Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Worth It

Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Worth It? The Halloween party at Disney World is a family-friendly event at the Magic Kingdom. Today I want to go into details about the party and if it is worth the cost to include in your Disney vacation.

The Walt Disney World resort offers special events through out the year that require a party ticket and are a fun addition to your Disney World vacation.

One of the best time of the year to visit is during Halloween season at the theme parks. Most of the Halloween activities are at Magic Kingdom but the other parks do have special events going on during this time.

Magic Kingdom is home to Mickey’s Not So-Scary Halloween party which features favorite characters, Halloween decorations, Halloween merchandise, special entertainment and more.

Details for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

• Party is at Magic Kingdom from 7:00pm to midnight. Guests with a party ticket may enter Magic Kingdom at 4:00pm.
• If you are visiting Magic Kingdom for the day you must have a theme park ticket and an event ticket. (More on the best thing to do later in this post.)
• The party typically sells out especially as we get closer to Halloween dates.
• Party includes shorter wait times for attractions, Halloween themed entertainment, character meet and greets, and snacks/treats.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party dates for 2024

• August 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30
• September 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29
• October 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31

Cost of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party will cost $119.00 to $199.00 per ticket. Tickets go on sale May 8th for Walt Disney World resort guests and May 15th for all other guests.

What is there to do at the Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom

There are specialty treats, character meet and greets, entertainment, and enhanced ride experiences during the Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom.

Entertainment at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Expect the park to be decorated with fall and Halloween décor. There will be special lighting and music throughout the park. Expect characters to be dressed up in costumes too. There will also be themed food and beverages available.

• Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade is one of my favorite parades ever. It starts with the Headless Horseman and includes favorite villain and Disney characters. Parade will be 8:15pm and 11:15pm nightly.
• Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular hosted by Jack Skellington will feature projections on the castle and fireworks. (Nightly at 10:00pm)
• Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular show featuring the Sanderson Sisters.
  • Nightly at 9:05pm. 10:40pm, and midnight (August 9-September 28)
  • Nightly at 7:40pm. 9:05pm, 10:40pm, and midnight (September 29-Oct. 31)
• DescenDANCE party: Dance party inspired by the all new Descendants: The Rise of Red movie premiering on Disney+ July 12.
• Disney Junior Jam at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
• Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet in Frontierland
• Rusty Cut Glass-a spirited pirate band in Adventureland.

Character Meet and Greets at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Characters can be found throughout the park dressed up in their best Halloween costumes.

Character meet and greets are very popular at the party and often have long wait times. (2-3 hours) Jack and Sally as well as the Seven Dwarfs are the most popular meet and greets.

• Meet Bruno with Mirabel at their Casita in Fairytale Garden.
• More Villains the ever before for meetings and sightings.
• Mickey and Minnie will meet guests in all new spiderweb inspired costumes.

Halloween Dining Options

• Trick or Treat locations throughout the park:
  • Market Street Welcome Trick or Treat (open until 8:00pm)
  • Tortuga Tavern
  • Tom Sawyer Island Dock
  • Gaston’s Tavern
  • Near TRON Lightcycle
  • Princess Fairytale Hall
  • Plus more to come!
• Disney’s No-So-Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party which includes fireworks viewing from Plaza Garden will begin accepting reservations on June 7.

If you have food allergies in your family you will be offered a turquoise coin to turn in at a specific location to collect your own special treat.

Ride Enhancements During the Party

• Overlays for Magic Kingdom attractions including: Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Space Mountain, and Mad Tea Party.
• During our visit a few years ago there was also interactive characters in the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean. Not sure if they will be back but this was a fun surprise while we waited to ride.
• Most attractions are open during the party but there are some closed. A list of attractions can be found later in this post.

Tips for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

For times of shows, parades, and character meet and greets be sure to download the My Disney Experience app before you arrive.

You will see lots of characters during the different entertainment and shows but if you want to meet characters be sure to line up early.

Guests can arrive at 7:00pm for the event. You do not need a park ticket if you are going to the Halloween party but you have to wait until 4:00pm to arrive.

Take advantage of Mobile Ordering for dinner. Read our Step by Step directions on my post about Mobile Ordering at Disney World.

You CAN’T Do Everything At the Party in One Night.

There is so much to do between shows, parades, trick or treating, meeting characters and riding attractions. I suggest deciding what is a priority for everyone in your family before you arrive at the park.

We prefer riding the attractions with short wait times and take full advantage of this during the event. This means we often miss character meetings but still make time to see the parade.

The party ends at midnight. This is very late for small children. The first time we did this event we ended up leaving at 9:00pm because the kids were too exhausted.

On our next visit we rested during the day to prepare for the late night.

Check at the Main Street Bakery and other food and beverage locations for special sweat and savory treats.

Rules for Costumes for Halloween at Disney World

When you visit Disney World for the Halloween Party you will see people in full on costumes, Disney bounding(inspired by Disney), and not dressed up at all.

It is really up to you and your family to decide what works best. I think more people dress up for the party as it gets closer to Halloween.

Disney does have rules when dressing up. All ages can dress up, but costume masks are only allowed for children younger than 14.

On our first visit we didn’t dress up much. On our second visit we Disney bounded inspired by Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Huey, Luis, and Duey.

Keep in mind Disney World in August-October is hot. Be sure to plan your costume with the weather in mind. Check out our tips for visiting Disney World in the summer.

Attractions Open During Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Most attractions are open during the event but a few do close. We were able to ride everything in the park with little wait times. We went on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train twice with a wait of under 20 minutes.

• Space Mountain in pitch-black darkness with spooky soundtrack.
• Mad Tea Party has special themed lighting
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor with a Halloween Twist.

Also open during the party:

• Swiss Family Tree House
• The Magic Carpet of Aladdin
• Jungle Cruise
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• “it’s a small world”
• Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid
• The Barnstormer
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Mad Tea Party
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Space Mountain
• Astro Orbiter
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Tron Lightcycle / Run

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening summer 2024 and I hope it will be included in the attraction offerings during the party.

Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Worth It

Most people will agree that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a super fun event. The parades and shows are really well done and the access to shorter wait times is a huge perk.

But…the ticket is really expensive. Starting at $119.00 a night it might not be worth it for your trip.

If you want to visit at night with low crowds, the cost of the ticket is typically lower than the cost of daily admission, this might be a good choice for your family.

If you are visiting with older kids and you want to take advantage of the rides the party might be a good option. You will likely get more done, not have to worry about Genie+, have less crowds, and avoid the daytime temperatures.

Below I share my review of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and if I thought it was worth it. This will give you an idea of what to expect on your visit.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Visit (2019)

This is my review of the event. I am purely sharing what I thought of our visit, not based on cost. Only you can decide if it is in your budget for your Disney vacation.

The event is an amazing Halloween party and I would say a “must-do” for every Walt Disney World loving family. There are a few pros and cons to the party, but we were really happy we did it.

The party can be an added cost for those on a budget, but if you can make it work I think it is fun to experience at least once.

To make it more affordable we attended the party during our Orlando vacation where we were only doing Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, we were not visiting the other parks.

If you have a week of park tickets purchased, there is no discount for the event, and it will be an added cost. You will pay full price for the special event.

If you plan to spend the day at Magic Kingdom and attend the party you will have to purchase a general admission ticket and a ticket to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I do not recommend this.

With that being said if you can make it work I think it is worth it. We really enjoyed seeing Magic Kingdom decorated for the holidays and I loved all the special attention to details during the event.

Magic Kingdom is decorated during the day as well but you don’t have the same entertainment as during the event.

There are pumpkins everywhere!! Mickey Pumpkins line the streets of Main Street and the entire parks has a different feel to it.

Although we visited in August the Halloween spirit was all around us. It was exciting and Disney made it fun to go trick or treating through the park.

I also loved the BOO to You parade. It is one of the best parades and can only be viewed during the Halloween party. There are a few clips from the parade in our video. We watched the parade from Frontierland and enjoyed less crowds and great views.

A few minutes before the start of the parade the Headless Horseman rides down the street. This can’t be missed!!

We arrived about 30 minutes before the start of the parade to get a spot. Once we have a spot my husband usually picks up a snack but this time we snacked on our trick or treating candy!

We also made it a priority this year to see the Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular fireworks show. It was incredible and I would love to see it again!

We arrived a bit late to get a close view but still thought it was a great addition to the party.

Disney World Halloween Activities around the Resort

These are yet to be confirmed for 2024 and I will update when information is available.

• Epcot: Epcot doesn’t do a lot of Halloween décor but they do host the Food and Wine festival which may be worth including in your vacation.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Guests can say hello to Minnie Mouse and friends at Minnie’s Seasonal Dining at Hollywood & Vine. This is located inside Hollywood Studios. Guests need a valid theme park ticket and reservations are highly recommended.
• Animal Kingdom: For the month of October guests can visit the Animation Experience at Conservation Station to learn to draw your favorite villain.
• Disney Springs: Disney Springs will feature live music from Squad Ghoul on Fridays from September 29th-October 29th 2023.

Would I Do It Again?

This was our second time attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and I would say it was worth it.

I would not plan it during a full day at the parks, but rather use it as an add on to a non-park day.

The party is a special way to celebrate the Halloween season and enjoy the magic of the Disney parks.

Read Next: Disney World 7 Day Itinerary Planning Guide

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