Spook-tacular Fun: Your Ultimate Guide to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

What is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party?

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (also known as MNSSHP) is a ticketed event that occurs on select nights between August and October at the Magic Kingdom. This year, the event is being held 37 times. 

The party dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (2024) are: 

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

* At the time of publishing (September 13th), all of the offerings in August and September have completely sold out. A handful of October dates are still available, with the rest having sold out. The remaining dates are October – 1, 20, 21, 25, and 27.

On party nights, the park will close early to non-ticketed guests (also known as day guests). It will remain open solely for those who purchased a party ticket, Cast Members will verify that you have an individual party ticket throughout the night (so you can’t sneak in, sorry!). 

Party hours are from 7:00 p.m. to 12 a.m., but guests with a valid party ticket can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m. The final entertainment offering is typically at midnight, with park close, but guests can hang around Cinderella’s Castle and on Main Street, U.S.A. to shop and take pictures for a bit after that.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is an experience that includes unique character greetings, Halloween-inspired ride overlays, themed food items, trick-or-treating, unique shows, fireworks, and a special “Boo-To-You” Halloween Parade. 

It is by far my absolute favorite Disney experience and I will never stop recommending it enough.

What is new at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year?

This year, Mickey and Minnie will have new outfits to greet guests with during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

It has been reported that this year, there are more villain sightings. Added entertainment includes a DescenDANCE Party, which takes place at Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland (inspired by the Disney Original Movie “Descendants: The Rise of Red,”).

Also, for the first time during the party, you can meet the clairvoyant character Bruno from “Encanto” with Mirabel at their Casita in Fairytale Garden.

The Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade is offering an earlier showing, at 8:15 p.m., which is perfect for guests who attend with little kids who like to have some “spooky” fun before bedtime.

Tell Me More…

As I mentioned earlier, during the hours of 7 p.m. and 12 a.m., guests can enjoy the following offerings at Magic Kingdom during the Halloween season:

Character meet & greet opportunities, including villains and rare characters that only come out during ticketed or closed events. 

Guests can get their fill of Halloween sweets and snacks as they trick or treat from land to land.

Enjoy enchanting entertainment offerings like Mickey’s Boo-To-You parade (my favorite), Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show, Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks, and several Moonlight Melodies. 

The Moonlight Melodies include the Disney Jr. Jam with some of your Disney Jr. favorite friends, at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. This is the perfect event offering for young partygoers. You can get on the dance floor at the DescenDANCE Party at Rockettower Plaza Stage. If you wander to Frontierland, you can catch The Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet who will delight you with their “deadpan” humor and singing. Another offering is listening for sea shanties with the spirited pirate band and their crew, the Rusty Cutlass, who roam around throughout Adventureland.

The party includes several sinister delights like your favorite attractions, specialty food and beverage offerings, and event-exclusive merchandise. There are also unique PhotoPass experiences that are exclusive to the event, which are fun whether you dress up or not!

What makes Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party different than a regular park day?

Something unique to the Halloween parties, beyond being themed specifically to Halloween, is that a majority of the offerings will not be available during regular park hours. Additionally, children (and adults) can dress up as their favorite characters (with some limitations) and trick or treat. You will also have the opportunity to purchase merchandise and souvenirs that will not be found anywhere else.

Since this is a “closed” ticketed event guests will experience the magic of Disney during Halloween with significantly reduced crowds, even on sold-out nights. This allows partygoers to ride their favorite attractions (including TRON and Tiana’s) with much shorter wait times. This year, there will not be a virtual queue for TRON or Tiana, rather guests will be able to stand in the stand-by queue to ride those attractions.

What characters can I meet at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party?

One of the best things about the parties is that you have an opportunity to meet rare and fan-favorite characters, some of which are in special Halloween-themed outfits. So, which characters can you expect to see? Let’s break down the offerings by land.

Main Street, U.S.A.

Main Street, U.S.A. has two significant character opportunities: Sally & Jack Skellington and Mickey Mouse. Mickey is actually in a brand new outfit this year (which in my opinion makes meeting him an absolute must-do). Both of these are extremely popular and will have long wait times, however, Jack & Sally are probably the most popular characters during these events. I would prioritize meeting them first, during the pre-party times, or as close to park close as possible to reduce your wait times. These two character spots are located in the Town Square Theater.

This year it was promised that more villains will be roaming around the Halloween parties. Although it is not confirmed, I’ve heard and read online that people have seen Cruella de Vil greeting incoming party guests in the Main Street, U.S.A. bypass (this is the backstage area that they use for incoming party guests which leaves guests by the Plaza restaurant). 

Another unconfirmed character spotting is the Evil Queen and Maleficent, who have been reported, roaming around the Main Street Train Station.

Fantasyland

You can find a bunch of characters in Fantasyland. Given that it is the largest land at Magic Kingdom, and it contains several popular attractions, this makes total sense. 

If you head towards Fantasyland through the bridge connecting the Castle Hub with Fantasyland, you will come across Maribel in the Fairytale Garden. This year, Bruno (yes, that Bruno!) can be found with her. The two popular Encanto characters are a moderately popular choice and the wait times can be for more than 40 minutes.

One of my favorite things about character meets during parties is that you can sometimes find the princesses with their princes. That is the case for Ariel! She and Prince Eric can be seen in front of the Under the Sea attraction during the party. Unfortunately, the Beast is not with Belle but you might see Gaston with (or around) her. They meet outside of Maurice’s Cottage.

Around the Mad Tea Party attraction, you will find Alice and the Mad Hatter and potentially even the Queen of Hearts. It’s been reported that she alternates with Tweedledee and Tweedledum, so you might want to check back if you see one and not the other. Those three characters are extremely rare and exclusive to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. From what I have read, they alternate every 30 minutes.

My favorite gang can be found at the Thotful Spot near the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Typically, it’ll be the entire gang (Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore) meeting guests too! I’ve seen, at past parties, Rabbit with the gang but that’s not typically guaranteed. 

If you are around Cinderella’s Castle, particularly near Cinderella’s Fountain, you might run into Anastasia and Drizella (Cinderella’s step-sisters). 

Now, wander your way back to Storybook Circus and you will find a bunch of other popular characters like the Seven Dwarfs (heads up: this is the second-most popular meet & greet and lines start to form at 4 pm). This year, four of the fab five characters (Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, and Goofy) will be greeting guests TOGETHER at Pete’s Silly Sideshow. 

Some other, unconfirmed, characters that have been reported to be at the parties (around Storybook Circus) include Timon, Vamprina, Doc McStuffins, and Fancy Nancy. 

After reading everything I have, it would be my recommendation to go later in the evening to meet them. This will help you avoid too long of a wait. 

Adventureland

In Adventureland, you will most likely run into Jack Sparrow near Pirates of the Caribbean. 

You can also meet Abu & Aladdin or Jasmine & Genie in Adventureland. They are in Agrabah, across from the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride. However, Abu and Aladdin alternate (similarly to Queen of Hearts and Tweedledee and Tweedledum) every 30 minutes. Another party-exclusive character that you can find at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is Jafar. He’s also in Adventureland, near Agrabah (so close to where Aladdin and friends are).

New this year is Moana, who will be meeting near the Enchanted Tiki Room.

Frontierland / Liberty Square

In Frontierland, you will find the Country Bears roaming around the Country Bear Theater. 

Head over towards the Haunted Mansion and you will see Madame Carlotta and Butler Boome. Typically, they are in front of the attraction meeting guests.

Tomorrowland

In Tomorrowland, you will find another popular character but there’s a twist. He is in a rare costume, exclusive to the parties! Stitch has been seen meeting partygoers across from Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor in his Elvis outfit. If he’s not by the Laugh Floor, I would check by the Buzz Lightyear attraction. My research suggests his wait times are shorter around 11 p.m.

Here are some more tips on Character meet-and-greets during the party:

You should constantly check the My Disney Experience app for updated or confirmed timeframes for all experiences, especially character meet times. It would benefit you to arrive just before the character’s set time to maximize your wait. 

Please know that some characters do not meet during parades. That being said, some characters do continue to meet during parades and that can be a great time to visit. This is especially true for Jack and Sally! If you do not get the chance to meet them during the pre-party timeframe, their wait time may go down to about 40 minutes around 8 p.m. which is during the first parade.

The most important thing, when it comes to character experiences, is to make sure you prioritize which characters you want to meet. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in the party and you will be surprised by how quickly time passes. This is especially true if you’re also trying to see the main entertainment: the parade, stage show and fireworks.

Enough with the characters, where do I find the candy?

One of the best things about Halloween is getting to trick or treat, and that is no different when it comes to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. There are a handful of locations that will be giving guests candy. If you are allergic or have diet restrictions, you must let a Cast Member know so they can give you a blue token. This token will tell Cast Members at the various locations know that you require non-allergen treats. 

Upon arrival, or when you get your party bracelet, you should also receive a treat bag. When you do, make sure you grab a party guide so you can have the party map, entertainment offerings, confirmed character locations, food and beverage/merchandise locations, and trick-or-treating locations. 

For your convenience, here is a list of the candy locations for this year’s event. When you are at the event, you will know you’ve found the location because there’s an inflatable “treat” sign in the front. 

The way it works is that you get in the queue, walk up to a Cast Member standing next to a bucket of treats and the Cast Member will drop a handful of candy in your bag. Once you’re done, you exit and continue with your evening. Luckily, the queues move relatively quickly and tend to have more than one treat bucket. 

I always come back from the party with an enormous amount of candy!

Trick or Treating Locations:

Main Street, U.S.A.

When entering the park, you will be sent through the bypass connecting Main Street, U.S.A. to the Plaza area. That area remains open for candy until about 8 p.m..

Fantasyland

In Fantasyland you will find candy at the Fantasyland Train Station, Gaston’s Tavern, Mickey’s PhilharMagic (the attraction is closed and used as a queue for candy), and Princess Fairytale Hall. 

Adventureland

The candy locations in Adventureland are found at Tortuga Treasures, Jungle Cruise, and the Sunshine Tree Terrace.

Frontierland

Frontierland only has two locations: Tom Sawyer Island Dock and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Liberty Square

Liberty Square also only has two locations, which are at the Columbia Harbour House and Diamond Horseshoe.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland has candy at the Carousel of Progress (the attraction is also closed), Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor (this has a Halloween overlay, exclusive to the parties), and TRON Lightcycle Run.

If you don’t care about how much candy you get, I’d recommend prioritizing the character experiences and entertainment over this. Although it’s a cornerstone of the evening, not everyone wants to go home with a bag full of candy.

Which attractions are open during the event?

To accommodate all the experiences offered at the parties, some attractions are not available during the event. Here is a list of what IS open, so you can plan ahead what you want to ride:

Adventureland:

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Swiss Family Treehouse

Frontierland:

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (standby line offered)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Country Bear Musical Jamboree

Liberty Square:

Haunted Mansion

Fantasyland:

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

“It’s a small world”

Peter Pan’s Flight

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Mad Tea Party*

Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

The Barnstormer

Tomorrowland:

Astro Orbiter

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor*

Space Mountain*

Tomorrowland Speedway

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

TRON Lightcycle / Run (NO virtual queue, stand-by line only)

The attractions I have listed with an asterisk (*) have spooktacular, party-exclusive overlays or enhancements. Mad Tea Party gets special lighting and music, you ride Space Mountain in complete darkness, and the Laugh Floor has the monsters talking about and making Halloween jokes.

So, what else is there?

Another fun thing about the parties is that there are specific merchandise offerings and specialty food and beverage items. I’m extremely picky, so I don’t like a lot of the offerings they have for the party exclusive food and beverage offerings but there’s a little bit for everyone. Magic Kingdom also has Halloween offerings available during the party and on a regular park day, but the exciting options are the exclusive ones. I recommend researching beforehand to know which treats you want to try.

Now, the merchandise can be a hot commodity. There are a lot of items that go viral and sell out quickly. Right now, I would say that the most popular exclusive items are the Minnie Mouse: Hocus Pocus Halloween Dress-up Sipper (it has finally made it’s way to Disney World!) and the Halloween Mickey Pumpkin Bucket. These are both $26. The sipper can only be purchased at Sleepy Hallow and the bucket is available at popcorn carts during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It does comes with popcorn. These two items, unfortunately, are not available on mobile orders and tend to sell out fairly quickly. There is a limit of two per person, per transaction. 

Lastly, there are several Disney PhotoPass opportunities while you are at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. 

There are three “step-in photo ops”. These are no longer party-exclusive so you can take pictures in them during regular park hours. 

The “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” step-in is by the Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland. The “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” step-in is near the parade route, in the Cinderella Castle hub across from Tomorrowland Terrace, and the “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” step-in is in Storybook Circus.

There are several “Magic Shots” scattered throughout the park. 

You can take a picture with Yzma on Main Street, U.S.A. or by the Castle Hub lawn near The Plaza Restaurant. If you take a picture at the park entrance, or by Cinderella’s Castle, you can add Halloween balloons to your picture. A Mickey jack-o’-lantern is available at the flagpole and around the Castle hub.

On the bridge leading from Cinderella Castle to Tomorrowland, you can take a picture with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Huey, Dewey, & Louie and the Lonesome Ghosts, as well as spooky vintage vibes and dancing skeletons, are available around Main Street, U.S.A.

If you’re at the Partners Statue, you can take a picture with Oogie Boogie or stir up a potion in a cauldron.

The stacked jack-o’-lanterns can be added to your pictures on the bridges leading from Cinderella Castle into Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.

The Maleficent, in her dragon form, magic shot is near the Cinderella Castle walls, close to Pinocchio Village Haus.

Autumn Tinkerbell can be found in front of Cinderella Castle.

Outside of the Haunted Mansion, you can take pictures with Zero and the Caretaker’s Lantern. The Hitchhiking Ghosts and Headless Horseman are by the Hall of Presidents.

What am I (KJ) putting on my priority list for this year’s party?

My priority list is always hyper-focused on character experiences, merchandise, and entertainment. I also absolutely partake in trick or treating (typically, I bring home enough candy to use for Halloween night). The food is the lowest priority level for me.

This year, my party night is relatively “late” for me (I usually go in August). I actually don’t think I have been to a party in September in over ten years.

Regardless, I have heavily researched what is being reported to have been offered or seen at this year’s parties to narrow down the things I want to make sure I do when I’m there. That being said, here is an outline of the agenda I hope to accomplish at this year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party:

My Not-So-Scary Strategy

Arrive before 4 p.m.

I always arrive early, because it allows me to do non-party-related things before the evening begins. 

I read that this year, they are doing something differently with the pre-party guests who arrive for the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. timeframe: the main entrance will have a corral (similar to what is done for RunDisney events), where waiting guests have to stand until 4 p.m. Once party tickets are active, and guests can go into the park, they will direct you to the touchpoints and give the party bracelets. 

I absolutely do not want to have to be in a corral (I have enough trauma from RunDisney). Since I know I will be at the park early, I’m planning to pick up my bracelet in Tomorrowland (you can also get the bracelets in Adventureland or Fantasyland).

My original idea was to do Sally & Jack Skellington immediately after I got my  ap wristband, but the more I research and read, the less I want to do that. If you are not at the Town Square Theater by 4:05, you will be waiting two hours for them. For that, I much rather do other character experiences (maybe even some not available during the party) and I can meet Sally and Jack Skellington during a parade or later in the evening. 

Knowing that I think, now, I’m going to shift my strategy. If I arrive before or around 2 p.m., I’ll start with pictures by the Castle and Partners Statue, as well as on Main Street, U.S.A., and at the step-in locations. If my arrival is closer to 3 p.m. or 3:30 p.m., I will take quick pictures and go straight to Tomorrowland to get my party wristband.

At 4 o’clock, if I’m able to get into Sally & Jack quickly, that is what I’ll do first. Otherwise, I’m going to start with merchandise and potentially ride some rides (Small World, etc.). Since I’ve been on TRON and Tiana’s, they aren’t a huge priority and I don’t mind skipping them for to maximize party experiences. 

I (really) want to get the Minnie Mouse: Hocus Pocus Halloween Dress-up Sipper. Since this is an extremely “hot” commodity this year, I need to get to Sleepy Hallow as soon as possible to get in line. The Sipper is only sold during the actual party hours (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.) so I’ll be doing rides or meeting characters in that area first. At exactly 6:30, I will be at Sleepy Hallow with the very specific intention of getting the sipper. From what I’ve read online, by 8:30 p.m., the sippers completely sell out.

Besides Sally and Jack, my priorities for character experiences are the Hundred Acre Woods crew, the four “fab five” characters at Pete’s Silly Slideshow, Elvis Stitch, and Mickey. Each of these meet-and-greets supposedly begin on or around 6:30 p.m. So, immediately after I get the sipper, I’ll head towards Fantasyland. If I get the sipper and/or I’ve waited more than an hour, I’ll have to pivot and focus on less crowded experiences.

I do know that the first parade (at 8:15 p.m.) and the first two Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltaculars are not a priority, so depending on how long I had to wait and what time I begin doing party-specific experiences, then I’ll use those timeframes to meet the characters on my list. This way, I can prioritize Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks at 10 p.m. and have more time to do experiences between 8:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., and then again from 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

At 11:!5 p.m., I plan to catch Mickey’s Boo-To-You parade from Frontierland and go directly to Sally & Jack’s or Mickey’s meet-and-greet (if I haven’t already met them). I can trick-or-treat some on my way to the Town Square Theater.

Here is the itinerary I’ve mapped out for myself:

• Arrival before or around 2 p.m.: start with pictures by the Castle and Partners Statue, as well as on Main Street, U.S.A., and the PhotoPass step-in locations.
• Arrival closer to 3 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.: take quick pictures and go straight to Tomorrowland to get the party wristband (across Laugh Floor)
• 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (pre-party): ride attractions and do character experience (Princesses Fairytale Hall?)
• Hard stop 6:30 p.m.: Minnie Mouse: Hocus Pocus Halloween Dress-up Sipper at Sleepy Hallow

* Character experiences from when Sipper is acquired until 9:45 p.m. when I need to head towards the front of Castle or Partner’s Statue (potentially meet: Hundred Acre Woods crew, the four “fab five”, and/or Elvis Stitch)

• Hard stop 9:45 p.m.: Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks – front of Castle or around Partner’s Statue @ 10 p.m. (last 12 minutes)
• 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.: priority character experiences (any not completed from above or Sally and Jack Skellington, Mickey)
• Hard stop 11 p.m.: Mickey’s Boo-To-You parade (lasts 23 minutes) – preferred location: Frontierland @ 11:15 p.m. unless meeting priority characters (Sally and Jack or Mickey) at TST. If alternate, watch from Main Street, U.S.A., and go trick-or-treating until the stage show.
• End of the parade until 12 a.m.: trick-or-treat.
• 12 a.m.: Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show – front of Castle (lasts 20 minutes)
• End the night at the Emporium on the way out of the park.

Priority Character Meet-and-Greets

These meet-and-greets supposedly begin on or around 6:30 p.m. and go until 11 p.m.

Sally and Jack Skellington @ Town Square Theater

Hundred Acre Woods crew @ Winnie the Pooh attraction

Four “fab five” characters @ Pete’s Silly Slideshow

Elvis Stitch @ Tomorrowland

Mickey @ Town Square Theater

* if time allows Ariel and Eric or Abu and Aladdin

I’ll be documenting my favorite night of the year, when I go next weekend. Make sure you follow me on all my social media accounts so you don’t miss a second of the fun!

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You can also read my “Must-Haves for a Perfect Disney Day” post and my thoughts on the new Lightning Lane Multi-Pass system.