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Credit: DisneyIf you were hoping to start celebrating Halloween in style next week, we may have some bad news.
First thing first: no, you didn’t read that wrong. Disney’s version of Halloween really does start next week, in early August, because in the theme park world, any second post-July that isn’t spent celebrating all things spooky is a second wasted.
Walt Disney World Resort is diving into the celebrations first with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This family-friendly Halloween celebration requires a separate ticket from regular park admission and features extended park hours, typically running until midnight.
While the event features an impressive array of attractions (with shorter wait times than regular park hours, which should come in handy for the recently opened Tiana’s Bayou Adventure) and trick-or-treat stations dotted around Magic Kingdom Park, most people are there for the entertainment.
Highlights include the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, which showcases Disney characters in Halloween costumes and is led by the famous Headless Horseman. The Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, a stage show hosted by the Sanderson Sisters from the Hocus Pocus franchise, also plays throughout the night in front of Cinderella Castle.
New for 2024 is the DescenDANCE Party at Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland, inspired by the recently released Disney+ film Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024). There’s also the event-exclusive Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular, a fireworks display hosted by Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), featuring projections, lasers, and pyrotechnics.
Entertainment aside, characters are the second-most exciting thing about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. While the lineup varies every year, it’s typically villain-heavy, with past standouts including Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, the Seven Dwarfs, and a strawberry-scented Lotso. This year will also see Mickey and Minnie Mouse don new spooky fits, with Mickey in a top hat and Minnie in a witch-inspired dress.
While the event typically starts in August, this season kicks off earlier than ever. The first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Party will be held at Magic Kingdom Park on August 9, 2024. For the next 83 days, the event will be held on sporadic evenings at the park. On such evenings, guests without a ticket will need to leave Magic Kingdom by 7 p.m.
If you haven’t got a ticket yet, you’ll have no choice but to follow this rule on August 9, as tickets for the first date of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Party have officially sold out.
This marks the fourth night to sell out in August after August 13, August 16, and August 20. Tickets are also gone for October 31 (which, being Halloween, typically sells out early every year).
However, tickets are still available on August 23, 27, and 30. Tickets are also available for all September and October dates (except Halloween), and they are priced between $119 and $199.
For the first day of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party to sell out so late in the game is actually pretty rare. In years past, the first date has sold out before any other, primarily fueled by the many guests (and resellers) wanting to get their hands on MNSSHP merchandise first.
At any rate, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is selling out much slower than its sister on the West Coast. Oogie Boogie Bash – which is held at Disneyland Resort’s Disney California Adventure Park every fall – sold out in 11 days earlier this month. However, even this is at a slower rate than usual. Tickets for the 2023 season sold out in 12 hours (albeit in the midst of a nightmare rollout).
Are you attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year?