Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2023 Travel Guide

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is my favorite event at Walt Disney World! This special ticket event happens from August through October (Dates for 2023 are select nights from August 11th – November 1st, 2023). It is the best part of the fall season at Walt Disney World. From the awesome entertainment, candy, costumes, & characters, fun snacks, and so much more, there is something for everyone at this Halloween Party! Yes, this special event ticket is going to cost you a little bit, but I promise it is SO worth it!

Basic Information

Hours

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party runs from 7:00 PM to Midnight. Even though the event starts at 7 PM, you can actually enter the park starting at 4 PM with your special event ticket, if you don’t already have a park ticket for earlier that day at Magic Kingdom. On party days, nonparty guests must exit the park by 6 PM. Pro Tip: Make this Disney day a day where you enjoy a character breakfast or lunch at your resort, visit Disney Springs, or swim at your resort pool, so that way you are fully rested and ready to spend the late afternoon/evening enjoying the Halloween Party and can enter Magic Kingdom around 4 PM to enjoy more time in the park before the event officially starts.

Price

Prices vary by date. The closer to Halloween you get, the more expensive it will be. I have found that the earlier dates like in August and September, as well as weekdays, tend to be much cheaper than the weekends as well as less crowded. This year, tickets sold out VERY quickly for all dates. If you are thinking about attending this event, I highly suggest purchasing your tickets as soon as you know the date you are interested in attending.

Costumes

Guests (especially children) are encouraged to wear costumes. However, Disney asks guests to choose costumes that are not obstructive to their child’s view or would be offensive to park guests. Adults can dress up too! It’s so fun to see the costumes that people come up with! Remember, when picking a costume, make sure it is comfortable and you are able to sit/fit in rides while wearing it!

Entertainment

Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade

This is the reason that I attend the Halloween Party year after year! I LOVE this parade! This parade is exclusive to the Halloween Party, so you can only see it with your special event ticket. The parade floats feature Disney Villians along with Mickey and all of his friends. You’ll see party-exclusive characters in the parade such as Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, the Wicked Queen, and Before the parade officially starts, the Headless Horseman rides down the parade route and it is such a cool sight to see. Seeing Minnie Mouse, Daisy, and Clarabelle as the Sanderson Sisters on the parade float this year was so fun! They are so cute to see in person. The parade runs twice during the Halloween Party at both 9:15 PM and 11:15 PM. The second parade is less crowded than the first. If you want to catch the first parade, I recommend finding your spot at least an hour before the parade starts. It may seem like a long time in advance, but I was not the only one getting my spot so far in advance! The parade kicks off in Frontierland. This is where I always watch the first parade near Pecco Bill’s Cafe. I can usually find a good seat within that time frame. Doing so allows me to see the parade first, and once it is over, I can make a beeline straight for Pirates of the Caribbean with a wait that is still super low because everyone else is still watching the parade. The second parade I like to watch from Main Street USA is right at the front of the park (near the train station). This allows me to see the parade and as soon as it is over, I can exit the park before the large crowds exit as well once the parade is over. Be sure to get your spot well in advance because everyone wants to try and see this parade!

Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Fireworks

This show is hosted by Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before Christmas and features state-of-the-art projection effects, lasers, and fireworks. Jack Skellington comes to tell a story about how anything can happen on Halloween and then we follow the story of Jack’s dog, Zero, flying off on an adventure with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. These fireworks happen once per evening during the party at 10:15 PM. I suggest that if you are watching the Boo the You Parade from another location as soon as the 1st parade is over, you get your spot immediately for the show. If you don’t care to see the fireworks, this is the best time to get in line for popular rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or to meet and greet characters exclusive to the Halloween party because the wait times for everything are very low during this time.

Hocus Pocus Villian Spelltacular

I LOVE Sanderson Sisters! In the Disney movie, “Hocus Pocus, the Sanderson Sisters return to the mortal world for one night during the Halloween season. The sisters take over Magic Kingdom to throw the best evil Halloween party! The show features dancers, special guest villains, projections on the castle, and some of your favorite songs from the movie! There are 4 showtimes during the party in October: 7:40 PM, 8:35 PM, 10:45 PM, and 12:00 AM.
There are only 3 showtimes during the party in August/September: 8:35 PM, 10:45 PM, and 12:00 AM. I suggest that once the fireworks are over, you work your way up to the front of the castle to see the show up close and choose this one as your show to watch for the night. If you can make it to Midnight, that show will definitely be the least crowded.

Trick or Treating

When you enter the Halloween Party, guests are directed a specific route to take once inside Magic Kingdom. This allows you to get your trick-or-treat bag and begin your trick-or-treating with your first stop! All locations will be listed on the party map for trick or treating. There is also no limit to how many times you can go through each station. If you have a food allergy, you will be given a special treat bag that is designated with a food allergy. These bags can also be picked up at any of the trick-or-treat locations as well as the allergy-friendly centers located inside the Liberty Square Ticket Officer or Town Square Theater. When trick or treating with a teal bag, this alerts Cast Members to give you a teal token at each treat station. Then, you can redeem all of your teal tokens at the allergy centers to receive your treats!

Trick or Treat Stations:

Main Sreet USA

Market Street Welcome (Open until 8 PM)

Adventureland

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

Tortuga Tavern

Frontierland

Dock to Tom Sawyer Island

Country Bear Jamboree

Liberty Square

Columbia Harbor House

Fantasyland

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Ariel’s Grotto

Pinocchio Village Haus

Gaston’s Tavern

Tomorrowland

Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor

Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

Near TRON Lightcycle / Run

Allergy-Friendly Centers

Pick up a teal-colored treat bad and redeem your tokens for special treats at: Liberty Square and Main Street USA

Halloween Dance Parties

Disney offers multiple dance parties with your favorite Disney characters:

Zom-Beatz Bash: Located at the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland featuring zombies, cheerleaders, werewolves, and Alliances (7 PM to Midnight)

Disney Junior Jam: Located in Tomorrowland, this dance party features characters from Disney Junior including Vampirina!

Character Meet and Greets

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party features a mix of party-exclusive characters, party-exclusive costumes on regular characters, and regular characters. Wait times for these meet & greets vary. One of the highest wait times will, of course, be Jack Skellington and Sally, which are the most popular. Their meet and greet is located in Town Square Theater, and if you want to do it, you should get in line early, well before the party even starts. Jack and Sally typically start meeting shortly after the unofficial start of the Halloween Party (typically between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.), and only guests who already have their wristbands may line up to meet them. During the middle of the Halloween Party, you can expect to wait 2+ hours for Sandy Claws and Sally, so get there early and do this first.

Other Character Meet & Greet Locations:

Main Street, U.S.A. – Mickey Mouse, Jack Skellington, and Sally

Adventureland – Aladdin with Abu, Princess Jasmine, Jafar, Genie, and Jack Sparrow

Fantasyland – Queen of Hearts, Alice and Mad Hatter, Winne the Pooh and Friends, Princess Eric & Ariel, Belle and Gaston, Anastasia and Drizella, Various Princesses (at Princess Fairytale Hall)

Storybook Circus – The Seven Dwarfs, Goofy, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy

Tomorrowland – Elvis Stitch

Cadaver Dans

The Cadaver Dans will show their spooky side with spooktacular performances located in Frontierland (intermittently from 7 PM to 10:50 PM)

Attractions

Many attractions are open during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This allows you to ride some of your favorite attractions with little to no wait time. This year, some of your favorite attractions were given magical enhancements, special to the Halloween Party.

At the Mad Tea Party, special lighting and music make this experience more energetic and fun, especially after dark! Remember, you don’t have to spin your teacup and can just enjoy riding the ride to see how they change the overlay for this ride for the party. (This is what I had to do because I HATE spinny anything!)

On Space Mountain, riders get to listen to new music and enjoy a pitch-black ride. You really can’t even see the hand in front of your face, which makes this ride so much more fun and different than your ride during the day!

Attractions Open During the Party Include:

Adventureland

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Pirates of the Caribbean

Swiss Family Treehouse

Jungle Cruise

Frontierland

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Liberty Square

Haunted Mansion

Fantasyland

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

“it’s a small world”

Peter Pan’s Flight

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Mad Tea Party

Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Storybook Circus

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

The Barnstormer

Tomorrowland

Astro Orbiter

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Space Mountain

Tomorrowland Speedway

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

TRON Lightcycle / Run

New this year, you can book a virtual queue reservation for TRON Lightcycle / Run starting at 6 PM during the Halloween party. you will want to log into your My Disney Experience account right away at 6 PM to get a virtual queue reservation during the park. You will only be able to join the virtual queue once per event, so it’s only available for those attending the party for that night. If you have a park reservation and are visiting Magic Kingdom earlier in the day, you would be able to get a virtual queue or lightning lane reservation during the day. If you have tickets to the Halloween party that night, you would also be able to join the virtual queue again at 6 PM for the event.

Food

Quick Service and Table Service Locations

Many dining locations are open during the Halloween Party. This includes some table service restaurants and quick service restaurants. Advance Dining Reservations can be made 60 days in advance for table service locations and can be booked from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM on party nights. However, since you are spending so much money specifically for the party, I recommend visiting Magic Kingdom on another park day and eating at a quick service location the night of the party so that you can truly enjoy the party and all of the benefits that it has to offer. Another option is to book an early dinner around 4 or 5 PM before the event begins. To see what quick and table service locations are open, these will be available in the party park map. Table service locations will also show availability online.

Specialty Treats

One of my favorite things about the fall season at Walt Disney World is the delicious and fun treats that are offered daily and then specific to the Halloween Party. These treats are sometimes changed up every year. Some of my favorites include the Apple Fritter Milk Shake, Tombstone Tart, Zombie Fingers, and Skull Brownie.

Special Events During the Party

Halloween Fireworks Dessert Party

The Halloween Fireworks Dessert Party includes an all-you-care-to-enjoy dessert buffet located at Tomorrowland Terrance. This package also includes viewing for the Halloween Fireworks with viewing from the Terrace. Desserts include A TON of sweets like chocolate-dipped strawberries. ice cream, etc. Specialty drinks are also serviced. Reservations are strongly encouraged. While this is an awesome dessert party, I would suggest picking a regular dessert party another night at Magic Kingdom to catch the Happily Ever After fireworks. This allows you to have another special night at Magic Kingdom and not take time away from the Halloween Party. Like I said above, you are spending so much money on the party by itself. I would enjoy the party and then pick another day to return to Magic Kingdom and enjoy the dessert party at that time.

Merchandise

During the party, event-specific merchandise will be available for purchase including shirts, ornaments, popcorn buckets, sippers, etc. The merchandise is always the cutest to buy!

My Personal Review

I LOVE the Halloween Party and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about going. If you have never done it before, give it a shot and see how much fun it is! The Halloween season may be quickly closing this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start planning for next year! Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will run regularly from mid-August to November 1st!