Guide to Halloween at Walt Disney World With Kids
There’s nothing quite like spooky season at Walt Disney World. Each fall, Magic Kingdom transforms into a frightfully fun Halloween destination filled with decorations, themed treats, special entertainment, and plenty of not-so-scary fun for families.
One of the biggest highlights of the season is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, a separately ticketed event held on select nights at Magic Kingdom. From trick-or-treating around the park and rare character meet-and-greets to exclusive shows, parades, and ride overlays, it’s become one of my family’s favorite times of year to visit Walt Disney World.
Whether you’re planning your first Halloween trip to Disney World, or counting down the days until your next party night, this guide will walk through what makes spooky season at Walt Disney World so special for families with young kids.
What Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party?
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party takes place on select nights throughout the fall season at Magic Kingdom and requires a separate ticket from regular park admission. Ticket prices vary depending on the party date, and nights closer to Halloween are typically more expensive. If you’re an Annual Passholder or Disney Vacation Club member, be sure to check for available discounts on select nights.
One thing we really love about the party is that your ticket usually lets you into Magic Kingdom a few hours early. We normally use that extra time to grab dinner, look around at the Halloween decorations, take some pictures, and figure out what we want to prioritize once the party officially starts.
Here are a few of the things we look forward to most each year:
Trick-or-Treat Throughout Magic Kingdom
During the party, you’ll find treat stations set up throughout Magic Kingdom where you can stop and collect candy and snacks during the night. Treat bags are included with your party ticket, and you can visit each treat location as many times as you’d like throughout the event.
Some of the treat trail lines can look long at first, but we’ve found that they usually move fairly quickly. You’ll still spend a few minutes at each stop depending on the location, especially earlier in the night. Unlike ride queues, little ones can stay in their strollers while going through treat trails, which is really helpful later in the evening.
Disney also offers allergy-friendly options during the party. If anyone in your group needs allergy-friendly treats, let a Cast Member know when you first enter the event. Instead of candy, you’ll receive tokens at the treat stations that can later be redeemed for allergy-friendly treats.
Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade
This is one of the most popular parts of the entire party and something many families plan their night around. The parade features Disney characters in Halloween costumes, Disney Villains, and appearances from the Hitchhiking Ghosts.
Keep in mind that rain can sometimes impact the parade. One year we visited, it ended up being canceled because of the weather. People also start saving spots for the parade pretty early, especially along Main Street, so it’s something you’ll want to factor into your plans for the evening.
Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular
Hosted by Jack Skellington, this nighttime fireworks show takes place at Cinderella Castle and includes projections, lasers, and special effects.
If you’re visiting with really little ones, keep in mind that the fireworks show happens fairly late at night. During one of our visits, my toddler had already fallen asleep in his stroller by the time the show started, so we ended up catching part of it from Main Street while making our way out of the Emporium.
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular
The Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus take over the Cinderella Castle stage alongside several classic Disney Villains in a Halloween-themed stage show.
This wasn’t something my kids were especially interested in, but it’s very popular with a lot of guests. If your kids aren’t into stage shows either, this can actually be a really good time to head for rides or treat trails while crowds are focused on the castle entertainment.
Halloween-Themed Food and Drinks
One of my favorite parts of visiting Disney during any holiday season is trying the themed snacks and drinks, and Halloween is no exception. The party map will usually list all of the event-exclusive food and drink options available throughout Magic Kingdom that night.
One thing to keep in mind is that Magic Kingdom closes to regular day guests at 6PM on party nights. Those attending the party can stay in the park, but that short window between 6PM and the official party start of 7PM can get pretty crowded for dinner. Mobile ordering is also typically unavailable during that time. If you’re entering the park early with your party ticket, it’s worth planning your meal timing strategically or trying to eat a little earlier to avoid long waits at Quick Service locations.
Halloween Ride Overlays
A few Magic Kingdom attractions receive special Halloween overlays during the party, including Space Mountain, Mad Tea Party, and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
Be sure to check the party map as well for additional entertainment and special offerings throughout the night. In past years, Disney has added extra Halloween details around attractions like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, including live actors that ended up being some of my favorite surprises from the night.
More Spooky Season Fun Around Walt Disney World
While none of the other Walt Disney World parks offer a Halloween event on the same scale as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the other parks still get in on the spooky season fun too.
At EPCOT, families can participate in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt that takes place around World Showcase. Our family loves the EPCOT scavenger hunts, especially with toddlers, because they give the kids something extra to look for while walking around World Showcase. You can read more about our experience with EPCOT scavenger hunts here, including a few tips for completing them with young kids.
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Hollywood & Vine offers a seasonal character dining experience called Minnie’s Halloween Dine, where Minnie and her friends appear in their Halloween costumes. If your family enjoys spooky attractions, you’ll also find year-round favorites like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the new Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After show. We haven’t had the chance to see the show yet, but it’s definitely on our list for a future visit.
All of the parks, including Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and even Disney Springs, will typically offer seasonal Halloween snacks and drinks throughout the fall as well.
Planning Your Halloween Stay Near Magic Kingdom
For the past several years, our family has planned a staycation around attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We’ve found that staying at one of the Monorail resorts, including Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, or Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, makes party nights so much easier with little kids.
Since the party usually keeps us in Magic Kingdom well past my kids’ normal bedtime, being able to take the Monorail back to the resort at the end of the night is a huge help. One of my favorite things about using the Monorail is that you don’t have to fold your stroller, which is especially nice when you have sleeping kids after a long night in the parks.
If you drive to Magic Kingdom instead, you’ll usually need to take the Parking Lot Tram back to your car at the end of the night. That means folding the stroller and getting sleeping kids in and out multiple times, which can definitely make the end of the evening more stressful.
If your trip is longer than just the Halloween party, staying near Magic Kingdom can also make midday hotel breaks and nap time easier during your vacation. The Monorail also gives you easy access to both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT throughout your stay.
Our family has stayed at both the Contemporary and the Polynesian during spooky season and really enjoyed both experiences. Beyond being beautiful resorts, the convenience of being so close to Magic Kingdom was honestly one of the biggest benefits for us during party nights.
Final Thoughts
Spooky season has quickly become one of our favorite times of year to visit Walt Disney World. Between the decorations, themed snacks, trick-or-treat trails and special entertainment, there’s so much to experience throughout the parks during the fall season.
For our family, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is usually the highlight of the trip. My kids love being able to trick-or-treat around Magic Kingdom, and I love all of the little extra details Disney adds throughout the night. Even simple things like the music, ride overlays and themed atmosphere make the parks feel completely different during spooky season.
If you’re visiting with young kids, just keep in mind that party nights can make for a very long day, especially if you plan to stay through the fireworks and late-night entertainment. For us, slowing down earlier in the day and staying close to Magic Kingdom has made those late nights much easier and more enjoyable.
Whether you’re planning a full Halloween trip to Walt Disney World or just hoping to attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party during your vacation, spooky season is such a fun time to experience Disney with kids.