Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World Has Started!

The calendar may say August, but Halloween has arrived at Walt Disney World. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party started on Friday, August 17, and I was lucky enough to be there. The event was sold out, but the crowd was still manageable. The evening was warm, but that didn’t stop anyone from having a great time.

I attended the first party of 2018 with my adult daughter. She has a dairy allergy, and part of the party is trick or treating and receiving more candy than you ever thought possible. Disney handles allergies and special diets well for the party. Request a teal bag instead of the regular one. At the trick or treat stations you’ll receive tokens in place of candy. At the end of the night turn the tokens in at one of two stations. You’ll then be able to receive plenty of treats that are safe.

There are three ride changes for 2018 that you’ll want to know about. Mad Tea Party has special lighting, which puts a new “spin” on the ride. Pirates of the Caribbean features Gunpowder Pete, a live actor who interacts with you in the line and again on the ride. The biggest surprise for me was Space Mountain. They’ve turned off the lights and changed the music for the party, and it feels like a totally different ride.

Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular is back once again. There are three shows (weather permitting), and once again the show featuring the Sanderson Sisters is extremely popular. It’s the 25th anniversary of Hocus Pocus, making the show this year a little more magical.

Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade is another highlight of the party. It runs twice each night. It’s fun to watch the mixture of classic characters and villains.  I think my favorite part of the parade this year was the Hitchhiking Ghosts. The parade’s music is still running through my head today. The only downside of this fantastic parade is that it makes me miss having a nighttime parade at the Magic Kingdom.

Happily Ever After does not run on party nights. Instead, it’s Happy Hallowishes. There were a couple of moments during the display where the crowd gasped. It’s that good.

One of the main draws of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for many people is the fact that there are some rare characters in the park. Other common characters are also around, they’re just dressed up in their Halloween costumes. There are also unique Magic Shots locations. The lines for pictures were long, so we decided to skip them. There was just too much else that we wanted to do.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party runs on select nights now through October 31. It is a separate ticketed event, which means that a regular theme park ticket is not going to get you in. The party runs from 7:00 until midnight, but you can enter the Magic Kingdom starting at 4:00 if you have a party ticket. It’s one of the most popular events at Walt Disney World, and if you check it out you’ll soon see why. If last night was any indication, 2018 will have the best parties ever.