Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Worth the Money?

Everyone who visits Magic Kingdom from the middle of August until the end of October will see the park’s Halloween decor. It doesn’t disappear on non-party days, and you’ll find it everywhere. That’s a little jarring on a hot, muggy Orlando summer day/night, as it was when I recently attended. It’s a little less weird during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but obviously, the closer you go to the actual holiday, the less that will matter. (Not that Orlando can’t be very hot in October.)

No surprise the Mouse House knows how to decorate for the holiday. It’s easy to miss a lot of the seasonal adornments and touches if you don’t pay attention, but that’s always true at Disney World. I wish I’d had even more time to really explore all of the Halloween elements. (Wishing I had more time is about to become a running theme in this post.)

TIP: If your trip involves multiple visits to Magic Kingdom, try to take in a lot of the Halloween decorations during your non-Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party visit. If you only go during the party, walk with your head up and not on your phone. That’s easier than normal since you won’t need to look at your phone to check ride wait times, like you do during a normal park visit.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Spectacles

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party features three signature spectacles. I made sure to see each one, both to review and to get the “full party experience,” a concept I came to realize doesn’t really exist.

Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade

Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade begins with an early warning from the Headless Horseman, who rides through the park on a real horse. The character has long been a signature part of the parade, and in person, it’s easy to see why. It’s a very cool, very eerie moment. There’s a hushed awe that comes over the crowd as he approaches that is then replaced by palpable excitement.

As for the parade itself, my only regret is that I didn’t see it twice. It runs twice on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights, and I opted for the later one. I loved it so much I wished I had picked the first, so I could have watched it again. It’s primarily a parade of Disney villains and performers/dancers in costume. A lot of floats aren’t especially memorable, but that’s the point. You’re supposed to pay attention to the people in the parade. And you should, because they do not disappoint.

My personal favorite act was the Grave Diggers from the Haunted Mansion portion of the parade. They dance with shovels, which they also use drag on the ground during a sparkling, choreographed display.

TIP: Do. Not. Miss. The. Parade. Aim for the first run of Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade in case something unexpected causes you to miss it. Also, it begins in Frontierland, so if you watch there, you can then easily head to a ride when it passes. But those who watch from Main Street get to see the Headless Horseman go down that iconic road. They also get to see Powerline perform before. I missed out on that because I watched at a nice, convenient spot between Frontierland and Liberty Square. That involved less time waiting to grab a good place along the route, but I traded time for extra experiences and setting.

Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Fireworks Show

Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks show, “Happily Ever After,” might be my single favorite experience at Walt Disney World. It’s the best. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party’s fireworks show with projections and lasers….is not. It’s a totally fine, but mostly forgettable, display that seems even less impressive in comparison to the park’s normal version.

I’d say skip it entirely if not for the massive Jack Skellington puppet (not a person in a costume) that serves as host. He performs from the stage in front of Cinderella’s Castle. The giant puppet moves just like Jack in The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s an absolute A+ addition. I’m glad I didn’t miss Jack even if I thought the show itself was pretty “meh.”

TIP: With a limited number of tickets available, the party crowd to see the Halloween fireworks show is nothing like a normal night at Magic Kingdom. It wasn’t empty, but it felt like I could have walked up as close to the castle as I wanted when it started. You don’t have to rush to get a good spot for the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party fireworks show.

Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular Stage Show

I’m not a huge Hocus Pocus fan, but I absolutely loved this highly entertaining show. It’s a short musical full of Disney villains, including a fantastic Oogie Boogie costume. I went in with almost no expectations and left liking the movie Hocus Pocus itself more.

TIP: Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular runs multiple times during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, including at midnight. Go in with a plan to “extend” your party time. You can always get in line for a ride right before midnight, as Walt Disney World lets guests into any ride’s queue until the moment the park closes. That’s what I did, getting in line for Seven Dwarves Mine Train at 11:59 p.m., right after I’d just walked off it. Or you can opt to watch the final Hocus Pocus show at midnight.

There’s no right or wrong choice, but if you think you’ll be pretty exhausted by midnight, watch the last show. You’ll be close to the park’s exit when it ends. Plu,s you can get as close as you want to the stage in front of the castle, as it’s the least attended show. (Though I didn’t have any problem getting close at an earlier one.)

Special Halloween Activities, Performances, and Characters From Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

There are so many special party events and performers at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party that I didn’t even know about all of them until after I attended. Even then, I didn’t see all of the ones I had hoped to catch. I thankfully saw Mother Gothel (who greets you at the start), the Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet, and the Hitchhiking Ghosts out in the park. But I missed the pirates singing in Adventureland; same with the “live” ghosts at the Haunted Mansion. (Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll explain how I missed them later.)

There’s just a lot going on during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, way more than I can list. And if you care about taking photos with characters, it’s sort of overwhelming. People line up for hours just to take a picture with Jack Skellington and Sally. They’re so popular, they arrive at 4 p.m. even though the party doesn’t officially start until 7 p.m. (Anyone without a Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party bracelet who entered before 6 pm has to leave after that unless already in line for a ride or at a sit-down meal.)

TIP: Prioritize which, if any, characters you want to meet and be prepared to wait for the most popular ones. Jack and Sally can mean standing in line for hours. You also have to make an effort to seek out street performers or activations you care about, or you can easily miss them. But you have to realize you can’t do “everything” at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, even if you just focus on the special Halloween stuff. Know which ones you care about most and do them first. At a minimum, make sure to walk through every part of the park at least once. You’ll see a lot of great, unexpected stuff that way.

Attraction Overlays

Three Magic Kingdom attractions get special “Halloween Twists.” The highlight is a nearly pitch-black Space Mountain. With the lights turned off (and spooky music playing), the ride takes place in what is essentially complete darkness. That might not sound like anything special, but it’s very different from the normal Space Mountain. It’s super creepy and unsettling, and I loved it.

Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor also hosts a continuously running show with a Halloween bent that is very fun even if you only spend a couple minutes in there. The Tea Cups also get special Halloween lighting and music, but when I went by, it just felt like the Mad Tea Party, so I skipped it.

This is the only aspect of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party that really feels like it gets shortchanged. I know it’s not easy to do overlays that only last for five hours, but even just a couple more rides with “Halloween Twists” would be a great addition.

TIP: Don’t skip Space Mountain in the dark. Just don’t wait in line for it. It was a walk-on at many points during the party.

Special Halloween Food and Drink Menu at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party features a massive, special menu of spooky meals, snacks, desserts, and drinks sold throughout the park. I went in with the goal of trying at least 10. I got to seven. (A couple of days later, I added an eighth, as a handful of items are available all day when there’s a party that night.) If I hadn’t been alone, I would have hit my goal, but even then, it was a much harder goal than I expected. It’s really difficult to keep stopping to buy food while also trying to do a lot of other stuff. Plus, you know, you get full.

Considering a party ticket can get you into the park as early as four, I really wish the special food and drink menu for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was available then, rather than starting to go on sale at six. It’s fine if people with normal park tickets get them! I also found it frustrating that some of the most enticing options were only available at select sit-down restaurants. I can’t think of anything I wanted to do less with my limited party time than sit down for a whole meal.

TIP: 1) Know which of the few Halloween food options are sold all day and get them before the party starts. 2) Have your list of must-haves ready and written down along with the times those locations close. I missed out on something I wanted because I didn’t realize that particular food booth closed at 10 p.m. 3) Show up hungry! The Halloween menu items I did try were overwhelmingly delicious.

In fact, here’s a photo gallery of everything I ate with quick reviews in the caption. Full menu descriptions can be found in the alt text.)

Trick-or-Treating

Your ticket gets you a special little Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party bag to use for Trick-or-treating in the park. They only hand out regular Mars Wrigley candy, though, nothing special. It’s a thing, but not a thing I had any desire to do while already eating my face off in 187% humidity.

TIP: There are a million spots to trick-or-treat all over the park, and you should never, ever wait in line at any spot. Veterans also say late at night, they’ll give you more at each spot as they try to clear out their bins. But honestly, unless you have kids who specifically want to do I don’t know why you would.

Ride Wait Times During Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

One of the best reasons to attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is the low, sometimes non-existent wait times for rides. Most are walk-ons (or close enough) all evening. Wildly popular rides like Tron Lightcycle Run, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure have much shorter waits than usual during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Same with notoriously slow load attractions like Peter Pan. All of them have very reasonable queues for most of the party. During the parades, fireworks, stage show, and late at night, they drop even more. The party is the perfect opportunity to ride everything as quickly as possible without buying pricey Lighting Lanes, the park’s line-skipping system. (In that way, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party can actually be cheaper than a typical park visit.)

TIP: Don’t wait more than 30 minutes for anything, not even Tron. Aim for show times to do the most popular attractions. Also, try to be extra efficient and ride everything you want in a particular area at the same time. And if you are going to be in the park for a normal day, either before or after your party night, don’t bother doing rides during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party that always have a short wait time anyway. The Little Mermaid ride will still likely be a walk-on during a non-party event, you know?

Atmosphere (Costumes, Music, Energy)

As the kids might say, the “vibes” are impeccable during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It’s a festive environment full of music (both fun and eerie) and merriment, which makes sense since people literally paid to attend a party. Everyone is excited to be there.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party also doubles as a Disney cosplay convention. Some guests, of all ages, go all out. I wore a Disney Halloween t-shirt, and that was good enough for me, but I enjoyed seeing all of the elaborate costumes others wore.

TIP: This event takes place in Orlando. Real good chance it’s going to be hot and muggy during your party visit. Remember that when putting together your costume. Aladdin’s attire is a better choice than Kristoff’s.

Halloween Merchandise

If you want unique Halloween merch there’s a whole lot of it, including some party exclusives. I bought a single pin as a memento, but I liked a lot of what they had.

TIP: I’m told some exclusives can sell out quickly on party nights, so if there’s something you really want, get it immediately. But you can buy most stuff after the party ends, as stores on Main Street, U.S.A. remain open longer.

What You Don’t Get To See

The special party spectacles mean missing out on the normal Magic Kingdom shows. So you won’t see the greatest fireworks show ever, “Happily Ever After.” You’ll also miss out on the fantastic new nighttime electrical parade, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away. If you’ve seen both before or will see them later on your trip, that’s not a big deal. But if MNSSHP will be your only visit to the Magic Kingdom, it certainly might be. If you’re not there early enough you won’t even see the pianists performing at Casey’s Corner, one of my favorite Magic Kingdom touches.

TIP: Get to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party as early as you can. If you can be there at 4 when your ticket gets you through the door get there at 4. If you also have a regular ticket for that day, go even earlier, as early as you physically can, while knowing your day ends after midnight. Party days are always much slower at the park because many visitors opt not to buy tickets to a place they have to leave by six p.m. Both the morning and the 2-4 p.m. stretch seem extra slow. They’re perfect times to get a lot of non-Halloween stuff done, especially rides.

Can You Do “Everything” During Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party?

No, not even close. You can do A LOT, for sure, but not “everything.” If you take advantage of the low wait times to go on all the rides, you’ll miss the spectacles. If you take time to trick-or-treat, you’ll have even fewer opportunities to see and try all the Halloween experiences. Eating your way through the special party menu takes time, too. Same when it comes to waiting for and watching the parade, fireworks, or stage show. Eight hours—let alone the party’s official five hours—go by fast. Really fast.

That’s how I ended up missing the live ghosts at Haunted Mansion. For obvious reasons, it tends to have a slightly longer wait time during the party night compared to other rides. (Though it was a walk-on shortly before close.) So I made the decision to just walk by and see it all lit up with extra spooky lights and fog. It looked awesome, but by not riding I missed something I wish I saw. I’m bummed out about that even if it made total sense in the moment. If I could go back, I’d ride it.

In that way, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is like any trip to Magic Kingdom or Walt Disney World. Every time you decide to do one thing, it means you can’t do something else.

TIP: Before you go familiarize yourself with everything you can do during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, both normal activities and special party ones. Then know what you consider a “must do,” what you’d describe as a “would like to do,” and what you don’t care about missing/want to skip. When you accept you can’t see, ride, or eat everything, you can relax and enjoy what you do accomplish. But that doesn’t mean you want to leave with any regrets. Not trying that banana Skull Cake filled with dulce de leche will haunt me forever.

Forever.

Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Worth It?

“Is it worth it?” is always the question at Disney, isn’t it?

Only you know if spending hundreds of dollars per-person for eight hours at a single theme park is worth it for you. That’s a tall ask for most people. (Though, again, you do save a little on Lightning Lanes, which you simply do not need to buy for the event.) What I can tell you is that I really enjoyed Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party because it’s not only a fun experience on its own, it offers a way to experience a place I already love in a very different way. Everything was familiar yet new. The energy wasn’t the same either, and that applies to both the energy of the park and from my fellow attendees. It was looser, less stressful, and really did feel like attending a party.

I’m genuinely glad I went and plan to go again with my wife and son some day. I had a lot of fun, even if I made “mistakes” in how I approached it. I wasn’t nearly as efficient and smart as I could have been, as I didn’t have a plan for what I most wanted to do and eat. Part of that was because I wanted to experience Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party as a guest more than a member of the media, but on a normal non-work trip, I totally would have made a plan, so I don’t know what I was thinking.

However, my recommendation does come with one big caveat. I absolutely think Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is worth your time and money if you can afford it, just not if it will be your first-ever visit to Magic Kingdom. One of the best reasons to attend this party is to experience the park in a different way. But you can’t appreciate any of that if you haven’t experienced the park normally first.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is best enjoyed as a party for people who already know and love what the Magic Kingdom has to offer every other day.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who isn’t joking about the banana Skull Cake. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.