It’s really not-so-scary…We are just days away from the return of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! It’s hard to believe that we haven’t had one since 2019. There are a lot of questions right now, many from people who have never been before. I thought that I’d give a few tips, based on past experience. My daughter and I bought tickets for the first night, so I’ll share our more on Saturday.
The most important part of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is to have a plan before you go. Look over the page on the Walt Disney World website, and decide what is the most important to you. To make it easier, I’ve added the entertainment schedule here.
Prepare for rain. It’s Florida in the late summer/early fall. It is going to rain at some point. It will hopefully pass quickly, but the weather has been weird this summer. We’re also smack dap in the middle of Hurricane Season.
Speaking of weather, costumes are allowed, as long as you follow the costume guidelines. Keep the weather in mind when planning your costume. Chewbacca and James P. Sullivan are probably not good ideas.
You can enter the Magic Kingdom at 4:00, even though Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party starts at 7:00. You don’t need a Magic Kingdom Disney Park Pass Reservation for the party. Arrive early, and get your favorite rides out of the way.
Hold off on Space Mountain, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and Mad Tea Party. These change for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. I highly recommend Space Mountain, it’s a whole new experience! Pirates of the Caribbean used to have a special theme for the party, but that’s not mentioned this year.
Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade is must-do. It will run twice each evening, at 9:15 and again at 11:15. It runs the normal parade route. I like to watch in Frontierland, because the spots on Main Street, U.S.A. go first. I’ll try to catch the Cadaver Dans while I wait. The second parade will be less crowded.
Watch the fireworks, even if you can’t make it to the front of the Magic Kingdom. Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular is worth the time. If you can make it to Main Street, do it.
Trick or Treating is part of the fun for all ages. Don’t try to hit all the spots when the party first starts. The lines will most likely die down as the evening goes on. The bag that you will receive for free is small, so bring something larger if you want a lot of candy. If you have an allergy, ask for an allergy-friendly bag. You’ll receive tokens instead of candy, which you can then turn in for goodies that you can safely enjoy.
There are extra characters and MagicShots. The character lines can be some of the longest of the evening, at least they were in the past. I’ve known people who have gone to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party twice so that they could spend one evening exclusively getting character photos. I’m not saying to do that, especially since we don’t yet know how characters will be handled this year or who will be there.
My final bit of advice, don’t expect to do it all! Five hours seems like a long time, but it flies by. If you want to make it last a little bit longer, end your evening with Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. The final show starts at midnight, so it gives you an extra 20 minutes or so. Or you could be like me, and get in line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 11:55.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will run on select nights, starting on August 12 and running through Halloween. You need a separate ticket to attend. It’s fun for all ages!