Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

What is better than a night full of trick or treating? Trick or treating at Magic Kingdom! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a special ticketed event happening select nights from August through October. Guests attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party are able to come in costume (yes, even the adults!) and trick or treat at various locations throughout the park. They can also see characters in their Halloween costumes, take in special entertainment, try spooky treats and enjoy many attractions with low wait times! It is a fun filled evening for youngsters and for the young at heart.

This post is broken up into two parts: party details and our family’s party experience. Here we go!

Party Details

Dates and Cost

Tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party start at $85 for adults (ages 10 and up) and $80 for children (ages 3-9). They are available for the following dates:

• August 17, 24, 28 and 31
• September 3, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28 and 30
• October 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30 and 31

If you purchase your tickets in advance, you receive a $10 discount. This discount is available for all dates except October 31. They are available online or by calling 407-WDISNEY.

Though the party begins at 7:00 PM, you may enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4:00 and receive your party bracelet.

Entertainment

There are several shows at this year’s Halloween party, including the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Parade and the Happy Hallowishes Fireworks. In additions, there are two dance parties: Monstrous Scream-O-Ween ball in Tomorrowland with Mike Wazowski and Sulley and Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam in Fantasyland with Disney Junior characters.

Attractions

Many of the attractions at Magic Kingdom are open for the Halloween party, including favorites such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight and Splash Mountain. In 2018, several attractions also have special Halloween enhancements available only during the party. These attractions are Pirates of the Caribbean, Mad Tea Party and Space Mountain. The special enhancements begin at 7:00 and only those with Halloween party wristbands are able to go on the rides.

Characters

There are 18 different character meet and greets at the Halloween party! Some of the popular characters are dressed in their best Halloween costumes. Other characters are rare or hard to find characters. Some characters sign autographs, others just pose for a picture. Many of the characters have long waits, as we found out (more about that below). If you don’t want to wait in characters’ lines, you may get lucky and be able to catch a glimpse of some of the characters since some of the meet and greets are outside. We were able to see Winnie the Pooh and friends as well as Jack Skellington.

Trick or Treating

One of the highlights of the event, trick-or-treating in the Magic Kingdom is, well, magical. Trick-or-treat locations are found throughout the park. Guests are given trick-or-treat bags and are able to visit as many trick-or-treat locations as they would like. As the party comes to a close, you may find yourself getting larger handfuls of candy! I was told by a cast member that any boxes of candy opened during a party are only allowed to be handed out at that particular party. This is great news for late trick-or-treaters! The closer to midnight, the more candy you may be able to receive at each stop (as long as they still have some).

For those with allergies, there are allergy friendly offerings. Teal allergy friendly treat bags are available and teal allergy friendly chips are given out at each treat location. These chips can be traded in for allergy friendly goodies at Town Square Theater in Main Street, USA or in the Liberty Square Ticket Office in Liberty Square. An ingredients list is provided for each of the allergy offerings and you are able to choose what you would like. They may run out of some popular items, such as applesauce pouches, so get there earlier in the evening for the best selection.

Dining

There are several table service and quick service restaurants available for your dining needs during the party. Hours may be limited at certain locations. The real food stars are the specialty foods offered exclusively during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Included are:

• Jack Skellington Dessert – located at Sleepy Hollow
• Hitchhiking Ghost Dessert – located at Aloha Isle
• Oogie Boogie Meringue – located at Gaston’s Tavern
• Maleficent Dessert – located at Storybook Treats
• Madame Leota Dessert – located at Liberty Square Market
• Worms and Dirt Dessert – located at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe

Other Halloween inspired treats are available as well, so you may want to come to the party hungry!

Event Merchandise

Exclusive event merchandise is very popular and the lines to peruse and purchase the merchandise can rival some of the character meet and greets! Lines are shorter if you wait until closer to the end of the party, but selection may be limited. You may want to consider where special event merchandise is on your priority list before standing in line for an hour or more.

Photos

PhotoPass photographers are stationed at various locations throughout the park. There are some cute Halloween props at some locations while there are special Magic Shots available at other locations. PhotoPass photographers are also available to capture the fun at character meet and greets and the event entry area.  

Our Experience

The Beginning of the Party Experience

We attended the second Halloween party of the year. It was crowded! Luckily, because we attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in December, we were prepared.

We spent the day in Magic Kingdom, so we were already in the park at 4:00. At that time we went to the Ticket Office in Liberty Square to receive our wristbands and maps for the party. We went to meet Tinkerbell and then headed to get the special Halloween party spell card for the Sorcerers of Magic Kingdom game. It was about 6:00 and we were expecting a long line. We were pleasantly surprised to find a cast member handing out the cards outside the building with no line! She marked our wristbands, gave us the cards and we were on our way!

At that point, the kids began asking about trick or treating and I realized that I forgot to get the bags being handed out for goodies. We asked a cast member, who then directed us to an area filled with PhotoPass photographers and cast members handing out the bags as well as some candy. We stopped for a photo, grabbed our bags and continued on our way.

Next, we went to another trick or treat location. Then two of the kids wanted to ride Haunted Mansion. After a spooky ride, we were able to get a family Magic Shot near the ride exit.

A Character Meet & Greet (or Maybe Not…)

At that point it was about 6:30 and I had the great (not really!) idea of standing in line to see Winnie the Pooh and friends dressed up in their Halloween costumes. I had seen pictures online of them and thought they were adorable. I thought I had read that the line moves quickly because there are no autographs given out. Apparently I was wrong! The characters came out around 7:00 and the line inched forward slowly.

After about 45 minutes, my wonderful husband Nick sent me to Big Top Souvenirs because he knew that I wanted to check out the exclusive party merchandise. I went, only to find a line that wrapped about halfway around the interior of the store for those wanting to look at the special merchandise. Knowing that several of our kids were on the fussy side, I decided to skip the line and pick up a bunch of snacks. I made my way back to my family, who had only moved up slightly. Winnie and friends took a break, and after an hour plus waiting in line, we decided to leave and enjoy the rest of the party. I tried to take a photo of the characters in their costumes but it didn’t turn out too well!

The Parade and Shows

We went to a few more trick-or-treat locations and then went to find a spot for Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade. It was about 8:00 and we found a fantastic place in Frontierland. It started raining at this point, so we all put on our ponchos, grabbed a snack and settled in to wait for the start of the parade. I had heard that the Headless Horseman starts off the parade and I was super excited to see it. Unfortunately, he didn’t make an appearance! I wonder if it was because of the rain, though it had pretty much stopped by 9:15. The parade was wonderful and all of us (at least those of us still awake) really enjoyed it!

As soon as the parade was over, we went to find a spot for the Happy Hallowishes Fireworks. We were able to get a decent spot and could see all of the projections on the castle in addition to the fireworks. It was a wonderful show.

As people were leaving the fireworks show, we were able to move closer to the castle stage to watch the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. It is the 25th anniversary of the movie Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson sisters returned, bringing some villains along with some fun and thrills! It was such a great performance that our oldest wanted to see it again!

Ending the Night

By the time we were done watching the show it was after 11:00 and the kids wanted to keep trick-or-treating. We went to several more trick-or-treat locations. Cast members were handing out handfuls of candy at this point. One of our daughters stopped trick or treating because she said she had too much candy!

We also stopped briefly at the Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam and then peeked in on the Seven Dwarfs. Though the line to meet them looked smaller than the one for Winnie the Pooh and friends, we decided to skip it. It was late and we were a little wary of how long we would have to wait.

It was just before midnight when we decided to leave. We were walking down Main Street, hoping for a Magic Shot or two. The lines were long, Main Street was crowded and the kids were tired. In addition, we had some allergy friendly chips to trade in at the allergy friendly center. We headed there and Nick waited outside with the kids while I traded in the chips. Once I was done, we headed toward the exit. We saw a PhotoPass photographer doing Magic Shots at the entrance to the park and did stand in line for one. I am so glad we did! We now have a family shot with the Headless Horseman. I guess I did get to see him in a way after all!

The Take Away

With some happy, exhausted children we decided to call it a night. Knowing that we couldn’t fit everything in helped us to set some priorities for the night (the parade, fireworks, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular and trick-or-treating). We were able to accomplish everything that was a priority for us. In the future, I would love to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party twice: once for the attractions, food and character meet and greets; and another time for the parade, fireworks, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular and trick-or-treating. I think we could fit almost everything in doing it this way!

Remember, though the party officially begins at 7:00 PM, guests with tickets are allowed in beginning at 4:00 PM. Those three hours are a great time to get something to eat, experience an attraction or two, or start lining up for popular character meet and greets. If you are planning on attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, consider making a list of priorities so that you know exactly what you would like to do when you arrive. And remember to set expectations for everyone in your party. This allows you to make the most of your time at the party. I think you will find it to be a spooktacular event!

What are you most interested in at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?