As of August 11th 2023, Halloween has begun at Magic Kingdom and the very first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party has kicked off the Halloween Season season. If you are headed to Walt Disney World at this time of year, between August 11th and November 1st you are in for a real treat. This separate ticketed event occurs on select nights and here is the basics of what you need to know:

• This is a separate ticketed event so you will not be able to use your Walt Disney World theme park tickets to enjoy the party. If you are at Magic Kingdom during an event date the Magic Kingdom will close at 6pm and cast members will be checking to ensure you have a party ticket to be able to stay in the park.

• With a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket you will be able to enter the Magic Kingdom beginning at 4pm even though the party does not start until 7pm. Take this time to enjoy dinner, experience Magic Kingdom attractions or participate in the few party offerings that begin before 7pm.

• This is a Halloween event and therefore costumes are permitted and encouraged for all guests! Some dates like those throughout August and early September will still experience summer heat so be sure to dress accordingly. Typically, adults are not allowed to attend the Walt Disney World theme parks in costume so this is the only time there is an exception to that rule! We love seeing the unique ideas people come up with or the matching family costumes throughout the event!

• This event has limited availability which means you can enjoy a lot of attractions and party offerings with less crowds and shorter waits. However, because it is limited tickets do tend to sell out so be sure to get yours well ahead of time.

Now that you know the basics, let’s dive into what you can expect at this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Trick or Treating
When you first enter the park or receive your party wristband you will also receive a trick or treat bag to fill up at candy stops throughout the park! With 14 locations to trick or treat around the park you are sure to be going home with a bag full of goodies like M&M’s, Snickers, Skittles and more! There is no limit as to how many times you visit these candy stops so circle back as many times as you’d like!

If you are travelling with someone who has an allergy, they do not have to miss out on the fun! When receiving your Trick or Treat bag at the beginning of the night, ask the cast member for an allergy bag or teal bag - these will indicate to those handing out the candy there is a food allergy. Instead, you will receive tokens at each trick or treat location that can be redeemed at Allergy Friendly Centres. There are two Allergy Friendly Centre locations, one in Liberty Square and the other on Main Street USA.

Entertainment
The entertainment selection from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is definitely a huge draw for why people choose to experience it. From stage shows, specialty fireworks, a Halloween parade and more. it is hard to fit it all into just one night!

Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular: the Sanderson Sisters have returned to throw a Halloween party. Enlisting the help of many familiar Disney villains they put together a Hocus Pocus Party Potion and put a spell over the entire Magic Kingdom. Join in on the wicked fun on the Cinderella Castle stage multiple times a night.
Showtimes: 8:35pm, 10:45pm, 12:00am (August & September) & 7:40pm, 8:35pm, 10:45pm & 12:00am (October & November)

Pure Magic Vacations Travel Tip: if you are able to stay at the party until midnight, we recommend viewing the 12am show. The crowds will typically be lighter during this showing and you’ll be able to enjoy it without missing out on other party happenings as all other offerings will end at midnight.

Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade: this parade features plenty of your favorite Disney pals, swashbuckling pirates, ghouls and ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, Disney villains and much, much more! New to the parade this year is Minnie, Daisy & Clarabelle dressed as the Sanderson Sisters!
The parade will begin in Frontierland and end at the park entrance on Main Street U.S.A. Before the parade begins you will be able to join in on a dance party with Powerline Max as he makes his way down the parade route. Important to note is that Max will only host his dance parties up until the Main Street Confectionary and does not make his way around the Main Street hub during the first parade of the night. Therefore, if you don’t want to miss it make sure you snag a parade viewing spot before this point!
Showtimes: 9:15pm & 11:15pm

Pure Magic Vacations Travel Tip: from start to finish the parade is 15 minutes long however, if you are seated towards the end of the parade route it will take 20 minutes from its start time to get to you. If you want to save time, watch the parade from a viewing location in Frontierland!

Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular: look to the skies for this fantastic fireworks display hosted by the pumpkin king himself, Jack Skellington who you will be able to see greet you from the Cinderella Castle stage! You will see through projections on the castle that Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy explore a Haunted House but encounter dancing skeletons, waltzing ghosts and some wicked Disney villains!
Showtimes: 10:15pm

Pure Magic Vacations Travel Tip: If you are a family who doesn’t always enjoy fireworks then this is the perfect time to enjoy other party offerings that would otherwise have a long wait!

The Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet: during the day you may know them as the Dapper Dans but once the sun goes down the Cadaver Dans come out to play! Known for their witty humour and haunting melodies, they know how to entertain the mortals visiting Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. You can find them located on the Frontierland rooftops!
Showtimes: Intermittently from 7:15pm - 10:50pm

Rusty Cutlass: don’t miss out on your chance to clap your hands and stomp your feet to some classic tunes performed by some swashbuckling pirates. You can find this beloved pirate band on the Adventureland Stage!
Showtimes: Intermittently from 7:15pm - 11:50pm

Disney Junior Jam: your favorite Disney Junior pals like Vampirina and Timon are waiting to get groovy with you! Enjoy a dance party located inside Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe to familiar Disney Junior tunes!
Showtimes: 7:00pm-12:00am

Zom-Beatz Bash: in the heart of Tomorrowland, what would you expect to see other than zombies, cheerleaders, werewolves and aliens enjoying a galactic dance party to celebrate the Halloween season? They’re inviting one and all to shake off all that sugar from trick or treating and bust a move!
Showtimes: 7:00pm-12:00am

Character Greetings
Another large draw for guests at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the wide array of characters that can be met! Here you will find familiar characters around the parks dressed in their Halloween costumes as well as some more rare characters who may not normally make appearances to greet guests. Most characters will have a designated meeting location however, you may find some roaming about the party too! Characters such as the Country Bears and the evil step-sisters Anastasia & Drizella want to be part of the party so find them wandering around Frontierland and Fantasyland!

Find a complete list of other character greetings you can enjoy below:

• Mickey Mouse (dressed in his Halloween costume) in Town Square Theatre

• Jack Skellington & Sally in Town Square Theatre

• Minnie, Donald & Daisy (dressed in their Halloween costumes) in the Dumbo Circus Tent

• Goofy (dressed in his Halloween costume) outside The Barnstormer

• Seven Dwarfs inside Pete’s Silly Sideshow

• Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore & Tigger (dressed in their Halloween costumes) at Pooh’s Thotful Spot

• Belle & Gaston by Belle’s cottage

• Ariel & Eric by Ariel’s Grotto

• Mad Hatter, Alice, Queen of Hearts, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum by Mad Tea Party

• Stitch (dressed in his Halloween costume) across from Monsters Inc Laugh Floor

• Cinderella, Rapunzel & visiting Princesses inside Princess Fairytale Hall

• Jack Sparrow beside Pirates of the Caribbean

• Aladdin, Abu, Genie, Jasmine & Jafar by Magic Carpets of Aladdin in the Agrabah Bazaar

Be sure to check when these characters will be meeting on your My Disney Experience app as not all characters will be out for the entire duration of the party.

Pure Magic Vacations Travel Tip: the two most popular character greetings are going to be with Jack Skellington & Sally as well as the Seven Dwarfs. Due to their popularity, their lines and greetings open before 7pm when the party officially begins. We recommend that if they are on your “must-do’s” list then you head to their location as soon as you enter the park. These lines can get up to over 2 hour waits - if not visiting them first thing we recommend checking during the firework show or towards the end of the night. Jack & Sally will meet until 12am however, the Seven Dwarfs will only be meeting until 11pm.

Specialty Food & Beverage
As with any Disney event you can expect the culinary teams have gone all out to provide delicious festive food and beverage options all throughout the park!
You can find a full list of offerings with the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Foodie Guide found here.
To highlight a few, take a look at what can be found:

Zombie Fingers (Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe) - Almond Cookies Fingers, Key Lime Pie White Chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel Crisp Pearls & Sugar Eyes.

Minnie-shaped Pumpkin Cheesecake (Main Street Bakery) - Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pumpkin Coffee mousse topped with a White Chocolate Candy Corn Bow

Pain and Panic Brat (Friar’s Nook) - Bratwurst, sweet and spicy onion relish, and sriracha mustard

Not So Scary Photo Ops
Whether it’s a photo in front of a Mickey Pumpkin wreath, Cinderella Castle with spooky lightning or with one of your favorite characters - this is a night you will want to remember! Throughout Magic Kingdom you will be able to find fantastic photo ops where you can step into fun frames! Additionally, Disney Photopass Photographers offer festive magic shots exclusive to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!
You can take a look at them here.
If you haven’t added the Memory Maker photo package to your vacation, you will definitely want to make sure you do that before attending this event.

Halloween Twists on Attractions
If you are a family who loves to spend time on their rides then listen up because there are some rides at Magic Kingdom that add a not so spooky twist to them during the party.
Both Space Mountain & Mad Tea Party will offer a Halloween overlay that includes some Halloween music to enjoy while on riding!
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor is another one that changes during party hours. As it is a trick or treat location guests can choose to walk right through to get their candy or sit and listen to the Halloween jokes and puns that the monsters of Monstropolis have come up with!

Another attraction we want to discuss is the newest one at Magic Kingdom, TRON Lightcycle/Run. If you are attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party you will have the opportunity to join this virtual queue at 6pm via the My Disney Experience app. This ride does not offer a standby queue and therefore, if you do not receive a boarding group via the app you will not be able to ride.

Pure Magic Vacations Travel Tip: if this is not a must do for you or you have another day during your vacation to Magic Kingdom you may want to skip riding during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. We say this because even with the virtual queue you could be waiting 45+ minutes to ride this attraction while you could be enjoying party exclusive offerings!

Exclusive Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Merchandise
It just wouldn’t be Disney if there wasn’t exclusive merchandise being offered to party goers. This year you can choose from a variety of different items in the collection. There is a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party spirt jersey, mug, trading pin, t-shirt and so much more. You will be able to shop this collection at both the Emporium on Main Street USA (which stays open slightly after the party ends) and Mickey’s Star Traders in Tomorrowland!

With so many special offerings going on throughout the party it is impossible to get it all done. We recommend taking a look through the above mentioned offerings or discussing with your Pure Magic Vacations travel agent what your must-do’s would be to ensure you don’t miss out! If you have read this far into the article, we can only assume you are experiencing some major FOMO right now (fear of missing out). Tickets are selling out fast so be sure to reach out to your Pure Magic Vacations agent to get yours reserved!

Our Pure Magic Vacations agents are ready to help make your next vacation magical and memorable. The magic is calling you, so reach out to an agent today  for a no-obligation quote to get started on booking your dream vacation! 

Planning magical vacations for families since 2011, Pure Magic Vacations is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Travel Agency - EarMarked Gold Producer.