Headed to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year? Read this guide for everything you need to know about rides, treats, the fireworks, and more! It’s everything you need to know before heading to the 2023 Mickey’s Not So Scary party!
Want to save this Idea?
Enter your email below and we’ll send this idea straight to your inbox (plus you’ll receive tons of fun weekly ideas from us!)
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Guide
Last Friday I had the chance to go to the very first 2023 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom in Disney World. To say we had an epic time would be putting it lightly!
My sister and I dressed up like Bluey and Bingo (IYKYK) and did pretty much everything possible during the first party – Tron, trick or treating, Hocus Pocus spooktacular show, Halloween spooktacular fireworks, one of the dessert parties, and even got a photo with the ghost of Jack Sparrow!
This is my fourth time going to the party, and I want to share my tips and tricks with you for making the most out of your time!
Before I really dig into what makes Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party so awesome, let me just clear one thing up.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a special ticketed event at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney Resort in Florida. If you’re looking for info on Oogie Boogie Bash, that’s held at Disneyland in California. And while Disneyland at Halloween Time is amazing, that’s not what this post is about.
Now let’s get to the party!
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party is on select nights from August 1 to November 1, 2023. Years in the past it has been a particular day or days of the week, but this year the dates are all over the place!
Here’s the full list of dates as well as if the party is currently sold out (as of publication of this post):
- Tuesday, August 15th – sold out
- Friday, August 18th – sold out
- Tuesday, August 22nd – sold out
- Friday, August 25th – sold out
- Tuesday, August 29th – sold out
- Friday, September 1st – sold out
- Monday, September 4th – sold out
- Friday, September 8th – sold out
- Sunday, September 10th
- Tuesday, September 12th – sold out
- Friday, September 15th – sold out
- Sunday, September 17th – sold out
- Tuesday, September 19th
- Friday, September 22nd
- Sunday, September 24th
- Tuesday, September 26th
- Thursday, September 28th
- Friday, September 29th
- Sunday, October 1st
- Tuesday, October 3rd
- Thursday, October 5th
- Friday, October 6th
- Monday, October 9th
- Tuesday, October 10th
- Thursday, October 12th
- Friday, October 13th
- Sunday, October 15th
- Tuesday, October 17th
- Thursday, October 19th
- Friday, October 20th
- Sunday, October 22nd
- Tuesday, Octobre 24th
- Thursday, October 26th
- Friday, October 27th
- Sunday, October 29th
- Tuesday, October 31st – sold out
- Wednesday, November 1st
Not So Scary Party Hours
Mickey’s Not So Scary is technically from 7PM to midnight on the party day. However, one of the perks of the ticket is that you can actually get into Magic Kingdom starting at 4PM.
There will be regular guests (non-party guests) in the park until 7PM as well, but it gives you a chance to get in some more rides and do things that are not available during the party if you want to take advantage of the extra three hours!
Tip!
If you have a regular theme park ticket for the day (and not just a party ticket), I recommend being in Magic Kingdom Park by 3:30PM or coming later, closer to say 5 or 6PM to avoid the crowds of people who are coming in right at 4PM when their party ticket allows them in. The lines were very long at the front gate of people waiting to get into the park for the party. Just make sure to go back to the front of the park to get your party bracelet when they start handing them out!
Mickey’s Not So Scary Party Tickets
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP for short) is a separately ticketed event, meaning that Not so-scary Halloween party tickets are separate from regular theme park tickets. Your ticket will get you into Magic Kingdom beginning at 4PM and allow you to stay in the park until midnight.
If you want to get into Magic Kingdom or any of the other theme parks before 4PM, you’ll need to purchase a theme park ticket and make a theme park reservation.
If you purchase your ticket while you’re not logged into the my Disney Experience page, make sure to go back in and link your ticket so your event ticket is ready to go on the party nights! You’ll be able to pull up the ticket in the my Disney Experience app and get right in!
Ticket Prices
The price of tickets varies depending on what night you choose. Right now the tickets range in cost (before any discounts) from $109 per ticket all the way to $199 per ticket. The closer to Halloween the date gets, the higher the ticket prices get.
Annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members are eligible for discounts on party tickets so make sure if you have either of those memberships to login before purchasing tickets on the Disney website!
If you’re hoping to go to the party this year, especially if there’s only one or two dates you could go, I recommend picking a date and getting your tickets sooner than later. While tickets to this special event don’t sell out quite as fast as Oogie Boogie Bash, many dates have already sold out and will likely continue selling out.
What’s Exclusive at Mickey’s Not So Scary Party?
One of the reasons that MNSSHP is so popular is that it has a number of activities that are exclusive to the party including ride changes (hello Space Mountain in the dark), a Halloween parade, character meet and greet opportunities, and even a Halloween fireworks show!
Oh and then of course there’s the fact that everyone gets to dress up in Halloween costumes and go trick or treating throughout the park – even the adults!
Here’s the full list of exclusive opportunities to help you decide if you want to spend your money on tickets!
- Special Halloween twists on a couple of rides
- Halloween parade
- Halloween fireworks show
- Halloween entertainment including the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular
- Exclusive character meet and greets including characters in costume
- PhotoPass Magic Shots and photo opps
- MNSSHP party only food
- Trick or treating throughout the park
- Late night hours in the park
- Party specific merchandise (only available on event nights with an event ticket)
Rides Open during Mickey’s Not So Scary Party
One of the best things about any special event or after hours party is shorter lines typically for rides. While I wouldn’t necessarily say that lines were shorter during MNSSHP than using Genie+, they were definitely shorter than normal standby lines.
The other cool thing is that there are three attractions that have party only version of the ride that are fun to try out. The three rides with changed versions include:
- Space Mountain – the ride is in pitch darkness (no lights other than the beginning and the end) and set to music. This is a must in my opinion, it’s a completely different experience than the traditional Space Mountain.
- Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor – instead of the typical show and experience, monsters just come out and tell Halloween jokes to whoever is in the room. This is in conjunction with one of the treat trails, so you could easily just walk through it to see what it’s all about.
- Mad Tea Party – different lights and music, if you like mad tea party, ride it. If you don’t, you can still skip it.
The full list of attractions and rides open during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party includes:
- Town Square Theater
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion
- Prince Charming Regal Carousel
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- It’s a Small World
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- The Barnstormer
- Dumbo
- Mad Tea Party
- Winnie the Pooh
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Princess Fairytale Hall
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- TRON Lightcycle/Run (Virtual Queue – see below)
- Space Mountain
- Astro Orbiter
- Tomorrowland PeopleMover
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
How to Ride Tron During MNSSHP
This is one of the biggest questions I’ve received from people about the party since Tron is the newest ride at Walt Disney World.
Anyone who has a valid party ticket linked to their My Disney Experience account will be given the chance to join a virtual queue for Tron at 6PM. If you’ve never used a virtual queue at Disney World, read this post first. The 6PM queue works the same way, but it’s only available for people with a party ticket.
When it’s time to join the virtual queue, you’ll want to make sure you’re ready to join right at 6PM. I received one of the earliest party boarding groups fortunately, but they were gone seconds later. I confirmed with the cast members working Tron that they did indeed give out boarding groups to keep the ride going until the midnight ending time.
If you’re hoping to get a time to ride in the dark, you may get lucky but I wouldn’t chance waiting even a few seconds hoping to get a later boarding group because you may just miss out completely. And plus, the earlier boarding groups had a shorter wait than the later ones.
Speaking of wait times, we pretty much walked onto Tron when we got there since all the boarding groups for regular guests had been cycled through, and we got an early boarding pass. We ended up going between 6 and 6:30PM, which was perfect because we were able to ride without cutting into precious party hours!
MNSSHP Entertainment
In addition to just plain people watching and checking out the costumes, there are five different shows going on throughout the night (not including the fireworks and parade – those get their own special sections).
I’ve listed these below in order of my recommended importance of actually making time to see them but take my opinions with a grain or salt or gauge it based on your group, your family’s interests, and more.
Hocus Pocus Villain Spectular
This show takes place in front of Cinderella Castle three to four times a night depending on your party date. In August and September, it’s scheduled for 8:35PM, 10:45PM, and 12AM. In October and November, it’s scheduled for 7:40PM, 8:35PM, 10:45PM, and 12AM.
The show features the Sanderson Sisters and some villain friends and cast members singing and dancing to their heart’s content.
I’m a Hocus Pocus fan (if you couldn’t tell from my Hocus Pocus brownies or black flame candle craft), so I always love to see this show. It’s also the one that is most exciting and unique to the party.
The Cadaver Dan’s Barbershop Quartet
If you like the Dapper Dans, you should definitely try to catch the Halloween version of the popular barbershop quartet as they sing Halloween inspired tunes like This Is Halloween, Cruella De-Vil, and more.
You can find them singing in Frontierland (they were up right above the Country Bear Jamboree building during our party) at various times from 7 to 10:50PM. And don’t worry about staying for the entire performance, it’s fun even to just catch one quick song on your way to something else!
Disney Junior Jam
If your kids like Disney Junior, you may want to put this one higher on the show priority list. This Disney Junior dance party was rocking all night long in Cosmic Ray’s and featured some great Halloween music plus favorite characters joining in on the fun!
While character photo opps are great, dancing with characters and actually interacting with them is even better! Grab one of the delicious Mickey’s Not So Scary Party Treats from Cosmic Rays and dance while you enjoy your treat!
Rusty Cutlass
We have a pirate lover in our family, so I had to go check out this fun swashbuckling pirate band over by Adventureland. We only stayed for a few minutes, but it was a lot of fun to see them using various things as we instruments and singing about pirates and various other topics.
They were right near Pirates of the Caribbean, which also happened to be where there were long lines all night to meet Jack Sparrow!
Zom-Beatz Bash
Okay, I’ll be the first person to admit that my family is not into the show Zombies, but if your family is, they might love this option. When we walked by the stage (in Tomorrowland by Space Mountain), it was just a couple of cast members dressed as zombie cheerleaders doing some dance moves. There weren’t many people, and it didn’t seem too exciting.
If you’re going to skip one, skip this one. You can also probably skip some of the other shows as well, but this one was definitely lackluster for us.
Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular
The not so-spooky spectacular fireworks are not spooky but sure are spectacular. If you’ve ever watched any Disney fireworks show, you know they’re great in general but the Halloween theming of this show is really fun.
Expect to see lots of Disney villains, dancing skeletons, Mickey Mouse, special effects, and lots of other great things inspired by Halloween season. There is only one showing at 10:15PM on the party, and you don’t want to miss it. It’s easily one of my favorite things to do during the party!
If you don’t want to waste precious party time standing around saving seats for the fireworks, you can buy tickets for the Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace that comes with reserved firework viewing!
Not So Scary Halloween Dessert Party
There are two different options for the dessert party – one that includes seated table viewing for the fireworks in the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant and the other that includes reserved garden viewing right in the middle of Main Street USA.
We chose to do the garden viewing option and while we didn’t think any of the desserts were amazing, it was still a fun experience and having reserved viewing for the fireworks was awesome.
The cost of the Tomorrowland Terrace party is $114 for guests ages 10 and older and $69 for guests ages 3 to 9. The cost of the garden party is a little cheaper at $99 for guests 10 and older and $59 for guests ages 3 to 9. You pay a little more for the price of a seat.
A couple of things to know about the dessert party:
- You can come and go as you please beginning at 8:45PM (90 minutes before the fireworks). They’ll give you a wristband that allows you access into the dessert party and then also into the garden viewing. We showed up around 9:30, ate our desserts and drinks, then rolled over to the garden area around 10 just in time for the fireworks.
- Food and drinks are unlimited. There were at least 10-12 different dessert options including chocolate covered strawberries, crepes, and a number of little cakes and cookies. There were at least five different non-alcoholic drink options (including sparkling cider) plus a bar that I didn’t personally visit.
- Garden viewing area isn’t perfect but it is very good. It’s kind of behind a bunch of light posts so even though I had a great view of the fireworks, I couldn’t ever get a perfectly clear photo or video shot without some light post poking through. That shouldn’t be an issue for anyone else – just something I wanted to mention.
- Bathrooms are available in the Tomorrowland Terrace so once you’re in the dessert party, you won’t have to leave to go to the bathroom.
- Dessert party will happen rain or shine regardless of if the fireworks happen during the party. Keep this in mind if rain is in the forecast because you’ll need to cancel at least 24 hours ahead of time if you don’t want to do the party without the fireworks.
- For the terrace option, you may not want to leave once you go to the dessert party because you may lose your prime table seat if you leave and come back. So for me personally, I loved the garden viewing option because it didn’t matter when we showed up for the fireworks!
- Ask for bottles of water if you want one (or even just to take with you out into the party). Cast members can get them for you even if they’re not sitting out and available.
Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade
I’m not going to give away a ton other than to just tell you not to miss the parade. There are two parades nightly at 9:15PM and 11:15PM and each one starts with the Headless Horseman riding down the parade route then continues with all sorts of your favorite Disney characters, Disney villains, and other characters you don’t see that often like the Haunted Mansion dancers).
My favorite part of the parade was Oogie Boogie dancing around – I only wish Jack Skellington had been there as well!
My recommendation is to sit at the beginning of the parade route (in Frontierland where the old Splash Mountain is) so that the wait between the Headless Horseman and the beginning of the parade is shorter. Plus, if you want to leave the park after the parade – you should have time to get from there to the front of the park before the parade makes it all the way there, essentially blocking you from getting out of the park to beat the crowds to the monorail.
I also found that the beginning of the parade route was less busy because people weren’t just lingering around after the fireworks and Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular like they do on Main Street U.S.A. We were able to get a front row spot right by the beginning of the parade around 10:45PM with no problems at all.
It seemed like Liberty Square was already beginning to get crowded, and I know Main Street right in front of the castle was. If you’re wondering, the parade route starts in Frontierland, goes toward Liberty Square, circles in front of Cinderella Castle, then finishes down Main Street U.S.A., right by the front of the park.
Not So Scary Characters and Photo Opps
The lines were pretty long for the characters throughout the night since there were some characters out you don’t see very often, so we didn’t do any of the traditional character meet and greets during the party.
But have no fear, that doesn’t mean we didn’t still see plenty of characters! There were a number of characters just walking around like the Country Bear Jamboree bears, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum, and Cinderella’s evil stepsisters.
There were also plenty of times that I saw characters walking to take a break or getting back from a break. This is a great time to interact with characters but not an ideal time to get a picture. We tried to take a selfie (or as Jack called it, an usie) with Captain Jack Sparrow on his walk back, and we ended up with a ghost!
I didn’t check out all of the characters out during the party this year, but if you read this post, it has everything listed for planning out this year’s party. One of most popular characters is always the Seven Dwarfs because it’s one of the only times that they’re all out together!
Wearing costumes can make the exclusive photo opps even more fun! Get a photo by the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ornament, by any of the Halloween decorations, or ask for a little extra magic during a PhotoPass picture and see who might show up. My favorite from past parties was this cute picture with Jack’s ghost dog Zero.
Dressing Up in Costume
One of the most fun things about the party is that it’s a great excuse to dress up in costume! Walking around and seeing all the kids and adults dressed up was right there up at the top of my favorite parts of the night. These Hocus Pocus witches were spot on!
Just be sure you know all about Disney’s costume policy before choosing your costume. You can read the entire thing here.
Need something last minute? Try one of these DIY superhero costumes – they only take a few minutes to make at home! Or check out these fun Disney baby costumes – perfect for the little ones!
I mentioned that we did Bluey and Bingo this year but in the past I’ve also done comfy princesses from the movie Ralph Breaks the Internet. I made all of the shirts and everyone put together their own individual outfits. You can get the cut files for these shirts here!
And then another year we did tutu costumes inspired our favorite characters. I love Marvel, so I went with this Hawkeye shirt with a purple tutu.
Trick or treating at MNSSHP 2023
One of the highlights for a lot of people (okay, maybe just the kids) is getting dressed up in costume and unlimited trick or treating throughout the park – even for the adults. I counted at least 14 different treat stations that were giving out special treats like Skittles, Snickers, and M&Ms.
I personally thought giving out chocolate on a day where the temperatures hit over 100 seemed like an interesting choice, but I think I got everything home in one piece.
There are treat locations pretty much everywhere you look! You do get a treat bag when you get into the party, but if you’re really serious about trick or treating and getting your money’s worth in candy, you may want something bigger. We only hit four of the treat spots and my bag was almost full.
Tip!
Florida can be really hot between August and November. Plan your costume accordingly. It doesn’t matter how cute you look if you’re about to pass out from heat stroke!
trick or Treating at Mickey’s Not So Scary with Food Allergies
If you have food allergies, don’t worry – you won’t be left out of the trick or treating fun! If you or someone in your party has a food allergy:
- Pick up a teal-colored treat bag from a cast member.
- Get teal tokens (instead of treats) at each of the treat stations.
- Take the tokens to the allergy-friendly centers in Liberty Square or Main Street, U.S.A. and trade them in for allergy-friendly treat options!
I went into the allergy-friendly centers and the treat options were awesome, probably ones my kids would prefer over what was being given out anyway! The ones that I saw available as options on the menu included:
- Organic pops (suckers)
- Gummy bears
- Organic sour beans
- Smarties
- Dark Chocolate Sun Cups
- Ricemilk Crunch Chocolate Bar
- Ricemilk Chocolate Bar
- Cocoa Loco Chewy Bars
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Food & Drinks
If you know anything about me, you know I like my food – especially themed food. I’ve found all the best Disneyland food and the best Disney World snacks, so you’re probably not surprised that while my friends were standing in line for character meet and greets, I was eating my way through all of the speciality Halloween themed food at the party!
Instead of making this post even longer than it already is, I wrote an entire post about Mickey’s Not So Scary food that includes the party items as well as some other Halloween items available during regular hours (not just to ticket holders).
Until that post is ready (coming soon), you can check out everything we ate at the party in my tiktok video here!
Note!
In the past when I went to the party, mobile ordering was available during the party. However, this year I checked throughout the night and mobile ordering was not available at all. That may change as the Halloween season progresses so make sure to double check because mobile ordering can be a huge timesaver!
If you just want a quick list of our party favorites for now, these were our personal favorite party treats and eats!
- Jack Skellington cake pop from the snack cart in front of Cinderella Castle (on the left if you are facing the castle)
- River Styx Elixir and Almond Fingers from Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland
- Ice cream cookie sandwich from Plaza Ice Cream
- Candy corn milkshake from Peco Bill’s – fair warning, it’s a corn flavored milkshake, not candy corn
- Mummy pastry from Cheshire Cat Cafe – if you like the Cheshire Cat Tail, this is pretty much the same thing
Also, I feel like people will probably either love or hate the Hades Cone from Storybook Treats. I didn’t love the habanero flavor, but if that’s your jam – definitely try it!
Tip!
There are also a couple of party specific food related merchandise items like a Donald Duck sipper and a Nightmare Before Christmas popcorn bucket. Lines were super long at the places in Tomorrowland and on Main Street U.S.A., because people wanted these exclusive items but if you went back a little further into the park, the popcorn bucket at least was available with little wait.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Tips
Alright now some quick tips based on our experience at this year’s party as well as the others. Things haven’t changed too much so these tips all still stand for maximizing your party hours!
Read blog posts (like this one) ahead of time and figure out which rides, shows, and treats are the most important to you. While the party is five hours long, those five hours go quick especially if you spend a good portion of it in line for Tron, food, or something else. You likely won’t get to do everything so plan and prioritize what’s most important.
Don’t spend too much time on the treat stations. While the treats are a fun bonus for attending the party, if the treat stations have long lines – remember it’s just candy. You can buy that at home. It’s all the other exclusive things that make the party worth the cost.
Don’t save spots for the parade forever. Your party time is valuable, and I saw plenty of people getting good spots within 15 minutes of the parade starting time, especially the later parade. There’s no need, from what I saw, to line up super early. Same with the fireworks and the Hocus Pocus spectacular – unless you need prime front row seats, you can find somewhere pretty easily that you can see it well enough.
Eat dinner before the party and ideally not at one of the restaurants that has party specific offerings. The longest lines I saw all night were at restaurants that had both real dinner food and party offerings. If you want those party specific offerings, wait until later in the night when people aren’t also getting dinner.
Don’t forget to grab exclusive party merchandise during the party. If you miss out and come back to the park the next day, it won’t be available to you.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Party FAQs
Do I need a separate ticket for the party?
Yes, yes, yes! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is totally separate from your park ticket. You need to buy a ticket just for the party and that ticket will get you in beginning at 4PM on the day of your party. You’ll need to get a wristband when you enter the park with your party ticket and anyone without a wristband after 7PM will be kicked out.
What time is Mickey’s Not So Scary Party?
The party starts at 7PM and as mentioned before, you can get into the park as early as 4PM with your party ticket. The party goes from 7PM to midnight each night.
Parties have already started for 2023 and continue throughout September and October with one final party on November 1st.
How much are Mickey’s Not So Scary tickets?
Party tickets that are currently available range in price from $109 to $199 including all tax and gratuity. There’s also a discount for annual pass holders and Disney Vacation Club members for every party other than Halloween week. Just make sure you’re logged into the Disney World website prior to purchasing your tickets.
Can I wear a costume to Not-So-Scary?
Yes, everyone can wear costumes – just make sure to follow Disney’s costume policy, even for Halloween! They are pretty strict when it comes to masks for adults as well as accessories like toy weapons that you can bring in.
Is Tron open during Mickey’s Not So Scary Party?
Yes, Tron is open during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party but only through virtual queue access only. Guests with valid party tickets will have the opportunity to join a virtual queue at 6PM the night of their party through the My Disney Experience app. Make sure you’re ready to join when the virtual queue opens because it opens and sells out in seconds.
Have more questions or something I didn’t answer? Leave me a comment or reach out on social media (@playpartyplan) and I’ll get you whatever information you need to know!
More Disney World Tips & Tricks
- Best Disney World restaurants
- Disney snacks you’ll love
- Why we go with a Disney car rental
- Best way to spend one day at Disney World
- Ultimate guide to Disney character dining
- Why families love Disney World
Want More Fun Ideas?
Want more fun ideas like this one? Enter your first name and email address in the form below to join the Play Party Plan community! You’ll receive weekly recipes, party ideas, games, and more directly to your inbox!
Leave a Reply