Nine years ago my husband and I took the kids to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom and it rained for most of it. We stood under ponchos watching the parade and going on wet rides and I remember thinking, oh well, maybe we’ll try again next year.
Nearly a decade later, my husband and I decided to give the party a second chance, sans kids, and it turns out the party is a very different experience when you’re not walking around in soggy clothes. We had a great time and the experience already makes me want to return again.
Here’s what I loved about the event:
1. Decorations to Die For
Disney does theming better than almost anyone, and it shows. Pumpkin displays, harvest garland wound through railings, orange and black wreaths on doors, characters in Halloween costumes – Fall had fallen on the Magic Kingdom. Main Street especially gets the full treatment…it’s the kind of over-the-top fall styling that makes you forget it’s still ninety degrees outside and August.
2. Halloween Treats
I’ve never been impressed by the regular food options at Magic Kingdom. But Halloween is where the kitchens clearly get to have some fun. The devilish chicken sandwich at The Plaza was a solid festive option, but the real star is dessert — pumpkin churros, pumpkin tarts, pumpkin ice cream, plus a rotating cast of spooky cakes, cake pops, and other ghoulish goodies. Treats are their own food group at Disney – when you know, you know.
3. Spooky Souvenirs
I went in telling myself I didn’t really need a souvenir from Disney. I left with a popcorn bucket, specifically the light-up Headless Horseman one that will now proudly be displayed in my house during October. Beyond the buckets, there were Halloween ears and apparel featuring characters you genuinely don’t see merchandised often, Ichabod Crane among them. Something for every taste and, nearly every budget.
4. Villains Rule
On most days, heroes rules the Magic Kingdom. Not this one. On this day – the Sanderson Sisters, Cruella, Captain Hook, Maleficent – the villains all get their moment. While I love when the good guys win….there’s a different energy, almost mischievous, to the whole park when the bad guys are running the show.
5. A Legend Comes to Life
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was one of my favorite spooky stories growing up, right alongside Disney’s own Ichabod and Mr. Toad. So when I found out the Headless Horseman leads off the parade, that settled it — I had to be there. Watching that story gallop past in person, horse and all, was worth the whole trip on its own. The only thing better would have been to see old Ichabod crouching behind a food cart.
A Few Tips If You’re Going
Get there early. The party technically runs 7pm to midnight, but ticket holders can enter the park as early as 4pm for extra magic time before things officially start.
Skip the early trick-or-treat lines. Grab candy too soon and you’re carrying a melting, sticky bag around the park for hours. We held off until about 10:30pm and the cast members seemed almost eager to unload it on us — multiple handfuls per stop, no rationing in sight.
Leave the Genie app alone. No Lightning Lane needed during the party. We never waited more than twenty-five minutes for a single ride, which, if you’ve done Disney on a regular day, you know is basically unheard of.
Nine years and one very soggy poncho later, I’m glad we gave it a second chance.
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