makes for a much less crowded and more enjoyable fireworks viewing experience than on a non-party night in the Magic Kingdom.

The fireworks are set off to your favorite spooky Disney Halloween songs and feature Halloween themed projections on the castle.

Check out the video below with a short bit of the fireworks show:

If you are a Halloween and Disney fan, attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a must. It’s a fun-filled Halloween evening in the Magic Kingdom that will bring lasting memories and make you want to return year after year.

For more on how Disney celebrates Halloween, check out my post on Halloween at the Disneyland Resort in California.

Beyond The Miles Travel is happy to help you plan your next Disney vacation, contact us today.

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