Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is a separate-admission

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

-themed event held annually during the months of August, September, and October at the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The W ...

theme park of the

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

Resort in

Lake Buena Vista, Florida Lake Buena Vista () is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being the mailing address for Walt Disney World—although almost all of the resort facilities, including all four theme parks, are physically located i ...

, near

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, and at

Disneyland Paris Resort Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...

outside

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The party began as a response to the

Halloween Horror Nights ''Universal's Halloween Horror Nights'' (originally ''Universal Studios Fright Nights'' in 1991) is an annual Halloween-themed event at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. The event was originally named '' ...

event at

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...

. Disney's event caters to a traditional family atmosphere, whereas Universal's has more of a "fright-centered" event with their monsters. The event encourages guests to dress up in Halloween costumes and celebrate the season with themed events throughout the park. Regular park rules prohibit guests over the age of fourteen years from dressing in costume, however, this rule is waived for the Halloween event, although adults dressed as a Disney character are prohibited from signing autographs or posing for pictures with other guests. The event begins at 7pm on select nights but guests with a ticket for the event can enter Magic Kingdom beginning at 4pm. On June 18, 2020, Disney announced that all Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party celebrations for the year would be cancelled due to delays and restrictions related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. A smaller-scale event, Disney After Hours Boo Bash, replaced it for 2021. On April 27, 2022, Disney announced that ''Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party'' will be returning to the Magic Kingdom on August 13, 2022, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration.

Walt Disney World

Summary

The event regularly takes place at Magic Kingdom mid-August until October 31 or November 1. In 2019, the event was dedicated in memory of Russi Taylor,

Disney Legend The Disney Legends Awards is a Hall of Fame program that recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. Established in 1987, the honor was traditionally awarded annually during a speci ...

and long-time voice actress of

Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasionally w ...

, who died earlier that year.

Trick-or-treating

Unlike regular hours, the events include

trick-or-treating Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...

throughout the Magic Kingdom with special treat locations being identified by large inflatable towers. Guests are provided small trick-or-treat bags when they arrive and Mars' Wrigley sponsors the candy that is handed out.

Stage shows, meet and greets, and parties

Originally, a stage show and meet-and-greet with animated

Disney Villains This is a list of Disney villain characters often based on animated fictional characters who have been featured as part of the Disney character line-up. Some of these villain characters have appeared in sequels, video games, comic books, stage pr ...

led by

Dr. Facilier ''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 49th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the ...

titled ''The Disney Villains Mix and Mingle'', was held at the

Cinderella Castle Cinderella Castle is Cinderella (Disney character), Cinderella's home fairy tale castle and the icon at the center of two Disney theme parks: the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Both serve as ...

Forecourt Stage. After the show, the villains dispersed to different areas of the park for meet and greet opportunities. The show ended in 2014. The following year, a new stage show titled ''Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular'' debuted in the same venue with the Sanderson Sisters from ''Hocus Pocus'', as well as appearances from other Disney Villains including Dr. Facilier,

Oogie Boogie This article lists characters seen in the film ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' and two video games: '' The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King'' and '' The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge''. Design The filmmakers constr ...

, and

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...

. However, in 2022, Disney announced the modified version of ''Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular'', ''Burning Rain of Death'', as part of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration, due to the rainy weather season and the fact that water is a witch’s weakness.

Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade

As is the norm at Disney theme parks, a parade and a

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

show are the centerpieces of the event. The holiday-themed parade, entitled "Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade," features a pre-parade ride by the

Headless Horseman The Headless Horseman is a mythical figure who has appeared in folklore around the world since the Middle Ages. The figure is traditionally depicted as a rider upon horseback who is missing his head. Description Depending on the legend, the Hor ...

from ''

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...

''. The parade features various Disney characters (Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and their friends) in Halloween costumes and a live-action version of the three hitchhiking ghosts from the

Haunted Mansion The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The haunted house attraction features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called "Doom Buggies", and a walk-through show is displa ...

attraction. The villains are also in the parade with a unit of their own. Besides the Haunted Mansion dancers, Hitchhiking Ghosts, the hoedown dancers, and the barn unit, the parade and soundtrack were changed in 2005. In 2019, additional updates to the parade were made, including the addition of two new Tomorrowland-themed floats (one featuring Buzz Lightyear and alien explorers and the other with the Incredibles and Edna Mode) and a new spectral bride from the

. During the second parade, Cruella's Halloween Hideaway is available for an additional charge. This "party within a party" comes with reserved parade viewing plus themed savory and sweet food items and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

''Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular!''

The nighttime fireworks show, presented in lieu of the regular nightly show ''

Disney Enchantment ''Disney Enchantment'' was a fireworks and projection mapping show that debuted at the Magic Kingdom on September 30, 2021, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration. Similar to its predecessor, ''Happily Ever After (Magic Ki ...

'', is titled ''Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacular!'', which debuted in August 2019. The show features fireworks,

projection mapping Projection mapping, similar to video mapping and spatial augmented reality, is a projection technique used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into display surfaces for video projection. The objects may be complex industrial landscapes, s ...

, lasers, and searchlights at

, and stars

Jack Skellington Jack Skellington is a character and the main protagonist of the 1993 film ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''. He is a Living Skeleton who is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, a fantasy world based solely on the Halloween holiday. Jack is voiced ...

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...

, and

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

. The current show serves as a replacement for '' Happy HalloWishes: A Grim Grinning Ghosts' Spooktacular in the Sky'', which was based on the

and featured dark music from the Disney library of animated films. Prior to that show's debut in 2005, a revival of the classic fireworks show,

Fantasy in the Sky ''Fantasy in the Sky'' was the first fireworks performance at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, beginning in 1958 and running until 1996 (with short engagements in 2004 and early 2015). The show also appeared at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena ...

, was shown along with a three-minute holiday-themed finale featuring the Old Witch form Snow White and the seven dwarfs as the host of this Finale. The soundtrack for both the fireworks and parade are available on an in-park CD as of 2007 titled "Magic Kingdom Event Party Music", which also includes music from Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party. During the fireworks, a special dessert party is available for an additional fee. This dessert party provides guests with reserved viewing of the fireworks along with themed treats and desserts.

Disneyland Paris

For the first time ever, a Not-So-Scary Halloween Party took place outside the US in 2008. In October 2008,

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...

hosted "''Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party''" (translated in French in "''La Fête Pas-Si-Trouille of Adventureland"''); these evenings offered access to several attractions, different shows especially created (''Merlin and the Witch Academy'', ''The Halloween Magician''), and a Disco Party. Streetmospheres and Meet'n'Greet with Disney Characters gave the Park a special and spooky atmosphere. For the second year, Disneyland Paris hosted once again four of these family-centered events on October 9, 16, 23, and 27, 2009. The first rumors announced a wider area than the previous year (including Adventureland, Fantasyland and Frontierland), and a new Villain Show could take place on the Central Hub Stage. The idea of these events remains to bring more families to the park during their annual Halloween events with a separate ticket like their annual "''Soirée Halloween Disney''" ("Disney's Halloween Party"), which has been run on All Hallow's Eve since 1997, and is darker in tone than those in the US and

Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be ...

, but not as scary than the

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

events.

References

External links

Disney's website for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
{{Hocus Pocus Events at Walt Disney World Halloween events in the United States Magic Kingdom Walt Disney Parks and Resorts parades Mickey Mouse