Hello, travelers!
I went to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for the very first time in October of 2026. As a huge fan of Halloween (it’s my favorite holiday) and I lover of all things spooky, I knew this was going to be up my alley. This was some of the most fun I’ve had in a Disney park to date! From the fireworks to the nighttime shows and parades, I had a magical time.
I did a lot of prep and planning before I left for the party, from looking up party specific food to packing appropriately. These are some things that I think are important to note when you are hoping to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in Walt Disney World.
PACKING
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party happens on select days throughout August, September, and October, so you will be hit with hurricane season and still fairly warm temperatures. When I went in October, it was still very warm and a few quick rain showers blew through a couple of times throughout the night. Due to this, dressing like it’s summer is still perfectly fine, and having things like rain ponchos and umbrellas are a must in case there are unexpected storms. We have a full list of Disney packing essentials on our blog that you can read here.
One more important thing to note: this is a time where Disney World allows you to dress up in costumes! In case you are unaware, Disney parks don’t normally allow guests to arrive in Disney related costumes so they can prevent children getting confused as to who the actual characters are in the park. But for Halloween party days? Dress up all you want! It’s highly encouraged! If you want to join in on the fun, make sure to pack a fun Disney costume for your trip.
START TIME
Everything I read online and watched on YouTube told me that party admission starts at 4 pm, so you want to make sure you’re in line early and have at least eight hours in the park due to it closing at midnight. I was all for this idea . . . until I saw someone’s video of the amount of people waiting in line. I realized quickly that mobs of people would all have the same idea and would be arriving between 4 and 4:30! But in reality, party activities don’t start until 7 pm. So, due to travel time and how long my friend and I took to get ready, we didn’t get to Magic Kingdom until about 6 pm . . . and it was totally fine! There was no one in line so we got to walk up and enter immediately, and after we got our wristbands, we were able hit up all the rides wanted and see all the party shows and parades before leaving at midnight. Even though it wasn’t a full eight hours, we managed just fine! You really don’t need to be there at 4 pm to enjoy everything. Showing up a couple of hours later was perfect.
ENTERTAINMENT
Something I knew I didn’t want to miss was all the evening entertainment that’s party exclusive. What I was most excited for were the fireworks called “Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular,” the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, and the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. I was able to see all three, and I would highly recommend them to anyone going to the party for the first time. The fireworks were phenomenal, the Hocus Pocus show was a blast with some very talented actors and dancers, and the parade . . . was honestly super awesome. That parade was my Super Bowl, I’m not kidding. I was looking forward to it all year and it ended up fulfilling all my spooky Disney dreams!
If you want to witness the entertainment, there are several showtimes throughout the night and you can look this up in the My Disney app. When I went, these were the times:
Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular (fireworks): 10 pm
Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade: 8:15 pm and 11:15 pm
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular: 7:35pm, 9:05pm, 10:35pm, 12:00am
Apart from these scheduled shows, there is also entertainment from the following:
Captain Jack's Buccaneer Bash in Adventureland
The Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet in Frontierland
Destination DescenDANCE Party in Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café
Stitch's Masquerade Mashup in Tomorrowland
Halloween Fun in Storybook Circus throughout Storybook Circus
These forms of entertainment happen throughout the night sporadically and aren’t scheduled at specific hours.
If you want to make sure you see the main three shows that are scheduled, and you don’t have little ones that will need to go to bed early, I suggest you follow the schedule I made:
Watch the fireworks at 10 pm
See the second Boo To You parade at 11:15 pm
Immediately go to the castle after the parade to see the midnight showing of the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular
This plan ended up working really well because most people will go to the earlier parade time, allowing you to get on rides quickly due to shorter waits. By doing those rides and grabbing food at the beginning of your night, you can end it with those three special pieces of entertainment. Plus, the cast of the Hocus Pocus show acknowledges with glee that midnight is the “witching hour,” and that makes the show all the more fun.
If you are a person who has little ones who shouldn’t stay up late, or you yourself would rather go to bed earlier, I’d suggest trying to see some of the earlier times, like the 8:15 parade or 7:35/9:05 Hocus Pocus show. This might mean you’ll be with bigger crowds and not get on rides quickly, though, so factor that into your plans!
FOOD
One of the highlights of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the party specific food that is offered throughout Magic Kingdom. Quick service locations begin offering meals, snacks, and desserts that are either themed or flavored to go along with the Halloween atmosphere. Typically, Disney will release a menu showcasing all the food and where they’re located before the party begins in August, and my friend and I decided on our way to the airport what interested us and what we really wanted to try. I highly suggest doing this so you can make a plan on where you want to stop and grab a bite and you aren’t left looking at menus half the night and deciding then and there what you want to order.
Our favorites this year were from Sleepy Hollow; I loved their Doom Buggy Dumplings while my friend enjoyed the Graveyard Hot Chicken and Waffles. I also highly recommend getting a dessert to bring with you to watch the fireworks!
TRICK-OR-TREATING
One of the other highlights for most people is trick-or-treating around the park. All around Magic Kingdom are designated locations for you to walk up and receive candy from cast members. When I say they’re all around, I mean that literally; it seems you can find these candy spots in every land of Magic Kingdom! My friend and I skipped this aspect of the Halloween party due to not wanting to wait in long lines or carry around candy, but if this is important to you, or you have little ones who would like to partake in finding all the trick or treat spots, here are three important things to note:
With your party ticket comes a complimentary candy bag. You don’t have to pack your own bag, bucket, tote or pillowcase!
Guests with allergies can receive a specific cany bag with directives on the back explaining how to enjoy Allergy Request Trick-or-Treating. Allergy Request Centers and a list of trick or treat locations are also on the My Disney app.
If you want to hit up all the trick or treat locations, you can find them all easily on a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween guide map. Those maps are usually found near the entrance when you get your candy bag.
RIDES
I’m a person who loves a theme, and I was really hoping to do some specifically spooky rides during the party. I particularly had my sights set on Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean since I knew both rides were featured in the Boo To You Parade that we were going to see later. Since we chose to skip the earlier parade time, we were able to walk onto these rides with no problem! Pirates was actually listed on the app as a five minute wait, and it was literally a walk on. I highly recommend doing these two rides in particular to add to the spookiness of the night, but if you want to cram a few more rides in, some others that I think are even better at night are Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Tomorrowland Transity Authority Peoplemover because seeing the castle lit up from that high is so pretty!
Hopefully this breakdown of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party is helpful if you’re planning a trip down to Orlando to experience the Halloween magic! Want to read more Disney World travel content? Check out Walt Disney World under our “Disney” tab. If you’re new here, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on our socials to stay updated on all our latest travel content!
Happy travels,