Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a popular, separately ticked event held at Magic Kingdom on select nights from Aug. 9 to Oct. 31, 2024. This is one of our favorite events at Walt Disney World with unique characters, trick-or-treating, special entertainment and more. Tickets are on sale now, and as an extra treat, Undercover Tourist has them at a discount. But don't wait — only select October dates are left! With so much offered in a limited timeframe, we've created this party park plan to give you the best strategies for maximizing your time at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!
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Overview of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Park Plan
While we have our full guide to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, we wanted to break down our tips and strategies for attending this popular event. The party runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, and you can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m. With the party ticket allowing eight hours total in the park, it can be almost an entire day in itself! There's a lot to do at these parties and those prime party hours will fly by.
We created this party park plan to help maximize your time and experience the lowest wait times. (We have park plans for a regular day at the theme parks as well!). This plan helps with the approximate order to follow, as well as general strategies.
Inclement weather can change the best laid-out plans, causing modifications, delays or cancellations for select entertainment, and impacting outdoor rides, treat trails and character greetings. In such cases, you must go with the flow and make the best out of it!
Overall, our best advice is to prioritize what's most important to YOU! Be sure to modify when needed to help align with your family's priorities.
If you're looking for a downloadable version of this park plan to take with you to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, we've got you covered. You can download it here! Hoppy Halloween!
Arriving at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Arrive Early
With a party ticket, guests can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m., three hours before the party officially starts. Allow extra time for taking Disney transportation or parking at the Transportation & Ticket Center (plus a boat or monorail ride), and going through security and the entrance touchpoints. Expect to see a large crowd waiting if arriving close to 4 p.m. and allow about 15 minutes to reach the turnstiles.
This first step is a crucial one, as you don't want to waste party time later trying to enter the park.
Grab Your Wristband
Once you arrive at the Magic Kingdom entrance, head to the specific touchpoints for party attendees. It's usually the touchpoints on the righthand side — keep an eye out for signage and cast member directions to be sure you're in the correct spot. Once you scan in, you'll receive a wristband.
If you’re already in the park before 4 p.m. as a daytime guest, go to a wristband distribution location, between 4-7 p.m. so you can stay inside the park. There are wristband locations in Adventureland (across from Pirates of the Caribbean), Tomorrowland (across from Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor) and Fantasyland (in front of Mickey's PhilharMagic).
Pre-Party Time at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Hit the Rides
If your party focus is on special entertainment, characters and trick-or-treating, go on rides now. Not all rides and shows are open during the party, so make sure to prioritize if you don’t want to miss out on any later. Unavailable attractions typically include the Carousel of Progress, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Enchanted Tiki Room, Hall of Presidents, Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island. Save any rides with special overlays for the party.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure will have a standby line available starting at 6 p.m. for party guests with wristbands and throughout the party. TRON recently switched from a virtual queue to a standby line during daytime operations, so it will continue to use a standby line during pre-party and party time.
Eat Dinner
The party is packed with fun festivities all night long. Take the extra time to sit down and fuel up before the party starts. Because time is limited, we recommend a quick-service spot, such as Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café or Casey's Corner. There's a good amount of Halloween treats available during regular hours so you can start on the sweets as well, such as the delicious Minnie-shaped cinnamon roll from Main Street Bakery! Check out the full Halloween menus at Magic Kingdom for more details!
Visit Non-Party Characters
Some daytime characters don't appear during the party, including the Disney Princesses at Fairytale Hall and Peter Pan. If those characters are a priority, be sure to use your pre-party time to meet them (the characters from "Peter Pan" are always a great group costume idea!). Save meeting characters in their Halloween costumes for the party, such as Mickey and friends, Winnie the Pooh and friends and Stitch.
Some popular party-exclusive characters, such as Jack Skellington and Sally, start meeting guests with party wristbands as early as 4 p.m. but lines can get long very quickly. Unless you're one of the first in line to meet them or they're a major priority for you, it may be worth stopping by later during the first parade. Winnie the Pooh and friends also start to meet early around 6:15 to 6:30 p.m.
During Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Get Exclusive Treats and Party-Exclusive Merch Early
In past years, some special treats and merchandise have drawn long lines and can sell out early in the night. If you're eyeing a special item, be sure to grab it early just in case, so you don't regret missing it later!
Prioritize Characters
If you must visit a certain character, be sure to do so earlier in the night, as some may leave their location to be in the parade or cut off the line 30 minutes before the party ends. Characters may also take breaks so remember to pack your patience when waiting in line. Double-check with a cast member to find out how long a line is. For a full list of character locations, hop over to our blog!
Visit Jack Skellington and Sally During the First Parade (8:15 p.m.)
Due to their popularity, the "Nightmare Before Christmas" duo typically starts greeting guests with party wristbands at 4 p.m. Cast members usually allow people to line up as soon as they see the first wristband, which creates a long line immediately. When you arrive, double-check with a cast member to see how long the line is. If it's too long by the time you ask, come back just before the first parade starts. We've seen it come down to about 45-60 minutes since everyone else is waiting for the first parade.
Find a Spot for Fireworks (10 p.m.)
Arrive around 9:30 p.m. (just after the 9:05 showing of Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular) to find a spot in the hub for a good view of the projections on Cinderella Castle.
Trick or Treat Later
There can be long lines for the treat trails early on, so focus on the rest of your plan and trick or treat later with little to no waits. If you visit Princess Fairytale Hall, you might just run into some villains ...
Watch the Second Parade (11:15 p.m.) in Frontierland
For a good view with shorter notice, grab a spot in Frontierland. While you wait, the Headless Horseman gallops along the entire parade route about 15-20 minutes before the rest of the parade. Frontierland is also where the parade begins — as soon as it passes by, you can hop to Tiana's Bayou Adventure or other rides in the area while other people are still watching the parade in other areas of the park.
Circle Back to Characters and Sprinkle in Your Favorite Rides
With the remaining time left, catch any characters you may have missed, including the dance parties and roaming villains, and go on your favorite rides — both of which usually have lower wait times as the night goes on.
Finish the Night with the Sanderson Sisters
By watching the last stage show of the night, you get to stay past the official party time to close out the park with the Sanderson sisters and their villainous friends. (It's one of our all-time favorite shows at Disney World, so we can't think of a better way to end the night!)
It's important to note again that entertainment can be shortened, postponed or canceled due to inclement weather, so keep weather forecasts in mind on the day of your party and stay flexible. For instance, if there's a chance of rain at midnight, you may want to shoot for an earlier Hocus Pocus Spelltacular showing.
We hope this helps you plan out your time at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! Let us know your family's strategies in the comments below!
Related: Your Complete Guide to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Hoppy planning!
