Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Picture this…you are on Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom. It is dark outside and the street lamps are illuminating the castle hub. When suddenly all the lights dim. In the distance you can hear the sound of horseshoes clip clopping on the pavement and the sound is getting louder and louder. You look around and wonder, what is that? Where is that sound coming from? Then, as if apparating out of thin air, you come face to face with a headless man on a giant black horse, carrying a pumpkin head – it’s the Headless Horseman!! What a way to kickstart, in my opinion, the best Disney Halloween parade there is, and set the mood for a faboolous evening of not so scary Halloween fun!

Now I know what you are probably thinking, that sounds great, but it’s barely May! Why are we thinking about Halloween already? Well, I’m glad you asked! As one of the resident spooky girlies at Wind Waves and Wands, I am excited that Disney’s Halfway to Halloween Celebration is kicking off this week which means tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) will go on sale May 8, 2024! So, if you are headed to Disney between August and the end of October this year, then this blog post is for you!

MNSSHP is a separately ticketed event held on select evenings at the Magic Kingdom starting in August and lasting up until Halloween night. The party officially kicks off its festivities at 7:00 pm and runs until midnight, however one of the benefits of having a party ticket is that you can get entrance into the Magic Kingdom as early as 4:00 pm the day of your party! That’s three hours you can spend doing regular park activities before the Halloween activities start! There are many reasons why someone would attend a party over a regular day in the parks, and today I wanted to talk a little bit about the highlights of MNSSHP and why you should consider attending Disney’s spookiest event of the season this year!

Costumes and Getting into the Halloween Spirit

I can’t tell you how exciting it is to attend this event and see everyone’s costumes, many of which are Disney themed. I’m always impressed with the creativity and ingenuity people have when putting together their costumes, especially the family costumes. During my 2023 visit to MNSSHP, I saw a man in full costume dressed as Maleficent. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought this man worked for Disney, his costume was so elaborate and the way he played the part was just mesmerizing. He came with his family who all decided to dress up as fellow Sleeping Beauty characters including the three good fairies, Aurora and Prince Philip. Not interested in putting on a costume for the event? That’s okay, it’s not for everyone! But, that doesn’t mean you can’t get into the Halloween spirit. My family loves to get themed family shirts made that embrace the spooky season! I’ve also people dress for the occasion with Halloween shirts, light up necklaces, Halloween ears and more! The possibilities are endless!

Trick or Treating

Let’s be honest…this is what we come to MNSSHP for! And no, it’s not just for kids! Everyone gets to partake in this Halloween tradition. But be prepared to fly home with 10 pounds of candy. I’m not even kidding. Cast members give out handfuls of candy to all party goers and there are several treat trails all over the Magic Kingdom. This event is sponsored by Mars Wrigley, so you know you are getting good treats. If you are someone who has dietary restrictions, don’t worry, you won’t be left out. Disney provides teal blue allergy tokens to people with restrictions and in turn, those tokens can be exchanged for allergy free candy. It’s a great way that Disney ensures that everyone can participate in this Halloween rite of passage.

Exclusive Party Treats and Merchandise

Disney World is a food destination in itself and MNSSHP is no different! During the party, Disney offers treats exclusive to MNSSHP, many of which have a Halloween twist. Think treats with fall flavors like pumpkin and apple or savory dishes themed to the villainous side of Disney like the Pain and Panic loaded tots. One of my favorite treats I had one year was the sweet corn ice cream cone. That might actually not sound too appetizing, but it was delicious! I also love some of the creative decorating that goes into these spooky treats! They are almost too cute to eat! If getting exclusive treats are a priority for you, definitely get them early on in the evening because they do tend to sell out by the end of the night!

In addition to food, the Halloween merchandise is to DIE to for! Haha…see what I did there?! During the party, there is exclusive MNSSHP merch available only to party goers and usually consists of things like spirit jerseys, Loungeflys, pins, t-shirts, Halloween décor and more. The only way to get your hands on the MNSSHP merch is to attend the party and pick it out yourself! Disney has been teasing the colour-scheme for their new merchandise collection this year and it is truly terrifying!

Attractions!

One of the great things about going to a party event is that Disney only sells a certain number of tickets. This means there are considerably shorter lines at all the attractions, especially during some of the evening entertainment like the parade and fireworks. MNSSHP is definitely one of those events where you will have a better chance at riding some of those headliner attractions with lower wait times including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Tron Lightcycle Run. In years past, Disney has also given some of our beloved attractions spooky overlays like Space Mountain’s new spooky soundtrack and character actors in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride! Who knows what Disney has in store for this year!

Rare Character Meet and Greets

Disney loves to celebrate Halloween with some of their most notorious villainous characters. It is for that reason that MNSSHP is the place to see characters you don’t normally see during regular park hours. The headliner characters for MNSSHP are Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can meet this spooky duo at the Town Square Theatre. This meet and greet always yields long wait times (sometimes up to 3 hours long), but it’s well worth it. Other fan favourites at the Halloween party include the Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter, Ariel and Prince Eric, Winnie the Pooh characters in their Halloween costumes, all of the Seven Dwarfs, and Vampire Mickey!

Entertainment

I absolutely LOVE the entertainment offerings at MNSSHP and am continuously impressed by the quality of the shows Disney puts together. I already mentioned one of the highlights of the Boo to You parade with the entrance of the Headless Horseman, but this parade is truly extra-ordinary. Every year, Disney adds new elements to the parade that make it even more spooktacular. My favourite sections of the parade have to be the Pirates of the Caribbean section and the Haunted Mansion section where the grave diggers come out and create sparks on the street as they drag their shovels across the pavement! Also, there is just something so catchy about the “Boo to You” soundtrack that will keep you singing “boo to you and you and you and you, Happy Halloween” to yourself all night long.

I can’t forget about the amazing stage show called the Hocus Pocus Spelltacular featuring the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus and some of Disney’s most iconic villains including Oogie Boogie himself! And last but certainly not least, you can’t have an event at the Magic Kingdom without a spooktacular fireworks show featuring Mickey and his friends, Halloween music, and phenomenal castle projections filled with ghoulish delights! Just reminding myself of all the amazing things to do at MNSSHP has gotten me so excited for this year!

How to Prepare for the Event

1. Prepare for weather

I remember taking my girls to their first Halloween party a couple years ago, and they were ages 6 months and 5 years old at the time. We went in the middle of September, during hurricane season, when Florida is hot and rainy! Naturally for us, it rained all night!! We were so fortunate that we came to the party prepared with ponchos for everyone as well as a stroller rain cover. My advice is not to let the weather get you down and embrace it. Bring your waterproof shoes, ponchos and umbrellas and you’ll still have a great time. Just know that some of the evening entertainment may be affected due to the rain, which did happen to us. The first showing of the parade was cancelled as well as the first stage show. If this happens to you, don’t worry. Luckily there are multiple showings of the stage show during the party and there are two showings of the Boo to You parade, so there are multiple opportunities to see those amazing entertainment offerings!

2. Bring Extra Bags

As I’ve already talked about, you will get tons of candy and you’ll need extra bags to carry it all. Disney provides every guest with a trick or treat bag, but they are not very big so make sure to bring your own!

3. Prioritize Your Evening

You are going to have to prioritize what is important to you for this party since there is so much to do, and you won’t be able to do it all! Maybe you are someone who really loves character meet and greets, or you want to see all the exclusive entertainment. Or perhaps, you plan to hit all the treat trails multiple times to bring home a ton of candy. Make a rough plan of what you want to accomplish and make those things your priority. Then anything else you get done is a bonus!

4. Talk to your travel agent

If you are going to the party for the first time this year and have no idea what to expect, reach out to your travel agent for your tickets and your party planning needs. The agents at Wind Waves and Wands vacations have extensive knowledge of how to plan your trip to Disney world and many of us have attended this special event multiple times. We can help you decide what to prioritize, develop a park strategy and also give you tips and tricks to make your evening at the Halloween party really not so scary! So, what are you waiting for? Let’s boo this!!