2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates and Ticket Info
If you’re visiting Disney World during Halloween season, you’ll be happy to hear that Disney has announced dates, prices, and details for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. When is Halloween season at Disney World? Well, this year the parties run from August 9 to October 31. Read on for more details!
What Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party?
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a “hard-ticket” event that’s held at the Magic Kingdom several nights a week from late summer through Halloween. On these nights, the park closes early to regular guests. Party attendees can enter the park a few hours before closing without needing to use regular admission, and the party itself features special entertainment, food, and decor.
2024 Event Dates, Ticket Prices, and Times
Tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will go on sale May 8, 2024 to guests of Disney World resort hotels, as well as those staying at the Disney World Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green. Halloween Party ticket sales to the general public begin on May 15.
To buy tickets yourself, book online or call 407-934-7639. If you’re purchasing online during the early access period, make sure you’re logged in and your resort reservation has been linked to your My Disney Experience account.
If you’re thinking about a trip to Disney World for MNSSHP, there’s still time to book a trip, but staying onsite to take advantage of early purchasing is a personal choice. Individual dates don’t typically begin to sell out until after they are open for public purchase.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2024 Dates
The party will be held on a total of 38 dates this year, with the first on August 9 and the last on October 31.
- August 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30
- September 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29
- October 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2024 Prices
Ticket prices range from $119 to $199, ($10 less for children ages 3-9), with a $10 discount available to Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members on select nights. DVC members must be eligible for Membership Extras to receive the MNSSHP discount.
Prices by date for the general public are below (tap into the gallery for the full-size image); Annual Passholder & DVC Member prices can be viewed by starting the purchase process from Disney’s MNSSHP page. Expect to pay $119-$129 per ticket in August (except for the first party at $149), $129-$149 in September, and $169-$199 in October.
Event Times
On event nights, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party begins at 7 p.m. and lasts until midnight. Ticket holders may enter the park on their party ticket as early as 4 p.m., and entry at the tapstiles will close to those without party tickets at 6 p.m.
Party Entertainment
One of the big draws of MNSSHP is the special entertainment offerings and opportunities. If you’re a TouringPlans subscriber, you’ll be happy to know that most entertainment can be added to a custom itinerary so that you can find the most effective way to see everything on your list.
In addition to lower-profile entertainment such as
- performances by the Cadaver Dans (usually the Dapper Dans)
- dance parties including the Disney Junior Jam and the DescenDANCE Party
- Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular featuring the Sanderson Sisters
- A spirited pirate band, Rusty Cut Glass, that will roam through Adventureland sharing sea shanties and stories of their sojourns on the sea
these offerings include:
Boo to You Parade
Disney hasn’t had a regular nighttime parade since 2016, but on party nights the Boo to You Parade runs twice. Disney villains, heroes, Haunted Mansion graveyard diggers, and more provide a spooky spectacle that’s excellently themed. In 2024, Disney has announced that the parade will have an earlier start time at 8:15 p.m. to be friendlier to parents with small kids who want to enjoy the parade before bedtime. A second showing will run at 11:15 p.m.
Special Halloween Fireworks
Happily Ever After will not show on nights when Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is held. Instead, guests are treated to Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular. Jack Skellington hosts this show full of Disney characters and music featuring fireworks, projections, and other special effects. The fireworks will play at 10 p.m., and if you’ve already left the party to put little ones to bed you may be able to see the sparklers (but not the projections) from outdoor locations at the Magic Kingdom resorts.
Two upcharge Dessert Party options will also be available for fireworks viewing. Guests can choose from Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace, and Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing.
Trick-or-Treating
Several Trick-or-Treat stops are set up throughout the park for guests to take away candy. Allergy-friendly options are also available. See our Guide to Allergy Friendly Trick-or-Treating at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
If you’re just looking for a snack during the party itself, Disney offers themed treats such as the Bowl of Bones and Terrifyin’ Twice-Spiced Chicken Sandwich on party nights. Several Quick Service locations also serve their regular menu during the party.
Special Characters
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party features Meet & Greet opportunities with characters who don’t regularly appear in the parks. The list (which varies from year to year) includes Jack Sparrow, Jack Skellington, and Sally, in addition to other characters who may be available at other locations and events such as Stitch and the Tremaines. For 2024, Disney has confirmed that you’ll be able to meet Bruno alongside Mirabel in her casita. Mickey and Minnie are there, of course, in special attire for the event; other M&G “regulars” may also be meeting in special Halloween Party dress.
Costumes
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is one of the few occasions where adult guests can enter the parks in an actual costume, not just a DisneyBounding outfit that is “reminiscent of” a particular character. There are still rules of course, but many adults enjoy the opportunity to get creative with a costume. And if you’re not one of them, it can be just as much fun checking out how others have chosen to do it. Whether or not you’ve chosen to dress up, PhotoPass photographers offer a variety of party-specific Magic Shots.
Pro tip about costumes: the temperatures look “reasonable” in October, but the humidity can still be killer. Keep that in mind when designing your outfit.
Shorter Lines
Disney advertises shorter lines as a selling point of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and three attractions (Space Mountain, Mad Tea Party, and Monsters Inc., Laugh Floor) get themed overlays for the party. Attractions such as TRON Lightcycle/Run that use a Virtual Queue will use a standby line during parties, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will also be open and available during 2024 parties. Here at TouringPlans, we feel this benefit should come with an asterisk: party-goers will typically have to choose between focusing on rides or focusing on entertainment. Days on which the party is held also tend to have noticeably lower crowds (and therefore shorter lines) than days in the same week without a party.
Should You Go?
Some people have already made up their minds one way or the other. But for those who are waffling, let’s discuss. The sticky point is, usually, price. The median ticket price for 2024’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is $149; for a family of 4, including tax, that brings your bill to $633.25. If you’re aiming for an October party it will be even more, with an average ticket price of $179-189. That’s a lot of dough.
It’s pretty common to see the talking point that the party ticket isn’t that much different in price than a one-day ticket and you’ll get a total of 8 hours in the Magic Kingdom if you arrive at 4 p.m. during regular hours. There’s an implicit assumption there that you’re trading off a party ticket against a day of regular admission. But we feel that might not be a great argument, and here’s why.
First, our Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Touring Strategy will give you a good idea of what you get can for that money, because you can’t do everything. And that’s the problem really, you can’t do everything. It’s true that party days tend to have lighter crowds, and you’ll likely get more done in the 3 hours between 4 and 7 p.m. on a party day than you would on a non-party day. But if your goal is to do a lot of the regular attractions in the Magic Kingdom, you won’t be able to accomplish that unless you’re skipping many of the party-specific attractions.
Second, if you’re skipping many of the party-specific attractions, now we need to revisit that price calculation. It’s more pleasant to tour the Magic Kingdom in the late afternoon and evening during August and September, but your admission might not be a dollar-for-dollar trade. For regular admission tickets of four days or less, the price may be comparable to a party ticket. But after four days, the per-day cost for additional days drops like a rock. If you’re comparing the price of a party ticket at $149 to adding a 5th day for an extra $60, that doesn’t look so favorable for the party ticket.
Where this argument begins to make a lot more sense is when you know you’ll need more than one day in the Magic Kingdom, but you don’t want to buy a Park Hopper. Now you can do a full day in the Magic Kingdom on a regular ticket, including taking in Happily Ever After if you choose. Then you can come back and mop up anything you missed by entering at 4 p.m. on your party day. You’ll need some stamina if you’re going to a different park in the morning, but the math mostly adds up on the financial front.
Taking that all in hand, a party ticket is most likely to be right for you if:
- You’re really interested in the party-specific activities, plus maybe a few regular attractions
- You’re visiting for only a few days (4 or fewer) and want to get part of a second day in the Magic Kingdom by combining a party ticket with a shorter-length regular ticket
- You’re visiting for any length of time and would like to get part of a second day in the Magic Kingdom without buying a Park Hopper.
Are you excited about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party? Let us know in the comments!
In theory I can book my tickets for Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party today (May 8) as I am staying at a Disney hotel, but I cannot find anywhere online to make the booking. Any advice please?
Hi Steph – it may be that booking has not opened yet at the time you were checking; Disney does not bring it right online at midnight and I am seeing it now. You can also try calling at 407-934-7639 to make the reservation directly.
So is the first one Aug. 11 or Aug. 9? And is the last Nov. 1 or Oct. 31?
It is August 9 to October 31. Thank you for catching the error, it has been corrected.
Who can answer my question about the better date to attend the MNSSHP: Mon Oct 14 (Columbus day), or Tues Oct 15?